Looking uneasy, the girl decided to continue on when he did not speak. “I apologize for interrupting you, Your Highness. Your mother instructed me to find you out here.”
Ah, Kalan thought, finally realizing what was going on. Another one of mother’s attempts. Kalan knew his mother’s desperation must be reaching new heights, no doubt due to her fear in the upcoming Summer Ambassador’s visit. He could think of no other reason why she would turn to common fae to find his prophecized lifemate. Although he had no prejudices towards common fae, it was no secret that his mother hoped his mate to be a fae of substantial power–in other words, a noble.
Not wanting to appear rude despite his agitation, Kalan finally addressed her vocally. “I see. It is no trouble. Please have a seat, Miss…”
“Hera,” she supplied as she sank gracefully into the chair.
“Pleasure to meet you, Hera,” he gave her his formal smile, reserved for Court matters. “Where are you from?”
“A small village on the outskirts of the Winter Court,” she replied, appearing slightly relieved at the comfortable topic. “Icelanding.”
The news caused the prince to give a small, genuine smile. “Icelanding? I believe one of my close friends is one of your ladies. Lady Suisan?”
Hera gave an answering smile. “Yes, she is! We all absolutely adore Lady Suisan. She is so kind and generous. She makes us all feel like we are a part of her family.” Realizing that she had lost her composure, the girl blushed charmingly.
“My apologies, Your Highness,” she shot him a wary glance. “I did not mean to ramble.”
Kalan was not sure what it was, but he found himself no longer annoyed with the girl’s presence. It was a strange realization since most of his mother’s prearranged encounters managed to be bothersome from the first greeting. Perhaps it was Hera’s gentle demeanor. He did not know.
“Do you have an occupation in Icelanding?” He asked, curious about her in an unfamiliar way.
“Not any longer. I was in the process of learning to train others in the ways of their magic, but…” she trailed off, blushing prettily.
“But?” He prompted.
Casting her gaze down, she continued, “But your mother’s guards approached me during the middle of my apprenticeship. They informed me that I was due at court to make your acquaintance… per the royal decree.”
Kalan frowned. He did not like the idea that this young fae’s future had been put on hold just so she could simply meet him. Surely his mother might have thought of another way to arrange the encounter without disrupting Hera’s life.
“I apologize,” Kalan offered sincerely. “I hope you will be able to pick up your apprenticeship again. I’d hate to have impeded your life.”
Hera’s cheeks burned crimson. “It’s quite alright,” her gaze rose, tentatively. “It has not been a bad experience.”
It was Kalan’s turn to flush. A very unusual reaction for him.
At that moment, Ronan walked onto the patio. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing Hera. Looking unsure of how to proceed, Ronan simply shot a questioning look to his prince and remained standing by the entrance.
Just as Kalan was about to inform his guard that he would join him inside momentarily–he had a surprising desire to continue his conversation with Hera–the prince remembered why his guard would be seeking him out. It was nearing the time that the two had agreed to venture to the Human Realm today.
In an instant, Kalan rose and excused himself to Hera. “My apologies, again, Miss Hera. I have a previous engagement I must attend to. Perhaps I shall see you around the palace?” The words slipped out of his mouth with no thought.
Standing, she gently tipped her head toward him. “I would enjoy that, Prince Kalan. Until then.”
Sharing her smile, Kalan bowed at his waist, before turning on his heel and leaving the patio. Ronan right behind him.
Although the prince enjoyed the young female’s company, there was no doubt in his mind on which female’s company he would prefer most.
Chapter 12
Sitting by the apartment complex’s pool, Gwen relaxed in a lounge chair and enjoyed the warm summer sun. There were few things she enjoyed more than spending time outside. It’s why she chose to attend medical school in Colorado. The state’s outdoor activities were unlike any other. Rafting, camping, and skiing, it didn’t get much better than that. Gwen wished the Texas heat allowed for more outside fun, but water activities were about all she could handle.
