Page 171 of Winter Gods & Serpents

“How…how did you know I was not asleep?”

“You were not snoring.”

I bit my lip and raised my fist at him in threat but he only smiled.

“Your shadows were restless. I can trace their movement like a sixth sense.”

“It’s nothing,” I lied, and his thumb stopped moving.

He nodded and pulled his hand away. It was not nothing, there was too much circling around me. I’d traced every step since returning to Isjord. Tracked, backtracked, and repeated them twice before I’d settled in bed, eyes wide while my head took turns spinning from fatigue.

“Why do you do that?” At my question, his attention turned to me again. “Why do you pull away from me?”

He stood, his hand over my arm chasing it up to hold my chin. His thumb stroking my skin gently, a lullaby of touch, and it ran again, my heart, it galloped. “Because you hate it, terribly.”

I swallowed and finally said, “Only because you do.”

His dark brows pulled in a frown and his hand dropped. “I hate it because you do.”

“I don’t hate it.” Too late, it was now out there. I would not regret it. Maybe not now or maybe never, I did not know.

“Neither do I.”

My confidence picked so I demanded, “Then don’t pull away.” I took his hand and guided it under my chin like he’d held me a moment ago.

A light smile rose in his lips, his fingers skimming and exploring my face. “Then I won’t pull away.”

“Well…then, we are settled.”

He nodded. “We are.” He studied me for a moment and then his hand fell down above my chest. “Why does this one say otherwise?”

“Because it’s stupid, I never trust my heart.” I dragged his hand to my head. “See, this one is silent as it should be.”

He smiled and gradually laughed, shaking with amusement. He fluffed the crown of my head and tapped my nose with his finger. “It is too quiet. You will have to tell me to know and understand you. You have no shadows and I no wits about what others feel.” This ridiculous man, and his ridiculous words that did things to my body.

“I will, right now it is saying to tell you to stay back, I don’t like worrying.”

A smirk carried his features. “You worry about me?”

“Pardon, I meant annoying me,” I retreated too meekly for my usual behaviour, and his eyes narrowed detecting my lie.

“Hm, is that so?” he said, flinging the lapel of my jacket to one side revealing the skin of my collar. He ran a finger there, circles and stars, torturously slow and I almost gasped. Pulse shifting my breath, heat pooling below my stomach at that sensitive touch and that damned sensitive gaze.

“Your annoying doesn’t compare to my worrying, if I don’t have you in my sight, I’ll go mad—mad from worrying.”

I inhaled deep between frustration and mild arousal. “Stay back, you know I won’t do anything to endanger the agreement.”

His hands slid cupping the back of my head, conviction behind his silver orbs. “Damned be the agreement, I need you to be well and I know something is not right.”

Perhaps not…mild?

“How do you know?”

His hands slid down to my neck. He traced lines with his thumb, severely slow on the sensitive area. “Would you believe me if I told you I just do?”

Blessed heavens, I’d forgotten to answer so I nodded. My eyes drew shut at the touch, my breath almost shifting my jacket.

“Snow,” Mal called, returning to the dinning chambers before stopping short, taking our note and raising his brows. “Did…I interrupt something?”