Page 106 of Wings of Ice and Steel

Nieve followed her line of sight.

‘Ari, I don’t think any of us can scale that—’

‘No, you don't need to. But you do need to trust me—’

The guards outside had discovered the barred door and were shouting at each other as it buckled under their blows. Nieve shot a glance to the door, her breaths coming quickly.

‘I trust you, but I don’t follow—’ She looked again at the window. Waves crashed against the rocks below, spurred by the blowing storm.

There was a crunch and the door moved an inch, armoured fingers reached round to grasp the side of the door.

‘Trust me.’ Ariadnne stood, clenching her jaw against the pain. ‘I’ll jump. You follow. Leap as far from the wall as you can. Fast.’ She didn’t let herself think about the practicalities of this plan, or if she could catch them. She certainly didn’t think about whether they could hang on in the rain with no harness. She had to catch them. There was no other choice.

Sascha looked terrified, huddled back against the wall gazing at the window with wide eyes.

Nieve swallowed. ‘You can shift before you hit those rocks?’ she asked quietly, taking her by the elbow as Ariadnne stumbled.

‘I have before.’

Understanding lit her eyes. ‘Oh—’ Her brows rose, and beside her Liren glanced between them.

‘We need to move now, whatever we do,’ he hissed. ‘I will make this leap, but it happens now.’

Ariadnne swallowed the fear churning in her throat. The clamour of the guards filled her ears, but in her mind there was only one person who mattered.

Nieve met her gaze with her beautiful, unfaltering, earth-shattering ice-blue eyes, and the world both ended and began in the reflection of those crystal waters.

‘We will be hunted from one end of this earth to the other. You do know that don’t you?’ Ariadnne murmured.

Nieve smiled, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘I’m game if you are.’ With a sharp breath she pulled Ariadnne close, seeking her lips one final time in a collision of ice and fire, laced with longing.

The guards were coming.

The lingering heat of the kiss remained as Ariadnne tore herself from Nieve’s grasp, a million unspoken words on her tongue, and limped to the window. A hideous thought blazed through her mind; it had been a few days since her last dose of the antidote. The curse. She’d never told Nieve. She had, perhaps… ten days before she sickened? That was ten days to get Nieve to safety. Ten days to spend with her mate.

Her soul cleaved at the thought of such limited time.

But she would see Nieve safe, if it was the last thing she did.

She turned to Sascha, the only other person she had left who meant something to her. The maid was backing up, twisting her hands together. Her eyes darted from the window to the quivering door.

Ariadnne frowned. ‘You’re coming?

‘I… I can’t.’ Sascha shook her head.

‘You must! They’ll know you’ve helped, that you’re a part of this. I don’t know what they’ll do—’

‘I can’t make that jump!’

The door was banging and screeching and grinding against the floor and Ariadnne held Nieve’s hand tight as her heart broke. She could see in Sascha’s eyes that she was terrified.

‘Please. I don’t want to leave without you.’

Sascha’s throat bobbed, and her chin dipped in a curt nod. ‘Okay.’

Thank the stars. Ariadnne exhaled and looked at Nieve.

‘Are you ready?’