Kate and Sara were supposed to join her by the pool, but their uncle recruited them to assist him in cleaning out a recently empty apartment. He was looking to re-lease the unit as soon as possible, and it apparently needed a good scrubbing first.
So here she was, watching kids splash and play in water now that they were out of school for the summer. She swirled the glass of lemonade she held in her hand.
Idly, Gwen began calling on her elemental magic. She alternated between freezing the bitter-sweet drink before swiftly melting it back to its liquid form. She grinned in triumph at the ease with which she could now freeze substances. It had taken nearly a month, but she finally mastered her winter abilities. Well, she corrected herself, maybe not mastered. But she was still vastly improved.
Gwen remembered how frustrated she felt when first trying to use her winter powers. It wasn’t until she began practicing her summer powers that Ian realized what her problem was.
“Your magic is actually balanced,” Ian informed her as he watched her easily heat water up to a boil.
“What do you mean?” Gwen asked, continuing to heat the water into its gaseous state before reducing its temperature to make it condensate. She could cool gases in the air easily enough.
“Have you noticed that you can’t heat up the air as easily as you can lower it?” He asked with a grin as he took in her confused face. “Or that you can raise the temperature of physical objects better than you can reduce them? You might have both sets of abilities due to your unique parentage, but your powers are definitely balanced.”
With a huff, Gwen walked to the living room and plopped herself down on their couch. “So I’m a jack of both trades, but a master of none?”
Ian laughed. “Gwennie, give yourself some credit! You are a half master of both sets of power, something no other fae can say!”
“And who knows,” he added. “With time and practice, you could become a master of both.”
It was that idea that kept Gwen working on her abilities and got her to her current level of proficiency.
So caught up in her own thoughts, Gwen did not notice the sound of approaching footsteps. She became aware of another’s presence when a tall shadow fell over her. Guessing it to be Ian, she looked up with a welcoming grin only to have it fall from her face.
Looking down at her, with the same cocky grin he always wore, was Bradley. Her two timing, arrogant, and self-absorbed ex-boyfriend.
Her heart thumped in her chest and blood rushed to her face. Gwen was glad to have her shocked and uneasy expression somewhat covered by the large aviator sunglasses. Although enough time had passed where Gwen was no longer angry with Bradley for his infidelity, and she could honestly say she was over him, he was still not someone she ever had a desire to see.
“Looking good, Gwen,” his handsome mouth slid the words out like a snake. Bradley did not try to hide his perusal of her body. Gwen mentally cursed herself for choosing the pale blue swim suit to wear by the pool. She was well aware of how flattering the number was on her and hated that it drew the jerk’s attention.
Refusing to show how much his behavior bothered her, Gwen kept her expression impassive. “What are you doing here, Bradley?” She set down her lemonade, afraid she would spill the drink with her shaky hands.
He gave her a crooked smile; the one she use to find adorable. Now, it made her want to gag.
“I’m here to see you,” he answered. Still standing, Bradley leaned over to rest both of his hands on the bac
k of the lounge chair, effectively boxing her in with his arms. Gwen shot him an aggravated look as she gritted her teeth.
“Why?” Her voice was laced with annoyance. She lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head, hoping her eyes would show him her complete lack of interest.
“Ah, come on,” he tried another smile. “I love you Gwen. I’ve said I’m sorry a thousand times. Why don’t you just forgive me and we can go back to the way things were? Nothing has to change.”
“And I’ve told you a thousand times, Bradley. It’s over.”
Using one of his hands, he tried to caress her cheek. Gwen jerked out of reach at his touch. “Gwen, it’s not a big deal. It was one girl. She means nothing to me. I want you.”
Realizing she was about five seconds away from screaming at him in public, she gave him a light shove so she could rise from the chair. Wrapping her beach towel around her and holding it closed with one hand, she slipped on her flip flops and picked up her lemonade.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked out of the pool area. She wanted to be away from kids in case the choice words she had for her ex erupted from her lips. She didn’t need any angry parents on her case.
