She did not react how he thought she would; she muttered, “I’m surprised you’re not in here with that woman.”
“What woman?” As he asked the question, he suddenly recalled the soldier who had propositioned him. Was that why her emotions had spiraled out of control? Was that the reason she’d kissed Hale—because she’d seen it happen and didn’t stick around to watch him deny the other woman? For some reason, it made him a bit happy to know she’d gotten so jealous she had to leave the camp. “Ah, you saw that, did you?”
Frost said nothing, her face not revealing a single thing.
“If you would’ve stuck around a bit longer, you would’ve seen me turn her down,” Noel said. “I don’t want to be with another woman. All I want is—”
“Me,” Frost cut in, whispering the word as if it held all the weight in the world. And, Noel supposed, it did.
“Well, I wasn’t going to admit that much, but seeing as how you’ve already heard it, I suppose there’s no point in denying it, is there?” Noel was full of rambling when he was embarrassed, wasn’t he? Not the stone silent and smooth assassin he liked to pride himself as. “But it’s okay. I’ll be able to keep it to myself during the journey.”
It was her turn to squint at him. “What do you mean?”
Noel coughed. “I assume you like Hale, or Douglas. I would never want to get in the way…” The words died at the base of his throat as he watched her take another step closer to him, stopping only when she stood less than an arm’s reach from him. So close he could feel the coolness seeping from her body. It gave him a long, hard, lingering chill.
Frost’s voice was a bare whisper, “And if I like you? If I like all three of you?” The question hung in the air, seemingly innocent but far from it in reality. “What then?” she asked, almost pleading. “You’re all going to leave me, so I know I shouldn’t—and I’ve tried not to. I have. I’m weak.”
“No,” Noel said, shaking his head. “You’re not weak.” He reached for her, lightly touching her arm. His fingers grazed the leather she wore, his eyes dropping to the loose gloves on her hands. His gloves. When she’d touched Douglas, one of the gloves was taken off. He wanted her to touch him like that, skin to skin, no fabric between them. “You’re the farthest thing from weak, Frost. You’re the strongest woman I know.”
At that, she managed a smile. “You hardly know me.”
“Eh, I’d beg to differ. You learn a lot about someone when you travel with them,” Noel mused, matching her smile with one of his own.
Her words rang through his head, echoing and bouncing around, refusing to be put down. If she liked all three of them…the mere possibility was both strange and miraculous. Strange because Noel was not certain if someone could truly have feelings for multiple people at once, and miraculous because Noel would’ve sworn he was out of the running when it came to her feelings.
Fancying all three of them. How would that work?
Blue let out another yip, letting them both know he was still there, watching. Almost as if he waited for something, like the creature wanted to see Noel and Frost together. The expression the wolf wore was expectant.
“You know you don’t have to live in Wysteria,” Noel told her, resisting the urge to lean forward and bring his lips to hers. “You could move to Springvale. We could find a nice house for you, far from any city—”
Frost shook her head, pulling away from him, giving him her back. “I would never put another kingdom in danger.” She rubbed her arms. “I’m putting all of Springvale in danger simply by being here.”
Moving closer, Noel whispered, “You can control it.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
Frost let out a disbelieving chuckle, whirling on him. “Do you not realize I’ve been trying my whole life to—” She abruptly stopped, realizing he was so near. Their faces were mere inches apart, and her breath caught.
“Have you ever had anyone who believed in you? Anyone who cheered you on and told you that you can do it?” Noel knew, just by her reaction, she hadn’t. Her parents had probably hidden her away, tucked her safely behind the castle’s walls, only allowing her in the public eye for necessary things. “Then I’m going to be the first.”
Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she started to shake her head. Her breath was cool on his face, and he found himself leaning closer to her, his nose brushing against hers. Frost’s skin was so cold, smooth, and flawless that she almost didn’t feel real.
