He was on his knees too, but settled back on his heels, and his eyes were on me.
He studied me for a moment before, still speaking softly, he asked, “What’s this, wee one?”
I didn’t delay in replying. “You killed two men tonight.”
He moved as if to come toward me and I shuffled back another foot, my feet clearing the edge of the bed and he stopped so I did too.
“Finnie –”
“You didn’t blink,” I cut him off. “You didn’t… you didn’t…” I shook my head and my throat clogged so I swallowed and whispered, “You didn’t even blink.”
“Wife –”
“No,” I shook my head again, then closed my eyes tight and looked away before opening them and looking back, “No. I… I don’t know what you’ve done to get enemies like that but I can guess, considering you killed them without hesitation and then rode away while their warm blood still melted the snow, and, I can’t say… I can’t even think… I don’t know… I don’t know but I don’t think I want anything to do with a life like that.”
“Finnie, come here,” he ordered, extending an arm to me.
“No,” I shook my head, “no way, Frey. I’m sorry but no freaking way.”
“Finnie, come here,” he repeated and I shook my head. He dropped his hand but held my eyes and said gently, “My winter bride, those weren’t my enemies.”
“And whose were they?” I fired back. “Thad’s?”
“No,” he replied carefully, “yours.”
My mouth dropped open and I felt my eyes get wide.
Then I breathed, “What?”
“Come here,” he ordered quietly.
I stayed still and unmoving.
“Love, come here.”
“They’re… they’re…” I stared in his face, “they’re mine?”
Oh God. If that was true, Sjofn totally left a lot out of her note. A lot.
“Fin –” he started but that was when I lost it.
And I lost it by throwing down the pillow and shrieking, “What did I do to make enemies who would come at me with knives?”
I barely got out the last word when Frey moved, his arm darting out, fingers wrapping around my wrist, he yanked me so I fell forward then he shifted, whipping an arm around my waist and one down my legs to haul them out in front of me, my bottom swung out, I landed in his lap and his arms were around me before I could even twitch.
I twisted to face him, my head tipping back and I whispered, “Frey, I –”
“You have been sharing my bed for five nights now, that’s what you’ve been doing, my Winter Princess,” Frey finished for me and I blinked up at him. “And your uncle and, perhaps, spies from dozens of different Houses would know this.”
I blinked again and whispered with confusion, “My uncle?”
“As far as he knows, and now I know he is watching, though he nor any of the others have approached the cabin, I would know this but even if they have, they cannot see through walls, but as far as they know what we’ve been doing in this bed could conceive a child. And he, nor any of them, wishes us to conceive a child. I was afraid someone would attempt something like this and if it is as I suspect and it is your uncle who has done this then he has, as usual, made his play and shown his hand without delay.”
I stared at Frey.
Then it hit me.
My Uncle Baldur, who stood to inherit Lunwyn upon my father’s death, wanted me dead before I could birth a child to succeed the throne.
Oh my God.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
“I see you have some understanding of this,” Frey muttered and I focused on his face to see his eyes alert and very focused on mine.
“He’s not a good man,” I guessed.
“No, Finnie, you speak kind but you do not speak true. He is instead the worst type of man, no honor, filled with greed; he is selfish, grasping, avaricious and underhanded.”
Sjofn had written, My uncle is not like my father or grandfather and it is imperative that our beautiful land not pass into his hands…
I turned my face away and whispered, “Oh my God.”
“Look at me, my wee one,” Frey demanded gently and my eyes returned to his. “Those were assassins. Not good ones. It is my guess your uncle wishes you dead and tonight he declared his intent to see to that. Even if it is not him, obviously, someone else wishes this so.”
“Oh God.” I was still whispering and I was again trembling, it was again violently and, try as I might, (and I was trying) I couldn’t seem to stop it.
Frey gathered me closer and when he’d achieved that, he held on tight.