Page 176 of Frost and Death
Deities, I want to taste that scent along his skin.
Stop that, Tove!
“Never mind all that,” he says, waving off my excuses and trying to entice me into his plans. “I want to give you a chance to try your magic outside of the training arena as well as see what I can do.”
I swallow thickly, unsure still and nervous from the last time I went into a forest. I was bleeding and dying last time. It would be nice to not face that again.
His eyes gaze into mine with reassurance, as if he knows where my mind went. “I promise we will be safe.”
I try to find a way out of this, but he lowers his hand when I sigh in vexation. “Will we have a hunting party?”
His crooked smirk appears and somehow finds a way to crowd me even more in this space, his being consuming me as his head shakes softly. Jerrick lowers his head, his upper body hunching over mine and making my breath catch.
He tilts my face up to meet his.
Jerrick leans in closer—closer.
I secretly wonder if he is going to kiss me. Anxiety refuses to settle, my body and nerves wrung tight as I lick my lips in anticipation.
“Just you and me.” He steps away, stealing my thought with him and smiling deviously. “Be sure to pack accordingly.”
He winks, pivoting away from the training arena.
I distract myself with my plait as I hurry to my meeting.
Viggo leaves Jonas’s study when I make it down the hallway, his wavy brown hair disheveled and sweat along his brow. He scratches the light beard that sculpts his features handsomely. Viggo is quieter than most staff members here, but he has always been kind whenever we interact.
I smile pleasantly, hopeful he doesn’t feel any hint of embarrassment around me. Yet of course, his warm tanned cheeks turn pink as he hunches, trying to hide and run away.
He bows in greeting. “Queen Tove, a blessed afternoon.”
“Yes, it is, Viggo. Is Jonas well?” I ask, waiting for the day he will forgo pleasantries and open up more.
Dorit has told me everything there was about Viggo, including the part where she befriended him for a year before he gained the courage to speak with her.
I thought I was beating those odds on the occasions he would stay after meetings or conversations with Jonas, but the way he nods while politely skirting away hints I still have a ways to go.
One of these days.
I open the door and step onto the plush rug spread across Jonas’s study. Jonas is hunched over his desk, shuffling a few stacks of paper as I enter, masking my breathing to prevent further questions. But he catches it as I flop into one of his comfortable chaises, lifting my feet up as I fan my cottoned tunic around me.
“Training going well?” Jonas asks without lifting his head.
Still breathless from my encounter with Jerrick and the brisk walk that brought me here, all I can give in a response is a “mmm-hmm.”
His face wrinkles as his brown eyes meet mine, fondness glowing across his features.
A little thorn stabs my chest, envious of the happiness radiating from him and praying one day I, too, will have that. I shake it away before he can tell, eager to discuss our plans.
“Did you hear from any of the guests we invited from Axidoria and the other kingdoms?” I ask, hopeful I haven’t ruined everything for my people.
He reaches toward a stack of letters on his right, sweeping them to the center of his desk as he beams.
“Yes,” Jonas starts. “Our worries were valid, but I think with the three of us stating we have no intention of invading other kingdoms, they have taken the news better than we all expected. They want to plan a meeting for all six kingdoms at a later time. King Beauvais and King Bernard, with his daughters, will be the only ones in attendance at the masquerade ball, though.”
I lower my head at the news, relieved other kingdoms received the marriage announcement well.
I am excited to reunite with King Bernard and meet King Beauvais for the first time. Northtry and Unterkirch are farther away, so it is understandable that the journey might be too long for them solely to attend a party.
