The Winter King
Page 118

She tried to straighten her ankles, only to have them fold the other direction. “Easier said than done.”
“You can do it.” He steadied her as she straightened up again. “Good. Now just stand there for a minute. Get used to the feel of balancing on the blades. That’s really the hardest part of skating. Everything else is simple.”
“All right.” She concentrated on keeping her ankles steady. It took a little effort, but all the riding and climbing she’d done with Krysti had strengthened the muscles of her calves and ankles and improved her balance significantly.
“Try to stand without holding on to me.”
When she felt steady, she loosened her grip on him, then let go completely. Her ankles wobbled a tiny bit, but she managed to retain her balance.
“Well done. Now, let’s get you on the ice.”
She nodded and held Wynter’s hand as he led her down the snowy bank to the opening in the wall of snow piled around the frozen pond. Wynter stepped onto the ice and glided backward several feet to give her room.
The moment she stepped off the embankment onto the ice, her front foot began to slide out from under her.
“Balance.” Wynter caught and steadied her. “Put both feet on the ice. Good,” he praised when she did so. “Now, bend your knees and lean forward. That’s it. You’re doing wonderfully. Now, just hold on to me, and I’ll lead you around the ice until you get the feel for the skates.”
Khamsin held on to him for dear life, her legs and ankles wobbling terribly as he skated backward and pulled her slowly around the perimeter of the frozen pond.
“You say some people actually enjoy this?” she asked, as they started their second circuit.
He laughed. The low, throaty sound shivered up her spine. “Thoroughly, min ros. You’ll understand once you get the hang of it. Now, I want you to put your weight on your right foot and start pushing off with your left. Yes, like that. Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I won’t let you go.”
“I thought you were going to show me the cave behind the waterfall,” she reminded him, as they circled the pond a third time.
“That was my excuse to get you out on the ice. It’s there, I promise. When you feel ready, you can skate over there and see for yourself.”
“I didn’t realize you were so sneaky.”
“Are you not having fun?”
“I suppose.” She was actually. He was smiling. The fresh air, white snow, blue sky, and bright golden sun made her feel happy and light-hearted. It was a perfect, beautiful day. The kind of day he’d sculpted in the Atrium. The kind of day he’d known so many of as a child.
And then she realized what he was doing.
He was giving her a memory of her own to cherish.
The knowledge robbed her of breath and made her throat go suddenly and painfully tight. She blinked back the rush of tears that blurred her vision and threatened to spill over and embarrass her. She coughed to loosen her throat and looked away to hide her unsettled emotions.
“Did you bring Elka here, too?” Good glory! Where in Halla’s name had that come from? “I’m sorry,” she babbled. “Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”
“You are my wife. Of course what came before in my life is your business, just as what came before in your life is mine. And, no, I never brought her here. She wasn’t much of a skater.”
Kham bit her lip. She was curious about Wynter’s former betrothed and had been for a long while. Fear of broaching a too-touchy subject and losing what small gains she’d made among the noblewomen had kept her from asking anyone at court about her. But Wynter had just opened that door and invited her in.
“What was she like? Elka, I mean.” What about her had so entranced first Wynter, then Falcon that had led two kingdoms to war?
He shrugged. “Tall, cool, beautiful, restrained with her emotions. She had her passions, of course, but she kept them hidden most of the time.”
In other words, the exact opposite of Khamsin. “Do you wish I were more like her?”
His head whipped around. “Good goddess, no!” He looked completely shocked. “Have I ever given you cause to think so?”
“No . . . but you like her cousin very much. Don’t deny it.”
She squawked in surprise when Wynter caught her about the waist and pulled her up against him, leaving her feet dangling above the ice. His head swooped down to claim her lips. He kissed her thoroughly, driving the breath out of her lungs and every last thought of Reika Villani out of her mind. When he set her back on her feet, she nearly went sprawling in an ungainly heap of boneless limbs and jellied muscles.
“You have no cause for concern on that score, min ros. Reika Villani is an old family friend and Valik’s cousin. She has never been any more than that to me, nor ever will be. You, on the other hand, are much, much more and have been since the moment I first set eyes on you.” He cupped her chin and ran a thumb over her lower lip. His eyes followed the same path with thrilling intensity. “Your father thought he scored a victory over me when he tricked me into marrying you instead of one of your sisters, but he unwittingly gave me the one daughter I wanted most.”
“H-he did?”
Wynter smiled, a slow, devastating smile that nearly melted her where she stood. “Oh, yes. Never doubt it.”
As abruptly as it had appeared, the smoldering intensity in his eyes winked out, and he pushed her back to arm’s length.