Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(15)

“Do you think you’ll get to learn magic?” Shalini asked.

“Common fae can’t conduct magic,” I said. “I mean, I guess the throne can suck some kind of queen energy from me, but I can’t do magic on my own.”

“How do you know you’re a common fae? What if you’re the long-lost daughter of the High Fae king?”

My nose wrinkled. “Then this marriage would be very awkward because Torin would be my brother. And I know I’m not High Fae because they’d never let one of us go missing. A common fae they could easily kick out into the human world.”

Instead of his Lamborghini, Torin led us to a gray Hummer. Flashing us a big smile, he opened the doors for us. For a moment, I imagined that he was actually heroic and honorable, and that he hadn’t just bribed a woman he hated.

Not that I was really in a position to be on my high horse, considering I was gladly taking the bribe.

I slid into the front seat, my gaze roaming over the fine leather upholstery. I ran my fingers across it, dizzy with the thought that I’d be able to buy something like this. Assuming he fulfilled his end of the bargain.

Torin slid into the driver’s seat. I’d hardly buckled my seatbelt when he turned the key and leaned on the accelerator. Nausea climbed up my throat as we started to speed down the road.

Of all the days to get an invitation into Faerie…

I swallowed hard, still trying to come to grips with what was happening. “What exactly does this tournament entail?”

Shalini leaned forward. “May I answer? I’ve been following this for months.”

“Please,” said Torin.

“Okay. There are a hundred women—“

“A hundred and one in this case,” Torin interrupted.

“Right, and they all have to compete for Torin’s hand. This has been a tradition for thousands of years at this point. So, there are several different competitions. After every competition, some of the competitors are forced to leave. And this year, for the first time, it will all be televised.”

I frowned, trying not to imagine all the people who’d be scrutinizing me through their living rooms.

Outside the Hummer’s windows, the world whipped by as we turned onto the highway.

At the bar, he’d been surrounded by his host, with a helicopter following overhead, filming the whole thing. Now, I saw only the usual morning traffic. I had a very strong suspicion that Torin had made this visit in secret.

The Hummer’s motor growled as he pressed the accelerator to the floor, my stomach lurching as he wove in and out of the traffic.

My mouth felt dry and watery at the same time. Glancing at Shalini, her expression told me she felt similarly queasy.

I gripped the door handle. “Torin, do you need to go this fast?”

“Yes.”

“Would it make a difference if I said this kind of wild driving was a breach of decorum?” I asked in desperation.

“Not at this moment, no.”

The car was like a rocket now, barreling over the asphalt. Outside, the buildings whipped by in a gray blur. What was his problem?

“Torin!” I shouted. “You’re going to get us killed!”

Shalini grabbed my shoulder. “Look!”

I followed the path of her outstretched finger. Outside, the blur of concrete faded, the expanse paling. Torin began to slow the Hummer, and the exterior came into focus.

We were no longer on Highway 8. Rather, we were driving down a narrow lane in what looked like the sixteenth century. Thatched timber-frame houses stood clustered by one side of the road. On the other, the sun shone brightly on fields thick with snow until we passed through a small copse of trees. Smoke drifted from chimneys into a frosty sky.

My breath caught with an uncanny sense of having seen this place in a dream.

“Oh, my God,” Shalini breathed. “Ava.”

Around us, the Hummer itself began to transform, making my head swim with dizziness. The seat belts disappeared, and I found myself sitting on velvet across from Shalini. White curtains had appeared in the windows. When I turned to look in the front, I caught a glimpse of Torin from behind, holding the reins of half a dozen horses.

I gripped the side of the carriage, trying to get my bearings. We were traveling in a horse-drawn carriage, and I had a hangover from hell.

Shalini’s eyes looked glazed. “This is real, isn’t it?”

“I think so,” I whispered.

“This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me,” she murmured.

WE RODE THROUGH FAERIE’S WINTERY LANDSCAPE, PASSING ICY HAMLETS WITH STEEP-PEAKED HOUSES

that cluttered the road, and shops with warmly lit windows. The carriage rolled past forests and frozen fields. Smoke rose from distant chimneys, and snowflakes sparkled in the air.

But that dark cloud of sadness was starting to settle over me, and when I closed my eyes, I was back at home, wrapped up in Andrew’s arms. My chest felt like it was cleaving in two.

Sighing, I pulled my phone out. I didn’t have reception here, but I scrolled to the photos on my phone. There was Andrew, lying down in bed. Golden skin, his hands folded behind his head, he smiled up at me. I’d always loved that picture.

I swiped to a photo of us out at a party, taken by Shalini. I remembered that night. He told me I looked gorgeous, that every other guy there would be jealous. And yet, in between these photos, he was snapping photos of Ashley in fields of red flowers… Loneliness was splitting me open, and a wave of tiredness crashed down on me. I wanted to curl up in bed, pull the covers over myself, and never leave.