Heart of Ice Read online

  A hand drifted down her body to her pussy. Fingers parted her and slid over her throbbing clit. She dropped to her knees, knowing it was what he’d want. All the while, the touch rubbed over her nub and brought her closer to the orgasm winding in her belly. Her thighs quivered as her hips strained against it, her thready cries reverberating against the ice-block walls. The sound morphed into a scream of ecstasy as she suddenly came. Her cream ran over her fingers as lightning shot through her and she arched toward Kai’s invisible form.

  Nothing.

  There was nothing there. Wyn could bring herself sexual relief, but it was empty. Just as empty as this great, echoing palace. She sank onto the fur carpet and curled into a ball while the last of the tremors trilled through her, diminishing with each tiny wave. Loneliness, her constant companion, settled around her and she buried her face in the rug’s pile before she cried.

  She could bring Kai here. She could force him to be her consort—by heaven, she could even convince him to willingly consent to the transformation, but she would never do that. Bringing someone permanently into her icy existence wasn’t fair to anyone.

  * * * *

  Kai dodged Gerda most of the day, managing to run errands just in time to miss her visits to the mercantile. Late afternoon, however, he was sweeping the shop’s floor when a cool breeze heralded the opening and closing of the front door. Then a distinctive stomp announced the exact identity of the “customer.”

  “It’s about time you’re here,” Gerda spat waspishly. “Have you had fun playing all day?”

  His lips compressed and he turned a black gaze on her. “I’ve been working. Perhaps you should try it. It would give you something to do.”

  “Hmph. Don’t snap at me. Since you’ve been working, barely, all day, you probably have enough energy for a small task.” Her arm drifted over his arm as she eyed him lasciviously. Her touch sent a wave of distaste through him, a reaction so unlike what he’d felt with Wyn.

  Oh Wyn… He tried not to think of her. There was nothing for it. There was Gerda in his future, and Wyn was a witch.

  “Papa needs you to help at the inn this evening,” Gerda continued.

  It wasn’t the first time Franz had required slave work of him. He could only imagine what it might be tonight. “No” wasn’t an option.

  “What is it? Saints!” Kai bellowed as her hand drifted to his chest then started to slide around his waist, heading lower. He lurched out of her grasp while she giggled over his apparent prudishness.

  Peter came out of the storeroom at Kai’s exclamation and Gerda folded her hands before her, the picture of innocence.

  “Papa needs you to shovel the snow from the walkway leading to the lake,” she told him.

  “Doesn’t he have paid men for that?”

  “Are you refusing?”

  “No.” As if he could.

  She gave a small smile. “You’ll enjoy it. I know how you adore the cold.” She lowered her voice. “Then later, I’ll warm you.”

  Perhaps a friendly bear can detain me, instead. “I’ll be there after dinner.”

  “Don’t bother with that. I’ll have Cook leave you something in the kitchen. We’ll expect you shortly.” With a swoosh of her skirts as she turned, she left the shop with her head at its usual angle of superiority.

  “Lad, I don’t know how you do it,” Peter murmured as soon as the door closed.

  Kai resumed his sweeping without comment. Peter was one of the few in town who understood Kai’s true situation, but it would serve no purpose to revisit his problems. He had a list of things to complete at his real job before he reported to the inn.

  * * * *

  All in all, shoveling wasn’t too bad. The temperatures had dropped, so most—mainly Gerda—stayed inside. He’d seen only a single couple who’d braved the night to skate on the frozen lake. His friend Heinz and his new wife, Birgitta. They’d sent him a friendly wave, but mostly, they’d been absorbed in each other, which was expected of newlyweds. They’d gone home an hour ago, leaving Kai to his solitude—a good thing, save for his persistent thoughts of Wyn.

  He wanted her. He wanted her as he’d never wanted another woman. Damn. He jabbed his shovel harder into the snow. If he worked hard enough, he could drive himself to exhaustion. He’d be too tired to think on her perfect, pale knees. He should have allowed her to keep lifting her skirts. No. It would have been too soon. Stopping allowed her to think on it, be aroused by it, want more and be ready to willingly submit to him.

