Page 36 of A Bond of Ice and Glass
“If we get caught, the fighting will attract Noble and his dragon,” he says, “and I will fight him even when it will cost the lives of the villagers in this forest. The children that live here too. My dragon is on the other side of this forest, an hour’s walk from an inn where I’ve stopped before. We need to go there, rest and eat, then fly back. It would be easier with Freyren, but she hasn’t woken,” he breathes into my face. “Nod or kiss me if you’re not going to scream when I let you go.”
Reluctantly, I nod. He takes his hand away and climbs off me in one smooth movement.
“Shame. I was really hoping you’d kiss me.”
He stands up.
“Freyren…” I note the name that has been haunting me for weeks. “Who is Freyren? I remember you said it in a dream. Wait, also, how are you getting to me in my dreams? Isn’t that magic? How is that even possible?”
“Freyren is your bonded ice dragon, and she helped me gain power along with the others. I have some control over the magic, but she’s put herself into a deep sleep, and she will only wake for her rider.” Freyren is my dragon. I know this… I remember flying on her through the skies and the joy in my chest. I blink and the memory is gone. These flickers of memories are making me feel sick to my stomach.
I stare at him as the rain pours droplets down his chiselled face, past the scar that runs down the one side. His hair is soakednow, just like mine. His eyes flicker to my lips for a second, climbing straight back up to my eyes.
“Tell me they didn’t hurt you, Mist. I’ve failed you a million times over, but if they hurt you, I’ll go back and just burn it all to the ground and fuck anything else. We can live in the ashes of this world, because I know nothing will hurt you then.”
“Why would they hurt me? Loch’s my best friend.” His eyes flare. For a second, I think of Loch holding me to the bars, forcing me to kill that soldier. How that hurt my soul. “I grew up with him, and Noble is his brother. Loch was always looking after me. He may be a bit different at the moment, but we can work out?—”
His hand grips the back of my throat, lifting my head up to meet his, our lips a second away. I freeze, fear locking up my body. “You’re mine. My queen. Everything about you is mine.”
I’m shivering as I manage to speak. “Please don’t hurt me.”
Those four words stop him and, to my surprise, he backs away. Erax unclips his cloak and throws it round my shoulders. He clears his throat. “Come on, we need to get moving.”
“How did you find me?” I ask, rushing to match his big footsteps. Am I really going with him? I know I don’t have a choice, and running away into this forest seems like an unwise plan. The scary truth is… do I want to go back to Loch? He scared me and he is so different from the boy I remember.
“There’s nowhere, absolutely nowhere, that I wouldn’t find you, Mist.”
His voice is firm, like this is a fact even the gods know.
“Why do you call me Mist?” I question next.
“Because you’re always disappearing through my fingers—like mist. This is nearly the second time now. There won’t be a third.” He looks down at me, eyes darkening.
I lift my chin despite the unexpected warmth that spreads through me.
“Yes, there will be.”
“So stubborn.” His lips twitch in amusement. “I’ve missed it.”
“You’re such an asshole,” I snap, wanting to wipe that amusement off his face. “Who do you think you?—”
“Ah. I can see the beginning of that lovely temper of yours, so let’s change the subject.” He looks away. “Tell me you’re not pregnant with my child right now. You don’tlookpregnant, but I’m well aware that looks can be deceiving in the matter.”
“I’m not, according to the witch healer they had treating me when I woke up,” I hiss. “I’m sure that disappoints you, because that’s all you wanted from me and this marriage, wasn’t it? An heir.”
I swear pain smashes across his eyes before he looks indifferent.
“No, it does not disappoint me. You being pregnant right this moment would not be the best timing when we’re at war. Even if I love the idea of having part of me permanently inside you.”
My cheeks flame. “I’m only coming with you because I don’t know what Loch and Noble were doing. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel right. I still don’t know you or trust you, but don’t flirt with me or be rude. It doesn’t help with the building trust.”
“I don’t need to build your trust in me because you already trust me, even if you don’t remember why. That’s the scary part, isn’t it? That you are frightened of me, of every story that’s ever been told and whispered in your ear. You might not remember the months that we were together in your mind, but in here”—he points at his chest where his heart is—“in here you haven’t forgotten, and that’s why you’re trusting me. As for those rebellious fuckers, they are playing with a side to witch magic that is forbidden to even the witches. Magic comes with a cost, all magic does, and it takes what you never want to give up.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “They aren’t doing that.”
He sighs. “Only dark magic would have kept your memories away. Dark ether magic. The darkest kind there is. Did you feel sick and weak all the time?” I don’t answer, but I swear he can hear how fast my heart races. “Does your precious Loch have dark veins on his hands and arms?”
The gloves.Erax sneers at my eyes widening.
