AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something big was happening.
I soared over the mountains, taking stock of the location of each group and memorizing the formations beginning to gather. As I drew closer to the rift, I realized that there were many more than had been there previously.
Not only that, but hellhounds had joined the fray. There were several battalions of orcs stationed in the valley too, an entire army’s worth.
I needed to inform Valtimir as soon as possible. The ice wall would need to be strengthened and reinforced to deal with this new intel. Work would have to start right away. Lives depended on it.
I took full stock of my enemy before I turned back towards the keep. The sun was just breaching the horizon when I landed. In a rush, I shifted into my human form and hurried inside. I gathered a quick meal and strode down the hall to find Ella still sleeping peacefully.
I sat down on the bed, jostling the mattress just enough to wake her. She made a quiet noise at being disturbed before stretching her arms over her head. The sheets fell away from her body, dropping just low enough to expose her right nipple, and she squeaked in surprised shame before hurriedly grabbing it and covering up. Her cheeks blushed bright red.
“I need to get you back to the castle immediately. Eat up and get dressed in the warmest clothing you can find. Time is of the essence. Don’t make me come get you,” I commanded.
Her gaze searched mine for a long moment. I said nothing even though I could see the questions in her eyes, but I wouldn’t answer them. Her pretty pink lips opened as if she was going to say something in protest, her confusion increasingly becoming clear, and I shook my head.
“You have twenty minutes. Then we go.”
CHAPTER10
Ella
His frostiness was jarring.
Just last night, we had kissed. My thighs pressed together with shameful shyness, recalling how his lips had ventured even further south and how I’d come a great many times right on his tongue. My screams had echoed off the walls, and they hadn’t stopped until my body gave out on me and I passed out. I don’t remember him leaving, but I’d woken once in the middle of the night to find myself alone.
I’d thought something between us had changed last night. I didn’t realize until this moment that it had only been temporary. I should have known better. Ever since we’d met, he’d been an absolute whirlwind, sizzling hot or frigidly cold. There was nothing in between.
I swallowed back my emotion as best as I could. I tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter that he’d been my first kiss or the first man to make me come.
My eyes watered and I immediately lowered them to the bed. With a curt nod, I communicated that I understood. I breathed as silently as I could, concealing my shakiness until I heard his boots stomp away down the hall.
Once he was gone, I climbed out of bed and disappeared into the restroom. Once I closed the door, I let my tears fall, safe from his ever-observant gaze. I gave myself five minutes to cry. I reached back and brushed my fingers against my bare bottom, sucking in a breath at the warmth that was still emanating from his belt. The welts were barely discernable now, but there were one or two that still remained.
I tore my hand away in anger at myself.
I hated that I took pride in the fact that I had these marks, that there was still a certain warmth left burning in my heart from his belt.
Why was he like this? Why did he look at me with such adoration one moment and such loathing the next?
For a few more minutes, I allowed myself to sob and feel the emotions that were yearning to be let out, but when enough time had passed, I splashed some water on my face and put on the mask I’d put on my entire life, the same one I used to hide my true feelings from my stepmother and my stepsisters.
The same one that kept me safe.
It was like it always was. I was to conceal my emotions and never show them. This new world was no different from the old one.
I readied myself and emerged out of the bathroom into the bedroom. In my days at the keep, I had discovered several different clothing items. Thankfully, much of the ones that fit me were in this room. With a deep breath, I closed the bedroom door and dressed in several thick layers, including a pair of thick woolen socks, fur lined flannel stockings, and a matching shirt, all beneath thick fur boots and a matching fur mantle.
I pulled my hair back into a braid, folding in a thick blue ribbon and tying it at the end to secure it. With only a few minutes left to spare, I turned back to the plate he’d left behind. I took off the cover to find some dried meat and sausage, a sweet apple pastry, as well as some pieces of cheese. I grabbed a sliced piece of sausage and combined it with what looked like a smoked cheddar cheese. It tasted much sharper than I anticipated, but the spicy flavor of the meat paired well with it. I was able to scarf down much of the plate before the door to the bedroom burst open and Nykor’s ice gaze leveled on me.
“It’s time to go,” he barked. The coldness in his tone hit even harder than before. I swallowed back my emotion, keeping my expression clear of everything. My eyes burned and I grabbed the hood of my mantle, standing up and leaving the remains of the plate behind. I didn’t say a word as I passed him in the doorway. I didn’t trust myself to speak for fear of revealing how I truly felt. I held my breath so that I wouldn’t catch his scent, keeping as far to the right as possible so I wouldn’t brush against him.
I could feel him staring at me as I walked down the hall, but he said nothing. Instead, the silence between us said everything.
His footsteps echoed behind me as I strode towards the front entrance. The massive door was already partway open by the time I reached it, so it was easy to step into the icy cold of the outdoors. I shivered hard, pulling on my fur lined gloves as tightly as I could. I turned back, meeting his gaze now that I had full control of myself again. My chest rose and fell as I stared into the deep blue sapphires of his eyes. Hidden within them, I saw real sorrow.
“I’m sorry. I cannot give you what you want,” he murmured, and I opened my mouth to say something, but he shifted, his human gaze disappearing in a rush of motion as he transformed into a dragon right in front of my eyes. I closed my lips, the questions dying on my tongue.
He could keep his secrets. I no longer wished to know them.
