You’re mine, darling Helena. Always, he says.
Yes, I tell him.I am yours, and you are mine. Forever.
CHAPTER 28
Six days later…
HELENA
The sun sinkslow on the horizon, gilding the snow-covered rooftops of Braemar in varying hues of gold and pink. From the balcony, the city looks almost unreal, like an otherworldly painting, the kind once sold in the markets by the same traveling merchants who once brought stories of the fae.
I rest my hands on the cold stone railing and breathe in the crisp evening air. Tomorrow, the Winter Court army will depart Braemar at dawn.
Tomorrow, I will leave this city behind.
I’m a little nervous, yes, but I’m also excited about the prospect of traveling on the open road and glimpsing sights I’ve only ever dreamed about. Like the Mortarann Cliffs and the Emerald Lakes of Contramorr. My mate says we’ll pass both landmarks within the next week.
I think of the other humans who’ve been taken captive. Even though I’m apparently part-fae, I still consider them my people, and it’s my hope that I can influence my mate to be a bit more merciful going forward. In fact, I think he’s already changing.
Just yesterday, I asked him about my old schoolmate, Gwen Whitmore. He immediately looked into what had happened to her on Tribute Day, and once he learned she’d been taken as a slave, he attempted to track her down. Unfortunately, she seems to have disappeared, but Theron has promised to ascertain her well-being. I trust he will make sure she’s found. And if he can help her in any way, I’m certain he will, if only to make me happy.
Footsteps sound behind me, but I don’t turn. Because I feel his presence. I know it’s him. The Winter King. Theron. My mate. My heart flutters, and a smile touches my lips.
He steps close and the comfort of his presence wraps around me before his arms even do. I sigh with contentment as he draws me gently against him.
“You’re thinking too loudly,” he murmurs. “I could hear you from inside the bedchamber.”
“I’m saying goodbye,” I whisper.
But that’s not the full truth. I’m also watching the skies for a messenger bird. Commander Ashvale still hasn’t found Isabel or Mr. Sinclair, but he’s been sending regular updates regarding his whereabouts as he continues the search.
Theron’s chin dips to my shoulder, and his breath is a cool caress against my neck. “He will find your friends,” he says.
“I hope you’re right.”
His hand splays over my stomach, and I hear his thoughts, his fervent wish, that we have a child together. It’s a topic we haven’t really discussed yet, but I find it doesn’t frighten me. Perhaps one day we’ll start a family, though I’m in no rush, especially now that I know I’m going to live for thousandsof years. My lifespan will likely match Theron’s, and it’s my understanding that human women mated to fae males remain fertile into their later years.
“Come inside, darling human,” he says gently, leaning down to place a kiss on my cheek.
Darling human. I love that he still calls me that. Even though we’ve established that I’m not fully human. Even though I have a little magic flowing through me, not much yet, but enough that I’m sometimes able to break through Theron’s wards, much to his dismay. Though he claims his wards are powerful and no fae in the Winter Court can thwart them, it would seem I have that unique ability.
He grasps my hand and leads me back inside. He wraps his arms around me, guiding me toward the crackling fire. The bond between us hums, soft and reassuring.
Safe. Gods, I feel so safe with him. And loved. Tears burn in my eyes.
Was it only a week ago that I tried to run away? I’d been so certain he would want to kill me once he learned the truth of what I am, the truth of what we are to each other, but the idea never crossed his mind. All he wanted to do was find me, protect me, and keep me as his.
Because we belong together.
I turn in his arms as we stand in front of the fire, looking up at him as the orange flames dance in his ice-blue eyes. A lock of hair falls across his face, and I reach up to brush it aside. He captures my wrist as I try to lower my arm, then he places soft, feather-light kisses across my knuckles. I shiver at the reverence in his eyes as he watches me. Heat pulses between my thighs, and just like that, I’m yearning for him, the building ache so fervent that a whimper escapes my lips before I can stop it.
A knowing look flickers across his face, and his nostrils flare as he takes a long breath. Even without reading his mind, I knowwhat he’s doing. He’s savoring the scent of my arousal in the air, the slickness that’s gathering in my core as I anticipate the night ahead.
He helps me remove my fur-lined slippers, and it’s then that I notice the blanket he’s spread on the floor in front of the fire. My pulse quickens as he steps so close that I feel the hardness encased in his trousers.
No words pass between us as he eases us down on the blanket. He cups my breasts over the nightdress I’m wearing and leans down to kiss me. His winter scent, pine, peppermint, spices, and smoky wood, washes over me as it always does. Everything about him is becoming more familiar and comforting by the day. Sometimes new memories resurface, visions that we face together, but each instance only seems to bring us closer and makes me love him more.
His palms roam over my body, caressing slowly. I arch into his hands and part my thighs, and he soon reaches beneath my nightdress. I’m not wearing any undergarments, and he growls with pleasure when his fingers brush over my bare pussy.
