Forged in Ice Read Online Free

said it was. Once I started eating I realized how hungry I was. I moved onto the fruit next.
    “You are more than welcome to go on up and take a bath and change if you’d like after this. Samantha left pants for you, so you have plenty of options.”
    “Oh, awesome. Running water.”
    She laughed. “It’s the little things.”
    “I told James he’s going to have to get his house plumbed if he wants me to stay there.”
    “Well, you two are always welcome in the castle.”
    “You really care for him.” Her affection for him was obvious, and luckily that seemed to extend to me. Either that or she liked to be a good hostess.
    “Our relationship started off on shaky grounds, but we’ve grown close over the years. He’s like a second brother in many ways.”
    “I heard about the rocky start. Him bringing you here in the first place…” I decided to see what I could learn. She was easy to talk to and seemed open.
    “He was misguided. There is no question about that. He thought he was doing the right thing. It’s hard to defy our parents.”
    “Was his dad as bad as I’ve heard?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear her response.
    She paled. “Blake was darkness itself. But don’t let that change your opinion of James. The two are nothing alike. James turned his back on his father and helped us save Energo. He’s proven himself to my family and this world time and time again.”
    “I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t know that.” Or would I? Maybe whatever supernatural forces were at work to create the kindred bond, or whatever, had messed with my ability to read people. Even if I knew he was bad, could I really walk away? That thought sent a shiver through me.
    “Are you okay?” Charlotte’s words snapped me out of my thoughts.
    “I’m fine. Sorry.”
    “Are you sure?” She glanced over toward the doorway. “You can tell me anything you want to. James is my friend, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tell him your secrets.”
    “This isn’t about James exactly. It’s more the whole kindred thing. I don’t really understand it.”
    “Do you want to understand it?” Her face lit up.
    “Do I?” I asked tentatively.
    “You do. Finish eating, and then I’m going to show you something really cool.”
    “Ok…”
    “It’s not scary, I promise.”
    “Who said I was scared?”
    “The expression on your face. You’re nervous.”
    “This whole situation makes me nervous. I’m out of my element in every way.”
    “Yet you don’t seem to be. You’re eating our food, wearing our clothes… Wait I forgot you need to get washed up first. That will give me time to get some work done.”
    “Should I use the room I used the other night?”
    She nodded. “Do you remember how to get there?”
    “Yes. I remember.” I finished eating and then headed up the grand staircase to the second floor. I made my walk slowly, trying to take in all the details I’d been too frazzled to take in last time. Like the lacquered wood of the railing, and the beautiful landscape painting that ran up the whole length of the wall. The castle was old, yet it wasn’t dated. It felt comfortable and familiar in a strange way.
    I counted down the doorways until I found the room I’d been staying in. My now clean clothes I’d arrived in lay neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Charlotte had mentioned Samantha dropped off pants, and I found those in the wardrobe. I glanced at my jeans, the dresses, and the new pants. The borrowed pants would be the most appropriate medium between wearing my own clothes that might make me stand out too much, and the dresses that although were beautiful I’d discovered were hard to move in.
    To my delight I also found fresh undergarments. I was thankful I wasn’t the first girl from my world to show up at the castle. At least I had the basic things I needed.
    Taking my bath was far easier when I wasn’t limping, and I was even able to shave. When I got out twenty-minutes later I was feeling