I waved him toward me. “Come.”
He followed me up the stairs, down the frozen hall, and into an elegant bedroom made of ice. The beds had no blankets, of course. Frozen water did not make soft covers. But he’d said his bond to the lamp prevented discomfort from temperature, and he was fae so he could not lie. I stood in the doorframe and gestured him inside.
Stopping in the doorframe, he stood only inches away from me. “You want me to spend the night in here?”
We were close enough that his breath heated the air around my face. There was no way I’d be able to hide how his appeal for freedom made me hope I could garner his loyalty. His loyalty, his friendship, his approval, his… admiration. Things that had always been out of my reach, despite the power I’d wielded. Things that would be worth almost as much as the revenge I craved with every scrap of my existence.
Things that made the crystal walls around my heart tremble.
“It seemed appropriate for us each to have our own room,” I whispered, not wanting my cool breath to chill him.
His bright blue eyes held mine. “Usually my masters release me to the lamp when they no longer need my services.”
“Perhaps I’d prefer your company.” I snapped my teeth together. How had I said that aloud?
He raised a brow. “If I’m sleeping in here, I’m not really keeping you company.”
A blush ran up the back of my neck. I had to keep my desires for companionship hidden better. Letting him know how much I craved something as simple as a friendship would give him far too much leverage over me. “Would you prefer the lamp?” I asked quickly, hoping to cover my embarrassment.
“No.” He spoke slower, as if relishing the awkward moment.
“Then enjoy the space.” I waved at the room, and then marched away.
Chapter 9: Andar
Ilay in bed and stared at the icy ceiling for hours before I fell asleep. Technically, sleep was not necessary either, as long as I was bound to the lamp, but lying on a bed—frozen as it was—did something to emotions that were not supposed to be involved in this manipulation.
The Snow Queen was a means to an end. A method to my freedom. The first step on my way to destroy Brintontoven.
She was not supposed to offer me a bed for the first time in centuries. It was certainly not supposed to make me want to protect her fragile feelings—feelings that I could see despite her efforts to bury and hide them.
Feelings that I was already taking advantage of to manipulate her into freeing me.
She was trouble wrapped in a pretty face and sculpted into a sword—a sharp-edged tool she used to protect herself while wishing she didn’t need to be guarded. How had she ever lasted this long without trusting someone?
She’d have to tell me her story eventually—I’d told her mine, and I was far too curious about hers to not get the details.
* **
I woke up when light scrambled through the open windows. I found the Snow Queen outside, packing her leftover food into a saddlebag.
“Your Majesty.”
She tied the bag closed and turned to me. “I’ve decided to free you.”
And with those five words, my entire world froze.
Did she mean it?
She stepped closer to me. “I want your assurance, though, that you will not leave me before I have my revenge. I want a guarantee that you will use your magic and any means at your disposal to help me.”
How could I reassure her without actually binding myself? I bowed, deeply and slowly to hide any hesitation that might make its way to my face before I made a plan. What could I promise her?
I lifted my gaze slowly, focusing on the excitement that freedom promised. “I swear I will accompany you on your journey for revenge,” I said. “I will do everything in my power—whether magical or otherwise—to support you as long as our paths remain entwined, even if it extends longer than your plans for revenge.”
Her eyes widened at my last phrase. Hopefully, she focused on it and not on the fact that I did not promise to accompany her until the end of her journey.
She lifted the lamp off the top of a saddlebag and raised it toward me. “I’ll accept that. Andar, please use my last request to free you from your bond with the lamp.”
