Frost (Frost and Nectar #1)(56)

“Torin’s father,” said Shalini, leaning over the book.

I continued reading. “‘Born second in line to the throne, Mael had been trained to be a soldier, the leader of the army. His older brother, Gram, was to succeed to the throne. But at sixteen, Prince Gram was killed by the Erlking while hunting a stag. After that, Mael was named the heir apparent.

“Whoa.” Shalini’s eyes had gone wide. “It was that grotesque head we saw on the wall. Aeron said King Mael slaughtered it.”

“That’s got to be the monster, right?”

I turned back to the book. “‘King Mael spent the first years of his reign in the forest, tracking the cursed fae. After nearly five years, he found the Erlking’s lair and killed him, finally avenging his brother’s death. Almost immediately thereafter, the tournaments for his queen began, and he chose Princess Sofie. They soon had two children: a boy (Torin) and a girl (Orla). However, Mael’s reign was cut short when…’”

I turned the page, only to find an image of the Erlking taking up the next page, and then several pages that had been ripped out.

“What the hell?” Shalini said. “It was just getting good.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Whenever happened twenty-six years ago, they don’t want anyone to know about it.” I stared at the ripped pages. On the other side of them was text about the beginning of Torin’s reign, but it was written in a propaganda style, since he was already king by the time the book had come out.

A knock sounded on the door, and my head snapped up.

“I’ll get it.” Shalini rose and opened the door.

Aeron stood in the doorway, his blond hair falling in his eyes, looking for all the world like one of the TikTok guys who could garner a million followers just by taking of his shirt and chopping wood. He blushed as he looked down at her. “Hello.”

“Do you want to come in?” she asked.

He smiled but shook his head, and held up a large white box. “I just came to drop something off.

Ava’s dress for the ball tonight. She should arrive in the Caer Ibormeith ballroom in one hour.” He glanced over her shoulder. “I will send someone to escort you.”

“Oh, okay.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice as she took the box from him.

“I won’t be at the ball myself. Perhaps…if you are not otherwise engaged…we might dine together.”

She smiled at him. “I’ll be here. And I’m looking for some adventure, Aeron, because right now, Ava is getting it all.”

He grinned at her. “I will show you my favorite grove in Faerie. You should dress warmly.” With a little bow, he turned and walked away, and Shalini closed the door behind him.

She turned to me, her smile radiant. “I have a proper date with the hottest virgin in existence. Not just the hottest virgin. Maybe the hottest man.” She crossed to the bed and dropped the box onto it.

“I’m glad you came with me to Faerie, Shalini.” I slid the top of the box off and pulled out a long, silky gown—one in deep violet, a few shades darker than my hair. “I’m not getting a romance out of this, but it seems like you are.”

She shrugged. “You don’t need romance right now. You need a rebound. And since Torin is a fae fuckboy, he seems like the right person to take your mind off…you know…the monster we shall not speak of.”

“Andrew?”

“Don’t say his name. You could summon him.”

I crossed into the bathroom and filled the tub, watching the steam curling into the air.

The problem was, something told me that Torin might be the most dangerous thing around.





25

A VA

I crossed into the Caer Ibormeith ballroom a few minutes after eight and found all the princesses already there—along with the camera crews.

But my eyes were on the hall itself. The soaring arches seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Flowering vines grew over the stone, reaching all the way up to the silvery light of a star-flecked sky.

Like a beautiful medieval ruin, the ballroom was partly open to the night. But torches hung around the stone columns and arches, and plants twined around them.

Before I’d left the room, I’d found the name “Caer Ibormeith” in one of the history books. The fae believed she was the goddess of dreams, that she ruled over sleep. And this place felt like a temple of dreams.

But given how cold it was in here, the plants must be alive through some enchantment. On one side of the hall, a fire burned in a great stone fireplace—the only heat source—and the frosty night air kissed my cheeks.

I hung by the edges of the hall, and goosebumps rose over the bare skin of my arms. Fae servants, perhaps the sort my parents had been, were gliding around with trays full of champagne flutes. When a woman with pink hair offered one to me, I took it. As I sipped the wine, warmth trickled down my throat and spread through my chest. The wine was like a rosé, but with hints of honey and orange, and a faint effervescence—like nothing I’d ever tasted before, and with an enchantment that burned away the cold.

I ventured further into the ballroom and felt all eyes on me. It seemed that our little castle tour today had absolutely not gone unnoticed.

And yet, as the wine warmed me, I didn’t mind the staring so much. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever felt this beautiful before, with my hair twisted and braided with bluebells. If I stood in the right way, the slit in my dress showed off my right leg all the way up to the top of my thigh.