Summer of Frost (Forever Fae #3)(56)
Delighted, Drake asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
I kissed him on the lips. “Yes!”
I carefully handed it to Elvena who held it in her hands and gawked at it for the longest time. If anyone knew how to read it clearly it’d be her. It was written in the Old Fae language.
“How is this possible?” Drake questioned. “I saw you give it to the sorcerer.”
“Oh, I did give a scroll to the dark sorcerer, but it wasn’t the right one.” I spoke the last part while glancing at Oren, wondering if he’d catch on.
He narrowed his eyes, contemplating my meaning, and when he realized what I did he burst out laughing. “Are you saying he has your letter instead of the scroll?”
I nodded cheerfully. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I guess being pissed at Drake paid off.”
“Hey!” Drake interceded. “Do you mind explaining? I would sure like to know.”
Taking a deep breath, I let it all out with a sigh. I kept my gaze on Drake when I answered, “Okay, here it goes. When I went to the Spring Court to visit Meliantha, Kalen, and the babies, I was so mad at you for being distant with me. I didn’t expect you to think our dreams were real, but after the dream where you told me to stay away from you I got angry. I was mad, so I wrote a letter to you. The morning I was going to give it to you, you had already left. I kept it and put it in my pouch on my armor belt. When I got the scroll, I put it in there as well. Then when the sorcerer came and demanded it, I carefully felt around and picked the letter in hopes he wouldn’t notice. Thankfully, he didn’t look at it before he hid it again.”
The room exploded into cheers and laughter after the good news was spilled. Drake picked me up and swung me around in his arms. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Oh, I know,” I agreed teasingly. “We have the advantage now. He has no idea we have the scroll, which means we’re going to surprise the hell out of him when we defeat him.”
He set me down, and pierced me with a serious glare. “Although, I think I’m kind of pissed you didn’t tell me you had the scroll.”
I grinned. “A girl has to be able to have some secrets.”
“Good luck, Drake. My little sister is sneaky,” Kalen piped in, joining us. “She was always the sly one in our family.”
I scowled at him half-heartedly. “No, I think that would be you. Everything I’ve learned has been from you and Ryder, but all of my underhanded tactics was because of you, Kalen. I guess, in this case, taking after you came in handy.”
He chuckled lightly. “I’m glad I could help.”
The conversations ceased the moment Elvena came into view. She strutted her way to the middle of the room with the open scroll in her hands. She went first to Calista and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward Meliantha where she linked their hands together. Elvena then motioned for me to hold Meliantha’s other hand while Ariella joined in with mine and Calista’s. The moment the circle was complete, a surge of raw power flowed through us, taking our breath away.
“Do you feel it?” Elvena asked, walking around our circle. From our gasps and wide eyes she knew very well we felt it, so she continued with her speech, “What you feel is all your power connecting and strengthening off each other. It’s not at its prime yet, but it will be when Ariella comes into her full power. Imagine how strong you’re going to be then.”
Ariella was the one who spoke up. “What’s going to happen when I get my full power? What does the scroll say we have to do?”
Elvena reluctantly met our gazes one by one, and it was perfectly clear that she was keeping something from us, something grim, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to discuss it in the filled room. Whatever was written in the scroll wasn’t going to be easy, that was for sure. I just wondered what it was. Holding up the scroll, Elvena addressed the room, her soft, angelic voice echoing off the walls.
“To defeat the dark sorcerer we need the blood of the Four … the bonded blood of the Four. Which means Ariella will need to be bonded to Brayden for this to work.” Ariella groaned and met Brayden’s gaze across the room where he stood unmoving beside my father, King Madoc. Her groan elicited no reaction from him, which only made her fume even more. It was looking like Brayden was going to need some sense smacked into him after this meeting.
I squeezed Ariella’s hand to give her reassurance, and she sighed before squeezing mine back. I leaned into her and whispered softly, “It’s going to be okay. Brayden isn’t the type to express his feelings, and neither am I really, but Drake has helped with that. I know he’s feeling the connection, but he probably just needs more time to process everything. He’ll come around.”
“I guess we’ll see,” she whispered, gritting her teeth. Brayden’s gaze was lowered to the floor, and I was sure he’d balk at the sight of Ariella staring daggers at him. Her icy and violent stare would make any Winter Fae cower away from her. She was going to do great in the Winter Court.
“Does it say why the blood has to be bonded?” Ariella asked. “My blood should still be the same, bonded or not.”
Elvena shook her head. “No, my child, it won’t. Right now we have Calista with Fall blood, Meliantha with Spring, Sorcha with Summer, and you. As of right now you’re Summer, but we need you to be the Winter.”