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I shivered. If someone did see and Maeve found out, I could imagine the disappointment in her eyes. Maybe Alina hadn’t cared about Maeve’s good opinion, but Ivy did. She had the most sincere intentions toward me, and I’d be foolish to drive her away. I needed a friend.
On the third floor, where the Winter fae were housed, the hallways felt different with their deep-cranberry walls. I kept glancing over my shoulder. Even though he’d said that no one else could use shadow magic, what if someone could and he didn’t know?
I realized how foolish I was being. If anyone was using that magic, I wouldn’t be able to see them.
Kieran removed a key in the shape of an icicle from his pants pocket and opened the door then tugged me inside.
The room was spectacular.
It was twice the size of mine, with walls the color of his eyes—a frosty blue. An icicle chandelier hung over his bed, which had a matching blue comforter and white sheets. His window overlooked the Winter section of the parkland, and the fall leaves were gorgeous.
I snorted. Of course he’d get a huge-ass room.
He walked across the smooth white floor between two burgundy couches and tossed his key on the white wooden end table beside his bed. “What’s so funny?”
“Your room. It’s like three times the size of mine.” I spun around, taking in every inch and looking for personal items to learn more about him despite my desperate attempts not to. My gaze landed on a frozen statue on the floor behind the couch. It was a woman from the shoulders up with long hair and a nose that was very much like mine. My heart dropped into my stomach. That couldn’t be me. It was ice with no color; it could be a coincidence. I jerked my gaze away, not wanting to be caught examining his room too closely.
Clearing his throat, he pulled my attention back to him. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for that. There’s no reason to be upset.” He removed his jacket, tossing it onto his bed.
I blinked and forgot how to speak. All this time, I’d thought I knew how muscular he was, but with his jacket and armor off, in just a linen shirt, he was even sexier. His muscles strained against the fabric, and my stomach felt funny again.
But when he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, something snapped inside me. My legs had a mind of their own, and I stepped toward him with fire igniting inside me.
He tilted his head, his forehead lined. “Are you okay?”
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I forced my legs to halt. “Sorry. I’m just taking it all in.” That was one way of putting it, and looking away from his body was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. I focused on the end table where his key sat. That was when I noticed an iced purple flower that had decorated the ballroom last night.
How strange. It was a Summer Court flower.
“Once we start training, you’ll be okay.” He winked.
He brushed past me, his scent swirling around me and his muscles rippling under his shirt, causing me to think more indecent thoughts.
Something had to give.
He moved the couches to the side where the sculpture sat, completely hiding it. Needing to expend some energy before I got close to him, I strolled around the bed and noted another ice figurine on the other end table. I wondered how these things stayed frozen. Then I noticed the design, and alarms screamed in my head.
It was just like his tattoo, a half sun with rays swirling around and a half snowflake.
How was that possible? I spun around and looked at his neck. His skin looked untouched and smooth. My own neck cooled in the same spot I’d felt before, but that had to be a mental thing because there was nothing on my neck.
“You have that look on your face again.” He lifted a brow. “As if you’ve seen a ghost. If you’re that uncomfortable?—”
I snatched the figurine from the table and studied it. The coldness of the ice cooled my skin, comforting me. The design was so beautiful and intricate. “What’s this?”
His eyes darkened before he blew out a breath and smiled. “An ice carving. Something I do to pass the time. About fifty years ago, I became sun-bent on fine-tuning that talent. It’s a hard skill to master.”
His vague answer made me think there was nothing significant about the symbol. But if I’d seen this symbol on him and he’d designed it, the answer had to be significant. I couldn’t be losing my mind, right? “But why this design?”
He unbuttoned the top of his shirt. “It’s something I dream about from time to time.”
“You dream about this design?” I didn’t know why, but that made me feel more balanced. I wasn’t the only one seeing this around. “I keep seeing it too.”
The corners of his mouth twitched upward before settling back into a blank expression. “Well, that makes sense. It includes the sun, and you’re the rightful heir to the Summer throne just as I am the ruler of Winter.”
Huh. Even though Orla was queen, technically, I was the rightful heir. If the emblem represented Talamh, then it made sense for it to represent half of each court. I’d been trying to make it mean more than it did. “Right.” I dropped the subject so I wouldn’t sound deranged.
I placed the sculpture back on the end table, my fingers tracing the base. The symbol called to me, and my neck pulsed again.
