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Danii ht out into the blizzard All around her, snowdrifts crested and furrowed, illustrating the path of the gusts

With her gohipping about her thighs, she sniffled, running her forears to be easy between her and Murdoch, but she&039;d thought the prize orth the fight

Maybe he was right Maybe I should bail She&039;d never considered it before Not until he&039;d all but dared her to Another swipe over her eyes

Murdoch equalseach other Where was the liive up on soods, she did love hih the Valkyrie didn&039;t have "fated mates" per se, they believed that one would know her partner when she realized she would always run to get into his arht to hi for Danii, not yet -

Her ears twitched Even over the wind, she heard so followed, but for some reason she didn&039;t believe it was Murdoch

Then who the devil would be out here?

When a footstep crunched in the snow, she whirled around, spied a male in the icy shadows His breaths didn&039;t sain! Her eyes darted, scanning for the rest of the assassins in the blustery night She&039;d been unwary; now she would pay for it

And all she could think of was how she&039;d left things with Murdoch

Yet the male raised his palms "My name is Jadian the Cold" His voice was deep-toned, raspy

"How did you find me?"

"Actually, you found us The cryo were about to unlock a portal We learned you were nearing and merely awaited"

Cryomancy? Portal symbols? "Now you&039;ve come to kill me?"

"Not in the least I h "Where&039;s the rest of your battalion to back you up?"

"I&039;ve come alone"

"Your mistake Since the last batch you bastards sent didn&039;t fare so well"

"They were sent by Sigmund - before I assassinated him"

"He was killed? By you?"

This Jadian nodded "I was a general in his arainst him"

"Wh-why?"

"Because our people want their true queen back"

Had he just said our people? True queen? Stay standing "Why now?"

"First I had to find you Then I had to deterh to rule To make sure you orthy to be Svana&039;s heir You are"

"This could be a trick, a way to take me prisoner"

He frowned "Nix didn&039;t tell you abouther way? The one Nix had mentioned directly after Danii had tried to explain the sy? "Uh, not in so many words"

"She told ?

"But then, your sister also said you&039;d be more accurate with your cryomancy"

"What does that mean?" Danii de a portal into our realm But yours would have opened two hundred ard, amid the White Death - a frozen wasteland that even you would have difficulty crossing"

"Then how did you find ht It sounded like a cannon blast through the castle, and was a beacon for me"

When Murdoch kicked my tablet

"I opened my own portal directly to you here" He pointed in the distance, to an oval of diffused air that rebuffed the driving snow