Summer of Frost

by L. P. Dover

  Expecting victory, a smile splayed on his face, but disappeared when Sorcha calmly said, “No.”

  Alston seethed with fury and slammed his forearm into her neck, cutting off her air. My fists were bloody from the incessant pounding on the invisible wall, but I kept hitting in hopes it would come down. Eventually, the wall began to waver and thin where I hit it with my bloodied hands. The places where my blood touched, it thinned. My eyes grew wide in delight and I smiled.

  “Why the hell are you smiling?” Oren demanded. “There’s nothing to smile about right now!”

  Unsheathing my sword, I sliced the tip over my palm. The blood gushed out and I placed that bloody hand to the wall. Slowly, my hand started moving forward through the invisible barrier inch by inch. I could feel it giving away until there was nothing but air.

  “How is this possible?” Oren whispered so Alston couldn’t hear him.

  “I’m not sure.”

  Sorcha was still refusing to give in, and soon I’d be in there rescuing her. When the wall fully opened, Sarette made her appearance and barreled past me, heading straight for Alston. His eyes grew wide and he faltered when he saw Sarette approaching him.

  “How could you do this?” Sarette cried. “How could you betray your people?”

  Alston kept the pressure on Sorcha’s neck, keeping her in place, but I could hear her wheezing for air. “I had to get what I want,” he answered, looking wistfully down at Sorcha. “But now it’s all over. I can’t let him have her.” Slowly, he leaned over and kissed Sorcha on the lips. “I’m so sorry, baby, but we’ll meet each other again in the Hereafter.”

  Everything after that went into slow motion. With my sword drawn, I lunged the second I saw him pull out the iron dagger from his belt and aim it toward Sorcha’s heart. Before the knife hit its mark, Sorcha unlocked one of her arms from Alston’s grasp and knocked him onto his back. It took a few seconds to understand what happened, but then I saw the jagged stick protruding out of Alston’s chest. Sorcha had stabbed him with her broken spear.

  Sarette rushed to Alston’s side, crying and wailing while I went to Sorcha’s. I scooped her up in my arms and crushed her to me. “Are you okay?” I asked, holding her tight.

  Sorcha rubbed her neck and grimaced. “Yeah, I’m fine. My neck hurts, but at least I can breathe again.” I set her down so she could join her grieving friend while Alston choked out his dying words. Her face showed no remorse as he lay there dying on the ground. “All I wanted was to be with you,” he stuttered weakly. “I loved you, Sorcha.”

  Sorcha regretfully shook her head and knelt down on the ground beside him. “No, you didn’t. If you truly loved me you wouldn’t have done what you did. Good-bye, Alston.” She backed away quickly when he tried to reach for her, and came to stand between me and Oren. Sorcha turned her back and slowly walked away.

  When she was far enough away from Alston and Sarette, Sorcha flung herself into Oren’s arms. “You had me worried, ai dulin,” he whispered gruffly to her.

  She sighed. “I told you to trust me, didn’t I?”

  He released her and lifted an eyebrow. “Sometimes that’s hard to do with you.”

  They both laughed lightly. Sorcha came to my side and took my hand, holding it tight. “I knew what you were doing, by the way,” she admitted. “Because I did the same thing.”

  “About what?” I asked, confused.

  She looked up at me and grinned. “About the promise to hand me over if you lost the fight.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Oren interrupted, glaring at me. “I was going to kill you myself if you let Alston have her.”

  Sorcha patted her guardian on the arm. “You had nothing to worry about, hence me telling you to trust me. The thing is, our promises don’t hold power in the mortal realm. I could’ve promised him I’d stay with him forever and wouldn’t have had to live by it. It was going to be my way of escape without putting anyone’s lives in danger.”

  “I didn’t know that promises didn’t work here,” Oren said sounding surprised. “Who told you that?”

  Sorcha narrowed her eyes. “I’m not sure who told me, but I knew it was true somehow.”

