The days flew by after that night in the nursery pool. Thalor had practically transformed into a brand new male, completely shedding that heavy, cautious aura he used to carry around like a cloak.
He still had his poetic, refined manners, but there was a confident, bright sparkle in his violet eyes now that made my own heart do little flips whenever he looked at me.
And as the snow piled up outside the stone battlements, the inside of the palace became a tropical paradise. Damar's promise held true—he didn't hibernate. Instead, he kept the indoor heating system roaring, though he did spend a significant amount of time smugly supervising the kitchen staff as they brought up my endless platters of cold, raw silver stream fish.
Eating raw seafood while resting my feet on a literal block of ice in the beginning of winter was a new low for my 21st-century human sensibilities, but my selective tiger-serpent pregnancy didn't care about my dignity.
