Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(78)

“Are you mad at me?” I asked him.

He sighed and pulled me to him. “I was at first. However, now that you’re alive I can’t help but feel in awe of you right now. You were so brave, Ariella.”

I leaned back and smiled. “Thank you, but I’m a little surprised to see you in the palace, though.”

Lifting a brow, he rolled his eyes and laughed. “Your mate wanted to find a reason to kill me so he offered to let me come into the palace as long as I didn’t enthrall any of your fae. The consequence would be death if I were to fail. I couldn’t leave without seeing you one last time.”

“There won’t be a last time anymore. I’m back and I’m not going anywhere, except to find Brayden,” I stated adamantly. I looked back at everyone and they all smiled reassuringly at me before I left. As soon as I got out of the palace, I knew where I needed to go. Brayden’s sorrow was like a beacon honing me to him and leading me the way. The closer I got to him the stronger I could feel his grief.

“Oh Brayden,” I whispered to myself.

Glancing down at my flat belly, I rubbed a hand tenderly over my womb and sighed. “We’re coming for you.”





The path to Brayden led me straight through the woods to the place where it all began. He was so close, but yet so far away. It was like my words would just float through his mind instead of him hearing them. Please don’t let me be too late to bring him back.

Once our ice cottage came into view I couldn’t wait any longer. Each second felt like an eternity and each step I took my heart raced even faster, a heart that could finally beat again. When I got to the door, I quickly burst through it expecting to see Brayden, but all I found was a dying flame and nothing except emptiness.

“No, no, no,” I repeated over and over, rushing in. Where could he be? I just felt him here.

“Brayden!” I shouted, rummaging through the house for anything that might lead me to where he was. He was just there, but now he was gone; I couldn’t feel him anymore. My heart sank when I realized I was too late. In the one second I couldn’t make it here on time he was gone … to the mortal realm.

“Brayden, come back,” I cried, shouting as loudly in his mind as I could. “I’m here and I’m alive. Please come back to me.”

I felt nothing through our connection. He had shut off and he had me blocked. I had no clue where he went or how to find him. There was no telling how long it would take for me to locate him in the mortal realm, or if I would make it to him in time before he did something stupid.

Placing a hand on my stomach, I let the tears fall and murmured softly, “What am I going to do, little one? I have to find him somehow.”

Before I could make it to the door, I gasped as something within my body began to pulse and come alive. There was magic blooming inside me and swirling around like butterflies in my stomach. I fell to my knees as all that energy built up and left my body in a huge rush of blinding light and colors that flew into the sky. Breathing hard, my chest heaving up and down from excitement, I slowly got to my feet and leaned against the door.

“I don’t know what you did, little one, but it must have been something major for that amount of power. I say we go find your father now.”

I was determined to find him no matter how long it took, but I prayed that it wouldn’t take long. The longer it took, the worse his grief would consume him. When I opened the door and stepped out, I marched through the woods toward the palace. I didn’t get too far; the sound of my name upon the wind had frozen me still.

“Ariella?”

I turned around slowly. My heart thumped wildly in my chest and the connection to Brayden suddenly surged back to life as I saw him standing there looking lost and unsure.

“You came back,” I cried. “I was going to go to the mortal realm to find you.”

“But you’re gone, angel. Why would I want to be found without you by my side? You may have saved us, but you left me here when all I wanted to do was help you,” he spat angrily.

“You did help me, Brayden,” I exclaimed. “It may not have been you directly, but our daughter who is part of you brought me back, just like I’m assuming she brought you back to me just now.”

“How is that possible? You’re dead! I felt you, Ariella, and there was nothing left. You’re probably not even here now, just a figment of my imagination.”

“Why are you Winter men so stubborn?” I growled, stalking toward him. “You want me to prove I’m alive, well here it goes.” The second I reached him, I grabbed his face in my hands and pulled him roughly down to my lips. “Feel me, Brayden. Feel my touch and tell me I’m not alive,” I muttered to him silently.

Groaning, he trailed his hands down my face, down my arms, and then down to my waist where he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. Ever so slowly, the sorrow and grief that consumed his soul from my loss began to disappear and wither away. He was coming back to me; he believed me.

Breathing hard, he released from the kiss and placed his forehead to mine. “You’re really here,” he breathed. “I can feel you.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “And so is our daughter.” I took his hand and placed it on my belly. “She’s in here and she’s alive.”

“How were you able to come back?”