I close my eyes. “Who would want war?”
“Who, indeed.”
Stellen’s gaze now sweeps to the bloodied field. A view I’ve avoided looking at. If it weren’t for the snowy landscape and icy air, I’m certain the coppery scent of blood would invade my chest.
“It’s time for us to leave,” Stellen says firmly. “There’s more to speak of, but it can wait. First, I have a dilemma that needs resolving.”
“Oh?”
“All my life, I’ve faced the threat of the Winter Strife. More so than my father and grandfather because I refuse to pander to any of the highborn families. To counter the risk, I’ve made something very clear to my people. Without exception.”
He leans slowly forward, reaching for my chin, cupping his fingers beneath it.
In the distance, Lilis jolts upright. A smile grows on her face. It’s smug and self-assured, and I’m not sure why she is suddenly so pleased.
“You don’t know that you should shrink away from me,” Stellen says. “I’ve carried you, held you, sung to you, and even clothed you. For hours, I’ve framed my world for you in a way that suited me.”
His unearthly eyes consume my view, as pearly gray as stones, his lips form a stern line, and his otherworldly face is so icy that I should feel fear. But instead, a shot of heat pulses to my core.
I tilt my head, daring to lean in to his touch. “What do you wish me to know?”
His thumb lightly brushes my jaw. Slow, tantalizing circles. “I only touch a fae if I intend to kill them.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thyra
Ashiver runs down my spine, destroying the heat that was filling my body.
Stellen has touched me a lot.
Three days ago, I would have instinctively feared any physical contact with him. I explicitly thought as much when Antony warned me I shouldn’t have reached for his own face.
I fight the immediate impulse to jolt backward, focusing on the other sensations running through my body rather than my fear.
My heartbeat calms, perhaps irrationally, because…
Stellen rests his hand beneath my chin so carefully. He doesn’t grip me. Doesn’t confine me.
I’m free to pull away whenever I wish.
I stay where I am. “I see.”
And then I consider that he didn’t have to tell me. He could have left me ignorant, allowing his people to gloat over my naivety as they waited for him to end me.
But what if…he doesn’t hurt or kill me?
What if his people start to believe that his touch doesn’t mean death, after all?
Suddenly, I understand what he wants me to know.
“If you’re seen touching me,” I say, “and you don’t harm or end me, then the defenses you’ve built will weaken.”
Just as he must keep secret the injury to his heart.
His pale eyes brighten as he appraises me. “My place in this kingdom has always been tenuous, but keeping Frost Fae at arm’s length has ensured my survival.”
“Then youdohave a dilemma.” I turn my cheek into his palm, enabling him to press his whole hand to my face. “It seems to me you have two options.”