  Did he want a witch as a lover?

  Witch? Not really. Wyn? Definitely. He wanted to see what hid beneath her clothing.

  He gritted his teeth to get himself back under control. At this rate, he’d be a faithless husband, and that was something he wouldn’t allow no matter how he distained Gerda. Once he said his vows, he was committed.

  “Good evening, Master Kai.”

  He glanced up to see Wyn standing a few feet away, just inside a stand of pines. The trees hid her from the inn, but didn’t obscure her from him. She called him Master Kai for formality, but he liked the title on her tongue. Master… The vision of her kneeling in front of him returned. They’d find equal pleasure in the dominance and submission play.

  “Wyn,” he replied with a slight nod of his head.

  “You’re not afraid of me?”

  “Hardly.”

  “Good.” A smile curved her lips. “Come away with me.”

  “I don’t follow orders.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You do whatever that…girl…demands.”

  “To save my family. My father is indebted to hers.” It rankled him to be caught in this position. Somehow, it made him feel a lesser man to allow himself to be forced into this situation.

  “Noble,” she replied without censure. He detected a bit of admiration in her tone, which immediately bolstered his pride. She moved forward and a wind kicked up behind her, erasing her footsteps. “I could make your father the wealthiest man in the region. I could eliminate his debt.”

  “A what price?”

  “None.”

  Kai shook his head. He wasn’t simple. “There’s always a price. For everything.”

  She sighed. “You will gain your freedom. I only ask that you spend the season with me.”

  “As your slave?” he asked, wondering at the servitude she’d require for such a boon. “I won’t follow your orders,” he reiterated.

  “And I take orders from no man.”

  He stepped closer, letting the shovel fall to the ground beside them. Her chest rose to his with each excited breath. He cupped her elbows, her hands trapped between them.

  “You’d take mine,” he told her.

  “You don’t order her.”

  “You’re different.”

  “You think me weak.”

  “No,” he protested. “You’re not weak. I sense you’re very…strong. You’re just not a distasteful, spoiled brat, and you will enjoy the games we can play together.”

  Her head dropped forward. “You can’t touch me.”

  “I’m touching you now.” He noticed she hadn’t argued his assertion that she’d submit to him.

  “Not my skin. I’ll ask nothing more of you than companionship. And when spring comes, you may leave and return to your life. Here if you choose, but you’ll not be beholden to anyone. All you’ve to say is ‘yes’.”

  He took a partial step backward, putting a tiny space between them. Grasping her chin with his gloved hand, he lifted her head and looked into her light blue eyes. They swirled with sadness he vowed to remove.

  “There are ways to touch,” he said, stroking his thumb along her cheek. “If I go with you, I will touch you.” His lips brushed hers and an intense cold went through him, making his skin tingle. That was why they couldn’t touch. Her skin was too cold. He smiled. They’d definitely work around that. He skimmed his lips over hers again and the tingle became a sting.

  “Stop…” she whispered. Her eyes
pleaded with him, obviously knowing the pain he experienced.

  “Stop, Master,” he murmured in return.

  Wyn blinked at him, his meaning sinking in.

  “Kai…”

  “If you want me, you will submit.”

  Her teeth sank into one side of her bottom lip.

  “Wyn, you’ve only to say yes,” he said, echoing her earlier words. “I will only bring you pleasure. I might bring slight pain for your pleasure, but I’d never harm you.”

  She wasn’t one to make a snap decision—he could see that in the way she mulled his words before answering. Her teeth momentarily sank into her lip again. She took a deep breath. “You must never hinder my duties or try to command me on how to do them.”

  “This is about you and me. A man and a woman. Not your daily tasks.”

  “Then…yes,” she said, then added, “Master.”

  He smiled. She was his.

  “Now,” she murmured. Her head tilted to the side and her white-blonde hair spilled over her shoulder. “You must agree as well, and we will leave this place. I will make your father a wealthy man with jewels you cannot imagine. You will be free.”

