I hesitate to answer. I already feel like I’ve opened up to him too much. He knows about my past. He knows about the orcs that captured me. He knows about the orc seer whose pronouncement that I was fated to a highborn fae male has haunted me for years. He knows how desperate I am to escape him, and he knows how much I care about my father.
I chide myself for exchanging information with him last night, even though I was nearly frantic to learn why he washunting me down and whether he was aware of what we are to one another.
Then I think of Helena, my dearest friend. She’s currently being held captive by the Winter King. Thank the gods she’s still alive. If Gideon hadn’t found me, I probably would’ve never learned what happened to her.
Again, I wonder if I sharedtoo muchwith Gideon last night. And it’s becoming difficult to think clearly when he’s looking at me like that… with so much concern.
How can he care about me this soon in our acquaintanceship? Is it only because of the mating bond?
“Isabel… little moth… please, tell me what’s troubling you.”
I swallow hard. “I’m nervous about facing my father. He’s going to be heartbroken when he learns you’ve found me. Heartbroken, but also worried for me.” Tears cloud my vision, and I blink fast, not wanting to break down crying in the middle of the street. “I-I fear this might be goodbye forever. Will I ever see him again?”
Gideon’s expression softens. “I will take you to visit your father on occasion. I promise.”
Hope rises in my chest, but I try to push it down. Because when it comes to Gideon, hope is a dangerous thing. Hope might make me foolish enough to stay with him. But I’m still determined to run away… aren’t I? Surely I could never find happiness with a commander from the Winter Court army, a fae male who’s killed countless humans and will probably slaughter countless more. I remind myself of the bloodlust he felt as he attacked Braemar. Yes, he’s a coldhearted beast, vicious to the bone, and I must never forget.
“Thank you,” I finally say, knowing it’s the reply he expects. I try to smile, but I’m certain it looks as forced as it feels, so I soon give up.
We resume our trek down the street, and I lead Gideon up the steps of the cozy inn nestled between the bookstore and the clothing shop. But when I attempt to open the door, it doesn’t budge.
“It’s locked. Hmm. I suppose it’s too early. The proprietor must still be asleep.” I peek through the window. “No sign of the servants yet, either. The fire in the hearth hasn’t been lit yet.”
Gideon’s hand brushes along mine as he reaches for the door handle. A spark of awareness passes between us, his winter chill meeting my warmth, and my breath catches in my throat. I watch with fascination as a blue swirl of light wraps around the door handle. Then it clicks open.
Does his winter magic have no end? I’m afraid to ask about the full extent of his powers. I’m afraid of what I might learn. I’m also afraid he plans to use his powers to hold me captive. If he decides to erect an invisible barrier around me each night, how will I ever manage to sneak away in the darkness?
He pushes the door open and we enter the small receiving area of the inn. Our footsteps are light as we climb the stairs. Gideon follows me down the upstairs hallway, and my heart beats faster as my nervousness increases.
I’m about to inform Papa that Gideon has found me. I’m about to tell him that our plan failed. We won’t be traveling to a port city, and we won’t be booking passage on a ship that will take us across the Clarrsian Sea to a remote island. That adventure, that escape, will never happen. Because I was a fool to think I could outrun my fate.
Perhaps I’m still a fool for entertaining thoughts of escaping Gideon. But how can I so easily surrender? I won’t give up. Not yet.
Tears burn in my eyes. All I want to do is return to Braemar with Papa so we can continue running the bakery. Normally at this hour, I would be baking bread, scones, and muffins, singinga cheerful tune with Papa as we waited for our first customers to arrive.
“Isabel?” Gideon whispers in a voice tinged with concern.
“I’m fine,” I murmur. “Just… will you please wait in the hallway? I-I am worried that if he spots you immediately, he might make a commotion. Even if you do appear as a very short, very ugly man to him.”
Though my father is typically calm, he’s also very protective of me. I think of the time he broke my former fiancé Ian’s nose. There’s no telling what might happen if Gideon is standing next to me when I knock on the door.
Gideon peers at me with a sudden, sharp look of suspicion that sends a chill through me. It’s shocking how quickly he can go from comforting to… cold and intimidating. I resist the urge to lower my gaze. As I hold my chin high, I wait for him to relent.
“If you try to open a window, little moth, I will hear it. Then I will come barging in to save you from your own foolishness. You will not attempt to escape me.”
“I wouldn’t put my father in danger like that.” I try to push Gideon away, but he’s still touching me.
His hand remains on my lower back, and he’s standing so close, his cold peppermint breath keeps caressing my face.
He lifts his eyebrows. “Do you really think I would harm your father just to punish you for attempting to run away?”
“You’re holding me captive, Gideon, and I’ve known you for less than a day.”
He scoffs lightly. “Holding you captive? Dear gods, we are mates, Isabel.Mates. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“No,” I say, and the word feels strange on my tongue, heavy and acidic. Or perhaps it’s the guilt I feel when Gideon’s eyes flash with shock and a hint of despair that causes my tongue to thicken in my mouth.
“You feel the bond between us,” he says, his demeanor turning arrogant, perhaps even a bit cruel. “I know you feel the bond. You confessed it to me last night, and let’s not forget how attracted you are to me. You crave my touch. You are eager for the physical consummation of our mating union.”
