Winter's War (Her Guardians series Book 4)(32)

“Thank you for telling me that,” I tell her, and she nods.

“I was young and foolish, he was gone before I even woke up the next day. I remember him saying something about it being the summer solstice,” she tells me. It makes sense that the fray had come through the wards then.

“Did he tell you what he was?” I ask her.

“I have a gift, I can tell what someone is from simply looking at them. When I walked into the night club, I saw him straight away. I had never seen a fray before, and he told me that he came from the Winter court of the Fray,” she tells me.

“Winter court?” Freddy asks, curious like I am.

“Yes, he told me there are four courts, but not much else.” I wonder if they are all seasonal. Like Winter, Autumn, Spring and Summer courts.

“Anything you can think of, I would appreciate the knowledge,” I tell her. I feel like I should never have made that promise to Lily when I’m clearly blind to their world and everything in it. I shouldn’t have, I should have just woken up and tried to deal with this fight on my own.

“I will send someone to bring your mates and witches in here,” she tells me, and I nod at her, watching as her eyes turn that white again.

“Atti, they are sending someone to bring you all in here, we have a deal,” I shout out in my mind for him to hear.

“What did you offer them?” Atti asks me.

“Nothing that I wouldn’t have given them freely,” I say back.

Atti chuckles in my mind as he speaks. “That sounds like I need more of a description in a while. I love you, Winter.”

I look over to see the flap of the tent being opened and a teenage boy coming in. It’s the same boy I saw when I first passed through the ward, his blue tipped hair is easy to remember. It matches his unusual, bright-blue eyes.

“Nathaniel, this is Queen Winter and her step son, Freddy,” Soobeen says standing up and walking over to the boy who watches us all. I wouldn’t say he is nervous, but there is something there. I don’t feel any old magic or anything as I walk over and offer the boy my hand to shake.

“Just Winter, no need for all that,” I say, and he smiles.

“You don’t look like a queen,” he points out straight away, and I look down at my leather outfit and daggers on my waist.

“Nathaniel, that was rude,” his mum scolds, and Freddy laughs as he comes over.

“You’re right, I look like I’m some kind of assassin or something,” I say, and he chuckles.

“I’m Freddy,” Freddy introduces himself as he steps next to us.

“Nice sword,” Nathaniel says, and Freddy pulls it off his back.

“Here,” he hands the sword over, and they start speaking. I walk off with Soobeen as we both watch them and wait for my mates to come here.

“They say halfs are drawn to each other, much like all supernaturals feel more comfortable around their own kind,” she tells me, and I completely agree with her as I watch them talk.

“It makes some sense if you really think about it, nature’s way of getting people to stay close to who are like,” I say.

“Are you and Freddy close?” she asks me.

“I like to think we are, I would do anything for that boy,” I say, thinking of how we first met and how protective I was over him at the start. There was always something that drew me to protecting him far more than I should have really. I’ve always liked kids, but with Freddy it was an instant bond. A need to look after him.

“It’s because you’re a half like him, and there is always that draw to each other,” she tells me.

“Like how I feel safe here?” I ask because it’s true. I’ve felt a sense of safety from the moment I passed through that ward and felt no threat from these people.

“Yes, in a way. I want to be completely honest with you,” she says, turning to look at me.

“Okay?” I ask her.

“Some of the people we have here are exiled from the supernaturals. Some for crimes, others have done things in their pasts and are known by everyone at the castle, but have changed as they live here” she says.

“They get one chance, that’s it. Make it known that I won’t have anyone betray me. I get that not all of your people will want to live in the castle permantly, but here is the deal: if they fight for us, then they are free to leave, and we won’t punish them for their past. That deal has no reflection on anything they do after war, though,” I say, and she bows her head at me before looking up once more.

“A fair deal,” she replies. I look over at Freddy and Nathaniel, the future we are fighting for is always going to come with repercussions, but it is worth it. We have to make sure everything here is worth it.





17





Winter





I swing my fist down on Leigha’s arm as she slides to the left of me, and I jump over her leg that she aims at my feet. She jumps away when I catch her, but I don’t pause as I follow her, swinging my own leg at her stomach and sending her flying across the training room.

“Fuck, princess . . . you beat me,” Leigha says as I offer her a hand up.

“Never thought you’d see the day?” I ask as I laugh a little and get my breath back. This is what training day and night for the past two weeks has done to me. I was close to beating her before, but I needed to do this.