Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(19)

“Thank you,” I muttered, grateful. “I know I can do this. No one knows the true outcome of what will happen. I could still have a chance.” I said it, but I didn’t believe it. Going into the Black Forest alone was a death wish in itself.

The dream world started to fade, but Sorcha grabbed onto my hands and held them tight. Quickly, she asked, “If things weren’t the way they are right now, would you be happy about completing the final bond with Brayden?”

As everything around me started to disappear, I looked into her emerald green eyes and smiled. “Yes, Sorcha, I would be happy. He’s a pain in the ass, but I would be happy. I can’t see how it would be fair to him to get attached when I know I’m not going to survive the ending.”

Sorcha’s grip on my hands lessened and we both began to disappear. Before my eyes opened to the new dawn I heard a final whisper escape Sorcha’s lips … it was a promise.

“You will live, Ariella. I promise you that.”





WHEN I AWOKE, I was alone in my bed, with the low sun trickling in through the window with the coming dawn. My first thought was that everything had just been a dream, but it all became clear again when I looked down at my pale, creamy skin. Nope, it all happened.

“Brayden?” I sent out through our bond.

“Yes, angel.”

“Where are you?”

“Why, do you miss me already?”

I rolled my eyes. “I swear I never would’ve thought you could joke around. In a way, I think I miss the brooding and silent Brayden.” He was easier to hate and stay away from when he was like that. I could hear his chuckle through my mind, and as much as I didn’t want it to it made a smile spread across my face.

Getting out of bed, I removed my robe and my nightgown, and fetched a towel from my closet. “Seriously, Brayden, where are you? I want to know if you’ve seen anyone yet.”

Padding across the room on my bare feet with my towel in hand, I opened up the bathroom door and immediately froze, dropping the towel on the floor. “Holy hell,” I gasped, unable to take my eyes away from the man in front of me. Brayden stepped out of the shower as if nothing was amiss, gloriously naked and covered in droplets of water, with steam swirling around his Winter skin. He smiled at me, but not before raking an appreciative gaze down my own naked form.

“Good morning, angel. I see you found me, and to answer your question, no I haven’t seen anyone yet. I’ve been with you all morning, which is going to get everyone asking questions the moment they look at you.”

Picking up my towel, I wrapped it around my body and held it tight while Brayden chose to stand there with his draped over his shoulder. I tried my best to keep my eyes focused on his face, but my traitorous gaze kept lowering until it found the one thing my body desired to feel between my legs. Oh my.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but all I could do was stutter, “I’ll … I’ll go wait out in the bedroom until you get done in here.” When I turned to walk out, Brayden gently grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the bathroom.

Grinning, he turned on the shower water and put the towel around his waist. “Take your shower and meet me downstairs. I’ll get everyone together so we can tell them you’re coming home with me this evening. That is what you still want, right?”

Biting my lip, I nodded quickly. “Yes,” I replied, my heart sputtering in my chest. “I don’t belong here anymore. I’ll be down there as soon as I can.”

He released my arm, slowly sliding his fingers down my skin before turning his back and closing the door as he left. I showered hastily because I wanted to be down there when he told my family what had happened. As I laced up my brown warrior leathers, I realized how out of place it looked on my pale skin. I would soon have to trade out my brown and gold armor of the Summer Court and replace them with the black and silver of the Winter.

I pulled my hair back in a tight braid, just like Meliantha always did, and started for the door. However, a feeling in my gut made me freeze where I stood. A loud knock echoed through my room, and before I could open the door, Kamden took the liberty of opening it himself and strolled in like it was his right. What the hell?

“Just come on in, Kam,” I muttered sarcastically. “I know we’re friends, but you can’t just walk in like that. If Brayden was in here you’d probably have your ass kicked.”

His stance was rigid, his eyes dark and menacing, and so unlike the sweet Kamden I grew to care for. Chuckling, he prowled toward me and said, “I’d like to see him try. You know, I heard that your precious prince is your guardian now. I honestly didn’t think you would complete the bond with him after he left you standing in the middle of the dance floor looking all pathetic and alone in the Spring Court. I must say that it was a shame I wasn’t there to see it.”

Something was wrong and I knew it from the dread building up in the pit of my stomach. All I could sense around me was darkness. My insides screamed at me to run, to fight, but I had nowhere else to go. Kamden had me cornered against the wall, trapped. Unfortunately, my instincts told me it wasn’t Kamden gazing back at me through those evil, malicious eyes. It was someone else, someone I was going to have to face and destroy all on my own.

“Alasdair,” I growled. His lip quirked into a smile, but then disappeared with my next words. “The only pathetic one here is you. You have to hide behind a disguise to get to me. I would say that makes you a spineless coward and definitely not what I expected from an all mighty sorcerer.”