Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(75)

I didn’t want to find my way back.





THERE WAS pain …

I was standing in the middle of a bright field with flowers as far as the eye could see. I was dressed in a beautiful white, flowing gown just like the dress I wore on mine and Brayden’s bonding night. There were others here, some reading while lounging in the grass while others walked and picked flowers.

“Please tell me this isn’t what I’m supposed to do while I’m here,” I mumbled to myself.

A deep, sad chuckle sounded from behind me so I turned around quickly and saw someone I wasn’t expecting to see. He bowed his head and smiled. “You can do what you want here, Your Highness. I am not one for the flower picking either.”

“Lukas!” I shrieked, taking hold of his hand. He felt so real … so alive. “What’s going on? How long have I been gone?”

“Not long,” he answered. “It’s been about a day now.”

“Where’s Merrick?” I asked curiously. “I figured he would be here.”

Sighing, Lukas shifted on his feet and hung his head. “No, he’s not here. He wanted to be here when you crossed over, but Calista needed him more.”

When his gaze lifted to mine, I could see the hesitance and sorrow in his eyes. “Oh no,” I whispered, turning away. “I can’t imagine what they must be going through right now.”

Even though I didn’t have a heart that beat, I could still feel the hurt and pain in knowing that everyone I loved was back home suffering.

“What’s going on back home? Is Brayden all right?” I asked forlornly.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the same soft, angelic voice of the woman I remembered hearing when I died. I could feel her presence behind me. “They will all be fine, Ariella,” she replied, placing a kind hand on my shoulder. “Losing someone you love is not an easy task to bear.”

I think we all knew how that felt. Taking a deep breath, I turned around slowly and in front of me was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. “What are you?” I breathed, taking in her whole appearance.

Her hair was like my own, appearing more white than blonde, while her body beamed in the bright light almost like a shimmering glow. She had wings behind her back, but they weren’t feathery like you would imagine an angel to have. They were thin and iridescent, adding to the whole ethereal glow. I was amazed and in awe.

Smiling, she bowed her head and answered, “My name is Lailah, Your Highness. I am one of the keepers of the Hereafter. I have come to welcome you.”

I tried hard to smile but failed. “Thank you, Lailah. However, I wish I could say that I was happy to be here. I mean, I’m glad I was given the privilege to be here, but my heart was left back in the Land of the Fae.” I paused for a second and searched around again at all the people, noticing that none of them had wings except her. “So …” I began. “With being a keeper of the Hereafter does that make you an angel?”

She laughed and reached down to take my hand. Her skin was warm and soft, but her grip was firm and strong. I could feel her power and the pureness in her soul, and never in my life or death had I ever felt that kind of power. “I guess you can say that,” she said, “but my wings disappear when I leave the Hereafter and the moment I step back they appear.”

“How is that possible?” I asked. “Did you have to earn them before you could become a Keeper?”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t earn them in the way you think. I was chosen.”

“By whom?” I wondered. I had never heard of Keepers before.

“You ask a lot of questions, Your Highness,” Lailah teased with a grin. “I will tell you all that you want to know, but there is somewhere we must go first.”

She looked to Lukas, who had remained silent during our introduction, and bowed her head to him. “It was lovely to see you again, Lukas, as always.”

“Same to you, Lailah,” he responded warmly.

He backed away slowly as Lailah held my hand tighter and lifted us up into the sky. “Where are we going?” I asked, looking down at the ground disappearing beneath us. The land below us started to fade and I had to close my eyes to the bright light that glared all around us the farther we went.

“Just hold on tight, Ariella, and keep your eyes closed. All will be revealed soon.”





“OPEN YOUR EYES,” Lailah commanded sweetly.

Before opening my eyes, it took only one second to know where I was. I was in the Land of the Fae, in the exact spot the life fled from my body. The green meadows flowed as far as the eye could see with no hint of evil anywhere, and where I had met my last minutes in our realm there was a bed of roses that grew where my body had lain. I picked a giant pink one and held it to my nose. It smelled so sweet and alive, and it reminded me so much of my home in Summer before I changed.

“Why did you bring me here?” I cried, kneeling down into the grass. “What purpose is it to remind me of what I left behind?”

Lailah knelt down beside me and placed her hands on the ground. “I didn’t bring you here to make you upset, Your Highness. This is the first step to helping you understand.”

“To understand what,” I whispered.

She took my hand and placed it on the ground. “That this isn’t the end,” she claimed. “Concentrate on the land and tell me what you feel.”