Chapter 27

The frost was thick. It would hold.

Tentative pride beat steadily in my chest as I stood at my bedchamber window and watched the sun sink below the trees of the Winter Forest. It filled the sky with pink and orange pastels and set the frost-coated branches sparkling. The frost was fine. It wasn't going anywhere.

I swallowed.

Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to check one more time…

"You worry for nothing."

I whirled to find Sigurn behind me. For such a big man, he moved as quietly as an elf—a skill he'd undoubtedly honed during his years fighting for his father's crown. My surprise faded as I took him in. His chest was bare, and he wore those stupid leather pants. His feet were bare too.

Fuck.

He cleared his throat. When I jerked my gaze up, a knowing look gleamed in his eyes.

I pulled my dressing gown more tightly around me. "Where's Liria?"

"Sleeping in my bed." Sigurn strolled forward and stopped next to me. "She was snoring a little. We tired her out."

The memory of it fired hot in my mind, sending blood pumping to my hardening dick. Willing my erection to go away, I quickly changed the subject. "You should put some clothes on before you go wandering about the castle."

"My chamber is two doors away." Sigurn offered me a patient smile. "And we both know you don't want me wearing more clothes."

I looked at the trees. "Those pants are embarrassing."

"For you, maybe." He turned his gaze to the forest. "Since you can't stop staring. You're hard right now just thinking about peeling them off me."

"I'm not hard."

"Hmm." He peered at the trees. "Frost looks nice and thick." He looked at me, the knowing glint in his eyes replaced with something softer. "You're doing a good job."

I stared at him, my heart thumping faster. Words spilled from me without my permission. "What if I wasn't supposed to take the scepter?"

Sigurn moved behind me, and I startled as he wrapped a thick arm around my chest.

"What are you?—?"

"Shhh," he said, pulling me against him and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Shut up for a minute and listen to me."

His body warmed mine from my nape to my calves. Caught between the window and his muscled chest, my only choices were to stand still or thrust an elbow into his gut. He was bigger, but I was much faster and far more agile. And I had my magic. He could never hold me if I wanted to be free.

But I didn't want to be free of him. As his heat soaked into my back, I relaxed into his embrace. It was new…the closeness. Fucking him wasn't the same as holding him—or letting him hold me. It wasn't sexual, but it was no less gratifying. The surprise of it spread through me, putting a curious lump in my throat. As evening sunlight streamed through the window, I reached up and clasped his forearm, my hand over the dreadravens he'd always wear now.

We stood like that, neither of us speaking despite his admonishment to listen. But there was no hurry. At last, we had that elusive luxury we'd never dared to hope for.

Time.

He spoke finally, his breath tickling my cheek. "As I said, you worry for no reason. You are the king. You've already proven you can keep the cold. You took the scepter. Winter chose you. So did Liria." His lips grazed my neck. "So did I."

A powerful emotion welled in my chest. He was right. He'd chosen me, giving up a whole host of things in the process. He'd given up everything, really—his kingdom, his name, his humanity.

"You didn't have to," I said gruffly, the lump in my throat burning. "I'm…sorry." I swallowed as the burning spread to my eyes. "I would have never made that vow if I'd—" I cleared my throat. "If I'd known you. Before."

His chest expanded against my back. "We both have regrets. If I'd known better, maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time fighting for a kingdom that was never meant to be mine."

I turned in his arms so I could see his face. "You don't want to go back?"

He shook his head. "I have to, though, at least for a while. The castle folk are loyal. I need to see them settled somewhere safe. And I'd like to help the elfkin, but I'm not sure that's possible." He sighed again, pain in his eyes. "I think that battle is too big for anyone to fight."

"We can try," I said, touching his jaw. I ran my fingers through the thick beard I'd always loved. Every now and then, he shaved it closer than usual, and the dark stubble drove me out of my mind. "I won't have my magic when I cross the Covenant anymore, but I'm still good with a sword. I'll look for the elfkin. Maybe we can create some kind of community near the barrier. A haven of sorts."

