Page 58 of Kiss of Frost

And then Hamish had come, giving me permission to move on. It was such a beautiful gift…

How could I waste it?

“Sun’s up,” Callum murmured, stepping beside me. He eyed the horizon as he lifted a jeweled goblet to his lips.

“The sun is always up this time of year,” I said. A woodsy scent with hints of caramel hit my nose. “Whiskey in the morning?”

“I couldn’t find any coffee.” He huffed. “Some treasure room you have.”

“Took the long route to the privy, did you?”

He swallowed another gulp of whiskey and smiled. “I did a little reconnoitering. Georgie insists that’s a word, but I’m not so sure.”

“It’s a word.”

“If you say so.” He gave a wistful sigh and stared into his goblet. “This whiskey would taste a whole lot better with coffee in it.”

I let sarcasm leak into my tone—and privately marveled at being able to feel that particular emotion—as I said, “My apologies, Callum. The next time travelers pass the White Gate, I’ll check their bags for coffee.”

He looked at me, questions in his eyes. I knew what he wanted to ask because the same questions swam in my mind. Now that my heart was beating, could I continue to guard the Oracle? Did I even want to?

The questions fled Callum’s eyes, and he offered me one of his lazy smiles as he sipped his whiskey. “Georgie will be pleased to hear it. Coffee is the key to our witch’s heart.”

I looked over my shoulder to where she slept in the big, ornate bed some ancient traveler had dragged through Gelhella to curry favor. Georgie’s long, black hair streamed across the pillow. One slender, silken leg peeked from the white sheets. Desire stirred within me at the memory of rolling over in the night and feeling that warm, silky skin against mine. I jerked my gaze away to find Callum watching me with glowing green eyes and a knowing expression.

“Keep your gifts to yourself,” I said.

He gave me an innocent look. “I’m just enjoying my whiskey.” He took another sip. When he lowered the goblet, a bead of amber liquid clung to his lips. He licked it away, and I caught my breath as my dick let me know it was also awake and ready to begin the day.

Callum’s voice went husky. “I didn’t take you for an early riser.”

I dragged my gaze from his mouth, and we both knew I wasn’t talking about the time of day when I said, “Neither did I.”

Slowly, he set his goblet on the window’s deep embrasure. “But something changed?”

“Aye.” I wanted to kiss him, to run my tongue over his lips and taste whiskey and smoke and him. I wanted to feel his heat wrapped around my dick again. The resistance of his body and then that slow, sweet giving way that was so different from making love to a woman. I wanted to do everything with him. There were so many things I hadn’t done with him. I didn’t know where to start.

He reached up and tugged my beard, and he spoke in the soft, musical language of our shared homeland. “Let’s start in the sky.”

I looked out the window. He wanted to fly together? The snow sparkled under the sun, and for the second time that morning, I had to acknowledge that Callum was right about something. I wanted to soar over the white expanse with him beside me. I turned back to him. “I don’t even know if I’m an ice dragon anymore.”

He smiled. “One way to find out.”

* * *

Ten minutes later, I had my answer. As I stretched my wings and coasted on the air, my heart beat steadily.

But my dragon was unchanged, my body as frozen as Gelhella spread beneath me.

Callum and I flew side by side, our bodies casting enormous shadows over the snow. Just before we’d left the castle, he’d whispered something in a sleepy Georgie’s ear, then strode to my side, stripped, and gave me a look of unmistakable challenge. “Try to keep up.”

I had no problem matching his pace. But the excitement I’d felt at the prospect of flying with him had faded as soon as I burst into living ice.

Fresh worries plagued me as I stretched my icy wings wide and swooped over one of the White Gate’s towers. Maybe this was my punishment for breaking my vow—I was tethered to the Oracle, unable to leave Gelhella. It would serve me right. I’d imprisoned Hamish. Now, my vows entrapped me.

But I was vulnerable. My heart beat, plaguing me with emotions. Distractions. And if I made things official with Callum and Georgie—if I said the words to bind the three of us together forever—I’d make them vulnerable too.

I wheeled in the air, preparing to return to the castle so I could go to my study and search for answers. I’d read every book on my shelves ten times over, but I’d been looking for spells to resurrect my mate. Maybe a second read would reveal a way to restore my dragon to flesh and blood. And if that failed, I’d have to convince Callum and Georgie to return to Scotland without me. Even as the thought materialized, I knew it was hopeless—especially when it came to Callum. I had a better chance of raising the dead than persuading a dragon to reject the mate bond. And Callum was easygoing, but something told me he had a stubborn streak a continent wide.

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