Frost Bound (Entangled with Trickery #1)

Neve

Chapter Thirteen

Neve

The farther he traveled from Florrant, the more he regretted his decision of taking a human loviaye .

They’d only been on the road for seven hours when the princess began to wilt like a sick flower. Humans were so weak. He cursed underneath his breath when she slumped even lower in the saddle. Neve had wanted to make it closer to Loriia’s border before stopping. He’d been gone long enough, and Flyka had spotted several men tailing them. He didn’t want to deal with more assassins.

Sighing, he edged up next to Eyri, who kept wiping rain from his spectacles.

“We need to stop for the night,” he said in Loriian.

His cousin squinted. “So soon? I thought you’d want to put more space between us and Florrant.”

Olwen slowed so his pace matched their own. “What’s the plan?”

“We stop in Umberje for the night. This way, we can choose where our followers catch up with us. Preferably with the princess tucked in for the night.”

His best friend chuckled. “Hiding her from the truth of what backstabbing creatures her family really are?”

“No.” He didn’t care what she thought. “I don’t want her to accidentally be killed before we get into Loriia.”

“But her death is acceptable if we’re in our own kingdom?” Eyri asked, arching a brow.

“It’s less dangerous for us if such a thing were to happen in Loriia.” He nodded to Olwen. “Will you go on ahead of us and find a suitable place?”

His friend pursed his lips. “I don’t like leaving you behind with so little protection, sire.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“As you say.” Olwen flicked the reins and his mount picked up speed, soon disappearing from view.

The rain continued to fall, but Neve welcomed it. It helped soothe the fire raging within. He’d been uncomfortable in Astera. It was much too hot for his taste.

“You’re angry,” Eyri commented, water droplets rolling down his spectacles. “Why?”

“The consequences of my decision are dawning on me.”

“She doesn’t seem so bad.”

Neve’s brow furrowed. “You’ve known the little mouse for all of ten hours.”

“She hasn’t complained once.” Eyri shrugged. “I heard that saloes don’t like rain.”

He opened his mouth to argue when a haunting melody reached his ears.

Crying to the stars but they don’t hear my plea.

A darkened night, one whisper away from breaking.

Fighting for life but no one hears me.

Light is just a figment of imagining.

Death is calling but I cannot pay his fee.

The hair along Neve’s arms rose at the spellbinding aria that poured out of the princess. He’d heard nothing like it before. How did something so powerful come from an entity so small? He shivered, and he blamed it on the rain dripping down his spine.

“Fire and ice,” Eyri whispered, looking over his shoulder. “Who knew valles could sing like that? It’s beautiful.”

Neve grabbed a hold of himself and slowed his horse until the human caught up with him. She huddled in her fancy cloak, only her lips and nose visible in the dark night. Her song rose to a crescendo.

“Enough!” he yelled.

She jerked, the hood of her cloak turning in his direction, her ballad cut short. It made something inside his chest ache.

“Are you so foolish?” he barked in the common tongue. He’d never quite mastered it like Flyka or Eyri. The words felt clumsy.

“I’m just singing.”

“We are in enemy territory, traveling with not one but two royals. You are giving our … how do you say it? Position away.”

“And our horses do not?” she quipped back, voice thready. “Or your shouting?”

“The rain drowns out their sounds, and you…” He shook his head. He did not need to explain himself to her. “Be silent.”

“Please,” she snapped, a little more heat in her voice. “ Please, my lady .”

He stared at her. She thought him nothing but a servant. Neve didn’t have to yield to this valles .

And yet, noting the way her lips had pressed into a thin line, he’d made her angry. Good, then he wouldn’t suffer alone. Neve had a part to play. He swallowed down the curse curling on his tongue. “ Please , princess, stay silent so you do not put everyone’s lives at risk for the sake of your amusement, my lady ,” he said, pouring every bit of arrogance into his tone instead.

Her mouth popped open, a little puff of hot air escaping.

“Something you must say?” he pressed.

“Not to you.” In an instant, all traces of ire were gone. Only frigid compliance left.

For some reason, he didn’t like it. And that made no sense.

Olwen had procured two rooms for them at an inn on the outskirts of Northern Umberje.

