A gruff statement that had her smiling. “Not true. I am damaged.” More than he knew.
Neve set her down at the foot of the bed. Lia’s eyelids were so heavy. She lay down at the foot of the bed and pulled a blanket over the top of her, pillowing her cheek on her bicep.
The Frost King brushed a stand of hair from her cheek. “We both are.” He blew out his breath. “Could you tell me a secret?”
An alarm bell rang in the back of her mind, but it was far away. “Sure.”
“When you were attacked in the mountains, were you with another…vallos?” His words were low and stiff.
Her nose wrinkled. Why would he think that? “No, males aren’t safe.” Her mind went to poor Lo and her eyes filled. Neve dashed one of her tears away, his claw skittering over the delicate skin underneath her eye.
“They hurt my friend,” she whispered. “They hurt me.” Her bite throbbed at the reminder. The monster had branded her. She glanced at the tent pin once before snuggling in, and avoiding her husband’s gaze. Safety was just an arm’s length away.
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
The soundof a fire crackling pulled her from troubled sleep. Lia blinked sleepily, staring at a familiar muscular back. The Frost King crouched in front of the woodstove, stuffing it full. Sweat dripped down his bare back, his hair pulled into an intricate blue-black braid that followed the length of his spine, down to taut glutes. How was he so handsome? He was so different than Lia in so many ways, and yet, every part of him called to her. Even the dangerous parts.
As if he could feel her gaze, he glanced over his shoulder before looking away. “Go back to bed.”
She snuggled deeper into the covers, her eyelids slowly falling shut when he dropped into one of the chairs by the table, the wood groaning underneath his weight.
Her mind wandered until she found herself standing outside her mother’s home. Lia brushed her hair off her face and covered her mouth when she spotted a trail of blood in the crisp white snow, leading toward the river. She rounded the house, wishing she could escape, but knowing what she’d find.
The Giver grinned at her, his teeth all pointed, his skin changing from blue to white. His eyes were like pits of tar. “You chose this,” he shouted, shaking her mother.
Her mum whimpered in his arms, her gaze accusing. “This is your fault.”
Lia sobbed. “I’m sorry, Mum. I tried. I’m so sorry.”
For every step she took, they retreated closer to the river’s edge. “Stop! Please!”
He grinned maliciously. “This is what happens when you play games. You lose.”
Dahlia screamed when he tossed her mum over the edge into the frigid waters. She raced to the steep bank and dropped to her hands and knees, fingers sinking into the snow. She scoured the water, but her mum never surfaced. “No, no, no, no.”
“This is your doing, sweet flower,” the Giver whispered in her ear. “Just remember you will never escape me. You’remine, Dahlia.”
“Dahlia.”
Her eyes snapped open, gazing up into the face of a monster. She screamed and bolted, knocking her knee into something sharp. She shivered as she crawled underneath the table, wrapping her arms around her knees. She rocked in place, trying to dispel fear and grief, a bird screech echoing in her ears.
It was just a nightmare. He’s gone. You’re safe.
She flinched when the Frost King stood from the bed. Warily, she watched his bare feet round the table. A soft hiss and then light bloomed. One by one, the king lit every lantern until the tent was completely illuminated. He moved back to the bottom of the bed and then slid down to the floor, tilting his head to the side so he could meet her eye.
“You can come out. It is safe.”
She didn’t move.
Neither did he.
Instead, he inhaled slowly, held his breath for a few seconds, and then blew out a long exhale. “Try following my breaths,jaivelle.” He placed his hands on his wide strong chest. “Feel your heartbeat.”
Her hands shook, but she managed to place them over her heart. Lia tried to copy his breathing pattern, her heart rate slowing little by little. The shaking stopped, and the horrible fatigue that came on the heels of an attack crashed down onher. Tears threatened to fall. It was just too much. She blinked repeatedly to keep them at bay and swallowed the lump in her throat when Neve scooted forward and got onto his knees.
He held out his hand.
The King of Loriia knelt for her.
