Frost Bound (Entangled with Trickery #1)

Neve

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Neve

An astrylle had bonded with his reilleve .

Neve could hardly believe his luck.

While his council had sided with him on his choice of taking a human bride, it had been reluctant. Dealing with assassins and dimedons was nothing compared to the tangled web of court politics that awaited him. He grimaced. A lot could change in a month.

Despite how much he hated the little games of court, he couldn’t wait to get home. The Mirror Bridge gleamed just ahead of them, reflecting the sunset. Dahlia gasped, leaning forward on Cessa’s neck, her bottom pressing once again against his sorav .

He stifled his groan, fingers flexing on her hips.

The last three days had been miserable. With the gentle rocking of the rukhal coupled with her plush saloes body, he couldn’t help but react to the valles . No matter how much he reminded himself that he didn’t find Dahlia attractive in the least, his sorav only understood friction and heat.

It was bloody uncomfortable.

“What is that?” she murmured. “It’s beautiful .”

The warriors within earshot chuckled at her excitement, and Neve even smiled through his discomfort and irritation.

Eyri nudged his rukhal closer. “It’s the Mirror Bridge.”

“Is it made of glass?”

“It looks that way, but it is made of something far sturdier. It is constructed of reflective crystal from the Olek Mountains to the east,” Neve answered, pulling the valles back between his legs. “Sit back before you fall.”

She snorted, and then slapped a hand over her mouth. He glanced down at Dahlia in surprise. She avoided his gaze and whipped her face forward.

“What was that sound?” he whispered in her ear, smirking that she thought to hide from him. “Was something I said amusing?”

“Only the fact that you presume to order me around.”

“I am your lord and king.”

She twisted, her nose almost touching his own. They shared a breath, and he found himself staring at her lips. What was so confounding about them? He inhaled her spicy ginger scent and leaned the smallest bit closer.

“You are my captor, my lord.”

He blinked. “I suppose I am.” Like the evil vallos he was… he liked the idea of being her captor.

“No apology?”

“No.”

She hummed, faced forward, and Neve exhaled slowly. What was it about this saloes that intrigued him? One moment he wanted to throttle her, and the next he wanted to bathe in the glow of her smile…

Even with her flat teeth, they’d unfortunately began to grow on him.

They reached the top of the slope and he watched Dahlia’s jaw drop. Cessa’s hooves clacked against the crystal bridge, and he paused when they reached the middle.

“I have no words,” she whispered reverently.

Neve straightened and stared toward the west, to the Glace Palace. He knew what Dahlia saw.

A large lake covered with a sheet of thick white ice. Majestic black mountains around the western and northern edge of the lake, blanketed in pure white snow. And nestled proudly along the water’s edge stood the Glace Palace, the sprawling city around it carved into the mountains like a half-moon.

The palace shot up to the sky like shards of unforgiving ice. The sunset washed over the glass, stone, and crystal, making the palace seem like it was on fire. Sharp spires jutted from the mountains like proud sentinels. Sloping roads cascaded down to water’s edges, looping in different directions, elegant in their design. Frosted pine trees hid homes and taverns, only their winking lanterns visible.

This was his home.

“What do you think?” He held his breath. He didn’t know why her answer mattered to him so much, but it did.

“It’s like a fairy tale. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He smiled, a flush of pleasure rolling through him. Olwen wiggled his brows at Neve. He quickly quashed whatever expression adorned his face but murmured to his niliave all the same: “Welcome to your new home.”

The sun had long since set when they reached the edge of Glace City, the stars twinkling brightly above in a dark velvet sky. Slowly, they traversed the winding roads, his people stepping outside their homes to wish them well or to stare. Lanterns lined the road, a merry guide to the palace.

It would have been easier to return via the barracks’ entrance, but his people needed to see their new queen. Plus, while he had chosen a human bride, that didn’t mean he trusted her with kingdom secrets. There was much he didn’t want her to see or to know.

The amethyst sentry spires bracketed the east passerelle . Neve nodded to the men as they moved onto yet another bridge.

Dahlia sucked in a sharp breath. “It drops so far down.”

He glanced to his left, barely making out the flowing water below. “Not much different from your Bridge of Bones, no?”

She shuddered. “Terrifying.”

“Don’t worry, reilleve . I won’t throw you over.”

She glared at him over her shoulder, and it made him smile. He liked riling the little human.

They passed through the portcullis and into the main courtyard, which still teemed with people. They bowed to the procession as they passed. Neve directed Cessa through a second, narrower gate that led to the entrance.

Eira and Warrin stood amongst some of the courtiers and servants waiting for them. Neve scanned the group. No sign of his sister.

He’d have to have words with Lumi. No doubt her absence would be noted.

He stopped beside the stairs that led inside the palace. He dismounted, and then pulled his queen from Cessa, the rukhal blocking them from prying eyes. She slowly slid down his body, and gripped his forearms as he set her on her feet. She swallowed hard.

“I’m not sure I’m ready,” she whispered, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.

He stared her down and leaned forward so he didn’t tower above her so much. “You must be.” The vulnerability was erased, her placid mask back. He pointed to her face. “This is your war face, jaivelle . Use it. Do not let them see your fear.”

“I’m not afraid.”

A hoot echoed through the courtyard, shocking gasps and murmurs from his court and advisors. The astrylle had perfect timing.

“Time to meet your court, my queen.”