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“Do what?” he asked, his voice low, and a little gruff.
“The Souldirge. Everyone was afraid of it, but not you.”
“Was I supposed to be?”
“I would expect so. That thing was terrifying.”
“Or misunderstood. Scared. Hungry.”
I frowned. “It was scared?”
“Wouldn’t you be if someone took you out of your home, starved you, and put you in chains?” There was a kind of weight to his words that was hard to ignore.
“I suppose I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“No one did. All they saw was a monster.”
I paused and tried to find his eyes, but he wasn’t looking directly at me. He seemed to be more concerned with everyone else, and how they were staring atus. “You were able to put yourself in its shoes…” I ventured. “Empathize with the creature. You still haven’t told me how you were able to put it down.”
“I could say it was magic.”
“Would you be lying?”
“Not all the way.”
“I’m not interested in half-truths. Give me all of it.”
He finally looked at me, his eyes narrowing. “You ask a lot of questions, don’t you?”
“I guess you could say it’s my right to ask questions. I am Winter’s Princess, after all.”
“Your title gives you the right to ask, but not the right to demand an answer.”
“I’m sure my father would disagree with that.”
He nodded. “I’m sure he would.”
“Deflecting again. You still haven’t answered me.”
“Noticed that, did you?”
An angry heat flushed into my cheeks, turning them slightly pinker than usual. “Are you trying to infuriate me?”
“Not at all, Princess.”
“Then?”
“You could have chosen anyone else to dance with, and yet you chose me. Why?”
“Aha, a question. I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.”
Valerian took a quick breath, looked around, then exhaled. “I walked into that one.”
“You did, and because my question came first, you have to answer it first.”
“Is that how that works?”
“It does.”
