I stare at the king in silence for a moment. Normally, I might make a comment about how I am pleased to be back in the war camp, whether it’s true or not. But I find I can’t summon the polite reply the king probably expects.
“Yes, I found Gwen,” I finally say, drawing her closer and even wrapping one of my wings around her, a sign of protection among my people that causes the king’s eyes to flicker with surprise.
It’s a sign that I am claiming her as mine.
I glance down to find Gwen peeking out from beneath her cloak. Her cheeks pinken when Helena smiles at her.
The human queen steps forward first.
“Gwen?” Helena asks gently.
Gwen blinks. “Helena?”
For a moment, both females simply stare at one another.
Then Helena lets out a delighted gasp. “Oh my goodness.” She presses a hand to her chest. “You’re actually here. I am so relieved to see you. King Theron read Lord Blackthorn’s letter aloud, and I was shocked to learn you were put on an auction platform in a distant village. Oh, how dreadful. Truly, I am delighted to see you looking so well.”
“Thank you,” Gwen murmurs. “I-I am grateful that Lord Blackthorne found me when he did. I am also grateful that it was because of you—because you asked your mate to look into what happened to me.”
Gwen takes a small step forward. When I sense her shyness in front of Helena, I send her a wave of encouragement through the bond. I understand where her reluctance comes from.
In the preceding days, she’s revealed much more of herself to me, confessing that as a child, her peers used to tease her relentlessly for wearing threadbare clothing and for her obsession with maps, trade routes, and strange trinkets from faraway lands. Helena was always kind to her, but Gwen was too afraid of getting hurt, so she always pushed the other female away.
But now, I know Gwen wants to see if she might cultivate a real friendship with the only person who was kind to her as a child outside her own family.
Helena glances toward me, then toward King Theron. Her eyes narrow ever so slightly. “Well,” she says brightly, stepping toward Gwen, “it’s freezing out here, and I was just aboutto make some hot tea.” She smiles. “Would you keep me company?”
Gwen immediately turns her gaze toward me, seeking permission, though fully prepared to argue with me if I deny her.
A possessive instinct rises within me at once, but I know she will be perfectly safe with Helena in the Winter King’s tent. Besides, I would very much like to speak with the king alone.
“Go,” I murmur. “I will not be long.”
Her eyes search mine for a moment. Then she rises onto her toes and presses a soft kiss to my jaw. My entire body stills. This gesture, this public kiss, is as bold as me wrapping a wing around her. A thrill courses through me.
She slips from my arms, and I send her a wave of affection as she steps away.
Helena loops an arm through Gwen’s and leads her into the tent. I watch until the tent flap closes behind them, and only then do I turn toward Theron.
The dark amusement glimmers brighter in his eyes. “Well,” he says. “Either you have decided to claim Gwen as a treasured concubine… or she is your mate.”
I stare at him. “She is my mate.” I don’t bother clarifying that we haven’t physically consummated our union yet. It’s none of his business.
“Ah. Well, I must congratulate you on finally finding your mate.”
“I require two things from you,” I suddenly say.
His brows lift. “Do you now?”
“Yes.”
Snow drifts between us as I flare my wings briefly, then I vanish them in a quick flash of light. “The first concerns Gwen. She was a tribute-cursed slave first, and then she was a slave I purchased from an auction platform. By the laws of the realm, even though she is my mate, technically she is still my slave.”
“Technically,” he says, and that damnable gleam of amusement remains in his eyes.
I almost growl. “I would like you to issue a decree for her freedom, stating that she is no longer considered a tribute-cursed slave or even… my slave. A decree that states she is a free woman.”
Theron’s expression sharpens. “That is a bold request.”
