Chapter Eight #2
Outside, the air was frigid, an icy gale blowing down from the north, clouds hiding the sun. Leaving Silverlight Castle behind, William and Iver descended the snow-covered road and began their ascent on the other side, cutting a path into the mountains.
Off-trail, the snow was deeper, and William’s boots sank in to mid-calf.
It cost him little effort to pull free with every step, but it wasn’t ideal.
Iver seemed to float above the ground, his shoes only leaving faint prints in the snow.
He made easy progress, staying several steps ahead of William.
“If you run,” Iver said as he turned to him, “you won’t sink in as much. It’ll be easier for you.”
William eyed the snow-laden slope. Perhaps his past experiences of trudging through snow were holding him back. He inhaled, cold mountain air filling his lungs, and lunged forward.
Iver was right. The faster he moved, the less he sank in. Skipping across the snow, William raced up the hill. Smiling, he spun around to find Iver ascending a hundred feet below him.
The wind drove into William’s hair as he waited for him to catch up, dark strands flapping in his eyes.
He scanned the landscape. The dark silhouettes of bare trees stood out sharply against the white backdrop, the surrounding hills blocking the sight in every direction except for Silverlight Castle on the opposite rise.
But the trees…
William regarded them, then climbed the nearest one. This, too, was easy. The bark was rough under his hands, and he pulled out a pair of leather gloves, which reduced the chafing of his skin.
He climbed as high as the thinning branches would hold him. By then, Iver had caught up, shaking his head at him, a grin splitting his face.
The next tree was ten feet away, the nearest stable-looking branch less than that.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” Iver called out.
William ignored him. He locked his sights on the next tree, every muscle going taut. He jumped.
He flew through the air. The uneven shape of the tree was harder to anticipate than the straight banister of the ballroom gallery had been. Had he miscalculated? Would he impale himself on the stump of a broken-off branch or scratch himself on a cluster of twigs he’d overlooked?
But no. William landed feet-first on a thick, solid branch. It rocked under the impact, dislodging the snow piled onto it, sending it crashing to the ground.
Exhilaration surging, William swung from branch to branch and onto the next tree. Iver followed below, shaking his head in amusement.
They continued like this until the hardwood forest gave way to pine trees, and jumping between them was no option if William didn’t want to become a needle cushion.
They made fast progress, ascending at a rate no human could’ve matched. Soon, the pine trees dwindled to barren shrubbery, which then, too, faded in a land of rock and ice.
From here, they followed the ridge of the mountain.
That was easy until a sheer cliff face interrupted the ascent.
Again, William’s human instincts amplified the difficulty of the challenge.
Slack-jawed, he watched Iver leap up the rock wall, effortlessly jumping between minuscule protrusions in the cliff, which he clung to with the tips of his fingers.
William hesitated, waiting at the foot of the crag until Iver reached the top and called down to him. “Do you need me to throw you a rope?” Iver joked.
They had no rope.
Jumping between trees was one thing; this was another. The precipice was towering above, and while he had faith in his strength, he didn’t trust his ability to find the small projections Iver had spotted and gripped onto so effortlessly.
How many times had Iver done this to be so confident?
New strength or not, William could fall and seriously injure himself. Iver might be able to carry him to safety, but the prospect of being in excruciating pain until a fae healer treated him put him off.
“The first ledge you can hold onto is to your right, about ten feet up the wall,” Iver called down, pointing.
His mouth dry, William scanned the cliff, trying to find the tiny protrusion Iver had spotted with his fae vision but which William’s human eyes had failed to see.
There! A rock jutted out from the otherwise smooth face. William removed his gloves—he’d need a good grip.
Taking a deep breath, William leaped. He shot upward, eyes fixed on the small projection. He caught it, fingers gripping the rough stone.
William hung from it on one arm. Then his feet found purchase and his eyes a small, horizontal crack in the cliff he jammed his free hand into.
William ascended the cliff in a series of heart-stopping jumps.
He reached the final feet under the top and made the mistake of looking down.
A wave of vertigo rushed over him. The ground felt a mile away.
His grip tightened, and he forced himself to focus on the rock inches from his face. He could do this.
Looking up, he found the upper end of the cliff and an easy place to grab and pull himself up. He leaped.
But there was no easy place to hold onto. What he’d seen was a loose rock that’d tumble down and shatter if he tried to grab it.
Panicked, William tried to clutch anything he could use to pull himself onto the ledge, but there was just snow.
William’s momentum was lost. He fell.
An iron grip closed around his wrist. Lightning fast, Iver had rushed in. With one firm tug, he hoisted him onto the ledge. He wrapped William in his arms and pulled him away from the lip.
Breathing hard, William leaned against him, taking comfort in his strength. He would’ve fallen, might’ve died, had Iver not snatched him. His fingers curled into the soft fur of Iver’s cloak.
“I should’ve taught you how to fall safely before taking you up the mountain,” Iver said. “I’ll teach you how to land without hurting yourself when we descend.”
The next stretch was easier, the mountain’s spine a clear path to the summit. Iver picked his way between rock and ice effortlessly, and William learned where he could safely step.
Reaching the final leg of the ascent, rock vanished, and all that was left was a narrow, snow-covered ridge. William, his confidence growing with every step, took the lead.
