Page 19 of Gifted to the Frost King

“I’m so sorry, Glimmer.”

The snow fairy nods before giving me a triumphant smile.

“But you're gonna save us, right?”

Sadness encases my heart in ice, but I return her grin.

“I’m going to try,” I say, leaning back in my chair.

The movement causes something heavy to hit my outer thigh. Everything from last night comes rushing back.

“The King gave me a riddle last night at dinner,” I explain. “It didn’t make much sense then, but I figured it out and discovered a hidden passageway where I found this.”

Digging into my pocket, I pull out the snowflake necklace. In the sunlight, its cloudy white crystal sparkles and refracts the light. A thousand incandescent colors dance on its surface. Glimmer gasps, touching a pointed tip of it with her hand.

“Have you ever seen this?”

“Yes,” she breathes. “Around the throat of a queen.”

A queen. The Frost King’s mother. Is she connected to all of this somehow?

“It’s more than just a necklace. Its magic is powerful—elemental. How did you find it?”

I cringe. “A glowing rock led me to it.”

Glimmer nods as if that is the most normal answer in the world.

“It wanted you to find it for a reason. Perhaps it will lead you to?—”

A knock sounds at my door.

Glimmer flies from my hand in a flash of sparkling wings and nestles herself on my shoulder. Quickly tucking the snowflake necklace back into my pocket, I rise from the chair.

“Who is it?” I call and quickly slap a hand to my forehead.

No one else lives here. What kind of question is that?

“It’s me,” the King responds. “Can I come in?”

His voice is gentle with a hint of amusement. My face flushes, but I am at least pleased that it is this version of him outside my door and not the one that so casually locked me in here last night.

“Yes.”

The lock on the door clicks before gently swinging open on silent hinges. The King is there, looking much like he did last night in his simple pants and silver-trimmed shirt. His crown still neatly rests atop his snow-white head. His eyes glow differently as he appraises me from head to toe. My stomach dips at his attention, and I feel naked even with my thick robe covering me.

A gentle smile plays on his lips as he walks closer. My heart hammers painfully in my chest. Light flares along my side, thenecklace in my pocket blazing unrestrained. The King’s eyes dip towards it.

Having no choice but to reveal it, I pull the jewelry from my pocket and extend it towards him. The King’s eyes widen as he slowly extends a finger to trace along the pendant before taking it into his large hands. His scent of pine and spice invades my nostrils.

“You found it,” he says. “Clever girl.”

His praise sets my cheeks on fire.

“It belonged to my mother,” he says, confirming my earlier suspicion. “I’d forgotten all about it. It’s been centuries since I last saw it. I—I don’t know why.”

He swallows audibly before his gaze slams into mine. Gratitude dances in his fiery blue eyes. I could drown in their intensity. Our chests nearly brush as I take a deep breath. He tempts something dangerous inside of me—it urges me to forget why I’m here, even if it would be unwise to do so.

Clearing my throat, I give him a brief nod.

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