by Gow, Kailin
No, impossible...I pushed the thought out of my mind. But it returned again – Rose's face, Rose's body. The only other girl I'd ever dreamt about. All during the ride back to the Summer Palace, I couldn't help but wonder, couldn't help but think... No, Alistair loves her. And she is with Alistair. It could never work...Alistair's your friend.
And then, as the Summer Palace came into view, as I ran into the courtyard and under the shadow of the orange blossoms, I saw her, and the sight made my heart go still.
“Logan?” She was more beautiful than I remembered, her rosebud blush in full bloom. “I came to greet you – they're waiting in the Great Hall for dinner.” She was out of breath, flushed, as if she'd been running. Her balance was precarious; I reached out and caught her to steady her. As soon as my hands touched her shoulders, I felt a curious stirring in my chest, as if my body itself had responded to our touching by spurring me on to touch her further. How had I never noticed the way she smelled before? It was as if my newfound magic had made me more sensitive to scent – to the way she smelled of apples and fresh-cut grain, of the harvest after rainfall. She smelled warm, inviting.
Funny, I thought. It was Kian who set out to be cured of his love for Breena – and it was I who found it. I would never stop loving Breena – but as I looked over at her, wrapped in Kian's arms – I felt for the first time that my love for Breena had changed. It was no longer romantic, no longer physical. Our time together had been a test of our love. I knew now what it would be like to be with her – with no obstacles in the way, no Kian competing for her affections – and knew that, even then, we were not to be. And I knew that it was time to stop nursing my hopeless crush. I'd been afraid to move on – afraid to expose myself to heartbreak again, to rejection. It had been easier to love hopelessly than to risk being hurt. But now there was no more fear.
I looked down at Rose. Her skin was smooth – so preternaturally smooth. Had it always been this way? I caught her eye and smiled at her smile.
“There's some news,” she said, furrowing her brow. “All is not well. The Summer King's consort...”
“Raine?”
“She's not well,” Rose looked worried. “She needs to go back to Oregon, to seek a doctor there. Our magic doesn't work on her.”
“Sick?”
I followed Rose to Raine's chamber, wondering what kind of illness it could be. But as soon as I saw Raine – radiant, but with eyes full of sadness – I knew. Her illness wasn't physical. It was mental. As she sat, cradling Breena in her arms, she smiled softly at me.
“Homesickness,” she whispered. “It's real, isn't it? I need to go back – back to where I belong. Humans like me don't belong in this place. I love Frank – and I always will. But I love my life back home in Oregon. My career. My world. I see the sacrifices that Breena has made, or will make, and I know that choice is right for her. But not right for me. But I need a Knight to accompany me on the journey.”
I turned to Rose. “Could you spare me?”
She flushed scarlet. “Me?”
I couldn't resist giving her a flirtatious kiss on the forehead – one that sent chills up and down my spine.
“I'd be happy to accompany you back to the Land Beyond the Crystal River, my lady,” I said, bowing low.
“You don't have to use titles with me,” Raine smiled. “Ms. Malloy will do just fine.”
“Mrs. Flametail, more like!” King Flametail appeared in the doorway, beaming. “I'm going back, too. I'm ready to hand over my title to Breena – full time. I'm an old man, and have been ruling for too long. It's time for me to retire. And retire I shall. But I have one last act before I go.” He put his hand on my shoulders. “As of this morning, the Summer Kingdom is officially changing its constitution to recognize all Fey of Wolf descent to be official citizens of the Summer Kingdom, and enjoy all rights, comforts, and benefits that go therein. And I wish, too, to create an official role for the Wolf Prince within the Summer Court. The role of Lupine Vizier – a part of the Royal Family – so that Wolf issues are looked after at the highest levels of government.”
“Oh, Logan!” Breena smiled at me. “Isn't that wonderful?”
We hugged – awkwardly, at first, but then naturally. A hug full of friendship – and yet one, at last, that was free of lingering desire. A hug that promised a new relationship between us.
“Promise me,” Raine said to Breena. “That you'll have a big wedding! I'll do my best to come back for it. Both of us will. Or else you'll have to have a second one in the Mortal World. And Rose and Alistair – that will be the next wedding, won't it?”
Rose turned a darker shade of scarlet. “It's....awfully early, your Highness.”
I couldn't resist feeling jealousy prickle down my spine – involuntarily. Oh no, Logan, my subconscious chided me. Not this again...
As I walked out the door, I caught snippets of Raine's conversation with Breena. Curiosity compelled me to stop and listen.
“Logan is a wonderful man,” said Raine. “But Kian...he's the one, isn't he?”
“There were so many reasons for us not to be together,” said Breena. “Summer and Winter, warfare, struggle – and yet, we keep finding our way back to each other. In the end, love found its way back to us. No matter what.”
