The Frozen Witch Book One by Odette C. Bell Page B

sleep.
    “I have to call them – he’s injured. Oh
god, what have I done? I could have killed him.”
    Franklin paused. I felt a strange tension
shift through his muscles as he did. And that tension? It seemed
important somehow.
    “Did you act in anger or self-defense?” he
asked plainly.
    “I…” I trailed off as I remembered that
flash of steel slicing towards my neck.
    I shuddered.
    “Self-defense, then,” Franklin came to his
own conclusion.
    “I still shouldn’t have…” I trailed off.
My thoughts were becoming thick, heavy, and it took more and more
effort to push them through my mind.
    There was still one thought that could move
me, though.
    One terrifying thought.
    I suddenly forced my eyes open and locked
them on Franklin.
    He stared at me.
    “Am I going to pay for this crime?” I
asked, voice trailing off and becoming weak.
    Still staring down at me, he shook his
head. “No, this is not your crime.”
    With that, I really did start to shut
down.
    Everything became hazy. The last thing I saw
were his eyes – those crystal clear eyes staring down at me. There
was something so inviting about them. Inviting in the same way the
cold had been when I’d opened up to my magic. It promised to make
me more, so much more than I was now. But what did Franklin’s eyes
really promise?
    I would have to find out.

Chapter 9
    I woke in my room. Not my real room – the
one in Vali’s tower. This was starting to become a habit.
    It took me several blinks to remember what
had happened. Then I swore at my ceiling. I jerked a hand up and
checked it. When I couldn’t find any scars, I brought my other hand
up and checked that instead. Nothing. I distinctly remembered
grabbing up that sword and its burning handle blistering my skin.
In fact, if I half closed my eyes, I could even kindle up the scent
of singed flesh.
    Shifting hard into my pillow, I rolled to
the side and clutched my shoulders, checking for any sign of
injury.
    … Nothing.
    How could there be nothing? I’d blacked out
due to blood loss. The gash in my arm had been deep enough that I
would have required stitches.
    But there was nothing.
    I sat up as the morning sunlight streamed
through the crack in my curtains.
    Drawing an arm up and locking it over my
face, I heard the door suddenly beep. “You will dress and see
Vali,” it said in a toneless ring.
    I squeezed my eyes shut and slammed a hand
onto the center of my forehead. “Oh god.”
    Literally.
    Because apparently it was time to see the
god of revenge.
    Though all I wanted to do was stay in my
warm, inviting bed, I didn’t have any option.
    Reluctantly, I got out of bed and dressed.
There was a new pile of neat clothes sitting on one of the
expensive chairs in my room. A pair of blue jeans, a shirt, and,
thankfully, a thick jacket.
    I felt the cold everywhere these days. As
soon as I wriggled into the jacket, I jacked its collar up and hid
behind it.
    Then I shot the door a mutinous glare, just
daring it to tell me what to do again.
    As if on cue, it beeped and swung open.
    I jumped. Crumpling my lips in and biting
them as if I wanted to chew them off, I approached the door warily.
As soon as I made it out into the straight, short corridor beyond,
the door closed behind me with a thump.
    I jumped.
    Then, without any other option, I walked up
to Vali’s door. For some reason, my room only seemed to lead to
his. It was clear he didn’t want to give me any option for
escape.
    As I approached the massive, thick, ancient,
wooden door, it opened with an ominous, spine-tingling creak.
    With a steeling breath, I walked inside.
    This time Vali didn’t pretend to be absorbed
by his work. This time he immediately shoved back, crossed his
impressive arms, and glared at me.
    Fright burst through my belly, but I managed
to keep a handle on it by grinding my teeth together and telling
myself that if he wanted me dead, I wouldn’t have woken up this
morning.
    “Let me make something