The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,6

through me, and I dropped my hand to my side.

Using my blood to rob him of his free will, his ability to breathe, shouldn’t have even been a thought in my mind. And yet, for a moment… Dropping my gaze, I spied the ink-black scythe on my wrist. The oath. Was its magic the culprit?

Clearing his throat, Kost took over. “If this life displeases you, Noc can swiftly and painlessly end your life. That said, such blatant disrespect will not be tolerated at Cruor.”

“This is our home,” I said, regaining control of my shaky emotions and clenching my jaw tight. “If you cause a disturbance in it, we will have problems. Understood?”

Paling, Quintus managed a shaky nod.

“Good.” With our new members safely raised and somewhat agreeable to their new fates, adrenaline left me in a rush. A deep ache settled in my bones, and my eyes grew heavy.

Ozias took charge, clapping his hands together and moving to stand before the new recruits. “All right, let’s get you all cleaned up and assigned to rooms.” Calem joined him, an easy smile on his lips and no trace of the strangeness from earlier lingering in his gaze. Kost gave me a gentle push toward the porch, and the two of us headed back together.

“What was that?” he asked, voice low.

“It’s nothing.” I rotated my wrist. There was still a faint warmth around the mark that I couldn’t shake.

“It’s not nothing. It’s the oath, isn’t it?” He pinned the damned mark with a knowing glare.

“Maybe.” No one had denied Cruor’s Oath before. Whenever we accepted a bounty, the mark simply appeared and would remain inked onto our skin until the job was done. If we tried to renege on our promise, our life would be sacrificed in exchange. No one had ever risked such a fate. We had no idea how long it would take for my life to end…or what would happen to me in the days leading up to my inescapable fate.

“Noc…”

“I don’t want anyone to worry.” I paused before the back doors to Cruor. I didn’t want anyone inside overhearing our conversation. “There’s no reason for alarm just yet. I’m still me. I’m still in control. I just… I just need some rest.” My mind wandered to Leena. To her comforting touch and soft reassurances.

Kost hesitated, but eventually nodded. “We’ll talk about assignments in the morning, then.” Even the thought of doling out more bounties added to my weariness, and I ran a weak hand over my face. We had too many jobs and not enough willing applicants. But I’d never force someone to accept Cruor’s Oath, especially when I was still searching for a way to escape from the weight of mine.

“Prepare me a list of those who are willing. I’ll review it first thing tomorrow.”

“Of course.” With that, he stepped into a plume of shadows and disappeared. Which left me to return to my room, body fatigued and desperately in need of rest, but heart warming at the thought of seeing Leena again.

* * *

I’d never get used to the sight of Leena.

For a moment, all I could do was stare. Her mouth was barely parted as she slept, her cheeks lightly flushed. Wearing nothing more than one of my white work shirts, she looked like a goddess—mussed hair and all. She’d kicked off the silk sheets down to her ankles, but her toes remained covered. She couldn’t stand to have them exposed while she slept. My lips quirked at this small revelation. We were still learning so much about each other. Understanding. Growing. It’d only been three days since we’d returned to Cruor from Hireath, and if the guild hadn’t demanded my constant attention, I would’ve spent every moment, waking and sleeping, with her.

A dwindling candle on the verge of burning through its wick flickered on the oak nightstand beside her. The faint orange light played against the shimmering silver font of a book, splayed open with the pages against the wood. The Magic of Words. I still remembered the way she’d tried to sneak through the library to catch me reading what felt like an age ago, back when we were strangers.

She wasn’t a puzzle anymore—I knew where she fit. Where we both fit. I’d never felt more whole.

The candle gave a sudden flicker as the flame devoured more of its wick, and her face fell briefly into shadows. She wears them well.

No. I couldn’t think like that, but… She was so painfully mortal. I’d almost