“You can do it,” Noel whispered, “you are the one in control of your magic, Princess, not the other way around.” His hands moved to her sides, digging into the leather as he held her closer. With every breath she took, he could feel the rise and fall of her chest. All it would take was a slight movement, one measured tilt of either of their heads, and their lips would meet.
Noel wanted to kiss her. Oh, he wanted to kiss her badly. He wanted it more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life, that he could remember. This was…she was so very tempting, and knowing she liked him was nearly enough to push him over the edge, over a cliff he would never recover from.
What would be the harm in kissing her? It wasn’t like she was with Hale or Douglas exclusively, and if she had feelings for them all, wasn’t it justified enough?
Frost did not pull away from him, not even when he lowered his mouth to hers, not even when he held her closer to him, pressed her body tightly against his. Her lips sent a shiver down his back, but it was the farthest thing from unpleasant. It only made him crave her more, want every part of her with his entire being. Getting a bit ahead of himself, he knew.
The hands gripping her sides moved to her back, wrapping around her frail body with an iron grip. The world could’ve faded away around them, and Noel wouldn’t have cared a single bit. Right here, right now, he was intensely focused on the woman in his arms. Never had he ever desired a woman so much. She was everything a woman could be and more, more than anything he’d ever wanted.
Even if she didn’t have magic in her blood, this would still be magical. This was everything Noel never knew he needed. This was the end of life as he knew it.
And of course he knew it. He wasn’t a fool. Someone didn’t feel like this and two months later pretend none of it happened. This was an encounter that would remain with him until the day he breathed his last breath, and even after that. His memory, his soul, would always remember this exact moment.
This was the moment his life changed. He could never return to the guild, never pretend this didn’t happen. Noel would never be able to ignore the feelings swirling inside of his body, and the thought of letting Frost live in Wysteria alone was not something he could handle. Just like that, the tides had changed. Just like that, Noel couldn’t imagine his life without her.
When their lips finally parted, both Frost and Noel were out of breath, so caught up in each other that they couldn’t seem to fill their lungs. As he stared down at her, he couldn’t help but smile.
Never had he ever had a first kiss quite like that, and if he had anything to say about it, he would never have another first kiss again.
Chapter Eleven
Frost was off with her sister, eating a late dinner. Queen Amara wanted to feed them all, so she sent a few plates their way. While her soldiers had the meat from their latest hunt, Douglas, Hale, and Noel enjoyed plates with meat, bread, vegetables, and the like. It’d been so long since Douglas had tasted potatoes, he’d almost forgotten what they were like when they were cooked.
The three of them sat in the tent they would share, cross-legged on their chosen bedrolls. Douglas’s sword lay a foot away, its steel glimmering. The size of a child, it was a great sword that set anyone who was on its sharp end on edge. Oh, yes, Douglas was a dangerous man, but they were all dangerous, in their own way.
They were mainly silent as they ate, shoveling food into their mouths like savages. None of them were made for manners, apparently. They would not do well sitting
at a table of royals. Douglas found himself wondering how Frost ate. Did she recall the etiquette of her youth, or was she as uncouth as the rest of them while she ate?
Frost. Douglas should not be thinking about her, but he couldn’t help it. She’d been on his mind constantly as of late, and especially since the moment they shared near the stream. Feeling her small hand touching him, knowing she enjoyed the feel of his body, it brought him a type of happiness he’d never before known.
He wanted her to like him. He wanted her to need to touch him. He wanted…well, Douglas wanted a lot of things where Frost was concerned, and the sad thing was, he would not get them. Some things simply weren’t meant to be, which wholeheartedly sucked.
Douglas lifted his gaze to Hale and Noel. Hale was quiet, his shoulders slumped. A gloominess hovered over him, something Douglas couldn’t name. Noel himself was perky, as always, shoveling away at his plate as if the food would disappear if he didn’t eat it all right now. They were like brothers, always on jobs together. They were one of the guild’s top earners. They had a good system going.
But now…now Douglas wanted a different system. He wanted Frost.
