“Dealing with some … things…” I hedged, glancing back at Orion, but he wasn’t paying us any attention. Instead, Orion was speaking in low tones with Groffet, his head down as his lips moved. I expected that it had something to do with Nel, since he nodded our way once before continuing. I sighed, turning back to Nel and taking her hands. “Listen,” I started, “I have to leave the castle and I need you to stay here with Groffet.”
Her eyes widened and she glanced over my shoulder to the stout Troll several feet away before her gaze landed on me again. "Why?" she asked. “How long are you going to be gone? Am I coming, too?”
“We have to visit another court,” I admitted. “I’m not really sure when we’ll be back. It's a whole thing, but you know how the war is still going on in the kingdom?” She nodded. “Well, Fae in Alfheim hate humans even more than the ones from this court. I’m sorry, Nel, but you can’t come with us.”
Her brows drew down over her eyes as her lips pursed, but before she could say anything, Orion was there, invading my space as he reached down and gripped my shoulder. I stood abruptly and Nellie stood with me. “Do not worry, little human. It will be a good opportunity for Groffet to work on an illusion to disguise you.”
“Are we sure she’s not another Changeling?” Groffet asked. “Sex with a Fae would be able to at least hide her scent—”
"Nellie doesn't want that!" I said quickly, the words practically screaming out of my throat before I could stop them. All eyes turned to me. I took a breath and at a much more subtle volume, I continued, “She’s too young for that. She knew her parents, too, and they were definitely human.” I eyed her out of the corner of my vision, but thankfully, she didn’t speak up or say anything to disagree. I didn’t know what I would’ve said or done if she wanted to. She was five years younger than me, but still, I wasn’t comfortable throwing her at a Fae and seeing what happened. I also didn't give a rat’s ass if Groffet was older than the Abbess' entire family tree, it wasn’t going to happen. Nel had been ready to take vows of celibacy until I’d brought her to the castle.
“Then all the better reason for her to remain here and for Groffet to work on his illusion. It needs to be stronger than the sense of power you gained from sex with me,” Orion replied. Heat suffused my cheeks, but I didn’t say anything as he continued, focusing on Groffet. “Make it as strong as you can. Finding another Changeling is highly unlikely at this point. So, we must assume that Cress is correct and her friend is fully human. Whatever spell you come up with needs to be long lasting. We’ll be gone for a few days at least, a few weeks at most. I can’t say for sure, but you’re an intelligent master, Groffet. I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with something within that time. Keep her under your watch. As for you—” Orion’s arms came around me and he tugged me away from Nellie. “We need to get down to the stables and get ready to go."
Nellie snorted. "You're going to ride a horse?" she asked.
"I am. Why?" I demanded.
“Cress, I love you, but you’re not exactly the most graceful of creatures,” she replied. “Anything involving walking, riding, running, or well, any kind of coordination, just doesn’t really suit you." Nellie laughed after ticking all the things I wasn't good at off on her fingers.
“Har har,” I said dryly. “You’re so amusing.” I gestured between her and Groffet. “You two get to work on that illusion while we go face the music. Don’t worry about my riding capabilities.”
“Or lack thereof?” she added with a grin.
I slapped at the air. “Don’t worry about it.”
"She'll be riding with me anyway," Orion said, as he half lifted, half dragged me away from the two of them.
“Nooooooo,” I whined. “I want my own horse," I said as we left the library.
“No, you'll freeze.”
“I won’t,” I promised. How cold could it be out there?
“You will,” he said, shaking his head as he lifted me into his arms to keep my feet from dragging. I circled my arms around his neck. A girl could get used to this. “You need to ride with myself or Roan so you don't freeze to death," Orion said.
"Fine, I'll ride with you," I said with a sigh. “But only because you’re probably too scared to ride a horse on your own.”
He snorted, the sound indelicate and rude. Yeah, it was a total lie. He’d probably been riding horses since before he could walk. I just didn’t want to admit that Nel was right. Riding a horse by myself was a horrible idea. I was just being stubborn. I could probably ride a horse alone if I wanted to though. How hard could it be?
Chapter 4
Cress
Hard, I realized hours later. Very hard. Every step the horse took made my ass ache.
Up. Why was it always up? Why did up have to be the way that we were going? Why couldn’t it be down? Not that down was much easier, but it was a sight better than up. My ass hurt. My thighs hurt. Even though Roan was at my back, his warmth seeping through our clothes to keep me from freezing my toes off, I still ached. Up was evil. Up was the direction in which I wish someone would shove this whole trip.
Even though I’d promised Orion I’d ride with him, as we’d readied to mount up, Sorrell had called his attention elsewhere. I’d watched as they’d both spoken in low tones for several minutes before Orion had lifted his head and looked at me apologetically. He never gave me a reason why we couldn’t ride together, but I guessed it had something to do with the Prince of Frost. Thankfully, though, Roan was left to pick up the slack. I knew him and was at least semi-comfortable with his presence and having my back plastered to his chest for hours.
We’d been riding for half a day—the sun was high in the sky and despite the chill in the air burning my cheeks and all other available surfaces of my skin, I felt sweaty and achy beneath my clothes. Horse riding was no joke. It was a serious workout. Roan's steed—the same black stallion that I'd seen before when Nellie and I had stumbled right through the castle's courtyard, escaping the hoard of villagers wanting to destroy the castle—shook his head and blew out a breath. I got it. I really did. I reached forward and patted the creature lightly. I knew that as soon as we stopped for the night and I slid off, I'd collapse. My legs would never be the same again.
I groaned low in my throat, eliciting a chuckle from the masculine figure behind me. Slowly, I tilted my head back and squinted at mister tall, dark, and flaming hair—a whole new meaning to hot head. He rubbed my back lightly through the layers separating us—Alfheim was apparently more than the home of the Court of Frost, it was a frozen tundra.
"Don't worry, Changeling," he said lowly, the baritone of his voice sliding over my half-frozen nerves like warm liquid. "We'll be stopping for the night soon and I'll warm you up." I could just imagine how he'd do that.
I harrumphed irritably, but that didn’t stop me from leaning back and stealing more of his warmth. If we went much further than this, I’d be a frozen meatbag by the time we arrived at the Court of Frost. When the horse beneath me jolted as it sidestepped, narrowly missing a hole in the road we were traveling, I released another pained groan.