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Adrian raised a brow, a glimmer of amusement in his gaze, and while it irritated me that it was at my expense, I was glad to see it.
“That can be arranged,” he said, the humor quickly fading from his eyes, and with it, my heart sank. “I do not like to see you hurt.”
“Nor I you,” I said.
He offered a small smile, but his expression had gone dark, distant. I wanted to call him back to me, but I did not know how. Still, he held my gaze as he ran his tongue over my wound, and my fingers tightened around his hand as it tingled, healing from the inside out.
When it was done, he brushed his lips against my knuckles but did not release my hand, though I tried to free myself and return to digging.
“Adrian—”
“It’s all right,” he said, but it wasn’t. Someone had destroyed something Adrian loved, and it felt deeply personal. And yet as if he did not wish me to know how much it affected him, he added, “There will be other fish.”
I frowned at him and he raised a finger, smoothing my frustrated brows.
“There is only one you,” he said and helped me to my feet. “Come with me. I want to take you somewhere.”
I was wary. This seemed too spontaneous.
“Where, exactly?”
“Let it be a surprise.”
I hesitated, not because I did not wish to go with him but because I was anxious at the thought of leaving Cel Ceredi with everything that had happened since Ravena’s attack.
“We will not be gone long,” he said and hooked his arm around me, drawing me close, his hand tangling in my hair. “Please, Isolde. I want to see you happy.”
My brows lowered, confused by his words. “I am happy with you.”
He studied me for a moment, and I watched his lips as he strung his explanation together. “I have never seen you smile at me the way you did with Killian last night in the great hall.”
I could not imagine that was true, but I felt as though he believed what he was saying, which made me sad. Did I scowl at him so much he forgot when I smiled?
“I want to be the reason for that smile,” he said. “Let me try today.”
I did not know what to say because I wanted to say so much.
“Just say yes,” he whispered, reading my thoughts, and with his lips so close to mine, my resistance unraveled, and I relented. “Fine. Surprise me.”
He kissed me, and when he drew away, he held on to my hand, leading me to the stables. It was a large stone building with a thatched roof, located on the other side of the castle grounds, a place I rarely ventured. It hummed with activity, having several grooms who ran about cleaning, feeding, and exercising horses.
Adrian had only to appear, and one of the working men ran to retrieve Shadow. The massive steed snorted when he saw us, trotting beside its handler, who passed the reins to Adrian.
“Will you ride with me?” he asked, running his hand over the horse’s shining coat. “Shadow would be very pleased.”
I arched my brow. “Are you giving me a choice?”
“You always have a choice,” he said. “Though I’d rather you ride with me.”
“For my safety?” I asked, though I was already preparing to mount, one foot in the stirrup. The corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes glinted, and it seemed like he was not so far away now.
“There is no question,” he said. Once I was settled, he followed behind me, adjusting the reins in his hands, and as he did, he spoke near my ear. “But today, selfishly, I wish to keep you close.”
“It is not selfish,” I said, and he kissed my cheek, lips lingering. Warmth seeped beneath my skin, to the very bottom of my stomach.
We rode out through the front gates of the Red Palace and into Cel Ceredi before heading east, descending into a snowy valley. Behind us, the Starless Forest loomed, a constant reminder of the horror Revekka had faced over the last two hundred years. It contrasted starkly with what lay before us—snowy valleys and misty evergreen forests. Several trails of smoke billowed in the distance, all marking villages and isolated cottages throughout the valley.
I realized I had not seen much of Adrian’s kingdom beyond the path we had taken to get here, and I was eager to see more, despite the dangers we faced.
