Todos los capítulos de The Duchess of Frostmane: Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

"No birds," I said. "No squirrels. Even the wind's changed twice since we passed that fallen oak. It shouldn't be doing that in a valley this narrow.”Evren didn't turn, but his hand moved closer to the hilt at his hip. "You've been quiet most of the ride. And now this.”"I was listening."He raised two fingers. Behind us, the pack warriors slowed without a word, sliding their bows from their shoulders as their eyes turned toward the tree line. Astrid rode at the rear with two younger hunters, her expression as cold and watchful as the mountains around us.They had told me the Winter Hunt was a tradition, a test of the pack's strength before the deep freeze set in. I'd pictured wolves. Maybe a bear roused early from its den. I hadn't expected the silence."There." Astrid pointed toward a ridge where the pines thinned. Something moved between the trunks, low and fast, larger than any wolf I'd seen since coming to Frostmane. Its hide caught the weak sunlight, pale blue and unnatural, as

"Again. Full circuit. No shortcuts through the stable yard."The voice carried across the courtyard before the sun had fully cleared the ridge. I flattened myself against the cold stone of the archway, my breath fogging in the dark. I'd woken before the bell, restless for reasons I couldn't name. I'd seen him crossing the yard alone from my window, his cloak thrown over his shoulders, and something had made me follow instead of going back to bed.From the shadow of the arch, I watched a dozen soldiers run the perimeter of the training yard, their boots crunching through frost, breath coming in ragged clouds. Evren stood near the center with his arms folded, watching each man pass with the same unhurried attention, as though he had nowhere else to be.I hadn't known this happened. In the weeks since I'd come north, I'd seen him at council tables, settling disputes in the great hall, and riding at the head of hunting parties. I'd never seen this side of him, with the keep still dark and

Evren's POV"You've grown taller since I last saw you, or I've grown shorter. One of the two." My uncle's grip on my shoulder was firmer than his words. "I was beginning to think Frostmane had swallowed you whole.”"Frostmane had a great deal that needed doing.""Frostmane always does. It's remarkable how convenient your excuses have become since you took a wife." His eyes moved past me to Odette, and his expression changed. "So this is the duchess who's kept my nephew too occupied to visit his own family.”I let her answer for herself. She did, sharp enough to make my uncle laugh, and some of the tension I'd carried since entering the palace eased. I'd spent the carriage ride thinking through every way this evening could go wrong: the whispers that would follow her, the careful cruelty of court women, the smiles that rarely meant anything. Watching her hold her own against my uncle within the first minute was enough to tell me I'd worried for nothing. She would manage well enough her

"No. Absolutely not. You do not get to dry like that."I was scolding a paintbrush when the door opened. Apparently, this was my life now. I didn't turn around right away. I knew the sound of that heavy oak door, and Nella was never that quiet.I wiped down the bristles, set the water jar on the table, and only then looked over to find Evren standing in front of my easel like he'd forgotten what his feet were for."You're not allowed to look at that yet," I said."I only glanced at it.”"Long enough for me to catch you staring.”I crossed the stone floor and reached past him to turn the canvas toward the wall. He let me, though his ice-blue eyes stayed fixed on the bare wood for a moment, as though he could still see the painting there."What was it?" he asked."Nothing.""It wasn't nothing. You've gone red.""That's the paint fumes.""You're standing three feet from the canvas, Odette."I busied myself with the tea tray instead of answering. He seemed to take the hint and didn't push

Nella’s POV"Move, move, move!"Petyr shouted it from somewhere behind me, as if I wasn't already moving fast enough. I had a full tray of soup in my hands, with two extra bowls balanced along the edge. I had three steps left to the officers' table when his shoulder caught my elbow. The tray tipped sideways, straight toward Sir Kael, who happened to look up from his supply list at exactly the wrong moment."Oh, no," he managed. Then the soup was all over his coat, and the corridor went silent. Every kitchen hand nearby suddenly found the floor very interesting. Petyr had already vanished. I was going to kill him."I'm sorry. Petyr ran into me, and I didn't see him, and the tray just tipped. I'm sorry."I reached for a towel, only to realize I was already holding one. Kael took it from me and wiped his sleeve without much hurry, like he'd spilled the soup himself."It's soup," he said. "Not a war crime."He nodded toward the second tray still wobbling on my hip. "Watch the corners next