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Our heads snapped toward the sound.

“Is it—”

“It’s not Sadie or Hector,” Grae whispered, instinctively gathering me tighter to him as we both lowered deeper into the water. The brush of my skin against his was electrifying, even as my ears strained toward the sound.

“Ice Wolves?” I whispered as another baying howl echoed across the crater.

“No,” Grae growled. “They’re Silver Wolves—Hemming, Soris, Aiden. They’re my father’s guards.”

“Shit.” I wrapped my arms around him tighter, remembering those guards from the palace in Damrienn.

He tilted his head toward the sound and we watched as five dots darted across the lip of the crater and past to the far side of the mountain.

“They’re not going to Hengreave?”

“They probably don’t think we’d stop in a human town,” Grae said, staring at the horizon as if they might reappear. “I’m guessing they’re heading to Taigoska to speak with the Queen.”

We both remained still, watching the ridge line. Another howl echoed up, more distant than the last.

“I think we’re safe,” I whispered, though I didn’t release mygrasp from around Grae’s neck. His arms remained tight, holding me flush against his naked body.

“For now. We should head back to warn the others,” Grae murmured, his eyes drifting back to my mouth.

“Yes.” I nodded breathlessly.

His arms loosened around me, letting me go, and a flicker of disappointment flashed through me.

Before I could give it a second thought, I tightened my grip around his neck and lifted, my mouth landing on his. He didn’t miss a beat, hauling me back against his muscled chest, his lips meeting mine in a hot, burning kiss. I claimed him with my tongue, the frenzy building in me as he groaned into my mouth. The hard outline of him pressed against my belly, spurring me on.

A deep hiss circled the hot pool.

I released Grae at the sound, searching the crater for the telltale line of mounded snow. Ice creaked as we scanned for the monsters, probably driven back over the mountain by the thundering pack of Wolves. I hadn’t spotted anyebarvenburrows on the trek up, but this would be a perfect place for the snow snakes to hide. I shuddered, thinking of the paintings of their long white bodies and beady blue eyes.

“We really should get back,” I whispered.

“Yes,” he said, watching me with wanton eyes.

I smiled, planting one last chaste kiss on his swollen lips, and he hovered there, leaning in as if he couldn’t pull away.

“We’ve got curses to break and kingdoms to save.”

“I thought you wanted to be just Calla and Grae?” He rubbed a wet hand down his face, trying to regain his composure.

“Maybe we can be everything: rulers, friends...”

“Mates?”

I took another step back to keep from throwing myself at him. I needed the distance with that hopeful look in his eyes.

My voice was barely a whisper. “Maybe.”

His eyes darkened as he trailed his finger along my collarbone, to the spot where his necklace used to sit. “Maybe.” Hehummed. “I can work with maybe, until I can prove myself worthy of more.”

He turned away, striding toward the shoreline before I could reply. The memory of me throwing my necklace back at him flashed into my mind. I thought he wasn’t going to help me and I had done the thing that I thought would break him the most. It was a cruel, childish thing to do—to make him hurt the way I hurt inside. But he was here now, not telling me to turn back or change my course. How far would he let me push? The answer whispered in my mind: as far as I was willing to go.

I watched as the water flowed down his torso and he shifted again before I could admire his figure any further. The Silver Wolf didn’t wait for me as he walked back up to where we had stashed our clothes.

I wanted to shout after him—to tell him he was already worthy of me. He was worthy the moment he chose to be my friend all those many years ago. But instead, I silently trudged out of the warm water and back into the stinging snow.