Summer of Frost (Forever Fae #3)(36)
“Neither do I,” I mumbled wearily. Once we got into a deserted alleyway, Oren made another portal. “Where to this time?” I asked.
Oren sighed and answered, “To another one of Alston’s many places he liked to lure in Sorcha.”
“Great,” I muttered sarcastically. “Remind me never to visit any of them with her when I get her back.”
“You have my word, Your Highness.”
We stepped through yet another portal, knowing it was going to be one of many. Desperate couldn’t even begin to describe the way I was feeling.
The bed was soft underneath my body, and the sheets were warm against my bare skin. When I tried to turn, I was held in place by an arm across my stomach. Tilting my head back, I could see it was Alston holding me tight, and he was sound asleep. What I didn’t understand was why I had no idea where I was or how I got there. By the smells and the feel of the land we were in the mortal realm, but the place we were in was never one I’d been to with Alston. Why couldn’t I remember how I got there, and why did my head feel so damn fuzzy? I guess I drank too much faerie wine.
When I pulled the covers off of me, that’s when my attention peaked. My skin was no longer the pale white of a Winter Fae, but a golden hue of the Summer. “Holy shit,” I whispered. Panicking, I grabbed Alston’s arm and shook him forcefully. “Alston, wake up! Something’s wrong with my skin,” I shrieked.
Alston woke with a start and immediately came to attention. When he saw me going frantic, he placed his hands on my face and pulled me down to him. “Shh, it’s okay,” he said soothingly. “You’re safe now. Everything’s going to be all right.”
A jumble of questions came to my mind and I couldn’t stop from spouting them all. “What happened? Why are we here? Where’s Oren? And why do I feel so weird?”
Alston sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Calm down, Sorcha. It’s been a rough couple of days, and there’s a lot I need to tell you. Some of it’s going to come as a shock, but you need to know that you’re safe and so is your family.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked frantically.
He paused for a few seconds before answering, and when he did I could tell he was very hesitant in telling me. “There was an attack at the palace,” he began. When I opened my mouth to speak, he placed a finger to my lips. “I’m going to tell you everything, okay? Just let me finish.” After I nodded, he continued, “When the palace was attacked, you and I were walking to your room. When I opened the door there were people there waiting for you. I don’t know how they infiltrated the palace, but they did, and they were coming to take you to the dark sorcerer. After I killed them, we left to find your parents and Oren. Oren wanted to be the one to bring you here, but your parents thought it best that he not follow you. The dark sorcerer knows he would never leave your side, so that made him a target. Wherever he is, you would be, but that’s not the case now. When you refused to leave, they had one of the healers give you a potion to knock you out, and for some reason your skin changed after you took it. I don’t know. They said it would probably go back to normal soon. I brought you here so you couldn’t be found so easily. We have to stay hidden for a while until it’s safe to go back.”
“It’s never going to be safe!” I snapped. “How long do they expect me to stay here?”
Alston’s sympathetic gaze was answer enough. “As long as it takes,” he suggested sheepishly. “We have to wait here until they come get us.”
Jumping out of bed, I stomped over to the window. “Where is here exactly?” I asked, pulling open the curtains.
I was met with rolling hills and trees as far as the eye could see, and I had no clue where we were. Alston came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I loved the feel of them around me, but for some reason it didn’t give me comfort right then. “We’re somewhere safe, baby. Why don’t you lie down and relax.”
Giving in, I nodded and headed back over to the bed. “Okay, but what about clothes and food? How are we going to handle it here if we have to stay more than a couple of days?”
“You don’t need to worry about any of that. We have all we need here, and then some to last us a year.”
“A year!” I shrieked. “I’m not staying in the mortal realm that long. My people need me. I’m not a coward that runs for the hills, Alston, and you know that. If they haven’t come to get me in a week, I’m going back myself.”
Alston lowered his head and sighed. “I don’t want to stay here that long either, but your parents made me take an oath that I wouldn’t let you go back until they’re ready for you. I’m sorry, baby, but we have to stay in the mortal realm. If I go against my oath they can punish me to death, and your mother is cold enough to do it, too. I, for one, don’t want to die, so please don’t condemn me to it.”
“Dammit!” I hissed “Why would you do that?”
“I would do anything to keep you safe.”
Sagging in defeat, I laid down on the bed and groaned. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just the thought of being here for a long period of time doesn’t settle well with me.” I paused to examine the room. It was very rustic, but modernly so. Everything felt and looked new, as if no one had ever stepped foot in the house. “Whose house is this anyway? From the looks of outside it doesn’t seem like there’s much to do around here. We’re going to be bored out of our minds.”