Page 136 of Frost and Death
Dorit lifts an arm around his shoulder as he pulls her upright and gives me a knowing look.
“Youjustcouldn’t wait, could you?” He clicks his tongue. “I’ve got her from here. Try to get some sleep tonight, Tove.”
I extend my thanks to Jonas as the two of them lurch out of the library. My attention remains on the door for a few moments before braving another glance at Jerrick.
When I meet his eyes again, his softened expression makes my heart swell and return it in kind.
“Hello there, Frostbite,” he purrs.
I swallow down the lump in my throat at the nickname reserved for me.
Taking a tentative step forward, I offer a small wave through my squeaky reply.
“Hi.”
He gestures to the door Jonas and Dorit left mere seconds ago. “Are you returning to your chambers for the night?”
I offer him a tight smile, afraid the wine has loosened my tongue.
“Would you like an escort?” he asks, extending his elbow.
I shuffle to him without a response, and I wrap my arm around his as we leave the library.
We maintain our companionable silence as we walk through the castle.
Staff members close the windows, light the lanterns, and tidy the rooms. Each of them acknowledges us, a kind smile offered to me and a curt dip of the head toward their king.
Our steps are slow and quiet while we take in the night blanketing itself over our residence.
But with Jerrick’s hair freshly washed, his soap lingers in the air along with the smell of leather and whiskey. And it’s…distracting.
“How about that report?”
Jerrick’s smooth voice fills the dimmed corridor.
The playfulness in his tone buzzes in my ears.
We approach a set of stairs as I recall the last few books I scoured through. “I read on Aiyana, comparing a lot of the ancestors that inherited nature gifts, better understanding the connection you made regarding meditation, magic, and emotion.”
Jerrick hums in approval of my findings, his elbow tightening a little more as we step into a narrow stairway, our bodies inching closer.
I’m eager to share my improvements with my magic with him, but nerves ravage my body, worried at what he might think. I squeeze his arm after the first couple sets of stairs, using him for support to push through the climb up. As I toss the idea of showing him my progress again, his tall frame looms over me, reminding me he could be farther up without me and dragging me along.
Yet his steps choose to match mine.
The notion sends heat to my cheeks and other places.
“Did you research anything else?” he asks, hopeful of a breakthrough.
I want to pause on the stairs to hold his stare and assure him I made a breakthrough regarding his curse. But I keep stepping up each stair in tandem with Jerrick’s.
The guilt of letting him down and not reading much about it while he was hunting gnaws at me. And yet I still strum up another lie.
“I did,” I start.
He finishes my thought. “Still nothing?”
I nod quietly, his disappointment seeping into my bones.