Noel set his plate down, glancing at Douglas and then Hale. Something was clearly on his mind, and Douglas couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same thing that was on his mind. Frost was hard to ignore. She was beautiful, self-conscious, and deadly. It was hard not to pay attention to her anytime she was near.
“So,” Noel spoke, breaking the silence of the tent, “I think we need to talk.”
Hale paused, a piece of bread in his mouth, as he looked at Noel. He said nothing, his mouth thinning into a line, continuing to eat. It was the most he would do.
Douglas, on the other hand, asked, “About what?” He asked, even though he already had a feeling he knew what Noel was going on about. Douglas felt the need to stretch, to move, growing antsy as he anticipated whatever conversation Noel wanted to have.
“Frost,” Noel spoke her name carefully.
The lone word caused Hale to gulp down what was in his mouth and set down his plate on the ground before him. “What about her?” he whispered, running a hand over his neck, nervous to the extreme.
“Am I wrong in assuming you each fancy her?” Noel asked, flicking his brown eyes between Hale and Douglas quickly. His posture was as relaxed as ever, as if he already knew the outcome of this.
Hale was quiet while Douglas nodded once and said, “I do.”
Looking squarely at the archer, Noel prodded, “And you, Hale?”
Hale closed his black eyes, muttering, “I do.”
Douglas found himself studying Noel, the best tracker among them, the best sneak. If anyone could slip in and out of a building undetected, it was him. Right now though, the last thing Noel was being was sneaky. “And you?”
“I do,” Noel answered quickly, unashamed. “I like her a lot, which is why I think we need to talk about it.”
What was he going on about? Did he want Douglas and Hale to back off? Douglas wasn’t sure if he’d be able to. Yes, he loved and respected Noel, but to ask him to lay off Frost while he went after her just didn’t feel right.
“I spoke to Frost actually,” Noel went on. He now had both Douglas’s and Hale’s undivided attention. “She said she feels for us.” A moment before he added, “All three of us.”
Douglas’s brows creased. What in all of Springvale did Noel mean by this? What was the point of this conversation? Surely Noel couldn’t mean sharing her, could he? Or holding some awful competition to see who would win her heart once and for all? Honestly, he’d rather not worry about it. He’d rather simply let things be.
“Now, I don’t know about you two, but I am not a fan of giving her up,” Noel said.
“I would not give her up, either,” Douglas remarked. “What are you suggesting, Noel?”
The third silent member of the tent spoke up, “I believe he’s suggesting we each have her, if we like her and she fancies us.” Hale rubbed his face, running the same hand through his white hair.
“That,” Noel said, pointing to him, “is exactly what I’m suggesting, provided we’re all okay with it, and Frost would be.”
Douglas wasn’t so sure. “She’s a princess. She might’ve been living in the wilds, but she was born a royal.” Princesses didn’t have multiple men at their disposal, did they? Most women didn’t. What Noel was suggesting was not something that was easy to swallow…however it was better than losing her or causing the ire of his friends.
“She is a princess, yes,” Noel admitted.
“And the guild?” Douglas questioned, feeling the need to hold onto his sword, have the strong metal in his hands. Something to ground him. Something to remind him that he was still here, alive, and that this was real. “You know she would never leave Wysteria, unless you want this to be a short thing?”
A short thing…Douglas couldn’t picture it. He wanted Frost by his side, even after the Jewel of Wysteria was found.
“No,” Noel spoke slowly. “I don’t want this to be a short thing. I’m hoping one of us could convince her to leave Wysteria once we turn the Jewel in to Queen Amara.”
“And if we can’t?” Douglas said, “If she refuses to go with us? What then?”
“Pray for the opposite, and if it should come to that, we will handle it.”
Douglas harrumphed. What a way to answer his question without really answering it. It was possible, with the three of them, they would be able to convince Frost to leave the cold wastelands of Wysteria behind. But what if they couldn’t? He couldn’t picture himself living in such a cruel, inhospitable place. He also couldn’t picture himself without her, so either way, he supposed he was at a loss.
