“I’m yours,” he bites out, saying the words like a mantra with each thrust of my cock. “I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours.”
I grip his steel length. “And I’m pretty sure we’re bothhers.”
A low mewl sounds from his throat as his whole body stiffens and his release sputters out, coating my palm.
I groan, feeling my cock spasm, so relieved to have claimed him. “Farron, I—”
White hot pleasure flashes, and everything releases into him, ecstasy rippling through me in waves. Pure fucking bliss.
Farron’s body relaxes as we both come down from our high, falling in a tangle of limbs to the stone floor.
His face is flushed and his eyes bright, and for a stupid idiotic moment, I think he’s going to tell me something he never has before. But he just shakes his head. “They’ll be mad if they find out we got distracted.”
“Hey.” I tug him against me. “It’s hard work to remind you of your perfection.”
We kiss until there’s no air left in our lungs, then slowly dress and make our way down the tower to clean up in the cool stream.
As I finish lacing my pants, ice crystallizes along the water.
“Hey, Fare,” I say. “Something strange is happening to the stream.”
I pull away just as the water below solidifies into pale-blue ice.
Our gazes track upstream, where the frost first emerged. Everything past the chrysanthemum field all the way to the forest is completely frozen.
Rosie, Ez, and Kel wander out from the south end of the Emberwood, thankfully away from the water. But to the north…
There’s a creature, a staggering being of white-blue skin. It’s too far away to make out the details, but the frost trails in its wake.
It’s heading toward two smaller silhouettes walking on the edge of the trees: a little boy and a dog.
“Flicker and Koop,” I breathe.
Farron’s brows shoot up and he trembles. Then he shakes his head and takes off in a run. “We have to help them.”
“I stand with you, High Prince,” I say, running after him. “Always.”
37
Farron
DaytonandIrunalongside the frozen stream, my feet nearly tumbling out from beneath me.
“Kel! Ezryn!” Dayton booms. “Rose!” They turn to us. “This way!”
They run to us, and we meet along the edge of the forest. My words are ragged in my throat. “It’s Flicker. He’s in danger.”
Rosalina covers her mouth and gasps. “Oh no.”
Then we’re off again. “There!” I point near the maple trees. Flicker’s small body writhes against the frost that covers his feet, trapping him to the ground. Ice captures Koop’s small legs, and he howls miserably.
Ezryn is fastest, not even stopping to assess the situation. Ezryn leaps on the frozen stream, using the slick surface to slide toward them. He vaults onto the brown grass and runs to the boy.
“Ez!” I call. “Watch out!”
Ez turns just in time to raise his sword against the stumbling pale-blue creature.
I’d hoped it had been a hallucination, a trick of the sun beaming off the growing frost. But I realize with sickening fear, this thing is real.