Sigurn's eyes widened. "You'd do that?"

I couldn't contain my self-deprecating laugh. "I'd do a lot of things for you." I felt my smile fade as he continued staring at me, his one dark eye so soft and soulful he was almost too painful to look at. "I'd do anything for you. I love you. I should have told you sooner."

Suddenly, his hands were in my hair. "I love you too," he said hoarsely. "All that matters is that we say it now."

"Yes." Heat built under my skin, sentimentality giving way to lust. I was used to the latter—and a lot more comfortable with it. I was shaky when it came to knowing how to love him. But I knew how to want him. I was an expert on that.

"I want you," he murmured, as if he'd read my mind. "Can you take me again?"

"Fuck yes."

One side of his mouth lifted in a sexy grin, and his eyes smoldered with a mix of humor and heat. "I like this side of you."

"What side?"

"Having feelings. Cursing like a human."

I rolled my eyes. "I have feelings, Sigurn. I just choose not to display them as generously as you do."

"Like that," he said, his smile growing. "I've never seen you roll your eyes before. It's almost weird, actually."

I shook free of his grip, indignation rising. "I can always remove myself from your presence." Before I could step past him, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the ground. "What the—?" I shoved against his chest as he hitched me higher in his arms and strode toward the bed. "Put me down!"

White teeth flashed. "All right." He opened his arms, and my back hit the bed. I came up sputtering, but I froze as he worked his pants open. His hands were so damn big. A flush stole over his cheekbones as he looked me over, his eyes working a languid path down my body. The tie of my dressing gown had come undone when he carried me, and the two halves of the heavy fabric sprawled wide, exposing my nudity—and my straining cock.

"Touch yourself," Sigurn ordered, shoving his pants down his legs. His erection swung thick and heavy against his thigh. The dusky balls underneath drew my gaze like a lodestone.

"I don't think I can," I said, hearing the tremor in my voice. "I'll come."

"Well, we can't have that." He hunched, yanking one leg and then the other free from his pants, and he stumbled a bit when the leather caught on his ankle. Then he was on top of me, chest to chest and thigh to thigh. We both groaned as our cocks met, and our breath hitched in unison as we moved together, working and rolling our hips. We were both leaking, arousal slicking our shafts.

Sigurn stopped suddenly, and he gave a soft curse as he shoved off me and left the bed.

I bolted upright, one hand cupping my aching dick. "Where are you going?"

"One second," he said, grabbing his pants from the floor.

"Hurry up." I was dying.

"So impatient." He grinned as he flopped on top of me again. "Forgot the oil," he said breathlessly, coating his fingers before flinging the little vial next to my head. He reached between our bodies and stroked my cock, slicking my shaft from root to tip.

"Fuck," I muttered, then seized his face and smashed my mouth to his in a fierce kiss. He kissed me back just as fiercely, curling his tongue around mine. Sucking and biting at my lips. Little fires burst under my skin as he pumped my dick. He must have known I couldn't handle more than a few strokes because he eased off, briefly cupping my balls before sliding two callused fingers to my hole.

My groan was long and loud, and his lips curved against mine before he moved his mouth to my cheek. He nuzzled my jawline, nudging my head to one side to give himself better access. His beard brushed my skin, making me shiver as he licked a hot path up my thundering pulse. All the while, his fingers drew slow circles around my entrance. When I spread my legs eagerly, his smile pressed against my neck.

I gripped the back of his hair and forced his gaze to mine. "Stop laughing and fuck me."

"I'm not laughing." He pushed a slow, slick finger inside me. I tightened around him, another moan slipping from me. The humor faded from his eyes, replaced with an intensity that sapped my fledgling anger. We stared at each other, locked in an intimacy that was both old and new. We'd kept to its periphery in the past, both aware we couldn't risk anything beyond the physical. But we'd lied to ourselves. I knew that now. From the look in Sigurn's eyes, so did he.