Up here, the snow was hard, William’s feet no longer threatening to sink in. Still, he ran ahead, eager to claim the summit.
The sky had cleared during the last half-hour of their climb, and as William raced across the final yards, the sun broke through the remaining clouds. Bright light transformed the landscape into a glistening ice world. It blinded William, forcing him to stop and shield his eyes.
His vision adjusted, and he crossed the final feet to the summit.
Below him, Vale unfolded. Silverlight Castle was a tiny speck in the foothills.
Further down, frozen Sapphire Lake curved around the bottom of the hill, Winterbourne nestled against its shore.
Beyond it, snow-covered fields and dark forests stretched as far as the eye could see.
Somewhere in the distance, William imagined Eric riding south.
Understanding dawned on him. This sight was why Iver loved going up the mountains. The view was spectacular, and the exhilaration of climbing made his soul fly. William doubted any other human had been this high up.
Grinning, he turned back, startled when he found Iver a hundred yards below the summit. He was moving fast, but not at superhuman speed.
Iver was out of breath when he reached William but smiling like it was the winter solstice. He clapped William on the shoulder. “We did it.” The summit plateau was only a few feet wide, giving them no choice but to stand close together.
“The view is gorgeous.”
“I love coming up here. I’ve been to a few of those peaks.” Iver gestured toward the north, where even taller mountains towered above them. There, Vale ended, and dwarven territory began.
“I’m glad you brought me. The thought of coming here wouldn’t have occurred to me.”
Iver wrapped an arm around William’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. “And I’m glad you came.” He looked off into the distance. “I’ve never brought anyone else.”
“Really?”
“I used to climb mountains when I wanted to be alone. I never asked anyone to join me.”
“Why bring me?” William asked. “What changed?”
Iver regarded him for a long moment. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.” Those words came out wistfully, laced with pain.
William’s chest tightened. He didn’t want Iver to hurt. He slid an arm under Iver’s cloak, wrapping around his waist. The leather of his armor was smooth under William’s fingers, and Iver increased the pressure on his shoulders, pulling him in.
When William looked at Iver, he found him staring back, his eyes softer than usual.
“You’re not alone,” William said. Was that too much?
Iver had supported him when William hadn’t known what to do with James’s missive.
How could he not be there for Iver? If nothing else, responsibility united them.
“We’re both kings. I know what it feels like to have everyone looking to you for making decisions and leading the way when you have no idea what to do.
I know what it’s like when you can’t trust those around you.
My steward spent weeks vetting my concubines before they were allowed anywhere near Silverlight.
” At the mention of his former courtesans, Iver stiffened.
“They’re gone. I reinforced with the guards that they are not to be let past the gates. ”
“You did?”
“Of course. I don’t want to find Beatrice in our marital chamber again. My human word might not be worth much to you, but I signed my name under the promise that I would take no lovers.”
Iver regarded him intently, as if trying to detect a lie. William wasn’t lying. He’d given his word as king, and if two married sovereigns couldn’t trust each other, then nobody could. The need to prove himself expanded. But how could he do that?
The wind picked up, streaming Iver’s long waves toward him, a veil shielding their faces from the world. They were so close. William’s gaze dropped lower, to Iver’s wide mouth and the pale pink lips that so often drew into a smirk.
The urge to kiss them overcame William. He shouldn’t.
This wasn’t a love marriage. He and Iver had entered a mutually beneficial agreement, which, yes, included world-shaking sex, but that didn’t mean he should get his heart involved.
It was a terrible idea. He didn’t even like Iver.
Did he? William liked his company. Had discovering that Iver enjoyed baking and climbing changed his opinion of him? Had it been changing all along?
Nodding toward the lowering sun, Iver said, “We should head down before it gets dark,” breaking the spell between them.
Iver would never fall for a man like him. William had to protect himself against any burgeoning feelings that Iver’s presence might conjure.
The descent went fast. They reached the cliff, and Iver insisted on teaching him how to jump from heights and land safely. When William hesitated, Iver reassured him.
As William mastered the technique, he found the height that he could jump from and still stick the landing. Iver, with two centuries of practice, managed more than double. That had to be exceptional, even among fae.
By the time they’d descended into the foothills, the sun had set. William stayed close to Iver, whose superior fae vision guided them through the encroaching night. Stars flickered to life one by one, soon littering the firmament.
It was dark when they arrived at Silverlight Castle, flaring torches illuminating the battlements. William yearned to keep Iver to himself for a little longer. It wasn’t a good idea, but a powerful craving took over.
William was used to frequent sex, and although he’d had Iver the night before, he hungered for him like a starving predator for its prey.
He couldn’t take another hour without Iver’s naked body pressed against his.
Besides, their marriage contract stipulated that they had to take care of each other’s sexual needs. It was time for his husband to provide.
As they entered the castle’s east wing, he put his hand on Iver’s arm, stopping him from going up the staircase.
“Let’s not go to the apartment just yet.
” There’d be attendants, eager to take off their cloaks and armor, turning the otherwise erotic act of undressing into something utilitarian.
William didn’t want that. He had another adventure in mind.
Iver looked at William’s hand on his arm and frowned. “Where else would we go?”
“Down.” William inclined his head toward the stairs leading underground.
“What’s there?”
“A place where I’d like to enjoy my husband before I have to share him with the rest of the world.”