Page 76 of Ambrosia

I knelt in the snow, and Torin dropped his sword and ran to me. He wrapped his arms around me, and I leaned against him.

“The walls,” I muttered against his chest. But even as the words were out of my mouth, I could feel the thaw in the air. The warmth kissing my skin wasn’t just from Torin. The sun slid from behind the clouds.

“Her magic is gone,” said Torin, his voice husky. Hescooped me up, carrying me toward the castle. “The wave is receding.”

I lay against Torin as rays of light gilded the white landscape and gleamed off the icy walls. I glanced above me, watching the dark storm clouds thin and the sky bloom with blue. Our icy walls began to glisten.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, listening to the rhythmic pounding of his heart.

He breathed in. “Our enemies are dead, my love. The Seelie live for pleasure, not war. And with that in mind, changeling, I have been dreaming for a long time of feeding you apples in my room.”

42

AVA

Ilay entangled in Torin’s sheets and took a deep, shuddering breath. I’d been asleep a few hours, I think, and I’d dreamed of Torin jumping in front of the sword. I’d dreamed of my fall from the tower, but with wings that never burst from my back. And then I’d dreamed of Moria, her body dangling limply from that vine, the blood spilling out beneath her.

I shuddered, bringing my gaze to the sun-drenched glass ceiling above Torin’s bed. Apricot light streamed through the leaves of the tree in his room, dappling everything with coral.

It was all over now, wasn’t it?

At least, I hoped it was. Worry scratched the surface of my thoughts. I still had no idea where Shalini had been when the wave hit. My throat felt tight.

I rose, my gaze sweeping over the apple tree that grew in the center of his room. Torin had carried me in here, and he’d told me to eat as many apples as I’dwanted. Instead, I’d simply fallen into a deep sleep tormented by nightmares.

I plucked a cherry-red apple from the tree and bit into it. The taste exploded on my tongue. Gods, this was heaven. Torin said he thought the tree had been dead until we’d killed Modron.

I crawled back into his bed, eating my way through the apple. When my gaze flicked up to the glass ceiling, my heart jolted with joy at the sight of the sunset once more. I’d never seen it this gorgeous in Faerie.

As I was finishing my apple, Torin opened the door to his room, flashing me a lopsided smile as he took off his shoes. “You’re awake.”

My pulse raced. “Did you find Shalini and Orla?”

“Both of them, in fact. And Aeron. He was leading them to a cabin in the woods when the flood hit, but they were within the boundary of our walls.”

I exhaled a long breath. “Are they okay?”

He slid into the bed next to me, sunlight washing over him from above. “They will be, but Moria hung them in cages. They need time to recover.”

My eyes widened, cold fury crackling through my chest. “Shalini, too? What the fuck did Shalini ever do to anyone?”

“Nothing, of course. It’s just that she was your friend, and thus a demon lover.”

I supposed it was a good thing the person I wanted to murder was already dead. Saved me the effort. “And she’s fine?”

“She had some frostbite, but I healed it. In a way, she seems better than Orla. Orla was in the cage longer,I think. She seems very rattled by the whole thing.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She keeps talking about the cold like she can’t get warm.”

I shuddered, shadows flitting through my thoughts. “It must have been horrible. Can I see Shalini?”

“She’s sleeping, but soon. Of course.” He slid into the bed next to me. Sunlight slanted in through his ceiling, lighting up his features with dabs of gold.

I turned to lay on Torin’s chest, and he stroked a finger down my lower back. I licked my lips, and they tasted of sweet, tangy apples. Light warmed my skin, and I felt as if I fed off it, just like trees.

My muscles throbbed with exhaustion. After I’d burned all the power from my body, strength was slowly seeping back into my limbs. Still, I wanted to sleep for days, wrapped in Torin’s arms.

I traced my fingertips over the red scar at his throat. “See? I’m still alive.” I arched an eyebrow. “No curse.”

“I still don’t understand.” He caught my finger in his hand. “How were you so certain?”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com