Page 149 of Of Rime and Ruin
“I could have you flayed for this,” I hiss.
“Surely not for performing a request of the king.” He jerks his chin defiantly. “You’ll forgive me someday, when your rage has cleared. You’ll find Audrina’s grace in your heart, as I have. We both wanted to make your kingdom safe again, and we’ve done that. You can’t hurt them anymore. I believe what you’re looking for is gratitude.”
“You vile, writhingsnakefish. You have not found Audrina’s grace,” I hiss. “You used forgiveness as a ploy to gain my trust so you could get inside my head and ruin me.”
He smirks. “And?”
“You tortured me, taunted me, and ripped me apart. You framed my mother. You gagged and hurt the only female I’ve ever loved. You tried to destroy my kingdom, my family line. For this, you must pay.”
He snarls and spits. “You have not sufferedenough, Aethan, Terror of the Rime.”
I could have him stand trial, pin him as the monster we’ve been searching for. He’s a villain, and my kingdom deserves justice for their dead.
It’s what a good king would do. A fair king.
Or I could banish him. Sink him to the bottom of the Drink where he belongs. The dark-dwellers don’t think kindly of siren heritage. I could let nature take its course, and his death would be out of my hands.
Or I could separate his head from his shoulders and send it rolling into the sea. A sick sense of satisfaction twists in my stomach. Yes. That’s what I want.
But the honor doesn’t belong to me.
“Mother?” I say. “Do your worst.”
Stones shift as she steps forward, chin held high. All color drains from Lucas’s face. She grabs him by his hair, leaning close enough to bite him. She snarls, and the healer whimpers audibly, flinching away from her.
“You vile scum of the sea,” she spits. “Fish will feast on your bones, and it still won’t be enough to satisfy your crimes against me.”
With a quick bark of her Voice, she summons a blade of ice, and runs it clean through his neck. She lifts his severed head from his shoulders, dangling it by his hair as she turns to face me. His mouth fixes in a permanent snarl, not unlike his beloved frostcat stuffed above his mantel.
Blood speckles my mother’s pale cheeks and hair, dripping from her chin as she smiles.
“There,” she says, dissolving her blade with a flick of her wrist. “Now, let him rot.”
Chapter sixty-three
Nahla
Thebeachisemptytonight, just me, the Rime, and the moon. Waves frozen in time form a crust over the sea, the remnants of Aethan’s spell.
Odd that the sea could be this quiet. Snowflakes float through the air, aimless on the wind. I sit on the shore and soak in the silence. If the waves aren’t moving, is time standing still? So much has changed since they became frozen. The former Frost Queen now returned. Aethan absolved of his self-suspected crimes. Lucas beheaded. And me back on the shoreline, wondering where I’m going next.
I suppose that’s nothing new.
Pulling my knees to my chest, I tuck my chin on top. Apprehension twists my stomach as I consider the future. I could stay here, if he’ll let me. I’m still angry with him for the way he ended the Beast, but the feeling has dulled—I wish it wasn’t so permanent.
I miss him.
But not the tough-shelled world-on-his-shoulders version. I miss the version of him that would bring me hot chocolate right about now, pull me into a hug, and tell me it’s all going to be okay.
I miss the Aethan I fell in love with, and I’m afraid he’s too far gone.
Life will be different for him now. His responsibilities will shift. He’ll be focused on restoring the kingdom and refilling the Rime. What role could I play in that future?
Iwantit. Badly. I want the snowbears, the aethersky, the morning tea chats with Deirdre. I want the guppies screaming as they pummel each other with snow. I want Aethan tucking me into a bed of soft furs. I want the Beast ravishing me in the library.
But it can’t be that way. He’s made it impossible, and now we both have to live with that.
The clack of stones grounds me, and I turn toward the sound. Aethan’s shadow falls over me, blocking the moonlight.
