Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(7)
“I’m sorry if I caused you pain. It was never my intention,” he admitted, his brown eyes softening.
I sighed and held onto the reins tighter, nodding my head because I had no clue what to say or do. “Good-bye, Brayden. I wish you a safe journey back to the Winter Court.”
It was lame but that was all I could come up with. Nudging Lennox with the heel of my feet, he slowly bounded out of the stables and out onto the powdery white sand. I caught up to Kamden, and against my better judgment I looked back to take one last glance at Brayden. The emotion on his face was one of the last ones I had expected to see … sadness.
As much as I wanted to deny it, I felt the same way.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE you let her go,” Sorcha scolded, approaching me from behind. I couldn’t believe it either.
Without turning around, I kept my gaze on Ariella’s retreating form as she rode off down the beach with Kamden by her side. As much as I wanted to hate the warrior with her, I couldn’t. He used to be one of my warriors in the Winter Court until he decided to follow Kalen to Spring. He was a strong fighter and I knew he’d keep Ariella safe.
“You know as well as I do that she wouldn’t have listened to me. It would only push her away even more. I am not stupid, Sorcha.”
Sorcha scoffed. “Umm … I hate to break it to you, dear brother, but I think you’ve already pushed her away. It took all I had not to kick your ass inside.” She came around to stand before me with her arms crossed over her chest and with a scowl on her face. “Do you want to know something, Brayden?”
Even if I said no she was going to tell me anyway so I said, “Yes.”
“Loving someone doesn’t make you a weak person. I know you’re the leader of the Winter Army. You’re strong, extremely stubborn, and closed off. A lot of us Winter Fae are like that. I tried to be an ice cold bitch like mother, but it wasn’t in me to be like that. It’s not easy to tell someone how you feel and believe me, I know. Drake isn’t exactly passionate like Ryder, or a complete moron like Kalen, but we all know what love is and we feel it. Stop fighting it and go to her. I can see it in your eyes that you feel something for her. You’re only fooling yourself if you think otherwise.”
She turned on her heel to walk away, but then stopped and her lips tilted up in an evil smirk when she said, “Oh yeah, by the way, you better be glad it was me who came out here to talk to you and not Drake. He’s really fond of Ariella and he isn’t too happy with you right now. So do me a favor and make things right with your princess. You don’t have to profess your feelings to the whole world if that’s what you’re worried about. Only Ariella needs to know how you truly feel.” And that was where I had my problem. There was never a time when I needed to express how I felt with words. It wasn’t something I did … ever.
“When does she have her guardian ceremony?” I asked curiously. I had an idea brewing in my mind, except I wondered if it would even be possible. There was only one way to find out.
A glint sparkled in Sorcha’s eyes and she smiled. “Tomorrow, why?”
“You’ll see,” I remarked slyly. “I have an idea, but I’m sure it’s going to anger Ariella more.”
Throwing her hands in the air, Sorcha groaned and mumbled to herself as she walked away. Ariella said she’d be ready to face me, and I was going to make tomorrow be that day. I just needed to talk to her father first and prayed that he would approve of my request.
KAMDEN RODE WITH me the whole way back, which only took less than an hour. Since my family was all still in the other Summer Court, he decided to stay for a while. The mischievous smile on his face as he got off his horse grated on my nerves, though.
“What is that look for, Kam? Tell me.”
He chuckled and put his arm around my shoulders as we walked up the steps to the palace. “Brayden has it bad for you, Princess. I have never heard or seen him look at a female the way he did you.”
I snorted in disbelief. “It still doesn’t change the fact that he’s an ass,” I remarked. “Was he always so closed off when you were his friend?”
Kamden shrugged and pursed his lips. “I wouldn’t say we were friends per se. Kalen was the one who was my friend and that’s why I chose to follow him to Spring along with Zanna. But yes, he was always quiet but fierce when he fought. Most of the warriors hated fighting with him because he could be lethal.”
When we got inside and settled in one of the sitting rooms, one of the servants brought us a tray filled with fruits and berries along with some sparkling water. My nerves were frazzled from everything going on, but I managed to eat a handful of berries and drink all of my water. Not knowing if I was going to live to see our land saved had me feeling in despair, and lost. My guardian ceremony was tomorrow, but what good would a guardian do if I was destined to die?
Kamden gazed warily at me. “What’s on your mind, Princess? You shut off on me there for a second.”
I wanted to talk to someone about what I heard, but I knew I couldn’t and that it had to remain a secret in case there were traitors in our midst or ears lurking around every corner. I didn’t like feeling alone. Exhausted, I released a heavy sigh and smiled. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking. So tell me about Brayden. Did he have a lot of women in the Winter Court?”