“I told you I was trying,” I say, and for the next few minutes, we fall into a steady rhythm.
He crafts the blocks with swift precision, and I cautiously follow his instructions to meld them together.
“Why do you even need my help?” I finally ask. “You created that ice wall in the cave—the one that protected us from a mega blizzard—in seconds. Why is an igloo so much harder than that?”
“I never said I needed your help,” he says simply. “You, however, need mine.”
I freeze and stare at him, dropping hold of my magic.
“So, this is another training session?” I ask, and he gives me that trademark smirk of his—the one that means he’s enjoying catching me off guard.
It’s frustrating, but at least he’s giving me something other than anger and stonewalling.
“Like you said—I have a lifetime of practice,” he replies. “You have less than two weeks of it. And since we’re stuck working together for the foreseeable future, I’m going to mold you into the best asset possible.”
Whatever connection I thought had formed between us shatters in a second.
“Did you really just call me anassetto bemolded?”
I stand as anger rises inside me, the trees whistling from the wind blowing around the clearing.
“Yes. An asset,” he replies as he also stands, his tone as frosty as his magic. “And right now, not a very reliable one.”
“I got here less thantwo weeksago.” I remind him, moving closer, enjoying the feeling of the wind in my hair—of the power rushing around me. “In those two weeks, I learned I’m not human, was sentenced to death by an insane king, completed three brutal trials designed to break my body and soul, nearly died at the hands of multiple murderous monsters, watched a night fae abduct my best friend, and survived on the literal blood of my enemies. I didn’t want this.Anyof it.”
Not to mention the fact that I fell in love with a winter prince who now hates me and was potentially toying with me this entire time.
Because all I’ve ever been to him was anasset.
He pauses mid-motion, and the block of ice in his hands falls to the ground, as if my words physically hurt him.
“Whether you want it or not, this is where we are now,” he says sharply. “And the only way we survive this is if you stoppitying yourself long enough to work with me and learn to be as lethal as possible.”
“I’m notpityingmyself,” I say. “I’m…”
“Brooding? Distracted? Keeping secrets that could have gotten you—and me—killed?”
His words cut through me, twisting at my heart.
“It wasn’t like that,” I say, although I hardly sound convincing, even to myself.
“Then whatwasit like?” he challenges, and now that he’s looking at me with those silver eyes that probe into my soul, I wish he’d go back to avoiding me like he was doing before.
“I wanted to tell you. I just didn’t know how,” I admit, relieved when Ghost moves to stand beside me, protecting me from Riven’s icy wrath. “I didn’t want you to look at me like you’re looking at me now.”
“And how am I looking at you now?” His gaze intensifies, as if he knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Like I’m something you can’t trust,” I say, trembling despite my best effort to keep steady. “Like I’m dangerous. Like I’m…” I trail off, hating how small I sound. “Like I’m notmeanymore.”
He releases a long, controlled breath and runs his fingers through his hair, as if gathering his thoughts and containing his magic.
“You didn’t trust me enough to tell me,” he finally says. “And maybe worse, you didn’t trust me to help you—even though helping you is all I’ve been doing since you fell into this realm and nearly got yourself killed on multiple occasions.”
“You’ve been keeping me alive because I’m a goodasset,”I snap, using his word from earlier against him.
He doesn’t so much as flinch.
“At first, yes,” he admits. “But then, when you were under the ice in the lake trial, swimming to find the key, I realized I’d never forgive myself if you didn’t make it back up. The thoughtof not seeing you again tore at a place in my heart I didn’t know existed.”
