Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(12)

“Like mind control?”

“Not exactly. More like a powerful suggestion.” He turned to face the TV crew, and the icy miasma around him started to thin. The reporter and camerawoman stood among the shattered remains of the camera, their eyes glazed.

The corner of the king’s mouth curved. “If they truly loved their job, my magic wouldn’t work.

They’d want to protect the camera. Instead, the glamour helps ease them past their inhibitions.

Encourages them to indulge in their darkest desires. They wanted to destroy it.”

I swallowed hard. “How do I know you’re not glamouring me right now?”

Torin turned the full force of his arctic gaze on me, and curiosity burned in his expression. “Why?

Are you thinking about indulging your dark desires?”

Given how he looked, it was no mystery why he might think that. But I didn’t want him any more than I’d wanted the donuts. “No. It’s just that power seems ripe for abuse.”

“You’re certainly primed to think the worst of people, aren’t you?” King Torin’s eyes narrowed.

“Trust me when I tell you that any fae who misuses their glamour is dealt with very harshly. It’s what allowed us to remain hidden from the human world for so many years. But we don’t see any reason to cause unnecessary problems with the humans by overusing it.”

The reporter and the camerawoman stared at each other like they’d just met.

“I’m Dave,” said the reporter, smiling faintly.

She blushed. “Barbara.”

King Torin caught my arm, pulling me away from them. “I need to speak to you about marriage.”

“You what? I just rewatched the video of last night. I told you I don’t want any part of your tournament, and you said I’d be disqualified even if I did.”

Torin’s eyes flashed with icy light. “That’s exactly it. I don’t want to get married, either.”

I blinked. “So why are you here?”

“We need to go somewhere more private.”

Even if I hated his arrogance, how could I say no to King Torin? I didn’t get the sense he was going to take no for an answer. And he had just saved me, I supposed.

“Okay. We can use my friend Shalini’s place.”

“Take me there.”

I wanted to say that I wasn’t his subject, and he should stop using that commanding voice with me.

But instead, I started guiding him to Shalini’s apartment building. When I turned to look back at the reporters, I saw them making out next to their overturned van. Broken glass glittered around them.

A shiver of fear ran over me. Torin’s magic seemed very dangerous, indeed.





6





A VA


I led King Torin up the stairs to Shalini’s apartment. It felt strange being so close to him. With his lean, muscular build, his piercing eyes, and cut-glass jawline, it was hard not to stare. King Torin was in a whole other category of masculine beauty, of icy eyes and sun-kissed skin. Fae beauty could be otherworldly, almost dizzying in its power, and he seemed to embody that perfectly.

If I hadn’t just had my heart ripped out and incinerated, it might have had some kind of effect on me.

Instead, he only irritated me with his absurd confidence. There was no caution, no hesitation when he spoke. He stated his thoughts and expected to be obeyed. He moved with a calculated grace.

When I reached Shalini’s door, I glanced at him. His eyes glinted in the gloom of the stairwell, and I felt my muscles tighten. My breath caught, and I hesitated, my body unwilling to slide the key into the lock.

It took me a few moments to put my finger on the sensation. Last time I’d visited the zoo, I’d stopped by the tiger exhibit. The massive beast had been out, pacing the perimeter of its cage. When I’d made eye contact, the creature had looked right back at me, sending a sharp sliver of fear through my bones. The look wasn’t hungry, but it was clear nevertheless: the tiger wouldn’t hesitate to rip my throat out if it wanted.

I got the same feeling when I made eye contact with King Torin. The hairs on the back of my arms rose.

Hadn’t Shalini said he’d murdered someone? Frankly, it wasn’t hard to believe.

“Something the matter?” he purred.

I turned from him, jammed my key into the lock, and opened the door. Torin walked in first, like he owned the place.

I quietly closed the door behind him, my heart racing, and turned to face him. “King Torin? Sorry, how am I supposed to address you?”

The fae king’s eyes flashed. “Torin is fine.”

“All right, Torin. This is my friend Shalini’s apartment. She’s asleep in the other room, so we’re going to need to be quiet. What exactly is it you want to tell me?”

King Torin paused, scrubbing a hand over the faint stubble on his jaw. For the first time since I’d met him, he seemed hesitant. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper.

“Faerie is dying.”

“What?” This was absolutely the last thing I expected to hear.

I’d thought King Torin and his fae host were immensely powerful. They’d crushed all human opposition in our realm. It was said that within the land of Faerie, King Torin wielded the power of a god. And that was basically how it had looked when he’d summoned pillars of ice from the road.