Page 86 of Frost Bound

His body still throbbed with unfulfilled desire for asaloes. It was wrong. She was the enemy, no matter how soft and curvy she was.

He didn’t want her. He didn’t want her. He didn’t want her.

Maybe if he thought it enough, his body would start believing him.

When Neve exitedthe shower room, he was a lot calmer. He paused, holding the towel around his waist. Dahlia sat on the end of the bed, her bare feet resting on the middle trunk, peeking out from beneath a gauzy gold dress. She didn’t look toward him but continued to stare out at the frozen lake through the arched windows.

He pushed the false door right of the fireplace and entered his wardrobe.

Neve stopped in his tracks, noting all the gowns, both Loriian and Asteran. They mingled with his own clothing. It was bizarre, but surprisingly not unwelcome.

Quickly dressing, he pulled a black lace gown from the rack and pushed out of the hidden wardrobe. Hisreillevestill didn’t glance his way. He steeled himself for another confrontation, and walked to the end of the bed. He scanned her profile before sitting on the mattress next to Dahlia, the dress in his lap.

She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, attention dropping to the dress. “You’ll look pretty in that.”

He quirked a smile. “It is for you. I prefer leather to lace.”

She straightened, brushing her hands along her lap. “You don’t like this one?”

“No, the color is beautiful on you, but it is too Asteran. You need to wearlystermblack.”

“In my culture, it is a color of mourning.” She pulled a face. “I’ve never looked good in dark colors.”

Odd. Didn’t her people use it as a sign of nobility as well? He hadn’t heard of it being used for mourning except in Fierre.

“Here it is the color of royalty.” He paused. “You need to look like your new people.”

She nodded, staring at her palms. His chest squeezed at the scars from the rope marring both.

“You want to make me more palatable to your court,” she concluded.

“That, among other things.”

His wife sighed. “What do you expect of me, my lord?”

“My lord,” hetsked. “Now you use the honorific. I think we’re well past that in private.”

“Are we? Because you still look at me like I’m the enemy even though you orchestrated this marriage. I’m wondering just what you want from me.”

“Peace. Nothing else.”A lie, his soul insisted.

“What does that look like?”

“Today, it is meeting my council and court. Tomorrow, something else. The day after that, it is up to you.”

She twisted her lips. “Is that all?”

“I won’t bore you with the details, but the marriage alone gave me what I wanted. You were a means to an end.”

“That’s surprisingly honest.”

Dahlia slid from the bed, over the trunk, and held her hand out for the dress. “Alright, let’s play king and queen, shall we?”

He placed the dress over her arm. “There’s jewelry in the wardrobe for you. I’ll send for your ladies-in-waiting. We need you to look like areilleve.”

“Don’t worry,lae reillov. I won’t disappoint.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

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