Heart racing, I palmed one plump, hairy pec, my fingertips grazing his nipple. "I could have never taken your life. I would rather be forsworn."

He dipped his head and brushed a soft, almost chaste kiss over my lips. "We'll make new vows."

"Yes," I said, then I gasped as he added another finger. "I don't need it. I'm ready." And even if I hadn't been, I didn't want to wait.

His nostrils flared as he pushed his fingers deeper and curled them inside me, hitting the spot that made a whimper lodge in my throat. "Yeah? You're still open for me?" His eyes seared mine as he stroked firmly over my swollen, sensitive gland. "You pushed all my come out of this sweet hole. You want me to fill it back up again?"

It was a second before I could speak, and I did it through clenched teeth as I clung to my control. "Yes. Now will you please fuck me already?"

He toyed with me for another few seconds, making me shudder and spit curses. But he was just as worked up as I was, and he trembled a bit as he finally positioned the tip of his cock at my opening. His breath puffed over my face as he propped his weight on his forearms next to my head and slowly pushed inside.

Our gazes held, our breaths mingling.

"You feel so good," Sigurn whispered, giving me another inch. He angled his head down, his gaze locked on the spot where his cock stretched me. "Damn. Look at you taking me."

Desire coiled in my gut as I grabbed the backs of my knees and pulled my legs up. "More," I demanded, clenching hard. "Give it to me."

"You're getting it." He rose to his knees, pulling a cry from my throat as the new position shifted his cock inside me. He grasped one of my ankles and pressed his hips forward, and we both watched as my ass swallowed his glistening shaft. The burn melted into an exquisite blend of pressure and heat, and then Sigurn's dark bush tickled my groin as he filled me completely. His balls nestled against my ass, and his cock throbbed hot and impossibly hard inside me.

Sigurn lifted blue and brown eyes to mine, a challenge swimming among the lust. "Is this what you wanted? A big dick in your greedy hole?"

"Yeah," I croaked, my ass squeezing and clamping around him.

The look he gave me was hot enough to set the sheets on fire. "Couldn't get enough, could you?" he grated, beginning to thrust. He seized my other ankle and held my legs in a wide V. My dick bounced against my stomach as he picked up speed. "You're going to be like this all the time now, demanding to be fucked twice a day."

I grunted, pleasure building as I absorbed his thrusts and filthy words. Unable to hold out any longer, I grasped my swollen dick and began to pump.

"Fuck," he rasped, thrusting harder. "That's it. Show me what you've got."

My fist flew as I stared into his eyes. "This is going to take about two seconds."

"Same for me," he said, a rueful smile touching his lips. He squeezed my ankles as he fucked me harder, nailing my spot with startling accuracy. Pleasure spiraled higher, every punch of his dick threatening to take me apart.

We panted together. He shook the bed with his thrusts. Shook me, his sack smacking my ass. My hand became a blur on my dick, and then my back was arching as my balls tightened. My ass spasmed around Sigurn's cock, and I spurted all over my hand and stomach.

"Yes!" he barked, his fingers tight on my ankles. His thrusts grew wild and uncoordinated. After a few more pumps, he gave a short bellow and shuddered inside me, filling me up like he'd promised. When he pulled out, I expected him to crash to the pillow beside me. Instead, he lowered my legs, bent over me, and closed his lips around my still-pulsing dick.

My shout echoed off the chamber's stone walls. I writhed, oversensitive but too caught up in the hot, wet suction of his mouth to push him away. He held me down with one hand on my thigh as he sucked the last few shots of come from my dick, his cheeks hollowed and his dark head bobbing between my legs. He sucked me dry, and just when I couldn't take it anymore, he shoved my knees to my chest and delved his tongue between my cheeks.

