“I will consider your request,” she interrupted him. “But I need time.”
Ashared looked as if he wanted to say something but seeing her stubborn expression, he stopped himself from speaking. He took his leave with a nod. Lannahi felt that, like her, he had imagined this conversation differently.
She herself understood two things.
The first: Ashared was completely different from Nihhal.
The second: He was just as dangerous.
He made her hesitate. Sevii had almost killed her, and she hesitated! Worse, she wanted to please him. She was a queen, and instead of thinking about justice and revenge, she wondered if her final decision would turn him away from her. He made her believe that he was infatuated with her. That he wouldn’t hurt her. That he didn’t want anything from her beyond what she was willing to offer him.
That he didn’t manipulate her on purpose.
Ashared was different than Nihhal. His words had no power over her body.
They had power over her soul.
Chapter 21
Ashared was wrong about Amaruk. Two days after Souhi and Esau stopped the sleigh over his settlement and delivered the message from Lannahi, the man appeared at the gate of Goldfrost at the appointed time, and though the number of wolves accompanying him could be considered a threat, all the women whose surrender was demanded by the enchanters had their hands bound behind their backs and were carefully watched by several guards. Amaruk wasn’t going to protect Ashkii from Lannahi’s wrath. He was angry with her himself.
Lannahi saw it in his eyes that glowed like golden ember. There were no flames in them, only the heat of molten metal. The blade of wrath might have been cast, but it wasn’t ready for use. It could harden at any moment and become a deadly weapon, but it wasn’t Lannahi the leader of the enemy pack wanted to direct it at.
For now.
“You won’t kill them,” Amaruk said, breaking the silence.
“Like I promised,” Lannahi replied, ignoring his commanding tone. “They attacked me but didn’t steal my sleigh, leaving me a chance to survive. For this reason alone, I will spare their lives, but they have not earned my forgiveness. Give them to me so that my anger will find an outlet and not turn against you.”
Amaruk stared at her with the steeliness of a proud predator. “Don’t think that I fear your wrath, Lannahi. If you burn our settlement, we will build another. If a wolf is killed on your order, we will chase the game until you and your people starve. If I die, you will die as well. Maybe not immediately but be assured that every time you enter the forest, you will be watched by a wolf ready to rip out your throat. Hide in your palace, and they will drive you mad with their howling.” He surveyed her face. “Never, Lannahi, dare to think that you can intimidate me.”
She held his gaze. “That is not my intention, alpha. I want revenge. Give it to me or I will take it myself.”
Amaruk narrowed his eyes, but after a moment, his gaze shifted to the four vats filled with cold water standing nearby. “What are you going to do?” he asked, though the answer was obvious.
“The same that they did to me. I will turn their bodies into living ice.”
The muscle on Amaruk’s face twitched, but the man wasn’t the only one who was moved by her choice of words. She didn’t need to turn around to know that the enchanters wore the expressions of gods of destruction ready to set to their work.
She knew she could also count on her guards, both those waiting by the gate and those watching from the wall. Gloomy stares were their specialty.
“Ashkii, Inik, and Sagii disobeyed me,” Amaruk said. “It is the only reason I’m letting you take revenge on them.”
Lannahi surveyed the faces of the women. She wasn’t particularly surprised when she found their stances defiant.
“Was it fun to run on the ice, witch?” Ashkii asked.
Before Lannahi had time to react, a growl came from Amaruk’s throat. “Be silent,” he said sharply, piercing his lover with an icy stare. “Speak again, and it will be the last thing you say as a member of my pack.”
Ashkii snapped her mouth shut, but her eyes ignited with anger. She didn’t direct it at Lannahi but continued to stare at Amaruk. As if he was to blame for everything.
As if he betrayed her.
For a moment, it seemed that Ashkii would speak up. Judging from Amaruk’s clenched fist, Lannahi guessed that he thought so too, but his expression remained implacable. He really was ready to expel Ashkii from the pack.
Despite his love for her.
A ruler needs a partner who challenges their mind, not their authority, Lannahi heard her mother’s voice in her head.Beware of those who make you choose between them and power.
