Page 36 of Fated to the Frost King

I clasped the heavy fur blanket tighter around my shoulders, more for modesty than warmth. My anger was starting to warm me just fine.

He scoffed. “Just when I think you can’t be less suited for your position.”

Because I had the nerve to have an unusual pet like roughly half the rulers in history and also the hypocritical prick standing in front of me?

My cheeks burned, but I lifted my chin. “Says the male who leads his pet wolves around the palace and instructs them to eat people? If anything, I’d say a venomous rodent fits right in with the theme of our monarchy.”

“My wolves are not pets,” he snapped. “They are guardians of the palace.”

“I see.” I nodded sarcastically. “Well, if it will make you more accepting of her, I’d be happy to train her to poison anyone wholooks at me wrong and flap her wings ominously at the first sign of my displeasure.”

Before he could bite back some scathing response to that, I barreled ahead.

“Did you come here for a specific purpose, or were you merely looking to scrutinize my sleeping arrangements?”And stare at my half naked body like you were a male starved, and it was the buffet at the Starfire festival.

“I’m leaving,” he announced.

I waited for him to make good on that proclamation, but he remained rooted to the spot.

“Well, don’t let me stop you,” I finally responded, gesturing vaguely to the door with the hand that wasn’t clutching the front of my blanket.

He sighed like I was a punishment from the Shard Mother herself, which would have been more offensive if it wasn’t a feeling I reciprocated.

“I’m leaving the palace, to hunt down the pack of Tharnoks. Given recent events, I thought it prudent to leave you with a guard.”

“I already have guards,” I reminded him.

He didn’t respond, only snapped his fingers once. A massive wolf bounded in. Though all of his wolves were enormous, this one seemed even bigger, though maybe that was only because it was standing in the middle of my sitting room.

Silvery white fur blended easily with all of the other pale things in this room, but its blue eyes glowed in an eerie contrast.

Batty trilled from behind me, darting to hide in my hair. The king raised a single condescending eyebrow, as though daring me to pretend that my pet was useful again, while the wolf stood straighter, somehow managing to look smug.

“He will take you wherever you want to go, if you simply give him the location. Lumen will accompany you any time you leaveyour quarters.” Like everything my husband said, the words were laced with authority that bordered on threat.

Because he was guarding me against the threat of courtiers and monsters? Or was this just another chain to tether me to this palace when he wasn’t here to watch me himself?

Before I could ask, he was gone, off to slay monsters, while I was left to be babysat by one.

Chapter 14

Everly

Itried to sit still. I really did.

But the chair was too stiff, the collar of my gown itched, and I was fairly certain the wolf watching me from the corner was judging me harder than the portraitist.

“Please,” the artist snapped, nose twitching the way Batty’s did sometimes. “If you could hold your expression still for one blessed moment, Your Majesty.”

Blessed. Right. I was feeling particularly serene today, what with said bat hiding in my sleeve and the looming threat of monsters and the fact that I was no closer at all to getting the hells out of this palace before someone discovered what I was.

Not to mention the luminous predatory eyes staring straight into my soul.

The king had been telling the truth about Lumen being able to lead me around the palace, though I had half expected that he was just trying to make me feel stupid when I tried to talk to a wolf.

With a simple request to visit the portraitist, Lumen had led me to the Solarium where Master Barton was waiting. It wasunnerving walking behind the wolf when I was alone, to be that close to something that powerful, that silent.

And yet... strangely familiar.

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