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Well played, Kat.
Well fucking played.
“Shit. Teo,” he grunts the name like it’s a curse, finally understanding the shitstorm she’s put me in.
“Yes, Teo,” I repeat, pouring myself another glass. “He’s going to do everything in his power to win her over, just to show me that he can. It won’t be hard for him. The gods have blessed him with looks and charm, and most women flock to him without him even trying. The Winter Queen won’t be an exception.”
Memories of a laughing Kat running through the snow, her pale blonde hair flowing in the wind as she chased after Teo around her castle, assaults me.
Yes.
Teo always did know which strings to pull to get his way. And now Katrina has just dangled her crown in his face. There’s no way he won’t rise to the challenge.
“But wait, wait,” Brick interjects, trying to piece together the clues to the puzzle. “Even if Teo wins, won’t that mean he’s just as powerless as you would have been as king of the north?”
“Don’t underestimate Teodoro. He’d find a way to eventually take the crown from Katrina. Even if he had to smother her in her sleep after she’s given him a few heirs. Although, I don’t think it would come to that. Teo has always had a weak spot for Kat. He’d find a way to manipulate her to get what he wants without drawing blood.”
Brick stares at me, and I hate that I see a small flicker of admiration for the lengths Teo would go to ensure his seat on the northern throne. I turn my back to him, not wanting to see such respect for my sworn enemy in my best friend’s eyes. Especially after all he’s done to me and my kingdom. To my family.
I’m nothing like Teo.
I don’t cheat or steal.
I don’t conspire or manipulate.
Yes, I’ll draw first blood on the battlefield, but that is it. I have my honor. In war, everything goes, but that is as far as I’ll take it. Teo, on the other hand, has no honor. A lesson I learned well when we were both still teenagers, and one I will never forget—or forgive.
Unable to remain in my tent where Teo’s name has been uttered, I walk outside, the brisk night air hitting my stubbled face and cooling my temper somewhat. Days spent in the arctic north are harsh, but they fail to compare to how vicious the nights can be. The cold sinks into my men’s bones in such a way that it makes it hard for them to find any warmth in the campsite, making rest or even logical thought almost an impossibility.
The last time I traveled up these roads, I was barely a man, so was there any wonder I had forgotten how cruel the ice and snow could become? But then again, why would I remember such things when at the time, all my thoughts were ofher.
Just picturing Katrina’s face kept my blood fully heated, my heart filled with a fire… fire that yearned for only her.
But those feelings no longer consume me.
Her father made sure of it.
“Levi,” Brick calls out, walking out of the tent to stand shoulder to shoulder with me. “What about Atlas? Do you think—”
“Atlas will remain loyal to me,” I interrupt before Brick suggests the contrary. “He’s lost as much as I have, if not more. He’ll remain true to me and only me.”
Brick hangs his head down low, sensing my mood has turned as black as the night sky. But before he decides to leave me to my melancholy, I order him to fetch me my fastest rider, needing to take some form of action. Within five minutes, both men stand in front of me, waiting for my instruction.
“I want you to ride north to our queen and tell her that I will personally escort her to my castle in Arkøya. Tell her that my men will travel east before daybreak, save for a few who will travel with me to ensure the safety of Her Majesty and entourage.”
“Anything else, my liege?” the squire asks, eager to have something to do instead of spending another cold night at camp.
“Yes. Tell our queen that I look forward to winning her heart.”
And her throne.
Chapter 4
Katrina
“I don’t want you to go,” Elijah weeps on my shoulder, hugging my neck so fiercely that my cold heart begins to splinter in two for him.
“I’ll be back before you know it. You won’t even miss me,” I try to console with a smile.