Neve assessed the building as they arrived. It was a bit rundown, but if trouble arrived on their doorstep, it would be easy to dispose of the evidence. He led his horse right outside the stable and swung down from the saddle, his boots landing in a puddle. He pulled his bedroll off the horse as a young child stumbled out of the dimly lit stables, rubbing his eyes. Flyka cut him off and handed him a small bag of coins before giving him instructions for their horses.

He frowned as he spotted a couple embracing each other, their lips locked together. Neve practically gagged. Mouth mating was not a Loriian custom. It was a disgusting human practice. Godsteeth, he hoped the valles never tried something like that on him.

Eyri jumped down as well and frowned, his attention on the couple, then moving to the princess. “Are you going to help her?” Eyri muttered in Loriian.

The princess was untangling herself from her soggy cloak and dress while appearing to figure out the best way to climb down. It was utterly ridiculous. Every movement she made seemed uncoordinated and stiff.

Neve crossed his arms. “She specifically told me not to touch her, so no, I will not be helping her.”

He continued to watch the spectacle as she swung her leg over the horse and stared at the ground. A smile curved the corner of his lips. Just what would the haughty princess do?

His amusement fled when she pushed away from the horse and dropped to the ground. Her knees buckled and she took a step, tripping on her skirts. The valles pitched forward, hands outstretched. Without a thought, Neve caught her elbow before she fell face-first into a deep mudpuddle. His fingers curled around her dainty forearm, noting how his hand engulfed it. It was almost comical.

“I’ve got it,” the princess muttered.

She was standing, pale face tilted up to him, cheeks and nose an alarming shade of red. It bothered him just how much her color changed.

The princess coughed, the color in her cheeks deepening.

Neve released her like he’d been burned, and she swept past him with all the dignity of a drowned rat. Just how long had he been staring? He followed her, making sure to kick the mud off his boots before entering the inn. The inviting warmth of a fire welcomed him into the space. The room was long and rectangular, with a bar at the very far end. Olwen waited for them, holding the keys in his hands, no innkeeper to be seen.

The princess left a trail of water behind her as she walked to the hearth and held her hands out to the fire. Neve winced. How could she be so close? Even from here, it was warm. Sweat started to bead on the back of his neck.

“How do you want this to go?” Olwen asked in Loriian as Neve reached the bar.

Neve blinked at his best friend. “What do you mean?”

“Flyka won’t be leaving your side, per her oath, but the valles should not be alone with a male that is not her family or husband.” He pursed his lip, his long scar puckering. “Even though you’ve been married by proxy in saloes custom, the marriage rites have not been completed in Loriia.”

“So concerned about the princess?”

Olwen shook his head. “No, but I can sense she’s on the verge of losing it, and I don’t want to deal with a royal tantrum.”

“Fair enough.” Neve rolled his neck. “Put Flyka, myself, and the human in one room, and you and Eyri take the other.”

Olwen whistled. “I don’t like you with just one warrior.”

“You don’t think I’m enough?” Flyka asked, joining their conversation.

“No, but you have more than one royal to care for now,” Olwen pointed out. “You’ll have both the reillov and our future reilleve ’s lives in your hands.”

Future queen.

It echoed like a bad joke in his ears. Had he really thought this through?

Flyka nodded. “You’re right. We’ll all stay in the same room, and set the other one up as a decoy.”

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Eyri stood beside the princess, whispering softly to her. He frowned at his cousin. What was he doing?

Neve cleared his throat. “My lord? Your room is ready.”

Eyri nodded and held his arm out, gesturing for the princess to go first. She curtsied, and then strode toward their group. Flyka climbed the stairs first, followed by the princess and Eyri. Neve’s nose twitched as she passed him, a delicate scent hovering in her wake. He rubbed his nose, trying to dispel the smell, and followed her up, Olwen hot on his heels.

Neve hid his smile at how his friend grumbled about tiny human spaces. It would be nice to be home soon, where none of them would have to stoop to get through doors or worry about the support of any given chair.

Flyka unlocked the door to the room and gestured for the valles to enter. The princess moved straight to the small fire and crouched before the hearth, seeming to ignore everyone. Neve assessed the room. It was large enough that they would all be able to sleep. His gaze moved to the bed. Undoubtedly, the princess would want it, which was fine. It wasn’t as if anyone would fit in it except a saloes .

“What are you doing, my lady?” Olwen asked, leaning his shoulder against the wall nearest to the door.

