5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Gerta
I f there is one thing we do not mind Constantinium importing across our borders, it’s their ale. It brings warmth deeper than any fire can offer and adds mirth to the soul so often dampened without the sun.
I can’t keep the grin off my face as Wolf, Prince, and Biggs jubilantly dance around the fire. Smalls would be with them, except he’s already passed out in the cave. Despite being the biggest of us, he holds his liquor the worst.
It’s a familiar scene every time we get a little extra ale. By the end of the night, Biggs will once again attempt to confess his “love” to Wolf, who will once again turn him down. Prince will spend that time yelling into the night, hoping the Snow Queen can hear him tell her he joined our clan just so he could be nearer to her.
Shaking my head, I turn to grab the bottle of ale I reserved for myself. I frown when I can’t find it. How could I misplace that of all things? How wasteful of me. The liquor deserved better.
“Looking for this?”
I turn to find Kay sitting on the log beside me, holding the missing bottle. There it is. I could have sworn I put it on my other side to keep it out of Kay’s reach. He could use it as a weapon if he wanted to, after all . . . which would also be wasteful .
Instead of hitting me over the head with it, Kay brings it to his mouth— even though I’ve been drinking from it directly. Now both our lips have touched the same thing.
“Hey!” I cry, trying to swipe it, only to miss completely. I can’t help the fresh burst of giggles that rises at my newfound clumsiness. “That’s mine!”
“Pretty sure it’s mine , but I can share.”
“Sharing is like kissing, though.”
Kay purses his lips. “No, I don’t think it is.” He turns to face me better, the chain dangling from the log between us.
I stare at the hand grasping the ale. Then I take his other hand and bring it to my lips.
“I think you grabbed the wrong hand.”
“Hard to tell,” I say, wondering when he removed his glove. “Because kissing is just like drinking.”
Kay studies me as I continue to press kisses to his knuckles until he relents. Then he sets the ale down, his gaze too sharp for someone who’s been drinking from my cup. “I think you’ve had enough of that, actually.”
“But that’s what’s going to warm me tonight!” I cry, though I am already warm. Yet I still thirst for it, so I try to climb over Kay to reach it.
Unfortunately, the log isn’t as steady as it used to be, and I lose my balance and crash against him. The ale remains far from my grip.
Groaning, I blow a stray blonde hair out of my face. As embarrassed as I should feel for being on top of Kay for the second time today, I can’t deny it feels nice. “I guess you can keep me warm tonight.”
He blinks at me, looking flustered for the first time since I met him. “I-I—”
I stare at him and wonder if I said the wrong thing. What was the right thing to say, though ?
Wolf dances by in the corner of my vision, spinning between two dance partners, and I grin. “By dancing, of course!” I hold up my manacled hand that feels suddenly so heavy. “I can’t dance without you, after all.”
“No, I suppose you can’t.”
Strong hands wrap around my waist and lift me into the air before setting me on my feet. I waver unsteadily for a moment before the hands return and Kay is standing before me.
“Will you dance with me, lassie?”
I flush like he’s not my prisoner. “I will, Captain.”
“Excellent. Should we engage in a waltz? Or should we see if your friends would like to join us in a carole?”
Throwing my head back, I laugh. “We don’t give names to our dances and force them to conform to rules up here.”
Kay stares at me, looking horrified. “Then how do you know what steps to take?”
“We let the music guide us!” Grabbing his hands, I pull him closer to the fire where the others dance.
“What music?”
“The rhythm of the north, of course.” I cup a hand around his ear so he can better hear. “The whistle of the wind, the crackle of the fire, and if you really listen, you can hear the Snow Queen’s song.”
Prince sighs and dances farther away from the fire, seeking his muse’s voice.
Yeah, he’s definitely cursed.
Kay just studies me with furrowed brows. “I hear the fire and the wind, but I still don’t know what the steps are.”
I roll my eyes and spin as far away from him as I can with the chain in place. Then I spin back. I’m dizzier than usual and have to catch myself against his chest. “It’s not about knowing . It’s about being . ”
Pushing away from him, I lift my hands into the air and sway them in synchronization with my hips. The Snow Queen’s song doesn’t float on the night air, which is just as well. She may decide she wants Kay for herself— at least, she would if she saw his torso like I did.
But the wind and the fire are enough for me to feel the rhythm of Gaelia in my soul and let it fuel my steps.
Kay watches me stiffly for several moments. Then he moves with me, if only to keep me from getting tangled in our chain.
Then one of his icy hands finds mine, entwining our fingers together.
A new warmth tingles down my arm, and I grin.
He smiles back, his body awkwardly trying to mimic my sway.
I laugh and use my free hand to gather the chain between us and pull him closer.
Kay arches a brow but says nothing as we continue to sway in a circle. His steps even out the longer he looks at me and not on his feet.
“Now you’ve got it.” I grin. “Let’s dance until dawn.”
He studies me for a long moment before nodding solemnly and wrapping his cuffed arm around my waist. “Very well, lassie.” Then he dips me.
Stunned, I stare up at him and the sky beyond, where purples and blues dance across the sky to the same rhythm we move to.
“The music of the north told me to.” Kay winks. Then he slowly lifts me back upright.
But the rhythm I was dancing to seems to have slowed. Instead of twirling wildly, I draw closer to my strange dance partner. My arms wrap around his neck, and my fingers tangle in his hair as we both sway more softly.
“The music of the north told me to,” I whisper, my throat suddenly drier than any ale could remedy .
Kay just offers a soft smile as both his arms wrap around me in a comforting embrace. “Then I am pleased that, despite all our differences, little rebel, our souls can still hear the same song.”