Page 18 of The Ice Prince's Fated Mate
I stared at the wall, hearing the interaction but not processing it. I needed them to understand that thiscouldn’tbe the way it was. Maybe for them, but not for me.
“Ella doesn’t need the bubbly new-in-love attitude right now,” Milly said. “She needs to be listened to.”
Anna subsided into silence, and we sat there, letting the quiet go on, aside from Milly’s continued crunching of the biscuits as she ate.
“I’m sorry,” Anna said after a minute or two. “Apparently, Milly is the only one of us using brains right now.”
Milly snorted. “I’m just as confused as you two. Don’t worry.”
A ghost of a smile twitched at my lips while the other two shared a laugh.
“El, what’s going on in there?” Anna urged, leaning against my shoulder in support. “It’s me and Mil. You can talk to us.”
“I can’t do this,” I whispered, shaking my head. “I can’t.”
“But you’ve already got the marks,” Anna countered.
“I don’t care. I’m not doing it.”
Milly made a noise. “Now you’re just being stubborn. Trust me, I know what that looks like.”
I stood up sharply to stop them from seeing the shaking in my legs. “I don’t care! You can tell me I’m being hysterical all you want, but nobody asked me whatIwant. He’s just taking it from me. All they do is take from me!”
My friends were silent as I rubbed my hands against one another, trying to stop the shakes. “You don’t understand.”
Anna cleared her throat quietly. “Then help us understand, El.” She paused. “What did he take from you?”
“My choice,” I said hoarsely. “My independence. He took it without asking.” My shoulders jerked as I stifled a sob.
Arms wrapped themselves around my shoulders, and I leaned into Anna. “Does this have to do with what happened to you … before us?”
My head moved up and down a fraction of an inch.
“Do you want to tell us?”
I hadn’t told anyone what happened to me up there. On the surface. How could I and have them still look at me the same? I didn’t want their pity. It wouldn’t change anything.
“My dragon has never been there for me when I needed it most,” I whispered, telling them the only thing they needed to know. “So it doesn’t get to dictate an orb-damned thing to me now. And that includes who I do or don’t mate.”
Ten
Dirk
The entire worldwas pain. It was all I had to latch on to. I held on as it dragged me in and out of what I assumed to be consciousness. There was screaming, something holding me down, and more screaming.
How much time passed was an unknown, but eventually I became aware of my surroundings. My body was one giant ball of agony, but my brain was thinking clearly enough to register the fact that I was on a bed.
And I couldn’t see.
What had happened to me? Why did I hurt everywhere?
A memory of falling. Of a globe of ice. And the prettiest set of golden-brown eyes staring down at me, filled with fear.
“Ella.”
I called out for her. Was she here? Had she survived? Had I saved her?
Only silence greeted me. Silence and darkness. I tried to blink my eyes. They seemed to work, but everything was still black.
