Page 74 of Frost Bound

Disappointment filled him.Stop it. Her smiles don’t concern you.

His hearts raced when she took one step, then another, and another, until her hand slipped into his own.

Relief crashed over him. Her fingers were so delicate in his grip. Everything about her made him feel like a monstrous brute.

He led her down the final steps, and the people of the village cheered. Neve led her to Cessa, and he dropped her hand, slowly reaching for her waist. Her breath hitched, and his gaze flew to her face and found no emotion, just her mask. It made him want to needle her, to cajole thevallesuntil she stopped pretending.

Carefully, he lifted her up onto Cessa’s back. She squirmed when her skirt hitched up, revealing her soft trousers beneath. He tugged the dress down. “All better, my lady?”

She gave him a short nod.

Good enough.

Neve sprang up, landing on Cessa’s back behind Dahlia. She clutched at his forearm as he scooted forward, tugging her body into his own.

“Wave, wife. Give them a pretty smile for your king.”

Her elbow dug into his stomach, but it didn’t hurt. She lifted a mittened hand and waved, flashing her flat human teeth in a wide smile.

“For them I will,” she said out of the corner of her mouth.

He almost smirked at her audacity.

Neve preferred her fire to the indifference.

What else could he do to break through her wall?

He couldn’t wait to find out.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Neve

They travelednorth through the village, deeper into the city.

It was a slow-going procession as the crowd seemed to thicken when they neared the Seed, the homes alongside the road rising to two or three stories high.

The immense branches of the Seed cast shadows over the cheering crowd. Dahlia alternated between waving to the people and staring upward at the tree in awe.

“I’ve never seen something so grand,” she murmured to herself. “It must have lived a very long life.”

“The tree has always been part of our history.”

She glanced at him quickly before her attention turned back to the Seed. “It no longer flowers?”

“No. It has long gone to sleep.”

Her face fell. “How sad.”

Neve shrugged. “The tree provided shelter, food, and trade for many years. Even in death it provides.”

Hisniliavecocked her head. “How so?”

“Look.” He leaned forward and pointed to the trunk.

She shifted in his lap and followed the direction of his claw. Her gasp of surprise made him smile.

“It’s a city in a tree!”

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