Neve glanced at the human as she tossed more wood on the fire from the rack. “Building the fire.”

“It’s already sweltering in here.”

“I’m freezing,” she muttered, her odd eyes narrowing. “How are you not cold?”

“Frost giant,” Olwen replied, with a smirk and a wiggle of his brows.

She blinked hard and dismissed Olwen, unlacing her dripping cloak. The valles pulled it from her shoulders to hang it next to the fireplace.

Neve flinched, and ignored the choked sound from Olwen’s direction.

The green dress she wore was almost transparent and clung to her curves. It was vulgar, unnatural, and … something else.

Tracing the line of her figure made him want to fidget. To fit his hand to the flare of her hip.

Qov.

Neve crossed his arms and looked away. He froze as he watched his inner circle gawk at the human. Eyri showed curiosity—ever the scientist. Flyka seemed to be searching for weapons, and held two of her fingers out. Two hidden weapons. How cute . And Olwen—well, his best friend held a gleam in his gaze that Neve wasn’t quite comfortable with. It seemed the human form appealed to his friend.

Olwen caught his glare and shrugged sheepishly.

“We should all get some rest,” Eyri said, breaking the silence. “You may have the bed, my lady.”

The princess put her back to the fire and Neve blinked slowly. He could see her breasts. Well, most of them. It was difficult to look away from the oddity. The women of his culture weren’t as endowed as humans. Breasts were to feed their young, nothing more. The valles pushed up and out of an undergarment that looked like a shield strapped to her body.

The human crossed her arms over her chest, effectively ending Neve’s gawking. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll take a bedroll by the fire, my lord. I’d like to be near the heat after the ride we just had.” She smiled softly at Eyri. “Thank you kindly for the offer. Enjoy the bed.”

Her attention turned to Flyka. “If you could show me to the privy, I would be most grateful.”

Flyka arched her brows at Neve in question. He nodded, and she gestured to the door. “Let’s go.”

The two females hustled out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Olwen whistled. “I’ve always wondered what those humans have under all their layers. Not as displeasing as I thought it would be.”

Neve scowled at him. “I doubt she missed your perusal.”

His friend shrugged. “Chalk it up to curiosity, lae reillov . And all I have to say is that my curiosity is piqued.”

Neve walked to the hearth and pulled his bedroll from its waterproof sheath, laying it parallel to the fire. “You can have her.”

“You’re giving her your bedroll?” Eyri asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Neve tossed his hands in the air. “Someone has to sleep in that bed, and she made it clear it wouldn’t be her. So, Eyri, you’re the shortest of us. You can sleep there.” He held his hand palm up and wiggled his fingers. “Hand it over. I’m using yours.”

His cousin groaned. “I’m going to have to sleep at an angle.”

Olwen thumped his chest and eyed the bed. “There’s no way that thing would hold my weight.”

“And Flyka?” All three of them smiled at the same time. She’d be sleeping by the door. If anyone tried to get in, they’d have to go through her first.

Eyri tossed his bedroll to Neve. He laid his out near the window, opening it just a crack. The cold air brushed over his skin. He pulled his shirt off and hung it next to the fire. Next, he placed his boots and socks near the hearth. He crawled into his bedroll and stretched out while Eyri and Olwen both got ready for bed, before going to arrange the room next door. They returned and settled in, the crackling fire filling the silence.

Neve found himself staring at the door. The women had been gone for quite some time.

As if his thoughts had conjured them, the door opened and the princess and Flyka entered. He stared, his teeth grinding together. The little valles wore one of his shirts as a night dress—one that he’d given to Flyka a long time ago. It hung off the princess’ shoulder, showing more pallid skin. She wore a pair of green hose beneath that clung to her like a second skin. Her vibrant rose-gold hair was braided back from her face. Her nose was still red, her lips a soft pink. Saloes coloring was bizarre. They changed colors like some of the germals —little fish that lived in the Lake of Glass.

She moved straight to the bedroll before the fire—his bed—and curled up in a tiny ball. The blankets shivered as she got comfortable. A sigh escaped her, and it made something inside his chest clench.

Neve turned his back to the human and stared at the wall before closing his own eyes.

Her comfort was none of his concern. She was here for one purpose and one purpose only.

Peace.

If such a thing were possible.