“Do you need help to get down, dear?” she asks sweetly, though there is nothing sweet about her intent. She casts a glance after Luceran just as he disappears through the doors. “I imagine you didn’t expect your lord to assist you.”
I say nothing. My cheeks burn hotter still.
She smirks, clearly satisfied, then turns and walks up the snow-dusted steps, neither of them leaving the slightest disturbance in the powder.
I remain in the carriage a moment longer, forcing my breathing to steady, reminding myself of the truth of things. Of whatthisis and all it can ever be.
I am not a fool. I understand this world. I understand what wanting him means, and what it will cost me, and yet even as that knowledge tightens painfully in my chest I find myself already aching for the next moment when I will have him to myself again.
I hear movement outside and glance up to find the sprites clinging to either side of the carriage door. They grin at me, wide and earnest, and I think they’re trying to be comforting, even though their rows of tiny needle teeth and bulging ice-blue eyes are anything but.
I smile back anyway. It feels important. Like a kindness returned.
They lower the step ladder and flutter anxiously around me as I climb down into the snow, their wings stirring cold air against my cheeks. I pause for a moment at the foot of the steps, craning my neck to take in the towering bulk of Castle Frostwyn. White wolf banners snap and billow from the towers, stark against the night sky, watching everything below.
Lifting my dress above my ankles, I begin the climb.
As I go, the sprites settle onto my shoulders, one on each side, their weight barely noticeable. They giggle softly, echoing close to my ears as I ascend toward the great doors.
I reach the upper landing just in time to see Luceran disappear into the throne room, Atilia casting me a brief, knowing look as she closes the doors behind them.
I do not linger.
Instead, I retreat to my room, to the basin. I soak a cloth in warm water and carefully clean the blood from the back of my head, from my hair. I hiss softly when I find the wound, fingers trembling as I probe it gently. I still cannot tell if it will require stitches, but for now I do the best I can.
I change into my nightgown, then sit on the edge of the bed, hands twisting together in my lap.
Waiting.
Though I am not entirely sure for what.
I do not even know if he will come.
When a gentle knock sounds at the door, my heart thumps hard against my ribs.
“Yes?” I call, voice barely steady.
The door creaks open, and Luceran peers inside, and it feels as though a weight I did not realize I was carrying slips from my shoulders. He’s dressed now, in a loose-fitting linen shirt and dark trousers.
“Am I disturbing you?” he asks.
I shake my head too quickly. “No. Not at all.” I hesitate. “Is everything… all right?”
He steps inside and closes the door behind him, his broad shoulders nearly filling the space.
“No,” he says plainly. “And if matters were not already complicated, Lord Rourke and Lady Marlayna have requested a visit. As well as a banquet in their honor.”
My brow furrows. “Here?”
I do not mean for it to sound so incredulous, but he grimaces as if he shares the sentiment.
“Yes. Here. Unfortunately.”
“But…” I choose my words carefully. “Is Castle Frostwyn prepared to host guests like that?”
“Not even close,” he admits. “And knowing Lady Marlayna, anything less than perfection will be viewed as insult. They would not hesitate to find someone…,” he pauses, “less troublesome to oversee the Aurevault and take control of my lands.”
“They can do that?” I ask.
