Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(69)
I turned away before I said or did something I’d regret and stormed into the palace. “Ariella! Answer me, dammit!” I exclaimed in her mind, my hands shaking with fury as I marched to our room. There was nothing but silence on the other end. She was still there because I could feel her, but in her mind there was nothing except floating colors and vague images. That could only mean one thing … she was sleeping.
I knew just what to do.
I STRUGGLED TO stay awake as Merrick held me in his arms. I remembered him lifting me up off the prison floor and carrying me away into the dark destruction of the Black Forest. My brother and Sorcha did a lot of damage with their fire and frost, but it wasn’t enough to deter the sorcerer’s army. When Alasdair got back, there was going to be vengeance to pay. I would have to work quickly to stop him before he could attack.
Merrick laid me down gently on the bed in Gothin’s home and knelt beside me on the floor. He wiped the tears away from my face and the hair from my eyes before whispering, “Sleep, Ariella. Tomorrow will be the day we take back what’s ours.”
Before falling into the peace that sleep would bring me, I smiled at him and held onto his hand. “At least I’m not alone,” I cried.
“You will never be alone.”
My eyes stung with fresh tears, but I closed them and shut myself off from the pain. Brayden said those same words to me not too long ago. Slowly, and with my eyes steadily falling shut, I slipped into the dream realm and envisioned my life back home.
The snowy cold was welcome against my skin as I walked through the forest toward the icy retreat I could see up ahead. It was the place where Brayden and I had completed our bond and became one; the place that would always stay with me for the rest of my life. Opening the heavy, icy door, I stepped inside to find it dark and lonely.
The fire that once burned in the fireplace was no more; Brayden wasn’t there to lend his flame or to help heal my heart. I walked over to the blankets that were the same ones Brayden and I made love on, and carefully lowered onto them. I could smell his scent as I wrapped myself deeper into their warmth and laid my head down. I stared at the frozen fireplace as the tears began to freeze across my cheeks, except it wasn’t long before everything changed and the room lit up with fire.
The fireplace exploded with the blazing heat of Brayden’s fury and I knew it was his fire because I could feel it. His anger flowed through our connection to me and I could tell he was close … so close. The second I stood from the floor was the second the door burst open.
My heart beat a thousand times a second as I gazed upon the man who was my mate, my lover, and my king. He stalked inside, never taking his eyes off of me, as he stormed his way to me, taking me by the shoulders.
“Why?” he demanded. “Why would you deceive me like that? I came there to take you back and you let me go thinking I had you in my grasp.” His voice broke with those last words and it tore me down in the process.
Instead of saying how sorry I was or why I did it, I burst into tears and fell into his arms. He knew why I did it he just didn’t understand. His emotions ran wild through my blood and mine were doing the same to him. He held me tight and kissed the top of my head as I sobbed against his chest.
“I had to do it,” I cried. “I had to get you out of there before anyone got hurt.”
He huffed, “I don’t care if I get hurt, angel. I just want you home safe. As soon as the sun rises in the morning I will be back for you.”
I shook my head and held him tighter. “It will all be over by then,” I whispered.
He pulled me away and narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean it’ll all be over? Why do you insist on doing this when I know there are other ways to defeat him … together?”
Sadly, I smiled and took his face in my hands, saying softly, “Because there is no time. When the sorcerer comes back he’s going to have his mortal army ready to attack. I have to kill him before he sends them to our doors. You won’t make it here on time.”
“So what am I supposed to do now? Just let you save the world and go on with my life? How am I going to do that without you in it?” he argued.
I couldn’t argue with him on that because I wouldn’t know what to do if the situation was turned. Also, I didn’t want to spend what could be our last few moments together fighting. Taking Brayden’s hand, I lifted it to my lips and kissed him softly on his palm. “You have me now, Brayden,” I said soothingly, hoping to calm him down. “I’m here right now at this very moment with you. Whatever happens, I will always be by your side and in your heart.” I paused and leaned up to kiss him. I missed the way his lips felt on mine and the way his hands would tenderly touch my skin. He tensed, his anger still coiled underneath the surface of his skin.
“Please, let me love you,” I pleaded. “I need this, Brayden. I don’t want to fight.”
He sighed and leaned his forehead to mine, his muscles beginning to relax. “I don’t want to fight either, but this feels too much like a good-bye,” he whispered against my lips.
I shook my head and gazed into his soft, brown eyes. “There will never be a good-bye for us, my love. We are together, always and forever.”
“Always and forever,” he repeated quietly.
Knowing this was the last night I would spend in his arms and not knowing how long I had in the dream realm, I crushed myself to him and pulled him down to the floor. He ripped away my clothes, exposing my bare flesh, just as I did with him. There was no stopping us and there was no going slow. I needed him and he needed me. The weight of our fate loomed heavily in the air, but for one last time I wanted to feel his love … I needed it.