Hale let out a soft sigh. “I don’t know if this is even possible. I made her quite mad when I told her I shouldn’t have kissed her…”
That was the first Douglas had heard of it. His head snapped to Hale.
With a shrug, Noel said, “I think she’s cooled down after that. She wasn’t nearly as upset after I kissed her—”
“Wait,” Douglas cut in, frowning. “You both have kissed her?”
“Yes,” Noel said, meeting his stare unapologetically. “Why? Didn’t you? I saw you two near the stream. You, half-naked and wet, and her hand all over you. You had to have kissed her after that.”
Well, no. Douglas hadn’t kissed her, mostly because Blue had run off and caused Frost to trail off after him. But still—as childish as it sounded, it wasn’t fair. Not at all. He opened his mouth and said, “Her hand wasn’t all over me. She touched my stomach, and my chest a bit. It isn’t like she went any lower. And no, I did not kiss her after that. Apparently she ran off and found you.” He could not hide the envy from seeping into his voice.
“You know what they say,” Noel mused. “You snooze, you lose.”
Hale muttered, “I do not know anyone who says that.”
Douglas had heard it before, but he was too busy glowering at Noel for stealing his thunder. If Frost would have remained with him near the stream, he probably would’ve kissed her. Now he’d never know. He was fairly certain once they broached the topic of each having her, she would never speak to any of them again. It was rather presumptuous, to believe she’d want to be with them all simply because she fancied them.
It was a long while before Douglas asked the quiet tent, “Who’s going to break the suggestion to her?” His eyes roamed between Hale and Noel. Noel was the obvious choice, but since Douglas was the only one without a kiss…maybe it should be him.
Damn it. This was strange, wasn’t it?
Before anyone got the chance to respond, Blue trotted into the tent, licking his chops like he’d just had a nice, full meal. Frost was soon behind him, ducking into the tent before she went to sit on the last bedroll, on the far side of the tent. Blue took up most of it, curling into a white, furry ball.
“What are you guys talking about?” Frost asked, her cheeks looking rosy as she gl
anced at each of them. She must’ve eaten her fill with her sister. The wonders of what well-cooked food could do. “Are you talking about me?” She set a hand on Blue’s head, rubbing around his ears absentmindedly. Her full attention was on them, Douglas knew, and she wouldn’t relax until someone told her what was up.
Noel asked, “Are you slumming it here with us? I figured you’d bump your sister out of her bed and demand to sleep there, Princess.”
“I’m used to a home of ice,” she said. “This is not slumming it, and don’t you think for one moment that you’ve distracted me. What were you guys talking about?” Her blonde hair was in a braid, though it was starting to come undone, little stray wisps flying through the air.
Since Hale was quiet, and Noel would probably only say something stupid, Douglas said, “Noel was telling us about what you told him.”
Frost’s gaze turned to ice, and it turned on Noel. “Everything I told him, I told him in confidence.”
“Don’t freeze me,” Noel spoke with a grin, which only earned him a harder glare from her. “I only told them because they told me they each fancied you.” That got her glare to simmer down, just a bit. “And, well, if we fancy you and you fancy us…” He trailed off, as if the next part should be more than obvious.
It wasn’t.
Frost had stopped petting Blue, and Blue had lifted his head to stare at the group of men. “I don’t understand,” she said, her white eyebrows knitting together.
“We’ve talked about it, and as long as you are willing, we want you,” Douglas spoke, reaching up to itch his beard. For some reason, this whole conversation was giving him the itches. It was perhaps the most awkward thing he’d ever been a part of, and he was a mercenary; he walked into weird situations on an almost daily basis.
Frost’s icy glare softened. “Want me how?”
Noel let out a laugh. “Want you every which way possible, Princess.”
Her cheeks took on a deeper rosy hue, the lone color on her pale skin. “I don’t—”
Ice Queen Page 11