"Fuck!" I grabbed at the sheets above my head, my chest heaving and my knees near my ears. Sigurn held my ass on his hands like a platter and lapped at my messy hole, his tongue thrusting where his cock had been a moment before. It was deliriously dirty—personal in a way that made my head spin. And when he pushed a finger inside next to his tongue, he set me off all over again.

Desperate sounds broke from me. My vision blurred, the bed's canopy sliding in and out of focus. My ass pulsed…and the tremors moved everywhere, until my whole body shook.

When I finally came back to myself, I lay with my head on his bicep and sweat cooling on my body. Sigurn lifted a long, tangled clump of hair from my face and smoothed it over my shoulder.

"How do you feel?"

I tipped my head back so I could look at him. He'd shoved two fat pillows behind his head, which allowed him to stare down at me without any visible effort. His hair stuck up in front, and his lips were swollen from two rounds of intense fucking. Dreadravens spilled down his thick shoulders and fluttered to his wrists. They would get darker over time. Once he bound himself to me completely, they were likely to grow as prominent as my own sigils. His eyes would turn blue. I'd never tell him, but I was going to miss the brown.

"I feel good," I said. "That was…thorough."

Mischief danced in his eyes. "You complaining?"

"No."

"Good."

Awkwardness stole over me. "You…" As the mischief in his eyes grew, I cleared my throat. "You liked doing that? The, uh, last part."

He grinned. "You mean eating your ass?"

"Gods," I muttered, shoving his stupid, smiling face away.

He came back chuckling, and he tightened his grip when I tried to roll away. "Yes, I liked it." His humor faded to affection. "I like you, Ronan."

I sighed. "I like you too."

The door opened, and Liria rushed inside. "Ronan, are you—? Oh." She skidded to a stop, the skirts of a simple day dress swinging around her long legs. Her hair was loose, the white-blond ends curling to her waist. She looked good enough to eat.

I sat up and stretched a hand toward her. "Come here."

"I couldn't find you," she said, not moving. "I was worried."

"You found us." I beckoned to her. "Now come over here."

Pink dusted her cheeks as she moved to the bed, and she squeaked when I grasped her waist and swung her onto the mattress.

"You're sweaty," she breathed, her bright green eyes running down Sigurn's body. Whatever shock she'd experienced finding Sigurn and me together appeared to fade rapidly, her customary curiosity taking its place. But it was important for her to know she had no reason to worry.

I tucked a finger under her chin. "You're the center of everything, you know. You hold the three of us together."

"I do?"

Sigurn reached over and tugged her neckline lower, his fingers skimming the swell of one plump breast. "You absolutely do, Princess."

"Queen," I corrected. "I want to get married as soon as possible." I glanced at Sigurn. "All three of us."

He frowned. "How will that work?"

"We'll figure it out."

Liria chewed on her bottom lip. "The Council will hate it."

"Fuck the Council," I said.

A slow, approving smile spread across Liria's face. She looked at Sigurn. "What did you do to him?"

His eyes sparkled. "I just loosened him up a little."

My face heated. My future stretched before me, each day filled with the two of them making jokes at my expense. The prospect was…not all that bad, actually.

A large crow swooped through the open window and landed on the back of my chair near the hearth. It fluttered its black wings once, then turned its head toward us, intelligence gleaming in its eyes. A second later, the scent of smoke and pine hit my nose.

Autumn magic.

I bolted from the bed, cold fire flaring to life in my hand. "You dare enter my kingdom without permission."

The crow tilted its head, a low rattling sound emanating from its throat. Then it hopped into the air and burst into a seething column of black shadows. A second later, the column formed into a tall elf with long black hair and striking purple eyes. Inky tattoos swirled up his neck to his chin, feathers and curling vines weaving sinuous paths. Shadows clung to him, slowly shifting into clothing as he fixed his stare on the bed behind me.

Recognition stoked my anger. Rane Laruthian, bodyguard to King Andrin of the Autumn Court, was a known troublemaker.