“And Logan?”
I couldn't resist pricking up my ears at the sound of my name.
“Things are going to be interesting around here, I bet,” said Breena. “Especially with Rose heading up the Department for Lupine Research.”
“You don't mean...”
“She'll be in charge of teaching the Wolf Fey to harness their magic. And somehow, I think she'll be harnessing a bit of her own power in the process...” She began to laugh. “It will be hard – at first. But I'm happy for him. And a little bit excited.” She sighed. “It's time for a new start,” she said. “For all of us.”
A new start. For Kian and Breena, for Feyland, for Raine and Frank Flametail.
“Rose!” I called. “Wait up!”
And maybe, just maybe, a new start for me.
*****
This is the end of Bitter Frost: Fairies of Feyland
Stay Tune for a new series featuring Logan, Rose, Kian, Breena, and some special mortals in the mortal world, a few years later in:
BEYOND CRYSTAL RIVER
Fall 2013
A FINAL WORD
Reasons Why?
I get asked this all the time, why do you interact with your readers so much?
1) The answer is simply because I see many of my readers as friends.
I’m a reader, too, and over the years, I’ve gotten to know some of you through Facebook, Twitter, or even at events I’m participating in. You have read my books, understood the story, and have come to love the characters in these stories as much as I do.
Over the years, I’ve gotten to know many of my readers. I share your pain when you lose a love one, congratulate you on victories, go through your birthdays and dramas at home and work. So you see, in other words, a lot of my readers have become friends of mine. You read my books, and even understand me like a friend understands a friend.
2) I know how reading can be time-consuming so I am pretty happy when a reader Facebook me and tells me she just read one of my books and she knows she'll be one of my biggest fans. I can't tell you how incredibly touched I am when someone tells me this. It literally brings tears to my eyes.
Not only does this feel incredible, and I am truly honored, but I want my readers to know from the bottom of my heart, this:
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When you love my books and even reach out to me to let me know how much you love my books or that it has touched you in some way, and even write a review about it, you can’t imagine how happy that makes me. I’m only human you know. It makes me feel good about what I'm working hard for.
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Preview of Upcoming New Series
Loving
Summer
kailin gow
A hot YA edgy contemporary romance
Prologue
Rachel Donovan paused at the door to the room her brothers shared, steeling herself for the kind of chaos within. What was it about guys that they couldn’t live in any space that wasn’t knee deep in unwashed clothes? Okay, so maybe her own room wasn’t exactly perfect, but she was a sixteen-year-old girl. And she was meant to be the rebellious one. It was allowed.
She pushed open the door to see Nat and Drew still stuffing clothes into their bags for the summer vacation. Nat was a year older than she and Drew were, with short, deep copper hair, an increasingly muscular build, and a good three or four inches in height on either of them. Drew was handsome, built like the athletic star quarterback he was, with jet black hair that would have matched Rachel’s except for the purple streaks she’d run through hers, deep green eyes that did match, and those same high cheekbones. Even though they were only fraternal twins, people always commented on the similarities. But the difference was he was tall, almost six feet, two inches, and muscular, while she was average and not muscular.
The room was every bit as bad as she’d thought it would be. Worse, even, because now there were clothes strewn over the two beds while they tried to work out what to take with them, the rejects joining everything else on the floor. Rachel picked her way through it as she headed inside.
“Aren’t you two ready to go to Summer’s Aunt Sookie’s place yet?”
“What’s the rush?” Drew asked. Nat just shrugged.
“What’s up with you two?” Rachel demanded. “It’s like you don’t want to spend the summer in a Malibu beach house or something. Is the idea of spending days on the beach that bad?”
Drew shoved a few more clothes into the bag, stuffing them down into it hard. “It is when I have to miss football camp for this.”
“Like you and the other jocks don’t spend all year running into one another anyway,” Rachel shot back.
“This is a big deal for me,” Drew pointed out.
Rachel snorted. “Like you aren’t a shoo-in for some dumb jock football scholarship anyway. A few weeks at Summer’s aunt’s place aren’t going to hurt. Come on, are you really telling me that you’d rather spend the time playing football than on the beach talking to all the girls there?”
“I would if it means you’re going to be there in a bathing suit,” Drew replied. “There are some sights the world isn’t ready for.”
Rachel looked around for something to throw at her twin, couldn’t find anything suitably heavy looking, and settled for ignoring Drew instead. She turned to Nat. “What about you? What’s got you sulking here?”
“I’m not sulking,” Nat said. “I’d just rather be here.”
“With Chrissy,” Drew added from behind Rachel. Nat shot him a dark look.