Bradley followed, continuing to offer his disgusting apologies and pleas for them to start their relationship over.
When they reached edge of the parking lot, heading towards her and Ian’s apartment, Bradley apparently grew tired of being ignored. He reached out and grabbed Gwen’s upper arm, swinging her around to face him.
“Talk to me,” he demanded, his grip tightening as she tried to jerk away. Her grip on her towel loosened.
She glared. “Let. Go. Now.”
Infuriatingly, the corner of his lips twitched, amused by her attempt to sound intimidating. Bradley wrapped his muscular arms around her waist, drawing her body against his. Their closeness making her stomach roll with revulsion.
“Let go,” she repeated, lacing her tone with ice, while her hands warmed in anger.
Bradley’s arrogant smirk grew, showing off his bleached teeth, choosing to not give her words any credit.
His reaction broke her self-control. “I said,” she yelled, leaning back and dropping her towel so she could wind back her right arm. “Let. Go!” She brought her closed fist forward and made contact with his perfectly angled nose.
Her sudden violence shocked her, but something else shocked her even more. Gwen expected the rush of blood following her punch; she learned all about placing punches accurately during her undergraduate self-defense class. What she did not expect was the appearance of red, blistered skin on her ex. Where her hand made contact, Bradley’s tanned skin was blotched–looking almost like a sun burn. Bradley released his hold on her with a curse as he reached for his nose.
“What’s going on here?”
A voice behind her brought Gwen out of her whirling thoughts. She turned and watched as Kalan jogged up to where she and Bradley were standing. Well… where she was standing. Bradley was hunched over, holding his damaged nose.
“What’s going on here?” Kalan repeated, his eyes taking in the scene before him.
“This bitch just punched me in the face!” Bradley shouted, pointing an accusing finger towards Gwen. “For no reason.”
Gwen scoffed at his addition. “Yeah. I’d say you not letting go of me is a pretty good reason.”
Bradley made an aggressive move towards her, but Kalan stepped between them, stopping his advance. The prince gently moved her behind him, appointing himself as her shield. Gwen glared at her ex around Kalan’s broad back.
“I think it is best you leave,” the prince informed Bradley with a stern voice.
Bradley looked as if he were about to object when he stilled. Looking dazed, her ex met her eyes. “But I want to be with her.”
Confused by his sudden calm behavior, Gwen gave the man a quizzical look. His words sounded sincere, but the softness with which he spoke them was in complete contradiction to his typically arrogant behavior.
Being that she was so close to Kalan’s back, it was impossible to miss how rigid he became upon hearing Bradley’s heartfelt words.
“Gwen,” Kalan addressed her, eyeing her briefly over his shoulder. “Are you involved with this human?”
Wanting to scold the prince for his careless use of the word human in front of Bradley, but resisting, she shook her head in exasperation. “No. Not anymore.”
With a stiff nod, Kalan returned his attention to the other male. “You will leave. And you will not come back. You no longer desire to be with Gwen.”
She was taken aback by his authoritative tone. As if he could make Bradley leave me alone.
Gwen was even more stunned as she witnessed Bradley blink his eyes once before turning away. He walked straight to his truck, hopped in, and drove away.
Gwen stared, astonished.
“What… How…?” Gwen couldn’t voice her question. How in the world did he manage to make Bradley leave?
A vague memory began to surface in her thoughts. It was the night at Pat O’Brian’s. The rude guy who bought her a drink after she dropped hers. He had left her alone after Kalan told him to…
Looking at the fae with hesitant eyes, she confronted him. “That’s the second time I’ve seen you control a human’s actions... Can all fae do that?”
Kalan had been watching Bradley’s departure with a stern expression. Now that he was out of sight, he gave Gwen his attention. “Only the nobles and royals are capable of it. With no magic of their own, humans are extremely susceptible to a fae’s influence on their mind. Think of it as an extension of our glamour.”
