The Snow Queen's Captive by Jill Myles Page B

of the colored cubes. “This ice thing is a bit of a pain in the ass, isn’t it? Thank God it’s only for a month.”
    “A month?”
    “Um, never mind.” The snow queen smiled brightly at him. “So tell me more about you.”
    It was on the tip of his tongue to demand, why should I? But that wouldn’t bring her closer to trusting him. If she’d truly lost her memories, this was his time to take advantage of things. “I’ve told you everything you need to know time and time again,” he lied, making his voice as easy as he could. He picked up the ceramic bowl and sipped his dinner. “But you never tell me anything about yourself.”
    “Oh?” Her blue eyes widened again. Then she frowned. “I’m not sure what I can tell.”
    A devious non-answer despite her sweet expression. He said nothing, simply drank the nourishing (if tasteless) soup left for him and watched her.
    She toyed with one of the icy cubes on her tray, a pink one. “So what did we talk about at dinner if we never talked of our histories?” She lifted it to take a small bite.
    He set his bowl down. “We didn’t talk much. Mostly I just serviced you with my mouth. It didn’t leave a lot of room for talking.”
    She wheezed, choking on the bite of her dinner. Then she coughed, gulping for air, and covered her mouth. Her face turned a pale, delicate blue – definitely a blush. “I what?”
    Despite himself, Kai was fascinated by her reaction. Either she was an incredible actress or she had indeed had something happen to her that caused her personality to revert to some softer, sweeter version of herself. And considering that she was missing all the lies he was dropping? He was starting to become more and more convinced.
    This would work well for his plans.
    “Shall I show you? Would you like for me to service you again?” He put his bowl down and stood. He wasn’t lying about that; he’d had sex with the snow queen. While under the enchantment, he’d have done anything she wanted, and more. He’d been fully aware that he’d hated her even as much as the enchantment forced love into his mind and overrode his reactions. He should be furious at how she’d treated him, but the enchantment had muddled with his memories of those interludes – thankfully – and all he remembered were icy limbs, her wicked, cruel laugh, and a vague sense of resentment in the back of his mind, mixed with pleasure.
    But now that she had…changed, he wanted to see how she’d react to his offer.
    Her jaw dropped a little, her mouth working, but nothing came out. She recovered a moment later with a small shake of her head. “I…no. I…” Her brow furrowed as she stared at him, at his darker, tanned skin, then back at her own bluish-white skin. He could practically see the question written in her mind. How does that work ? But she didn’t ask, and he was surprised. “No,” she said after a moment. “Thank you.”
    Against his will, his mouth quirked into an amused smile. She was thanking him? “I am here for your pleasure, as you have so often reminded me,” he told her. “If you have needs, they are mine to service.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Then why did you try to kill me the other day?” She extended one foot out from under the table and he could see the dark-colored welt around her ankle, where he’d grasped it.
    She was cleverer than he’d given her credit for. “Madness from the enchantment,” he lied quickly. “It confused me.”
    “I see.” Then she shook her head again, squirming slightly in her chair. Then, as if it made her uncomfortable, she bolted up from it and paced across the room. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself simply to please me. I’d never ask that.”
    But she had asked that, many, many times. It only convinced him further that somehow her mind had snapped, taking away the evil and leaving behind a stranger. A deadly, albeit fascinating one. And he found himself standing and following her.
    “There are many ways I