“So maybe Moria was lying. But something about that conversation had Ava rushing to speak to Torin, and now they’re both gone. What if Torin was trying to cover up what he did?”
Aeron went still. “Maybe you misheard.”
Annoyance flickered through me. “I didn’t mishear,” I said, more sharply than I needed to. When had I last eaten? It had probably been far too long.
He stared at me, a line forming between his eyebrows. “Torin never spoke about Milisandia after she went missing, but I always assumed…well, I assumed she ran off with someone else, started a new life with someone across the mountains. You have to understand, Shalini. I’ve known him since we were boys. He’s not a murderer, and I will not tolerate the accusation.”
I bit my lip. “Okay, but when Ava questioned him about it, Torin froze her with his magic.” Aeron’s fingers were still like ice cubes. “Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“We live in strange times.”
Sorrow tightened my chest. When it came down to it, Torin seemed a million times more trustworthy than Moria.
“So, how do we get Ava back from wherever she went?” I asked. “Isn’t there some kind of magic? You must have Seelie witches here who can tell where they are or what happened to her.”
Orange light wavered over the hearthstones. Aeron really had done a good job of getting the fire going again.
“Orla sent soldiers to search for an old crone named Modron,” he said. “She lives far beyond the frozen Avon River. Modron is said to be as old as Faerie itself, and she might also be the only person who could fix Torin’s throne. She’s a truth-teller, and she gives us glimpses of what happened in the past.”
“As old as Faerie itself?” My eyebrows rose. “How has she stayed alive this long?”
“No one knows. Some say she’s a god or a nature spirit. I think she’s a Dearg Due who summons humans to Faerie and drinks gallons of their blood. It keeps her heart pumping.”
My lip curled. “Really?”
“No one does that at court anymore. It sort of went out of fashion. No one has seen her in decades, I think.”
I stared at him. “Moria is a Dearg Due, isn’t she? Has she returned to her kingdom?”
Aeron shook his head. “No.” His face paled. “ Actually, she’s been advising Orla. If what you said is true, that she made treasonous accusations against Torin, I should let Orla know right away. We’ll get them back,” said Aeron with more confidence than his furrowed brow suggested. “I’m sure Modron will help us learn the truth. And I have complete faith in the king.”
The cold bit at my skin, and I nodded. “You know, it’s impossible to get warm in here, even with the fire. This isn’t a normal cold. But where I come from, they say body heat is the best way to warm another person.”
“Is that right?” He raised his eyebrows, and a sultry look ignited in his eyes.
My gaze brushed down to his beautiful lips, then back up again. How could anyone be so perfect looking?
His eyes danced with a seductive promise. “Every day, I think of giving up my vow.”
He slid his hand around my neck, pulling me closer. With the touch of his lips against mine, embers rose to molten heat inside me, until I found myself pushing him down onto the bed.
He kissed me back, deeply, and it felt like the kiss of a man who’d been thinking about this intensely, every moment of every day.
As my hand slid under his uniform, feeling the heat of his hard abs, he moaned into my mouth.
“Wait,” he whispered. “I can’t.”
Gods damn it, Torin.
A loud knock sounded at my chamber entrance, and I caught my breath, my gaze reluctantly sliding to the door. I tried not to groan audibly with exasperation.
Sighing, I noticed that someone had slid a letter under the door, which was weird. I didn’t feel important enough to get letters here, just a human who’d overstayed her welcome by several weeks.
Aeron kissed my throat, his lips hot against my skin. “Are you going to get the door?” he murmured against my neck.
“Hang on, Aeron. I’m coming right back to you.”
Painful as it was, I forced myself away from him, my heart racing. What if this was news about Torin or Ava?
I picked up a cream envelope with maroon calligraphy on the surface. It was addressed to Shalini.
When I opened it, I found an invitation, inscribed with the same maroon ink and ornate decorations around the borders.