Page 82 of Blood Beneath the Snow

I groaned. “But I want to see your face.” I turned to lie on my side, curling up under the warm blankets. “Will you come lie next to me?”

Several seconds passed before I heard him stand and then slide into the bed next to me. But he didn’t curl up against me like he had when we shared the bed during the storm; this time he lay flat on his back, arms folded over his chest.

I rolled my eyes, moving closer to him and laying my head on his chest. I carefully moved my now healed arm over his abdomen and hooked our ankles together. He stiffened but I didn’t care.

My brain was mush. Before I had the chance to say another word, I drifted to sleep once more.

The next time I awoke,I heard murmurs of voices I recognized.

“Thank you for coming.” The Hellbringer.

“Yeah, about that.” Volkan. There was the sound of a glass being set on a table. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, asking me to come here? Sending your soldier into Faste? To the palace, no less. You’re lucky the teleporter isn’t dead. Scared the shit out of my guards.”

There was silence. I cracked my eyes open to see the inside of the dimly lit tent. The Hellbringer and Volkan sat at a small table facing the entrance, looking out to where the stars shone and a fire flickered in the middle of camp. The masked general looked out of place next to Volkan—so open and easy to smile. I spied a layer of snow on the ground, but somehow the bed was warm.

“I wasn’t thinking,” the Hellbringer said, his voice quiet. “Ipanicked. It was my fault and…” He cleared his throat. “I couldn’t watch her die. You were the only one I trusted. You’re the best healer the Fjordlands has ever seen.”

I watched Volkan take a long sip of a drink. He sighed and ran a hand over his short curls. “Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb with me.”

Sleep fogged the edges of my mind, but I was startled to hear Volkan snap. I’d only known him as kind and empathetic, never harsh.

“I’m not.” The Hellbringer clenched his fists where they rested on the arms of his chair.

“You have feelings for her,” Volkan said. “Don’t deny it.”

Shock coursed through me. What was Volkan saying?

But the Hellbringer’s words startled me more. “I couldn’t deny it if I wanted to.”

My eyes widened. I lay quietly, careful not to make a sound.

“Why is she with you, anyway?” Volkan asked. “I thought she was at the front.”

“I kidnapped her.”

“Of course you did.” Volkan rubbed his temples with his fingers. “Why are you like this?”

The Hellbringer turned his head so fast, I worried he would snap his own neck. “You know damn well why I’m like this.”

Volkan stood. “I need to go. If anyone notices I’m missing, there will be panic. The king and queen will raise an alarm.”

The Hellbringer stood and left the tent, presumably to find Mira. Volkan glanced back at me.

I shut my eyes, but not fast enough. “You’re awake.”

When I cracked my eyes open, he was at my side.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered. “I thought you weren’t dating him anymore.”

A shocked laugh escaped him. “He told you we used to date? He’s more gone for you than I realized.” He rested a hand on my cheek and gave me a soft smile. “Come home and we will talk. I’ll be in Bhorglid for the Trials. For now, I have to go.” He glanced toward the tent flap. No movement there. “You’ll be safe with him. There’s no need to worry, despite how much he wants you to. Don’t let him intimidate you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t let the murderer intimidate me. Great advice.”

Volkan rolled his eyes. “I see kidnapping has done nothing to dampen your shimmering personality. Let me see your shoulder one more time before I go.”

---