Uneasiness filled Gwen’s stomach. “It seems like fae could easily take advantage of humans with that ability.” Horrible scenarios flooded the girl’s mind.
“Do not worry,” Kalan said in a soothing voice, greatly contradicting the one he used with Bradley. “All Fae have a strong and innate desire to protect the mortal realm, as well as all creatures in it. That includes humans. No misuses of that ability occur.”
Worries slightly alleviated, Gwen allowed her body to relax. She hadn’t realized it, but her muscles were tense since Bradley approached her at the pool. She still could not believe that the man would have the audacity to show up in San Antonio. Since she broke up with him, Bradley’s attempts to communicate with her were always ignored. Gwen had not responded to a single voicemail, text, or email from the guy. She figured when Bradley suddenly stopped his attempts after she left Colorado, he finally got the picture. Apparently, she had been wrong.
After a couple moments of silence, Kalan spoke, interrupting Gwen’s thoughts. “You would fit right in with Summer Fae.”
Gwen’s gaze flew to his. She was met with a smile. “Why would you say that?” She asked warily, wondering if he had seen and thought twice about the blisters on Bradley’s nose.
Kalan’s smile slowly turned heated.
“Because of that,” he gestured to her bikini clad body. “I’m surprised you can take so much sun, though.” He cleared his throat, eyes continuing to take in her figure. “It can burn us rather easily.”
“I… I use a lot of sunscreen,” she replied lamely, not knowing how to interpret his… compliment?
Or would it be an insult to a Winter Fae to be told they look like a Summer Fae? His expression certainly made it feel like a compliment.
Awkwardly, Gwen picked up the discarded towel and covered herself. The motion seemed to bring Kalan out of his daze.
“Should we go inside?” He asked, sounding perfectly at ease. His semi-suggestive behavior gone.
Nodding, Gwen led him to her apartment.
Walking in and shutting the door behind Kalan, Gwen felt immediately stifled by the hot, humid air that accumulated in the apartment with the heat of the afternoon sun. Using her magic, she immediately brought down the air temperature to a solid seventy degrees. Smiling, she turned to see Kalan’s reaction to the quick use of her abilities, only to have h
er smile stumble from her face.
The heated look was back and, if it was possible, it seemed even hotter. His blue eyes bore into hers, seeming to pierce her soul.
Emotions swirled low in her belly as she met Kalan’s gaze, unable to turn away. She had managed to overlook his incredible good looks the past few weeks, keeping their interactions instructive and professional.
But he never looked at me like this before, she realized dreamily. At least, not since the first night they met. There was no way she could ignore her attraction with him looking as if she was all he desired.
After a few moments, Kalan slowly approached her. His handsome, chiseled face seemed enraptured with hers.
Gwen’s breath caught in her throat. Her mind told her to back away from this man and his predatory behavior, but her traitorous body had other ideas.
Instead of moving away from Kalan, Gwen’s feet inched forward, with every intention of not stopping until she arrived in his arms.
***
She was breathtaking. When Kalan saw her standing outside wearing nothing but her bathing suit, the sun surrounding her in its gentle glow, he believed himself to be in a trance. Gwen’s trance. A trance he would gladly be in the rest of his days.
The prince stared at her for some time before he finally realized she was having trouble with the human male. For the brief instant Kalan believed Gwen to be romantically involved with the man, the prince could have sworn his heart fell to his feet. It soared moments later when Gwen assured him that she was not linked to the human.
Getting rid of the human had been easy and kept Kalan distracted from his earlier thoughts on seeing Gwen. But when he turned and saw her glorious beauty up close, he felt as if his body caught fire with the heat and desire that coursed through his veins.
He stupidly commented about her looking like a Summer Fae.
Will of Fate (Dual Court Kiss Book 1) Page 10