Summer of Frost (Forever Fae #3)(3)
I groaned, running my hands through my hair. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Ariella had this way of always making everything difficult for me, and she loved it. Even when I trained her she’d still be stubborn and up to no good, always trying to take me down with her underhanded tactics. She was a good fighter, but never disciplined enough to take it seriously. She always had a dirty trick up her sleeve, and in battle that could be a good thing. Out of all my sisters, she was the most fun to be around. You never knew what you were going to get with her.
Much to my dismay, and never would I say this to them, but I actually missed my sisters, Calista and Meliantha. The palace was a lot quieter with them gone, but it was full of energy when they were here. Meliantha was due any day to have her twins, and once we got the announcement I was sure everyone would be flocking to the Spring Court, maybe even … Sorcha.
Ariella snapped her fingers, trying to get my attention, so I cocked my head in her direction. “Drake, are you okay? You’ve been acting weird for a while now. You’re usually an arrogant ball buster, but I’ve noticed that you haven’t been as hard or mean to the warriors here as of late. What’s going on with you?”
Quickly, I averted my eyes from her, and tried to think of an excuse, but none came. Ariella was the last person I wanted to talk to about what was on my mind. Jumping up and down excitedly, she clapped her hands and asked, “Are you seeing someone? That’s the only reason I can think of. Who is she?”
Turning my head away from Ariella, I contemplated my next words. What was I to say … that I was in love with a dream? For the past few months, the Winter Court princess had occupied my fantasies every single night. Ever since I met her, she’d taken over every thought in my mind like a plague. I’d even turned down countless nights of bedding the women of our court because all I could see was the Winter beauty inside my head. I couldn’t seem to dream of anything else other than her, and what pissed me off about it were the feelings I was having. It was pathetic to be falling in love with a dream, and especially with someone from Winter. Except, if I was honest with myself, I’d say that I was already in too deep, but no one needed to know that.
Smiling, I glanced over at my sister who still had a goofy grin on her face waiting for my lover’s name. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no one. You should know better, Ariella. Love is for idiots who have nothing better to do.”
She stared at me in disbelief, but then burst out laughing. “I don’t believe you for a second! Say that shit to someone who’ll believe you. Drake, I’m sure one of these days you’ll find the Summer girl of your dreams. You don’t have to hide behind your arrogance, you know. Unfortunately, I’m sure you’d still be the same arrogant ass as always when you do decide to find someone. In a way, I kind of pity the girl that you fall for,” she joked. When I growled at her, she smiled and linked her arm with mine. “Oh, calm down, I’m just kidding. Now come and take me for a ride,” Ariella demanded. “It’s been ages since I’ve flown with you.”
Ariella and I had always had a certain bond. I think it was because she was the youngest of my siblings, and also the one I had to spend a great deal of time with to keep her out of trouble. She happened to be the only one of my sisters who’s ridden with me in dragon form. I don’t do it often, but when I do I enjoy the times I can be free and fly. Out of the people in my court, I’m the only one who’d been gifted with the ability to turn into a dragon. It made me different, and also lethal. When the final battle with the dark sorcerer comes, I was pretty sure I could handle my own.
However, there were disadvantages of transforming, such as the pain before and the fatigue after. It took a lot of power and strength to be, ‘The Dragon,’ but it was a sacrifice I’d happily give to see my sister smile.
“Where would you like to go?” I asked while we made our way to the edge of the field. “We flew over the Spring Court last time, so where will it be this time?”
Ariella smirked in her usual mischievous way, and acknowledged the one place I was hoping she would pick. “I say we fly over Winter this time. Let’s give them something to talk about, shall we?”
I smiled, and rubbed my hands together. “Let’s go.”
I could feel the excitement in my chest as my body prepared for the change. After removing my warrior gear, I knelt down in the soft grass below me. Ariella moved back to give me plenty of space, and folded my clothes into a neat pile. Before I let the dragon forth, I took a few deep breaths to concentrate, in and out. The calmer I was, the less pain my body endured during the change. On the days I was angry, I could shift almost immediately; the pain was explosive, but it was over just as quickly.
The dragon stirred beneath my skin, closer and closer to the surface. My skin stretched and my limbs grew, breaking and snapping while mending quickly back in place as the dragon took over. Gritting my teeth, I slammed my eyes shut. The snaps and cracks of the bones made Ariella gasp, but the sounds were actually worse than what it really was. She saw this every time, and every time she’d do the same thing. The pain was something I’d gotten used to, and I would gladly accept it to get the reward of the freedom it gave me.
My body grew until I soon towered over the trees, and my claws took root into the soft soil below. The fragrance of the land intensified while my sight magnified ten-fold. I could see and hear things over hundreds of yards away, and I could fly to and from each court within a matter of minutes. The fire inside me rumbled in my chest, bursting at the seams to be let out. When the transformation completes, my mind stays the same, and I can think just as clearly in dragon form as I can in my fae form. The ground shook as my heavy weighted claws thumped on the ground as I made my way to my sister.