“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” Along with nearly everyone in the temple. What I wouldn’t give for a fireproof gown.
He rubs his hand over his scruffy face. “Would you forgive me if I told you the memory of it kept me warm while I waited?”
There it is, that tug low in my belly. It only gets worse as his gaze slides from my bare feet up to my face, not missing so much as an inch in between. “I would.”
He reaches for my right hand, the scarred one that is now tingling painfully from the cold, and draws me toward him, kissing each knuckle. “And I wasn’t just spending my time lost in thoughts of you.” The corner of his mouth quirks up. “I was practicing.”
He turns my palm upward. As we stare at it, crystals of ice burst from nothing and cluster in the air. They dance and swirl as they spiral downward, collecting on my hand and entwining until they form an eight-pointed star. One of the points is rounded and another juts out long and sharp, but neither flaw decreases my awe of it—and him.
“My control is getting better,” he says quietly, picking up the star and examining it. He holds it close and blows frosty air from between his lips, and the star disintegrates into a glitter of ice dust. “Sometimes small magic is the most difficult.”
I lay my palm on his cheek. “Does it feel all right?”
He bows his head. “I’m ashamed that I avoided it for so long.”
But he had every reason to be scared, and I understand it completely. “You should be proud of what you’re doing now.” I smile up at him. “I have something to show you, too.”
His eyebrow arches. “By all means.”
I focus on our connection, my skin against his, and imagine reaching through it, plunging my hand into the endless sea of ice inside him. Shivering, I stretch out my other arm, palm up. My eyes squeeze shut and sweat beads at my temple, but when I hear Oskar gasp, I know I’ve done it. I open my eyes to see the lump of melting snow on my palm, and my jittery laugh fogs the night. “Raimo has been letting me practice on him.”
Oskar rubs his chest. “I could feel you . . . inside.”
“Did it hurt?”
He shakes his head. “Not at all. I told you I was yours to wield.”
And that’s probably why I was able to do it. Raimo says it will take more work to pull magic from a wielder who’s resisting me, but even this has nearly exhausted me. I lean into Oskar, and my thumb strokes along the dark scruff on his jaw. “How are Maarika and Freya?”
He smiles. “They’re well, but Freya still hasn’t forgiven me for not letting her join the army. I told her I was just following your orders. You are the queen, after all.” His amusement slips away as he gazes down at me. “You looked lovely in the square, so regal.” His fingertips slide down my cheek, and his icy magic tingles along my skin, swirling inside my chest. “But you look a thousand times more beautiful now.”
“Because I’m just Elli,” I murmur.
He slides his arm around my back. “And you understand that is more than enough.”
“I do.” About this, there’s no doubt, but somehow it only makes this time more fragile, a treasure I’m not supposed to have.
His lips are cool and mine are hot. I gasp as he cups the back of my head and pulls me in. It’s the delicious rub of ice and fire, hard and soft. His scruff scrapes my face, and I lunge onto my tiptoes. I want to look in the mirror tomorrow and see my own swollen lips, the raw pinkness of my cheeks and chin. I want to know this was real, more than the memory of his hard-muscled body against mine, more than the recollection of his handsome face, more than the echo of his voice in my head.
His magic fills my hollow chest, roaring and fierce, pure, icy power. But his hands are almost warm as they caress my flushed skin. His silky hair tickles my cheeks and brow as he draws back, kissing the corner of my mouth. “Stars, if we don’t stop, I won’t be able to leave,” he says between breaths. His forehead touches mine, and we close our eyes, holding on with all our strength.
“It doesn’t matter if we stop,” I say, my throat tight. “I already can’t let you go.”
He kisses me again, this time slow and deep, his fingers sliding under the neck of my gown to stroke my bare shoulder. This is so unfair. Every single thing about it feels right and perfect and good. I want it to last forever.
But we’re fated by stars, our lives mapped and foretold. I can’t forget that, and I know Oskar hasn’t either when he pulls away once again to kiss my forehead, his lips against my brow as he says, “I know it would be a terrible scandal if I were found here with you, but what I wouldn’t give to sleep by your side again.”
A tear slides from the corner of my eye, and he swipes it away with his thumb. “I miss those nights so much it hurts.”
His smile is sad. “Perhaps someday, when this is over.”