  “Not too many jewels,” Kai told her.

  “I’ve watched you for many years. You are worth all I have.”

  He didn’t believe that. He did not want to feel she’d paid for him. Still, he had to think of his kin. “Just enough to free me and feed them…”

  She nodded with a smile, and he got the feeling she’d do as she pleased. “Again, we return to the same place.” She grasped his arms, and the wind created drifts around them, hiding their footsteps and their presence. “You must say ‘yes’.”

  His lips grazed hers, and he found enough time had passed that only a tingle followed.

  “Wyn,” he murmured, feeling the chains of Gerda and her father lifting from him. It was of little consequence. Only Wyn mattered. He caught her gaze and held it. “Yes,” he breathed. “Yes.”

  Chapter Three

  Ice crystals swirled up around them, obscuring everything from sight and enclosing them in their own personal blizzard. A moment later, there was silence.

  “Open your eyes,” Wyn encouraged.

  He did, stunned when he saw they were within a room made of what appeared to be ice blocks. Heavy wood furniture with brocade cushions filled the space.

  “Welcome to my fortress,” she said.

  Fortress… All right. Feeling foolish for not asking sooner, he inquired, “Wyn, who exactly are you?”

  Whoever she was, it wouldn’t shake his position over her. She wanted it. He wanted it. But a little more familiarity wouldn’t hurt.

  The corner of her mouth lifted in a sad half-smile. “The snow queen. Winter. Actually my name is Wynter.”

  Well, he had suspected her to be a witch. This was similar if different. He grinned. “What you just did, bringing me here without warning, that was very, very naughty.”

  She blinked in surprise.

  “And,” he continued, testing her reaction and letting her know her status didn’t faze him—much. “Naughty woman should be punished.”

  “How?” She backed away, her hands laced behind her. The sway of her hips seduced him and clearly told that she wasn’t afraid of his words. In fact, she seemed intrigued.

  “I said ‘should.’ I won’t this time. Next time, warn me first.”

  Wyn gazed at Kai, hardly believing he was here in her home. Her lips seemed to burn from where he’d kissed her earlier. He’d touched her. More than once. He seemed to actually like kissing her, though she knew it caused him some pain. There was no way to miss that even if he’d tried to hide it from her.

  “I’m just accustomed to using my powers as I need them,” she told him. “It didn’t occur to me…” She lifted a shoulder and shrugged off the rest of the sentence.

  “I’m not angry.”

  That was good. He was here for the season. It wouldn’t do to start off with a battle.

  “When your parents check your bed in the morning, they will find a wealth of jewels in your place. A gift on your behalf. Nothing more than that.”

  “Thank you.”

  She nodded and walked to a cabinet that had been placed against a far wall. “I don’t get to save many people.” She laughed without humor as she withdrew a bottle of wine. Hugging it to her chest, she turned. “Most people would view me as cruel. Cruel, heartless winter out to kill every living plant and make humans and animals suffer. Winter, the bringer of illness, famine and death.”

  “I don’t see you that way.” He took the bottle from her and placed it on a nearby table.

  “No?”

  “Winter, sweet relief from the blazing heat.” His hands skated along her waist. “Winter, my favorite playground. Winter, turning everything new and beautiful and exciting.”

  His gloved fingers captured her wrists and held them at the small of her back as he kissed her neck through her high collar. She trembled at the sensation that rippled through her. The material was sufficient to protect him, yet thin enough for her to feel him touching her.

  “All my favorite things to do revolve around winter.” He nipped her shoulder. “And this season, they’ll revolve around Wyn.”

  That warm, melting feeling moved through her again. She shifted away from him, overwhelmed and a little afraid. It was so strong.

  “Wine?” she asked, her voice wobbling.

  “No.”

  “Would you like me to show you the palace? There’s no place off-limits to you…”

  “No place?” The devilish grin on his face told her where his thoughts had gone.