  “I was the one who told you,” I revealed confidently. “One time in our dreams we were discussing secrets that not many fae know, and that’s when I told you that promises don’t work in the mortal realm. I’d say that information came in handy today.” I brought mine and Sorcha’s clasped hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles while she watched me intently. “There was no way I’d ever promise to let someone else have you.”

  “Deep down, I knew that, but it still made me mad to hear it,” Sorcha added. “When do you think my memories will come back, or if I’ll ever get them back?”

  She looked back and forth between me and Oren. Her guardian shrugged, not knowing what to say, however I had an idea. “I think I know how,” I revealed to her. “When we go back to the Land of the Fae there’s somewhere I want to take you.”

  Her bright green eyes searched mine excitedly. “Where?” she asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  By the time everything was said and done, Sarette finally joined us, holding the tip of Sorcha’s spear in her hand, and handed it to Sorcha. “This was on the ground after Alston turned to ash. I thought you might want it back.”

  Sorcha flinched when she took it, not upset over killing Alston, but upset for causing her friend pain. She folded Sarette into her arms and held her close while her friend cried for her loss. “I’m so sorry, Sarette. I didn’t want it to end the way it did, but there was no other choice.”

  “I know,” Sarette whispered.

  Reluctantly, Sorcha pulled away and glanced behind her to the pile of ash on the ground, the pile of ash that used to be her lover, friend, and traitor. When she spotted me staring at her, she gave me a small smile. “I’m ready to go home. I’m ready to remember.”

  No one said a word as Oren made the portal to lead us back home. If my idea worked, Sorcha would have her memories back, and be at her home where she belonged … with me.

  “Are you sure this will work?” Oren asked.

  “I’m not sure, but it’s worth a try. Send word to all the courts about what happened. I’ll bring Sorcha back soon.” Oren bowed his head and said his good-bye to Sorcha. I began taking off my clothes and tossing them to the ground once Oren and Sarette were out of sight. I was going to fly Sorcha to the place we needed to go, to the place I could feel calling to us once we stepped back into the Land of the Fae.

  “Do you need me to hold your clothes?” Sorcha asked. Her tone was humor-filled while her eyes were alight with fire. Even though she didn’t remember our time together, I could still feel a want inside of her. It was a good sign.

  “Yes, please. Unless you want me to walk around naked when we get to where I’m taking you.”

  She shook her head and chuckled, gathering my clothes. “Do whatever you want. I’m not complaining.”

  After she had my clothes piled in her arms, I started the transformation. She stood in awe as my dragon side appeared before her. “Wow,” she breathed once it was all over.

  I lowered my body to the ground so she could climb up. When I felt her settled and holding on tight, I lifted off into the sky. I could see for miles and miles away when I was in the air. The Summer Court was green and lush with life as we flew across the expanse of it. The place I was taking her was so close I could feel the pull tugging on my insides and guiding my wings there. When our destination appeared, I landed smoothly on the ground and waited for Sorcha to slide off my back before I transformed into my body.

  She handed me my clothes and walked away from me as if she were in a daze. “I can sense it calling to me,” she whispered, hooking a glance over her shoulder at me.

  “So can I.”

  She glided slowly across the ground, but then stopped and knelt down, placing her hands on the dry earth below her. The land vibrated with energy, and immediately burst forth wit
h new life the moment her hands made contact. It was surreal how it all happened so suddenly. The sea we had dreamed of now filled up the horizon as far as we could see, and below our feet was the soft, white sand. Sorcha giggled as the water flowed over her hands and legs, soaking her with its warm embrace. When she turned around, tears flooded her eyes … happy tears, and she was beaming.

  “I remember,” she murmured softly. “I remember everything.”

  The look of relief on Drake’s face was heartwarming. I knew he was worried about it not working by bringing me to our land, but it did. He scooped me into his arms and kissed me with more passion than I ever thought imaginable. His tongue devoured mine with such intensity that I could feel the longing come off of him in waves.

  Not wanting to separate from his kisses, reluctantly I did. “I’m so sorry, Drake. I never imagined I’d ever lose my memories of you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I spent the rest of my life not remembering what we had.”

