“Relax, Mallory,” he murmured, letting her name curl intimately off his tongue. “No need to treat me any differently.”
He felt her breath hitch.
And for the first time ever, Jakob’s carefully controlled world tilted away from indulgence, away from ease, and toward something that felt far more dangerous.
Something that mattered. Jakob felt the fracture between his past and his future. And the cause stood right in front of him.
His heart had spent years gliding through nights like this, untouched and unclaimed. Desire had always been simple for him, fleeting, indulgent, and easily satisfied. He enjoyed the attention, the power of it, the knowledge that he could have any woman in the room with a glance and a smile.
But Mallory did not look at him like a prize.
She looked at him like a storm she’d wandered into without meaning to.
The music swelled inside the hall with the Winter Ball fully underway now. Jakob could feel the press of it and the eyes that watched with expectations that tightened like invisible chains. He was the king here. He always gave a speech about now.
And yet his gaze kept drifting back to Mallory. Her friends had caught the attention of some young townsmen and were otherwise preoccupied.
“You look like you’re planning an escape,” he said quietly.
“This isn’t really my thing.” She huffed a nervous laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
“Painfully.” He hesitated for only a moment. Speech be damned. He wasn’t about to let her disappear. “Walk with me.”
It wasn’t a question.
Before she had time to overthink it, Jakob turned and guided her past the balcony and down a narrow side corridor lit by wall sconces. The noise of the ball faded with every step until there was only the soft echo of their footsteps and the low hiss of distant wind.
They emerged into a small winter garden tucked between two towers. It was an old place that was rarely used. Snow blanketed the stone benches. Bare vines curled around trellises dusted white. Above them, the castle rose high and dark, its windows glowing gold like watchful eyes.
Mallory exhaled. “Oh. This is absolutely beautiful.”
Jakob watched her take it in until her shoulders finally relaxed. “I come here when the court becomes too loud.”
She glanced at him. “Does that happen often?”
“More than I let on.”
“What brings you to Oxynheim?” he asked. “Not a usual destination for a group of ladies.”
“I study medicine back home. I’ve heard some unique things about this area because of the cold that I want to check out for a paper.” She gave a little shrug. “And we’re on holiday while school is on winter break.”
Silence settled between them, weighted, but not awkward. Jakob became acutely aware of how close she stood and the faint warmth she carried in the cold air.
“This is usually the part,” he said slowly, “where I know exactly what to say.”
Mallory tilted her head. “And now?”
“And now I don’t.”
The admission tasted dangerous.
He had never struggled like this. Never felt the need to hold himself back. His dragon paced restlessly, sensing the shift and urging him forward.Claim, protect, choose.
Jakob clenched his jaw. “You should know,” he said in a low voice, “that I am not…uhhh, inexperienced when it comes to women.”
She blinked. “I gathered.”
A wry smile tugged at his mouth. “They have always been easy for me. Too easy.” He met her gaze, unflinching. “You are not.”