  “You’re a rogue. How did I not see that before?” She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. In his current human state, he wouldn’t see it. To him, she’d always appear completely pale and bloodless.

  “Do you want to change your mind?”

  Did he want to? “No, I don’t. Do you?”

  He prowled forward, capturing her waist again. “No. Forgive me if I rush… I want you.”

  How she wanted him. “You…can’t touch me.”

  “Oh, but I can,” he replied. His hands moved upward to cup her breasts. He found her nipples through her dress. His thumbs rubbed back and forth over the peaks.

  Wyn trembled. Her legs shook as her pussy turned to liquid. Each ragged breath pushed her into his palms. A moan rolled from her as she dropped back her head and let him have his way. He gently pinched the tips and she gasped.

  “My skin…” she murmured.

  “I think we’ve figured out that we can work around that.” He brushed his cheek along the exposed portion of her neck. “Take me to your chamber. I want to see you naked.”

  She quaked as his breath skimmed over her ear. Taking his gloved hand in hers, she guided him through the great hall to the door that led to the stairs. In moments, they stood in her room near her bed.

  Kai pulled off his hat and tossed it on a padded chair near the fire, then ran his fingers though his tousled hair. “We should have stopped at my home for my clothes.”

  “No need.”

  He laughed. “It’s warm in here with the fire, but I can’t go naked for the entire season or wear these same clothes. You won’t want to come near me.”

  “I doubt that,” she replied before she thought to stop the words. Heat rolled through her again. Agitated, she headed for the wardrobe. He followed, his presence surrounding her. She was so accustomed to being alone, just having him within a few feet felt as if he were against her, hugging her close. She liked it.

  “Being the queen has privileges,” she told him. Her hand ran along the wardrobe door. “You can have any material desire, just by saying so.” She looked into his blue eyes, the heat in them warming her like nothing else could. The look consumed her. He wanted to possess her and nothing else concerned him. He didn’t spare so much as a glance at the large piece of furniture before them. “What would you desire…from the wardrobe?” she asked. “P
ut your hand against the wood and request what you want.”

  Still holding her gaze, he pulled off his wool glove and pressed his palm to the door. “White ladies gloves. Four silk scarves. The chest I have hidden in the loft of my father’s barn.”

  Wyn tilted her head at his strange requests.

  “Important things first,” he told her with a grin. “I think you’ll like them.”

  “As you say,” she replied, opening the wardrobe. Inside sat a medium-sized chest, four deep blue scarves, and a pair of thick silken gloves that would reach the middle of her upper arms. Both had over a dozen pearly buttons running the lengths and hugged by dainty button loops. Kai scooped them up in his large hand. The sight was so incongruous, she knew he couldn’t possibly have requested them for himself. Of course, he hadn’t. She’d never thought so. She’d just thought it strange.

  He held them out to her. “You’ll wear these, then you can touch me freely—when I say you may.”

  When he says I may, her thoughts echoed.

  “You remember what you agreed in the pines?”

  She closed her eyes. Anticipation wove through her. She’d do as he wished. If she didn’t like it, she’d make him cease. And if he didn’t…well, she’d just deposit him in the farthest village and leave him there.

  “Wyn,” he prompted. An edge in his voice urged her to obey him and told her she’d never force him away from her. There was a soft part of her, barely hidden by her hard, frozen exterior that needed his command.

  She nodded. “Yes. Yes…Master,” she replied.

  “Wyn.” He said her name gently and she knew he used it to calm her. “I won’t harm you. I won’t force you to do what you do not want to. I won’t humiliate you. You have my respect and I want yours—”

  “You have it.”

  “There might be a bit of pain, some punishment, but it’s all part of the sex. In the bedroom and in all parts of our sexual relationship that might occur outside this chamber, I am Master. No one can help the circumstance of their birth, but how we behave is entirely up to us. A queen can act the peasant, the peasant can carry himself as a king. You are powerful and I am a shop boy, but I would hope you would regard me as equal.”