It’s like the memory from the dreamscape. “I… I sort of recall that happening. It all blurred together. The Sandman–”
“Sandman?” Ban interrupts. “Like what Glacia said?”
“Dreammaker,” I grumble, thinking it over. “There are a lot of names for him. Hans is also one of them.”
“You know his real name?” Ban asks, sounding stunned.
“Yeah. He came to me when I was…” I try to figure out how to word it. “After my mother ripped out my spine. He was there, showing me things. Davina and Lancelot leaving, for example.”
His fingers skim down my side, hesitant, as though he’s worried he’s going to hurt me. “We have much to discuss.”
Turning, I step a little closer, his fingers trailing along my hip instead of resting on my back. I frown, wrapping my arms around his neck. “My back aches, Ban, but it’s not unbearable like it was at first, or even when I woke up. Whatever you did with your magic, it seems to be working. I’m not going to break because you touched me. I’m stronger than that.”
He spins toward me, sliding his hand to the bottom of my spine. He really is worried about my pain, his breath coming out in a little puff between us. “You’re the first person I’ve seen die, Neve, who I’ve also been able to save. Your magic and mine are similar enough that I could put your bones back togetherwhen your mother tore them apart. Forgive me for being a little concerned that five days later you aren’t fully healed.”
“It’s been five days?” I ask, surprised. “It didn’t feel that long in the dreamscape.”
“You slept for a hundred years and didn’t believe me about that at first, either,” he replies dryly, his other hand skirting along my hip. Every little touch makes me feel alive. “I had to put ice across your back where your skin tore. Odette had some bandages; they sort of stemmed the bleeding, but for the most part, it was trial and error. Zarev had to help me move you, so we didn’t upset your injuries further, and I kept applying ice to keep you cool. The weather here also seemed to help.”
“I haven’t seen the injuries,” I say quietly. “I know it hurt a lot at first, and I remember feeling you grab me, but that’s all there really is until I woke up. Even the pain in the dreamscape wasn’t as bad as it probably should have been. Now it’s just an ache, but a manageable one.” I lean forward, dropping my head onto his chest. “Thank you for saving my life. Again.”
“Indebted to the Queen twice,” he replies, rubbing my shoulder. “Anytime, my Neve. I’ll stay at your back for any battle you have to fight.”
A strange warmth blooms in my chest; I’m not used to someone validating me. Even before, when I had my father and what I thought was my mother’s love, they didn’t talk me up like this. They were sure I would need guards, protection, a plan, allies, and all sorts of things.
Ban seems certain; all I need is him.
We stay pressed together for many moments, my hands wandering across his skin. He’s still shirtless, the hard ridges of his body impossible to ignore with my cheek pressed against him. His oversized shirt ensures the shredded dress doesn’t destroy my dignity, but with no one else around, I don’t really care.
Besides, I think I can see spirits now. Or at least the Icebound ones. If anyone did try to sneak up, surely Ban would know.
Leaning up on my bare toes, his eyes catch mine. He closes the distance between us, the frosty chill of his body welcoming mine. I swear it feels like the ice at the back of my neck holding my spine together trembles at the touch.
Testing the waters, because my heart and my body are not on the same page, I slide my hands down his naked chest to find the waistband of his trousers. Ban hisses, rocking his hips away from me.
Rejection hits me before he gets to speak. “Fucking hell, Neve.”
I pull away from him, his eyes nearly burning into mine. “I thought–”
He cups the back of my neck, and the ice under my skin seems to hum with life. “Don’t be mistaken, little Queen. I would absolutely love to fuck you off the side of the cliff, but I didn’t spend most of a day rebuilding your spine to blow it out in an hour. Give me another day of rest and I’ll give you anything you ask of me.”
A thrill shoots through me. I really don’t want to give him another day; the ache in my back doesn’t feel like enough of a reason to stop me.
When it’s clear he can see the war in my eyes, he sighs and caresses my cheek. “I watched you die, Neve. And I barely got you back together again. Then you went and climbed a mountain instead of resting.Oneday.”
Finally, I give him a soft grin and nod. “Fine, one. If you don’t deliver, mage, I’m coming for you myself.”
Chapter 27 Ban
Once Neve stops making me want to bend her over and fuck her until she screams, we use the shadows to make quick work of descending the mountain. Zarev and Odette meet us at the mouth of the cave. Zarev’s sharp orange eyes track me when we return, and I don’t want to know what he’s thinking as he eyes my naked chest.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Odette calls, still tucked into the cave. She looks dreadful, like she might never know how to be warm again. Her skin is overly rosy, her eyes tired. “Was it worth going into a blizzard?”
“It was… insightful,” Neve says carefully, looking between them. She hasn’t had much of a chance to speak with them until now, and her wary eyes fall on Zarev. “My apologies, but who are you?”
I know I introduced them to Neve when she first woke, but I’m positive she had more important things to think about so I don’t give her any flak as I point to Z. “My Hell Brother. You can call him Zarev. He’s another Grim Reaper. And Odette, Princess of Swan Lake.”
“I’ve never gotten to meet a royal from the Frostlands,” Odette says from the cave, smiling. “It’s a pleasure.”
