Frey’s brows drew together and he asked softly back, “Pardon?”

My thumb stroked his jaw before I whispered, “My handsome husband is gentle, thoughtful and kind. He laughs and smiles easily and he makes me feel safe. I was with your folks for about five minutes and they were so far from any of that, it is not funny. So,” I squeezed his neck, “where did you come from?”

I belatedly noticed that my gentle, thoughtful, kind husband was staring down at me with that fiery look in his eyes, the same look he had after I gave him his spun glass dragon. And looking at it, his fire melted my heart, a heart that was already far from frozen.

Before I could say anything, not that I hadn’t already said too much, his arms about me tightened and his face dipped super close to mine when he said quietly, “I do not know, my wee Finnie, where I came from but I’m beginning to know why I’m here.”

And that was when stupid, stupid, stupidly, I asked, “And why are you here, honey?”

“I don’t need to say aloud what I know you also are beginning to understand, wee one,” he answered and I pressed my lips together because he was not wrong and I was still not going there. His eyes held mine as his mouth murmured, “She waits for me at windows and buys me dragons. There are reasons we walk this earth, I’m coming to realize mine.”

“Frey,” I whispered and said no more. I couldn’t. I was too moved and I felt strangely like I was standing in quicksand, sinking fast.

The problem was, I had no will whatsoever to find a vine and pull myself out.

His head dipped further and he pressed his lips hard to mine.

Then he broke his sweet touch and moved back an inch to say, “My grandmother.”

My head tipped to the side. “Your grandmother?”

“If there is anything gentle and kind in me, my love, she put it there. My father’s mother had a light shining from her soul.” His lips tipped up and he continued, “Because of that, you remind me in some ways of her. But she lived in a den of vipers and knew how to take care of herself, moving cautiously ahead while keeping an eye to her back lest someone be preparing to bury a dagger in it. Even so, with those she cared about, she displayed great humor, generosity and thoughtfulness.”

I studied him and it hit me he’d said she’d died when he was thirteen.

Therefore I asked, “So, when she passed, is that why you left your family and never went back?”

His lips tipped up further to a grin. “Someone has been talking,” he guessed.

I grinned back and relaxed deeper into him, my hand sliding down to rest on his chest. “Four someones, to be precise, and they had one avid listener.”

He chuckled then confirmed, “Yes, wee one, when she died, living amongst them became too much to bear. So I left and never went back.”

“What was her name?” I asked.

“Eugenie,” he answered.

“I wish I’d known her,” I whispered.

“As do I,” Frey concurred.

I kept going. “I’m sorry your family sucks, baby.”

He chuckled again but concurred with that too. “I am as well, my wee Finnie.”

I stared up at a magnificent man who was magnificent against some pretty big odds.

And as I did, I knew I had two choices, struggle against the quicksand only to have it slurp me up to bury me straight to the throat or move the f**k on and have some fun, fun which would undoubtedly suck me deeper anyway but, again, I wasn’t all fired up to save myself from going down.

I picked door number two.

And to do it, I tilted my head to the side and smiled brightly at my husband before I asked, “Wanna dance?”

His eyes roamed my face before they locked on my mouth. Still looking there, he answered, “Absolutely.”

Then he bent and kissed my nose yet again before he let me go and led me to the dance floor.

He did this holding my hand.

I let him do it and I did it smiling.

* * * * *

Nearly every eye in the room watched The Drakkar lead his princess to the dance.

As they had been watching The Drakkar and his Winter Princess in their intimate, cozy huddle from the moment they entered the ballroom.

And as many had watched from horses, windows or fire drums as that afternoon, the Winter Princess burst forth from her Palace to meet her imposing husband with a bright smile and that imposing husband had smiled back then gave his new wife a gentle touch, soft words and, finally, a light kiss.

And as The Drakkar whirled, twirled and lifted his new bride through the next four dances, all the while he smiled warmly at her or laughed out loud at something she said or at an unusual inexpert stumble in her step (which always made her laugh out loud too, through the smiles she was returning to her husband, of course), they kept watching.

* * * * *

“Please, my princess, the next dance,” the young man begged but I smiled and shook my head, trying to recall the name he gave me but unable to do so since so many were swimming in my head.

I’d been dancing flat out for what felt like hours and I loved doing it. It was a freaking blast. But the dances in Lunwyn were mostly energetic (there were a few slow ones and all of those I’d danced with Frey) and they were complicated with a lot of lifts that included the man lifting you straight up into the air or whirling you at his side while you held your legs out like a ballerina leaping across the stage, not to mention the footwork, twirls, bobs and dips.

It was a blast but it was exhausting and I needed a drink.

When I processed his dejected look, I relented, slightly. “Just a wee rest, the next song after this, we’ll dance, I promise.”

He grinned and bowed smartly before he straightened and stated, “I’ll be there to take your hand the moment the orchestra delivers its first note.”

“Wonderful,” I murmured on a small smile and he moved away.

I did too and I did it while scanning the room. I marked Frey across the vast expanse, standing with a formally attired (and hot looking) Thad and Max. His eyes were on me and I smiled, watched his mouth get soft then he turned his attention back to his men. I kept scanning and saw Aurora dancing with a very fat man who was having trouble lifting her but she didn’t give the slightest indication she feared he was going to drop her to the ground. I kept up my scan and saw Atticus laughing with two men, one in a royal blue shirt, one in a moss green one, a woman wearing the same green at his side. I’d danced twice with my father of this world and I could say two things, one, he was a great dancer and two, I’d never forget either.