Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(26)

The knock was louder now, impatient.

“Coming!” I called.

I pulled the door open to find Torin leaning against the door frame, his ice-blue eyes focused on me. “You did well.”

“I didn’t do anything.” I frowned. “Oh, you mean I didn’t cause another spectacle. What are you doing here?” I asked. “It’s quite late.”

“It is important that we talk before tomorrow.” He crossed into the room. “Will you be prepared to run a race in the morning? You do run regularly, right?”

On the bed, Shalini had pulled out her phone to watch an old season of Hitched and Stitched.

“I think I’ll do all right,” I said. “But I don’t have any running gear. Madam Sioba burned it all.

I’ll need new running shoes. Size seven, Nike preferably. And a shirt and shorts, both size small.”

He nodded. “Fine. I’ll come by early to show you the course and bring you the gear. Though the other fae will be dressed more traditionally in bare feet and animal skins.”

“Sounds like I’ll have an advantage then.”

“You are fast, Ava. It’s why I chose a race to start. Usually, it’s a traditional fae dance or musical instrument, but I thought you’d have the advantage at running.”

I cocked my head. “How do you know I’m fast?”

“I was testing you earlier when we moved through the castle. You kept up with me well.”

I stared at him. “But you were walking the whole time. How is it impressive that I could run at your walking speed?”

He shrugged. “I’m the king, Ava. You must expect me to be naturally superior in most things.”

I blinked at him. “Do you really not hear how you sound?”

I actually thought the corner of his mouth quirked up a little bit with amusement. “Good night, Ms.

Jones.”

He turned, and the door shut behind him.





11

A VA

S halini was lost in her phone, and I crossed to one of the bookcases. My gaze roamed over the spines—classics like Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights.

But my gaze started to grow unfocused.

I felt completely disoriented here, and even with Shalini, I seemed to be lost in a fog.

Here was the thing about routines—I missed mine. When I was little, I’d get home from school and do my homework while Chloe cleaned the house. She always had a snack for me. We’d have dinner together, then TV, and a bath. There’d been something soothing in always knowing what was happening.

Long after I left home, Andrew and I formed our own routines. We’d open a bottle of wine, make some popcorn, and read books or watch movies together under the blankets. We’d alternate cooking for each other after work. Weekends were the best, with coffee and newspapers, and pajamas until noon.

And now the routines were gone, and the people I’d enjoyed them with.

Ava, you should be happy for me.

I blinked, clearing my eyes.

I glanced at the beautifully rendered tapestries on the walls. The one closest to me depicted a crumbling castle with overgrown gardens. Hiding in the undergrowth were strange creatures— unicorns, centaurs, and satyrs.

And there were fae, too. Lords and ladies at leisure. Picnicking, bathing, playing music on ornate instruments. In one part of the scene, a hunting party chased a boar. The leader wore a silver crown shaped like stag antlers—the fae king and his host.

I crossed to another tapestry, this one much darker, a shadowy forest filled with monstrous insects —giant spiders and enormous butterflies. Even the trees were sinister, with craggy boughs and trunks carved with leering faces.

In one corner, a group of figures gathered round a small fire, some with butterfly wings. Others had heads shaped like insects; a few were covered in mossy fur. In the middle stood what appeared to be their leader—a woman wearing a thorny crown and holding a staff that glowed with a greenish light. All of them had the pointed ears of the fae, but not any fae I recognized.

The image was strange and beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It entranced me, and yet, as I stared at it, a corrosive sorrow pooled in my chest. A sense of loss I couldn’t name.

“Shalini?” I called out. “Have you ever heard of fae with wings and fur? Or horns?”

“No.” She slid off the bed. “What are you looking at?”

“See?” I pointed to the tapestry on the right. “Those are normal fae. There’s even one wearing a crown just like Torin’s. That must be the king.”

“Right.”

“But what are these other guys, then?” I indicated the strange figures in the opposite tapestry “Do you think this is what fae looked like thousands of years ago? In prehistory, maybe?”

Shalini shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never heard of any fae that look like this.

Maybe it’s just artistic license.” She turned to me. “Is it weird for you, being here among your own kind after all this time?”

I nodded. “Weird as hell, but I’m getting paid for this. What made you so desperate for an adventure?”

She stared at me. “Work was my whole life. And before that, it was studying. I never went to a prom, never went on dates. Never went to parties. And now, I don’t need to work, and I feel like there’s a whole world I’ve missed. Ava, I feel like I’ve woken up at last. But I don’t quite know what to do with myself. Because the Tinder dates have been shit, and there’s only so many nights you can spend at fancy bars before it gets boring. I just know that I can’t stop and be alone with my thoughts.”