Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(41)

I scooped him up into my arms and twirled him around, loving the way his angelic laugh brought a smile to my face after the terrible day I’d had. “How’s my little man doing?” I asked sweetly.

“Nixie brought me through the rainbow. It was fun,” he exclaimed happily, bouncing in my arms. I had port travelled with Nixie a couple of times in the past, and when she took you from place to place the colors around you looked exactly like a shimmering rainbow. It was an amazing sight and feeling to be in one place one minute and then in a completely different one the next.

Merrick leaned closer to my ear and whispered, “Uncle Brayden made me throw the snowball at you.”

“He did, did he?” I asked, pursing my lips at Brayden. “I think I might need to give a little payback to Uncle Brayden. Maybe later we can throw snowballs at him. He’s never had a snowball fight before, you know.”

Merrick snickered and wrapped his arms around my neck. “Who told you to call him Uncle Brayden?” I asked quietly in his ear.

His whisper came out louder than I had hoped. “Mommy and Daddy told me to,” he said.

When I glanced up at Brayden, he shrugged and commented silently, “I will officially be his uncle soon, but I bet it was Ryder who put him up to it. It sounds like something my brother would do.”

By the time I set Merrick down, Calista made her way down the path to us, covered in a thick, long coat that billowed out in the wind. Her long, golden blonde hair matched little Merrick’s and her Fall colored skin stood out amongst the brightness of the snow. I remembered having to bundle up when I was still a Summer Fae. It was amazing how things could change so drastically.

Calista’s eyes went wide when she noticed all of the females training behind me. “You’ve been busy,” she muttered in awe. “I think it’s amazing what you’re doing. Just imagine what it would be like if we had female warriors in all the courts.”

“It’ll soon be that way,” I said. “Give it time and it will happen.”

Calista hooked her arm through mine and lowered her voice when she asked, “Are you and Brayden finally getting along? He’s completely different from the last time I saw you two together.”

Brayden smirked and turned his head, trying to hide that he was listening. Rolling my eyes, I pulled on Calista’s arm and held Merrick’s hand as we ambled up toward the palace. “Yes, we are getting along. Now that we can hear each other’s thoughts, things have gotten easier. I understand him, or at least I’m trying to.”

“Do you think you would be where you are now if you didn’t have the guardian bond?” Calista wondered.

That was a good question.

“Honestly,” I started, “I don’t think we would be where we are now without it. Eventually we would, but being able to see into his soul and feel his feelings has helped us to where we are now. He’s changed, and I see it every day in how he opens up. All he needed was a push and he got it.”

Calista smiled over at me. “I’m glad things are getting better. I was really worried about you and him. I know Sorcha was ready to kick his ass there for a moment.”

We both laughed, and when I gazed back at Brayden following us, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I was close to kicking your ass there for a moment,” I said. “You were a complete jerk to me.”

“Are you going to remind me of this every day for the rest of my life?”

For the rest of his life. In better terms it should be for the rest of my life, which wasn’t going to be long. I didn’t want to think about that, not when there was still happiness to be had. Brayden could feel my angst and uncertainty, so when he called out my name I let go of Calista and Merrick’s hand and turned around.

“I’ll see you in the throne room,” I said over my shoulder to my sister. Smiling hesitantly, she glanced from me to Brayden, and took Merrick’s hand. She led him away from us and toward the throne room where I knew everyone was waiting.

“Did I say something wrong?” Brayden asked.

“No,” I lied, hating myself for keeping secrets from him. “I guess I just have so many things on my mind.” Taking his hand, I gazed up into his soft, brown eyes. “Let’s go see what kind of spell Elvena has cooked up for us. I’m pretty sure she found a way to protect the court.”

“I sure hope so,” Brayden remarked skeptically. “If not then we’re going to have some major problems.”

That was for certain.





RYDER WAS IN the throne room talking to Queen Mab and King Madoc when Brayden and I entered. Everything went silent as we approached the group, side by side. Elvena smiled and took my hands, pulling me down so she could kiss my forehead. “You look lovely, child. We were just discussing what we need to do to keep you safe from the sorcerer,” she explained.

“What have you come up with?” I asked, looking from her to everyone in the room.

When Queen Mab and King Madoc joined the group on the floor, Elvena began, “Basically, what we need to do is perform a protection spell. The only problem is that we can’t protect the whole expanse of the Winter Court. We can, however, protect the palace and extend it to your dwelling if need be.” When Brayden and I both nodded, she continued, “When we do this, you will only be protected inside the walls. I know it’ll feel like you’re trapped, but this is the best I can do.”