“Why not?” he demanded. “I’ve only just hooked up with her, and now I’m supposed to just go off to Malibu?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Like you seriously think she won’t be here for you when you get back? You two are so into each other it practically makes me want to throw up.”
“Isn’t that your response to love generally?” Drew asked.
“This from the guy who seems to be making his way around every girl in our class?”
Her brother shrugged. “Can I help it if they all seem to want me?”
That got another eye roll from Rachel. “Arrogant, much?”
Nat stepped in, the way he always seemed to so that they wouldn’t end up fighting. It was no fun being a twin with a sensible older brother, sometimes. “Look, Chrissy and I are not in love, guys. Infatuated right now, yes. I mean we went out a few times but that’s about it.”
“Did you actually want something, Rachel?” Drew asked. “Or are you just here to make sure that we never finish packing?”
Rachel remembered and pulled out her phone, bringing up the photo that Summer had sent over.
“Summer’s aunt is going to be busy at her acting school, so Summer is picking us up herself. She sent over a photo so that we wouldn’t miss her at the airport. I’m kind of glad she did. She might have been my best friend, but I haven’t seen her in, like, forever. I wouldn’t have recognized her.”
Nat took the phone.
“She’s changed a bit,” Rachel said, and as her brothers looked at the photo, she watched for the moment when their expressions said they’d finally realized just how much Summer had changed. The slightly awkward thirteen year old in glasses, with braces and puppy fat was gone in the picture she’d sent, to be replaced by a chestnut haired, blue eyed beauty with a willowy body, delicately tanned skin and a perfect smile.
“Whoa,” Drew said.
“It’s quite a change, isn’t it?” Rachel said with a smile of her own, just to let her brothers know that she’d seen their faces. “Honestly, I’m not even sure if I can be friends with someone that pretty. I mean, Summer’s better looking than the queen bee in our school, so she’s probably turned into a total bitch.”
“Because all pretty girls are mean girls?” Nat laughed. “Looks like you’re going to have to get over the stereotype there, Rachel. Anyway, it isn’t even true. Chrissy’s beautiful, and she’s as sweet as anybody you could ever meet.”
Rachel took her phone back from him. “Because you’re into her right now. We’re see about that in a month.” She’d barely gotten her phone back when Drew snatched it from her. “What are you doing?”
“What?” Drew shot back. “I just want to make sure that I recognize her.”
“So it has nothing to do with the part where you think she’s hot?” Nat asked.
“What if it does?” Drew shrugged. “I’ve always… I’ve always thought she was kind of cool.”
Rachel gave him a warning look. She knew what her twin brother could be like. “Don’t you dare go there,” she said. “Summer’s one of my best friends. You are not just going to play with her and sleep with her like all the other girls you date. She’s off limits, Drew. I mean it.”
“You’d better listen,” Nat said, with a look that made it clear he wasn’t serious. “We wouldn’t want to be on Rachel’s bad side.”
Drew caught his cue neatly. “She has a good side?”
Why was it that her brothers always teamed up on her, Rachel demanded of any part of the universe that was listening? It was meant to be twins who teamed up on the rest of the world, wasn’t it?
“I’m serious, Drew,” she said. “I don’t want Summer getting hurt. Besides, I d
on’t think you’re even her type.”
“I’m not her type?” Drew said, looking slightly offended. Maybe it was just because he couldn’t believe that there was any girl whose type he might not be. “Well, maybe she isn’t my type. Had you thought of that?”
“She has a pulse, doesn’t she?” Nat asked, and was rewarded by Drew throwing one of the t-shirts for Sookie’s Acting Academy that Summer had sent over at him.
“He has a point, Drew,” Rachel said, moving to sit down on the edge of the bed. “Right now, it seems like you’re interested in any pretty girl who looks at you.”
“That isn’t true,” Drew insisted.
Rachel shook her head. “All right then. Any pretty girl who’s prepared to sleep with you because you’re the star quarterback. You use them and then you leave them, and I don’t want Summer hurt like that.”
Drew finished shoving clothes into his back and yanked the zipper shut. “Why are you assuming that it’s always me?”
“Maybe because it usually is?” Nat suggested. It looked like he’d finished packing too, and he put his bag beside Drew’s. There were still plenty of clothes left everywhere. Rachel knew better than to wonder whether they’d do anything about them. “Face it, Drew, you aren’t exactly the kind of guy to settle on one girl. How many girlfriends have you had in the last year?”
Drew picked up his bag and grinned the kind of boyish grin that did a lot to explain why he’d worked his way through most of the cheerleading squad. “Plenty. It’s kind of hard not to when they’re practically throwing themselves at me.”
“Well then,” Rachel said with heavy sarcasm, “the break will do you good. With all those girls making life so hard for you, this will give you a chance to recover.”