Leaning back in my chair, I stretched my shoulders and surveyed the piece. Did it make sense to add another glass-enclosed room, this time on the ground level? Maybe a conservatory with a view overlooking the cliff? I made a note on the drawing and sketched out a quick outline.
“What are you doing?” Liana asked from the doorway. Both her hands were hidden behind her back, and her lips were pressed into a mischievous line, suggesting a secret.
“Working on the plans for the manor. But you’re just in time. I need a break.”
A smile spread across her face as she entered the room and placed the object from behind her back onto my desk. “Well, you’re in luck. I have just the thing to distract you. It’s almost finished.”
My gaze roamed over the crossbow I’d commissioned her to create. She’d designed it to look exactly like my drawing, and it was an almost identical replica to the one I brought back with me on the Incantus mission. Seeing it come to life by her hand was a greater satisfaction than the plans I’d made for my revenge.
“It’s amazing.” I traced a finger over the bowstring, testing its strength.
“It is. But I thought you’d want to witness the best part.” She set the box of blue flame crystals next to the bow. They glittered in the sunshine cast from the window like icicles refracting light.
I stood and rounded the desk to stand next to her, watching with anticipation as she selected one of the crystals. The blue glow illuminated her features, and she shivered slightly as the magic infused her palms. A thin layer of frost spread up her arm, making a crystal-like pattern over her skin.
“It’s so cold,” she whispered, and her breath expelled in a white mist.
She drained the crystal of its magic and placed it back on the desk. Her lips were tinged blue, and frost even tipped her eyelashes. She looked like a frozen princess. I couldn’t resist touching her cheek. My hand lifted, and she nodded.
“Go ahead. I can control it for a minute or two.”
Sliding my palm over her skin, I cupped her jawline. The cold tingle of ice transferred through my fingers.
“Do you feel that?” she asked, leaning into my hand.
“It’s like dipping my hand in a frozen lake. You can control the magic?”
She chuckled, exhaling more white mist. “Barely. It wants to flow through me, but I can hold it back just a little.”
“Well, hold on for another minute.” I lowered my mouth to hers, capturing her lips in a frozen kiss. She moaned into my mouth, letting a little too much magic slip past, and I felt the cold seep through my body. I shivered, stroking my tongue against hers.
The iciness grew stronger the longer we kissed, and my heart slowed to a sluggish beat. I drew deeply on her lips, craving her more with each second, yet knowing we had to stop.
She pulled back, and our frozen breaths mingled. Her eyes, which were normally a forest green, had turned an arctic blue. I could have stared into them forever, but I reached for the crossbow and placed it into her hands, knowing she needed to let the magic go.
Her eyes drifted shut as the ice magic flowed from her body and into the weapon, consolidating in the glass cylinder at the base of the arrow track. Blue flame flickered beneath the glass, and the weapon was complete.
When her eyes opened again, they were green, and the frost coating her skin had melted. She flashed me a seductive grin.
“Well, I can honestly say, I’ve never kissed someone with magic inside me before. I liked it. A lot.”
“Hmm…” My fingers sifted through her hair. “I’m getting lots of ideas for new weapons. Maybe something with fire next time?”
A bubble of laughter escaped her throat, and she danced out of my reach, holding the magical crossbow in the air. “Are you going to hire me for another commission? You should know, my rates have skyrocketed. I saw how much money you gave Tessa. I’ll expect double. Triple!”
I grinned in return even though there was a tightness constricting my chest. What would I have to offer to get her to stay indefinitely, regardless of a commission?
“I’m sure we can come to some sort of a deal. Think about what you’d want.”
Her expression sobered, and her gaze held mine. “I will.”
Clearing my throat, I drew in a breath and stepped away from the desk. “Jacob and Annie should still be down at the beach with Gavin. Let’s go and try out the crossbow. I think Annie will get a kick out of freezing a wave.”
***
We made our way down the path, hearing the crash of waves long before we saw them. I had the crossbow strapped to my back, and I couldn’t wait to show the others how it worked. It felt as if something years in the making had finally come to fruition, and the last horrible piece of my past had faded away, replaced by the object that had been stolen from me.
The air was bitingly cold even though the sun beamed in the cloudless sky. A salty breeze whipped the hood of Liana’s cloak, unleashing her blonde hair to the wind. She paused at the bottom of the path, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. Searching the shoreline, she craned her neck to see beyond the rocky inlet.
