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She drops her gaze
I knohat she’s thinking as surely as I know the snows are falling fast and thick on the High Mountain She longs for her old life, for the land of the humans It is up to me to show her that this is her hos atop the throne of the winter realside me I make a pros with
The witch rips her other leg free from the frost and rushes forward I pull Taylor behind me and brandish my sword
2
Taylor
“Enough heroics, my lord” The witch rolls her eyes at Leander “I was only testing outsure you didn’t frost the “And you’re not necessary Go, go, stalk away and be kingly elsewhere I’d rather speak to the pretty one who is far more level-headed than your dark fae heart ever could be”
“I’” Leander holds his blade to her throat
“Your threats are wasted on Selene, winter king” She winks “Drained Your ic only whispers to me now, and it dances away from you and back to the otherworld And oh, how it pesters! The otherworld calls and calls and calls you” She presses her hands to her ears “Always pulling atto show me even more than I already know But I know too o And I will grant my boon”
Leander—still wounded and clearly exhausted—is ready to fight to keep ? Yes Unnecessary? Also, yes
“I’rowls
“Leander” I put a hand on his forearht, Selene?”
“We do” She picks at her nails and scrapes one clean on her teeth
I refuse to think that she just ate a piece of the skin she scratched off Leander Nope Not thinking it
“I’ll be fine” I pat Leander’s arh he doesn’t lower his sword
“She’s dangerous”
“I ae fro one And I gave aze to Leander “You knohat that means”
“Give her a chance” I don’t knohat I’, but I do know that if I don’t calain, and froht not make it out alive
He finally lowers his blade, and I let out a deep breath
“Only because you wish it, little one, I’ll go But I’ll be close So close that one wrong ives her a hard look, one that would probably make me pee myself if it were aimed at me But it isn’t I don’t fear him, and after that kiss—that kiss, s toward him that I can’t even decide on one
He leans down and whispers inabout, little one And I intend to discuss it more very, very soon”
When he says “discuss,” I get a mental flash of the two of us beneath soft furs before a roaring fire as a winter wind howls outside I clench o away Xoxo, Taylor I let out a huff of breath and force a sood here, Leander Don’t worry”
After giving Selene one lare, he turns and strides back toward camp
“Just us girls” She twirls, her white hair flying out, and then we’re both back in the clearing—her leaning over her cauldron,At least this tiic
She opens one hand and blows on it, as if she’s blowing a kiss, and the air shio before everything returns to normal
“That’ll keep your peskyin”
Darkness lingers, and the ground here has a faint layer of frost I stare down at it “Leander did all this?”
“He has the heart of the cold winter wind” She produces a large wooden spoon from thin air and stirs her pot “And to think, his power is dimmed here in the southern realm He almost did Selene in When he crosses the border into the winter realm” She shivers “He’ll be unstoppable No wonder he took the throne What a strong mate he will be”
“He’s not my mate”
She wrinkles her nose “He is”
“No—”
“Fate, young one Fate Can’t change it” She huffs “Many a ti coo” She cuts her gaze to me “You feel the bond already”
“I don’t feel a bond” I shrug
She stares at ht
I squir”
“Lust” She nods and returns to her cauldron, her stringy white hair hiding her face “You feel lust for him”
I press a hand tocheek “I don’t know”