said quickly. “Then I won’t be able to escape your chambers.”
She paused.
“You know you can quickly overtake me again. You certainly stopped me fast the other day,” he cajoled, his voice soothing and low. “Your ice powers are beyond my mere human strength.”
After a long moment, she nodded. She set the tray down in her ice-chair and then climbed the stairs. “Be right back.”
He watched her go, dumbfounded.
He’d lied to her. Told her that she’d let him roam freely in the past…and she’d accepted it? As if it was the truth?
This…wasn’t right. Something was wrong.
Had she truly lost her memory? Maybe all the use of her powers fragmented her thoughts? He didn’t know. All he knew was that she’d somehow changed a few days ago.
And he intended on taking advantage of it.
She returned a short time later, wiping her brow, now frosted with perspiration. “The doors are iced,” she said. “Three feet thick. It’d take you hours to escape if you tried to break through, and if you kill me, this place will collapse around your ears. The entire ice palace is only held together by my magic.”
He studied her to see if she was bluffing, but her delicate face was expressionless. “Fair enough,” he said slowly, thinking. He wouldn’t kill her, then. At least, not right away. He’d wait until her guard was down. He’d have to convince her to take him out of the castle, somehow. Then, when she was relaxed in his presence, he’d kill her and escape.
Of course, to earn her trust, he’d have to charm her.
Before, the snow queen had been less than amused at his reluctance. That was why she’d enchanted him in the first place. If he was pliant and agreeable to everything – even her tortures – it was one less thing for her to worry about. So she’d taken away his free will and bespelled him to think he was in love with her. It wasn’t too much of a stretch for the mind – she was ethereally beautiful, if cruel. And even with the spell? She still hadn’t trusted him not to escape – she’d never given him the freedom to walk her chambers in the past.
But two days ago, she’d taken away the enchantment. And now she was about to invite him to sit at dinner with her.
If he didn’t know better, Kai would have sworn that it was an entirely different woman. But the pale brows and white-blonde hair cascading down her back were the same. The dress made of lattices of frost and icicles was the same. The blue eyes that watched him were the same. The deadly command over ice? The same. Only the expressions and mannerisms were different.
It simply had to be a new tactic to get him to let his guard down. Fine then, he’d play her game. Kai gave her his most cajoling smile, but said nothing. If he encouraged her to let him out, she’d suspect something.
She continued to watch him from the other side of the icicle cage, her fingers curling around the thick shafts of ice as she regarded him. It looked as if she were trying to decide if she wanted to trust him.
He held his breath, waiting.
Then she gave a small sigh and the icicles began to crack and vibrate. “Step back,” she told him in a soft voice.
“I won’t harm you,” he told her. Not yet.
This time her mouth twisted into a hint of a smile. “I know. I meant that if you were too close, you might get speared.” And the icicles in her hands shattered like glass, the shards tinkling to the floor.
He staggered backward, avoiding the flying ice even as she ignored it, her small hands touching each icicle that made his cage and shattering it with ease. Astonishing. He’d wrapped his hands with the polar bear pelt and tried to break them himself, but they’d proven far too strong.
Strong magic, indeed. And concerning. If she used it, she could destroy him in an instant. He had to be careful.
She brushed aside the shattered icicles. Her efforts had created a small doorway that he could step through. “Sorry about the mess. For some
She paused.
“You know you can quickly overtake me again. You certainly stopped me fast the other day,” he cajoled, his voice soothing and low. “Your ice powers are beyond my mere human strength.”
After a long moment, she nodded. She set the tray down in her ice-chair and then climbed the stairs. “Be right back.”
He watched her go, dumbfounded.
He’d lied to her. Told her that she’d let him roam freely in the past…and she’d accepted it? As if it was the truth?
This…wasn’t right. Something was wrong.
Had she truly lost her memory? Maybe all the use of her powers fragmented her thoughts? He didn’t know. All he knew was that she’d somehow changed a few days ago.
And he intended on taking advantage of it.
She returned a short time later, wiping her brow, now frosted with perspiration. “The doors are iced,” she said. “Three feet thick. It’d take you hours to escape if you tried to break through, and if you kill me, this place will collapse around your ears. The entire ice palace is only held together by my magic.”
He studied her to see if she was bluffing, but her delicate face was expressionless. “Fair enough,” he said slowly, thinking. He wouldn’t kill her, then. At least, not right away. He’d wait until her guard was down. He’d have to convince her to take him out of the castle, somehow. Then, when she was relaxed in his presence, he’d kill her and escape.
Of course, to earn her trust, he’d have to charm her.
Before, the snow queen had been less than amused at his reluctance. That was why she’d enchanted him in the first place. If he was pliant and agreeable to everything – even her tortures – it was one less thing for her to worry about. So she’d taken away his free will and bespelled him to think he was in love with her. It wasn’t too much of a stretch for the mind – she was ethereally beautiful, if cruel. And even with the spell? She still hadn’t trusted him not to escape – she’d never given him the freedom to walk her chambers in the past.
But two days ago, she’d taken away the enchantment. And now she was about to invite him to sit at dinner with her.
If he didn’t know better, Kai would have sworn that it was an entirely different woman. But the pale brows and white-blonde hair cascading down her back were the same. The dress made of lattices of frost and icicles was the same. The blue eyes that watched him were the same. The deadly command over ice? The same. Only the expressions and mannerisms were different.
It simply had to be a new tactic to get him to let his guard down. Fine then, he’d play her game. Kai gave her his most cajoling smile, but said nothing. If he encouraged her to let him out, she’d suspect something.
She continued to watch him from the other side of the icicle cage, her fingers curling around the thick shafts of ice as she regarded him. It looked as if she were trying to decide if she wanted to trust him.
He held his breath, waiting.
Then she gave a small sigh and the icicles began to crack and vibrate. “Step back,” she told him in a soft voice.
“I won’t harm you,” he told her. Not yet.
This time her mouth twisted into a hint of a smile. “I know. I meant that if you were too close, you might get speared.” And the icicles in her hands shattered like glass, the shards tinkling to the floor.
He staggered backward, avoiding the flying ice even as she ignored it, her small hands touching each icicle that made his cage and shattering it with ease. Astonishing. He’d wrapped his hands with the polar bear pelt and tried to break them himself, but they’d proven far too strong.
Strong magic, indeed. And concerning. If she used it, she could destroy him in an instant. He had to be careful.
She brushed aside the shattered icicles. Her efforts had created a small doorway that he could step through. “Sorry about the mess. For some
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