Summer of Frost (Forever Fae #3)(42)
Laughing, he reached for my hand, and I jumped as the electric shock bolted through my body. Drake smiled and ran his fingers over the scar on my palm. “I’m glad to hear it,” he sighed warmly. “Just be careful. I know how you are and I know you don’t think before you speak sometimes, but do me a favor and don’t provoke Alston. If your powers are suppressed, then the only thing you have in your favor is your fighting skills. I know you can take care of yourself, but the real Alston will show his ugly self very soon and you need to be prepared. He’s not going to sit idly by. He wants you, and it kills me to know that he’s alone with you right now.”
“You have nothing to worry about with that. Trust me,” I murmured.
“I do with my life.”
When the dream world started to fade, I did what I wasn’t expecting myself to do. I leaned over and kissed Drake gently on the lips, watching his eyes spring wide in the process. His loving smile was the last thing I saw before he disappeared from my world.
“Why do you think she couldn’t get to me in my dreams?” Oren asked as we walked through the palace in search of Sarette.
“I think the house they’re in is enchanted with a spell. I told her in the dream last night that the same thing happened with Calista when she was taken on that first night. The house was invisible, and her magic wouldn’t work inside. She seemed to be warming to the idea that Alston isn’t who he seems.”
“I’m glad she’s coming around. Do you think she’ll do something stupid when the truth comes out?” Oren asked, even though he knew Sorcha well enough to know the answer. I gave him an incredulous look in response and he sighed, “That’s what I was afraid of.”
When we reached Sarette’s door, Oren knocked. A few minutes passed by and no one answered, so I did the only thing I could think of and barged in. Too much time had wasted, and I refused to give Alston more time with Sorcha. Sarette didn’t even budge when Oren and I entered her room. She sat by the window, staring blankly at the gardens below.
Oren walked past me and knelt in front of her. “Sarette? Talk to me,” he whispered soothingly to her.
She glanced at Oren briefly before turning back to the window. “My own flesh and blood turned traitor,” she cried hoarsely. “How am I going to face everyone back home? They’re going to treat me like an outcast now.” She put her hands over her face to hide the embarrassment and sobbed uncontrollably.
Oren took her hands away from her face and held them in his. “It wasn’t your fault, Sarette. Alston’s obsession with Sorcha is what drove him to this insanity. Besides, you don’t have to worry about facing everyone at home. You can make a new home in the Summer Court … in Sorcha’s Summer Court.”
Sarette’s eyes grew wide, flicking a nervous glance my way before wiping away her tears. To me she asked, “Would you approve of that, Your Highness? Letting the cousin to a traitor being allowed to live in your court?”
Smiling briefly, I said, “Yes, I would approve, and I know Sorcha will be glad to hear it, too. Nevertheless, we’ve come for your help.”
She stood up slowly, determination in her eyes, and crossed her arms across her chest. “Whatever you need me to do I’ll do. I still can’t believe Alston would do this. All the lies he told me. I must’ve been blind not to see the truth.”
“Well, Sorcha can’t see through it right now either. She’s been visiting me unconsciously in her dreams, and she started out not believing anything I said, but I think she’s coming around. I’ve told her secrets that only she and I know of, and she’s still skeptical. Are all you Winter women like that? When we get her back I’m going to scold her ass for being so damn stubborn.”
“That’s her, and unfortunately, she’s always been like that. I’ve just gotten used to it,” Sarette laughed half-heartedly. “What do you need from me?”
Oren and I glanced at each other, and I nodded for him to answer. “I’ve taken Drake to all the places Alston and Sorcha had often gone to in the mortal realm together. We can’t get a feel for her anywhere and I’m afraid we won’t if what Drake suspects are true.”
“What is it that you suspect?” she asked, looking at me.
I replied, “We think she might be somewhere that’s muted her powers. She’s not able to communicate with Oren so I’m only assuming the place she’s in is surrounded by dark magic.”
“And how can I help?”
“We need to know if you have any idea where he could’ve taken her other than the places we’ve already been.” Oren went into detail on all the places we’d been while Sarette followed along, furrowing her brows in concentration.
Taking a deep breath, she turned her back on me and faced the window. “I think I might know where they’re at,” she whispered. “I don’t know for sure, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Where?” I belted out quickly.
When Sarette faced us, fresh tears stained her cheeks. Her voice quivered when she asked, “What are you going to do if they’re there? Are you going to kill Alston?”
Oren and I glanced at each other quickly. I wanted to kill Alston for what he’d done, and if he didn’t hand Sorcha over then I would kill him. I wasn’t sure what Sarette was expecting me to say, but she had to know that even though she was Sorcha’s best friend, I couldn’t let Alston live for her sake. That might be cruel, but it was the way it had to be. No one betrayed our people and lived.