  Drake shook his head and placed both his hands on my face. “You would’ve remembered in time. You found me in your dreams even though you lost your memories. That right there says that no matter what happens to us we will always remember each other … one way or another.”

  “How did you find me?” I asked curiously. “I never heard you or Oren say.”

  “Sarette was the one who found you. She overheard Alston saying something about a house he had in the mortal realm. She followed him and saw for herself. Oren and I searched all the places you and Alston used to frequent together, but of course, they were all the wrong ones.”

  I knew Drake wanted to ask me something, but was a little hesitant to ask. His jaw muscle clenched over and over, and I’d recognized that from before as being a nervous tick he got. The infamous dragon had a nervous streak that only I had ever seen.

  Rubbing his jaw with my hand, I gazed into his smoky gray eyes and asked, “What’s wrong, Drake? Just ask me what you have on your mind. I know something’s troubling you.”

  Not taking his eyes off mine, he finally revealed his distress. “I kept telling myself it wouldn’t matter, and it doesn’t now that Alston’s dead, but did he take advantage of you when you were with him? Did you two sleep together?”

  “No!” I shrieked loudly. “We slept in the same bed one night, but never did anything more than that. Even though I didn’t remember you, I still didn’t want him like that. My heart was claimed before he took my memories.”

  It never occurred to me that those thoughts would be eating away at his mind. I would’ve been livid if he was alone with a past lover with no recollection of who I was. Drake smiled wryly. “I thought you said you never wanted to be claimed. Does this mean you’re mine?”

  “Yes, you knew that already.”

  “Always?”

  “Yes.”

  “How can I get you to prove it?” he asked smoothly.

  Lifting my hands, I ran them through his silky red strands. His gray eyes were filled with humor, waiting on a snarky comeback from me. For the first time, he wasn’t going to get one. I kissed him gently on the lips and took in a deep, calming breath of his Summer scent.

  “I love you, Drake. I spent my whole life living in my mother’s shadow until you came along. You brought me a love so scorching yet tender that I was bound to be melted by it. I give you my heart freely. Take it, claim it, and hold it as your own. I will always and forever be yours, my love. Amin mela lle ilyamemie ar’ ten’ oio.”

  After saying the words in the Old Fae language, I felt a sense of peace flow through my veins. I could feel my inner frost slowly melting inch by inch. Drake was speechless, frozen in place and stunned into silence. I knew he wasn’t expecting me to make the eternal bond at that moment, and it felt good catching him off guard.

  “All of this time,” he began, “I’ve never heard you say anything like that, but I’m glad you did.”

  I grinned. “I know, and I’ve regretted not saying anything like that before. I may not express my feelings a whole lot in words, but I do love you. I would just rather show you with actions instead of words.”

  “I understand,” he whispered against my lips. “I may not be a man that can share my feelings too well with words either, but I will spend the rest of my life trying. I love you, Sorcha. You broke my hard exterior, opening my eyes and my heart. As I’ve claimed your heart and soul, you’ve claimed mine. I promise to keep yours safe for the rest of our lives, always and forever. Amin mela lle ilyamemie ar’ ten’ oio. Our bond is now sealed.”

  He kissed me gently to seal the bond of our words, but we still needed to do one more thing to completely fulfill the marriage bond and complete our land. Drake broke away from the kiss, both of us breathless. “Damn, I want make love to you so bad, and not just in our dreams. I want to feel the real you beneath me.”

  I licked my eager lips. “Then take me.”

  His hungered words had me panting with need. I’d felt his lips on my body plenty of times in my dreams, but I knew it would be better once it was real. “Are you sure it’s not too soon. You’ve been through so much the past couple of days. I don’t want to rush you.”

  Exasperated, I shook my head. “You’re not rushing me. If anything, I’m rushing you. We need this, I need this. Besides, we’ve already made love in our dreams. I know what I’m getting into.”