"Does Andrin want a war?" I asked. I closed my fist around the fire in my hand, snuffing it out. But I let my magic continue to build under my skin.

Rane shifted his gaze to mine. For a moment, his expression was cold, his eyes almost black. Then he bowed, an irreverent smile transforming his handsome face. "Apologies for dropping in so unexpectedly, Morendiel. I didn't realize you were…busy." He raised eyebrows as black as his wings in his beast form. "Haluven's daughter and a human. Apparently, you're not as frigid as everyone says."

"What do you want," I said, making it a statement. "And I suggest speaking quickly. The hoarfrost in my Crypt thirsts for company."

Rane's smile grew. "While I appreciate the offer of hospitality, I'm afraid I can't linger. I came to deliver a message to the King of Nordlinga."

"Let's hear it," Sigurn said, stepping beside me. He'd pulled on his pants. And, somehow, he'd gotten his hands on the dagger he'd given Liria.

As if I'd conjured her, she appeared on my other side, her gaze on Rane.

He tilted his head in a birdlike gesture as he returned her stare. "Princess?—"

"Don't fucking speak to her," Sigurn growled. "Don't look at her, either. If you have a message for me, then talk to me."

Rane kept his eyes on Sigurn as he addressed me. "I get why you like this one, Ronan. You'll spend a fortune feeding him, but it'll be worth it, no?" Rane's gaze roamed Sigurn's shoulders, appreciation in his purple eyes. "All that power."

"State your business," I said, "or I'll return you to Andrin in a block of ice." It wouldn't kill him. His immortality would surge him back to life as long as his head was attached to his shoulders. But I knew from experience that repeated suffocation was a painful way to spend a few days.

"Castle Nordlinga has fallen to the Lord of Coldvalley," Rane told Sigurn. "Your cousin, I believe?" When Sigurn said nothing, Rane shrugged. "My king cares nothing at all for human wars, but your cousin is holding one of the shadowkin prisoner." The mirth dropped from Rane's face. "My king wants her released immediately."

"Mirella," Sigurn gasped. He stepped toward Rane, danger rolling off him. "How do you know this?"

If Rane was apprehensive about having a giant bearing down on him, he gave no sign of it. His amethyst eyes were cool as he held Sigurn's stare. "News travels swiftly through the shadows. And my people look after our own."

"You consider the shadowkin one of your own?"

Rane went to the window. As he turned and addressed Sigurn over his shoulder, his clothing began to shift and slide over itself. "That's the wrong question, Sigurn Brighthelm. Lady Mirella's father entrusted her to your care. Now, she has fallen into the hands of men who despise the blood in her veins. The question is: What are you going to do about it?" He jumped, shifting from shadow to crow in the space of a heartbeat.

I stepped toward the window. "If you're lying about this, Andrin can expect my army at his border."

The crow perched on the deep stone sill, its beady black eye sheened with purple. It spread its wings, hopped once, then shot through the window and swooped away from the castle.

Liria rushed to the window and looked out. She turned back, a troubled expression on her face as she looked at Sigurn. "Is Lady Mirella the woman we saw the night Ronan and I came to Nordlinga?"

"Yes," Sigurn said grimly. "And if Lorsten has her, I have to do something."

"You think he took her to get to you?" I asked.

Sigurn nodded. "That's the only reason I can think of. He wants me dead. So does my mother."

Liria crossed to him and took his hand.

"It'll be dangerous," I said. "We should expect an ambush."

Surprise flared in Sigurn's eyes. "You're coming with me?"

"Of course he is," Liria said. "We both are." She looked at me, her expression daring me to contradict her. "Aren't we, my love?"

Arguing was a waste of time. And if the shadowkin woman was imperiled enough for Andrin to send Rane to Winter, we didn't have time to spare.

"Yes," I said, knowing Liria would find a way to follow if I tried leaving her behind. "We're going together."