Page 25 of Imprisoned By the Night King

My forehead wrinkled further. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Pay attention to the way he acts the next time you’re together, and you’ll realize it isn’t.” He set his stack of books down and went back for another one. “If not for the damned moon, I would’ve ended his life a long time ago. But at this point, my people would rebel if I did—and then I’d have no one to run my court.”

Stars, that was a shitty situation to be in.

“Could Horvis be the person behind the prison?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but I doubt it. He’s not one of my father’s advisors, and he would’ve been too young to be behind the attack on your family at the time it happened.”

I frowned.

Horvis wasn’t the one I needed revenge against, then.

“You seem overwhelmed,” I told him, putting a stack of books of my own on the shelf as he picked up the last pile from the floor.

“Probably because I am.” He shot me a small, tight smile.

“How much longer can you keep doing this?” I gestured to the moon.

“With you here? I have no idea. Not long, I’d imagine.”

“If I left?”

His nostrils flared, his eyes narrowing. “If you left, I’d release the moon entirely as my primal instincts demanded I hunt you down and drag you back to my room.”

Honestly, I believed him.

“So you need an alternative. And I’m going to have to be involved one way or another.” My voice was flat, and I didn’t try to hide my annoyance.

“I’ll manage as long as I have to. You’re not a prisoner to this connection.” He gestured between us.

I didn’t feel like one.

But if I said that, he might think I was saying that I was interested in him romantically. And I wasn’t.

“Alright, what happens if we solidify the bond?” I checked.

He stumbled a bit.

Awkward.

Adorably fucking awkward.

I hated how much I loved that.

“You mean through sex?”

“Is there any other way?” I lifted an eyebrow at him.

“Not that I know of.” He set his books down on the shelf. “Assuming we did… that… I think our magic would knit together.”

“Would that make it easier for you to hold the moon up?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea. Namir might know.”

“Alright, we can ask him and Diora at dinner.”

Espen frowned. “At dinner?”