  Drake smirked, and held me tighter against him while grazing his lips along my neck. “That was nothing compared to what it’ll be like now. I need you too much to go slow.”

  I smiled. “I think you read my mind, but where?”

  Drake’s grin was intoxicating. He nodded his head in the direction of the water and said, “I think right there in the water. Take a look.”

  When I turned my head and saw what he was looking at, I gasped in wonder. “What did you do?”

  Drake came up beside me and shrugged. “Well, I was thinking about how I could just take you out here in the open, not caring who came by or who saw us. However, I didn’t think that would work with you, so I asked the land to help.”

  “And what exactly did you ask it?”

  “I was thinking in my head how I wanted everything to be special, and how we needed a hidden place that was comfortable yet romantic. I guess the water is doing our bidding like it did in our dreams.”

  My mind was in awe at the sight before me. The water had pulled back, making a path down the center. It led down into an opening, but I couldn’t see the bottom. I had no clue what awaited us in the watery depths. “This is strange,” I thought out loud.

  Drake grabbed my hand and pulled me to the water. “Yes, it is, but at least we get to experience it together. It’s but one of our many adventures. Now we can do it for real instead of in our dreams.”

  “Are you implying that you want to forego our dream realm adventures?” I asked.

  He laughed. “Definitely not. I just don’t want anyone else in your dreams other than me.”

  We walked down the path while walls of water closed in beside us. I grazed my hand across the surface and felt the energy soaking into my skin. We kept going further, deeper and deeper, and when I looked back, the water was closing off the path behind us. It was exciting yet terrifying to know we were surrounded by water that could close in on us at any moment, but I knew that it wouldn’t happen. It was our sea, our court … mine and Drake’s.

  The end of the path opened up, and Drake and I both froze at the sight before us. The water had enclosed all around us, giving us the privacy from the outside world. Letting go of Drake’s hand, I walked around the underwater room. “This is amazing,” I breathed.

  The bed frame was made of white corral and pearls. The blankets on top shimmered with the reflection of the sun through the watery ceiling. I touched the top of the bed and my hand almost sank into its softness. The smells were so exotic and fresh that I couldn’t stop breathing it and soaking it into my skin. It was incredible, and so full of life.

  Drake came up behi
nd me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Will this do?” he asked huskily. He pressed his body firmly against my back and began kissing along my neck. It sent chills through my body and I shivered. “Don’t worry, beautiful. I’ll keep you warm.”

  Releasing a shaky breath, I sighed. “I already am.”

  I wasn’t exactly dressed for seduction, but it didn’t seem to bother Drake as he removed the bits and pieces of my warrior gear off my body, throwing it all to the floor. I climbed backwards onto the bed while he prowled over the top of me, spearing me with his heated gaze. Slowly, he lifted my shirt, leaving wet kisses up my stomach and over my breasts before he slipped it over my head. I groaned as he bit my nipple playfully before moving down to take off my pants.

  Drake watched me like a ravenous animal. His heat-filled gaze never left mine the whole time he slid the pants down my legs. Propping myself on my elbows, I bit my lip and watched in fascination as he slowly removed his clothes, teasing me. The bulge in his pants was straining to be let out, and for the life of me I couldn’t tear my gaze away.

  When Drake finally lowered his pants, I groaned. I was wet and ready for the taking. He kissed his way up my leg, starting with my ankle, up to my knees, and along my inner thighs where he nipped my tender spots. Once he reached my stomach, he trailed his tongue all the way up until he reached my breasts while testing my readiness with his fingers. He groaned once he realized how wet I was for him. Licking and sucking on my sensitive nipple, he thrust his fingers inside me while rubbing my swollen nub with the pad of his thumb. The sensation of both had me immediately coming and shouting out my release.

  I arched off the bed and gasped, “You’re killing me, Drake.”

  He shook his head. “No beautiful, you’re killing me. I almost lost it feeling you clench around my fingers. I like knowing my touch brings you pleasure.”

  “It brings more than pleasure,” I revealed, throwing him on his back on the bed, straddling him. “It drives me crazy.”