Page 18 of Wicked Prince of Frost

I may only have a handful of hours left before my life is turned upside down, but I willliveevery ordinary minute I have.

Talya hooks her arm through mine. “If you are going to be a demon’s ass, Sebastian, then you can stay here whilewestuff our faces with all the delicious food we can find.”

She pulls a face at him, then drags me off toward the nearest cluster of booths selling food.

Sebastian calls out for us to wait, but Talya picks up our pace, waving her free hand in the air without a glance back.

The aroma of caramelized sugar, roasted meats, and an assortment of other fried sweet and savory delicacies fills the air, reaching us several blocks before the edge of the main square. Clusters of people meander the streets in every direction.

Talya practically drags me into the crowd… and right past the first vendor with an assortment of candied fruit.

“Talya, we just—” I tug on my arm, but she is stronger, and my efforts don’t even slow her down.

“Trust me, the one we want is just a little further up,” she says over her shoulder.

I glance back longingly at the treats I’ve been dreaming about for weeks as bodies move in to block my view.

Other vendors sell jewelry, bolts of cloth, notions, various garments, paintings, dishware, or charms. But I’m too busy making a mental list of all the things I want to gorge myself with to give them my attention.

Pastries stuffed with various fillings, both savory and sweet. Skewers of roasted and caramelized meats, and battered and fried vegetables. Colorful bite-sized cakes.

My stomach growls painfully as I mentally tick them off. An older couple walking in the opposite direction looks around in shock at the sound. The man even glances toward the sky as if he expects the cursed dragon to descend on us during the day. I duck my head and quicken my steps to walk beside Talya.

Perhaps skipping dinner and breakfast in preparation for all the things I needed to get done before today wasn’t the best idea after all.

At the heart of the square, a temporary stage is set up for a play that will be the final event of the day. For now, a traveling troupe is performing a balancing act, and off to one side, a woman dances with a baton lit with fire on both ends.

In another corner of the square is a smaller stage with a makeshift seating area surrounded by children watching a marionette play. Musicians and dancers fill any space they manage to find.

I bump into Talya when she stops abruptly. “Here we are!” she announces proudly.

My eyes widen at the rows of assorted colorful skewers. Some are mixed with different fruits, while others are all the same. The ones coated in chocolate are popular, but the ones I want are all covered in a clear, hardened candy shell.

The man running the booth turns around to set out another batch to replace the quickly disappearing selection that an older man is selling.

“Four of your finest, please, Mr. West,” Talya says in a faux formal tone.

“I’ll take five,” I correct.

Talya side-eyes me. “Make it seven total then.”

“Miss Byron, you made it. Lillian has just left to make a delivery. She’ll be disappointed that she missed you,” the young man says. He hands her two of the skewers and the rest to me. “On the house,” he says with a wink when I reach for the money to pay.

“Thank you, William! Tell Lillian I’ll stop by again a bit later.”

Their conversation is cut short when the older man calls out for more. William is gone with an apologetic smile and a wave.

I bite down on the first skewer. The sweet coating crunches and melts on my tongue, mixing with the juice from the different fruits. I devour three before I pause long enough to speak. “These are even better than I remember.”

Talya is looking at me like I just sprouted a second head. “You skipped breakfast again, didn’t you?” she asks with an arched brow.

I shrug. “Something like that.”

Also lunch.

“Demons and saints, Violet, what are we going to do with you?” Talya sighs in exasperation.

I polish off the remaining two as Sebastian catches up to us.