Page 40 of Gifted to the Frost King

Biting my lip, I incline my head.

“How do I go about doing that?”

“You already are. Returning the egg was the first step. Just keep at it; he’ll be a good male, and we’ll all be free of this wretched curse.”

I nod.

“Sounds easy enough.” A yawn sneaks up on me. “Well, if that’s the clue for the evening, I may as well get some sleep. I’ve got a king’s heart to transform in the morning.”

Glimmer snickers before settling back on my palm. Glancing over at the bed, I find a small velvet pillow and lay her soft body atop it. She throws me a grateful smile and snuggles down into it.

“Oh,” I say. How could I have forgotten to ask? “Do you know where the frozen lake is?”

The snow fairy frowns. Crawling under the sheets, I lower my head onto a silk pillow.

“When we returned the egg, the statue gave a riddle only I could hear.‘It takes one to see, but two to feel. Hidden deep within the frozen lake, the secrets will reveal.’I thought maybe you’d know what it meant.”

Glimmer shakes her head in a sparkling spray of fairy dust.

“I’ll find out, though.”

I smile my thanks at her, but she’s already asleep. Delicate snores sound from her tiny nose. Turning on my side, it’s not long before I follow her into sleep.

20

THE FROST KING

Time is running out.

He feels it more acute now than ever. It’s been running out the moment he brought her here a week ago. How could he have allowed this to happen? For years, he willed time to move quicker so that his suffering would finally come to an end. Now, all he wants is more of it—even if that wish is useless.

The beast roars to life every evening. He uses every available drop of his magic to be with her during the day. At night, when he is nothing more than jagged, rage-filled shards of ice, he thinks of her—of her kisses, her soft skin, the sweetness between her thighs. He’s only feasted from her once, and it is not enough.

To have found her is a triumph, yet he yearns for more. That greed is the reason he’s in this predicament. He knows it. He’s burned too much of his magic to keep the beast quiet. Soon, there will be nothing left.

And what will become of Dove when he finally succumbs to his punishment?

21

DOVE

Things have been quiet since our trip to the fairy fortress.

The rock below my window hasn’t glowed once. No more secrets locked away in the corridor—all I have to go on is what Glimmer told me about changing the King’s heart. The little snow fairy has been most helpful, tirelessly searching for any sign of the mysterious frozen lake. Though in the five days since I heard that whispered riddle, I’m beginning to think it’ll never show.

As for the King and I, well—let’s just say things have been quietly intense.

Take now, for example, the two of us sitting across from the roaring fire on opposite loveseats. The small chapter book in my hands occupies most of my time until I feel his heated gaze upon me. Glancing up, our eyes meet, and my mouth goes dry at the intensity in his eyes. Frosty looks as if he could pounce on me at any moment.

I’d give anything for him to do it, but it hasn’t been easy.

For the first time since arriving here, the warnings of time running out could not be clearer. Frosty meets me in the mornings and teaches me throughout the early afternoon. Weshare chaste kisses and gentle touches, but never much more. If he gets too carried away, the beast comes to life, and it takes him longer and longer to tame him.

I have not felt his mouth on my sensitive skin since the first time five days ago. I crave his touch—now that it’s been taken from me, I want it even more. Each time his lips brush mine, I want to pull him against me until there is no separating us.

One glance at his fingers cools my heady desire.

The discoloration appeared a few days ago. He told me it was nothing, but I could hear the worry in his voice. All the fingers on his left hand have begun turning white, and the frost spreads further down his palm each day.

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