Betrayals of Spring (Forever Fae #2)(4)
“Are you excited about the ball tonight?” Breena asks.
Not really, I think to myself, but unfortunately I have to be. I’m already out of bed and picking out clothes to wear to meet my parents. I look over at Breena lying in my bed, and she gives me a seductive smile. She sits up slowly and lets the sheet fall from her perfectly sculpted breasts to below her waist. The way she’s biting her lip lets me know she is ready for round two, but right now I can’t think of anything else other than the auburn-haired beauty with the amethyst-colored eyes. Her face has haunted my dreams for years, and last night happened to be one of those nights. I turn my head away from Breena and walk over to my closet. The woman sure knows what she’s doing. Breena is a beautiful Winter fae woman with long, straight brown hair that is the color of cinnamon. Her round, hazel-colored eyes stand out from her creamy white complexion, but the more I look at her the more I know I do not love her.
Tonight is the Winter Solstice Ball, and it’s also the night we celebrate our engagement. With my back turned, she can’t see the lie in my eyes when I reply, “Yes, Breena, I am ready for the ball tonight.”
I don’t know how I ever let things get this far. I was distraught over finding out about how close Meliantha and Finn were getting, so I ran to the first girl I could find. Breena has always been interested in me, so it wasn’t hard to get her into my bed. What makes things harder is that she’s a councilman’s daughter which practically makes her royalty. Our union will be looked upon as greatness, but if anyone finds out about my distaste for her, it will cause turmoil within the court.
My parents are happy with my arrangement to marry Breena, but they have also had reservations about it. They can obviously see the torment in my eyes, but it’s my decision and I am going to uphold it. The meeting with my parents will begin in thirty minutes, so I grab a pair of jeans from my closet and I pull them on. I got the jeans from the mortal realm, because everyone was wearing them when I visited not too long ago. So many things have changed in the mortal realm from the last time I visited. I grab a red t-shirt from the closet, and I slip it over my head. It hugs my muscles which seem to be what the ladies go for now these days. I run my hands through my long black hair, and I grab the thistleburch chord that I always use to tie my hair back in. The tie comes from the thistleburch trees here in the Winter Court and is known for its strengthening powers. Most of the warriors here have some part of the thistleburch tree on their body to give them strength and luck when in battle. It looks like a thin piece of brown leather, and it always feels cold resting up against my skin.
I silently groan in annoyance when I hear Breena getting out of bed and walking toward me. The woman surely doesn’t have any issues with being naked. She wraps her arms around me and squeezes. I can feel her breasts pushing up against my back, but it does nothing for me in this moment. The thought of Meliantha takes all my focus, and to know I’ll be seeing her for the first time in five years has me a little on edge.
Breena moves around to face me and says, “I think I’m going to get dressed and head to my quarters to get ready for the ball, unless…” She rubs her naked body against mine as she continues. “You want to have a little fun first.” She raises her eyebrows in question and licks her lips. If only the eyes looking back at me were purple would I be all up for it, but I just can’t seem to get my mind focused.
I shake my head no and regretfully reply, “Not right now, Bree. I have much to do before tonight, and I have to be at the meeting with my parents in half an hour.”
She narrows her eyes at me and I can see her jaw tighten as I speak, but she quickly brushes it off and goes to fetch her clothes. I think she knows deep down that I don’t love her, but she hasn’t mentioned anything to me about it. I watch her pull on her clothes, and it’s hard to believe that I’ve been with her for almost three years. I love the ladies, and I never actually thought of settling down with one until I met a certain Summer faerie that I was deeply attracted to, but look how that turned out. She is now in the arms of another man every night, and the thought sends a burning anger through my chest. I grip the closet door and I don’t realize what I was doing until Breena raises her voice to get my attention.
“Kalen! Are you OK? What are you doing? You almost broke the closet door in half,” she exclaims.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts and I relax the tension in my face to force a smile.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was holding it so hard.” I loosen my grip on the handle and slowly drop my hand.
She doesn’t look like she believes me, but she shrugs her shoulders and comes over fully dressed to give me a kiss on the cheek. With a concerned look she says, “You looked like you were about to kill someone. What were you thinking about?”
I shake my head, laughing it off while I kiss her on the lips. I hold her face in my hands to assure her.
“It was nothing. Enjoy the rest of your day, and I’ll see you soon.” I kiss her again quickly before she leaves the room.
Now that Breena is gone I can have a few minutes of peace before I meet my parents. These past five years have been long and brutal. I am twenty-six years old, but I feel like an eighty-year-old man in mortal years. The only enjoyment I have out of life is training my warriors—since I’m now leader of the Winter Court Army—and spending time with my white wolves. I’ve kept quiet about my thoughts of Meliantha and haven’t spoken about her to anyone other than my wolves.