My boots pound against the frozen ground, my breath comes in sharp bursts, and my pack slaps uncomfortably against my spine. Every sound I make echoes on the walls. The ground turns to ice and I slide across it more than once, almost falling.
I feel uncoordinated and slow, but he mustn’t catch me.
His footsteps thunder behind me. A quick glance over my shoulder is fruitless, as I can’t quite see him through the mist and winding path, but I can hear him. He’s gaining.
Then, an impact hits me hard. It’s a blur of motion, and I’m turned around just before I slam onto my back. The air rushes from my lungs at the awkward angle of my pack and the world spins as Vann looms above me, his weight caging me in. He is dressed in black, and a cloak settles over both of us.
His breath is ragged. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I snarl, shoving at his chest. He grabs my wrist and pulls one of my hands over my head, as I say, “I’m leaving to save the people I love.”
His expression doesn’t soften. No. Itdarkens.
And then—he leans in, cupping my chin with his thumb andforefinger. His cloak shifts and I see more clearly through the fog as it reveals his own pack.
My mouth parts.
He is close enough that his breath fogs the space between us, leaving only his burning silver eyes visible. My arm burns where he holds it, but I don’t try to move.
“And you thought you were going to do it alone?”
I only manage to get out, “I have to.”
He shakes his head and my weight sinks onto the blanket of snow under me.
“When I was poisoned and dying, you risked everything to stay by my side—even when my very presence was a danger to you,”
He’s so close I can’t breathe. He’s as big as the whole sky—beautifully blue. The weight of him on top of me feels good. It feels safe.
“Do you think I’d let your kindness go without repaying it? I am coming with you.”
He stands abruptly, pulling me up with him. I am breathless at his goodness. Tears burn in my eyes.
“Now let’s go,” he says.
Chapter 18
VANN
We trek south from Enduvida, and the cold gnaws at my bones. Our path makes us stay close to the mountain ranges’ base and walk through terrain that rolls in a jagged rhythm, sharp-backed hills rising over winding ravines. It’s as though nature itself could not decide between ascent and descent.
It might have been wise to take a more direct path, but we cannot be caught by King Arion’s patrols as we draw closer to the elven lands. The threat of him has been far from my mind lately, but a distant threat was still dangerous.
I’m sure he would just love to find Arlet out here. It’s my job to ensure she doesn’t have to go anywhere near the egotistical knave.
Wind blows over me, carrying flecks of ice that sting against my exposed skin.
But it’s nothing compared to the sensory memory that burns in my chest from when I’d tackled her. I remember her small frame trapped between my thighs. Her hips pressing against my stomach, her breath warm against my ribs as she squirmed beneath me. Strands of red hair splayed across the ice, vivid against the frozen white like spilled embered silk.
A full day later, and the effect Arlet had on my body still lingers like a phantom touch that refuses to fade, though now we walkshoulder to elbow. The memory remains in every taut muscle, in my sensitive skin.
“Vann,” Arlet grumbles.
The name is mine, but I’ve almost forgotten how to use it.
After waking up alone in Liana’s home, I worried Arlet had escaped and tragedy would strike again. But then I found a note scribbled on the door in glittering, magical letters.
She’s left Enduvida to find a cure.