by L. P. Dover
I gazed up at Brayden quickly before he nodded his head and pushed me gently toward Kamden. Taking Kamden’s hands in mine, I squeezed them gently and looked up into his face. Wearily, I began, “Kam, there’s something I need to tell you.”
He kept his gaze strictly on me, never swaying, as I took a deep breath and let the tears fall from my eyes. “I hate we had to bring you here to tell you this, but I thought you deserved to hear it from me,” I cried.
Kamden clenched his teeth and said, “Just tell me what happened, Ariella.”
Lowering my head, I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him tight, and laid my head on his chest. “It’s about your brother … Lukas,” I told him.
“What about him?” he asked warily. His heart thundered against my ear and I could already feel the sadness creeping in around him. He knew what I was about to tell him.
“He’s dead, Kam,” I cried, my tears soaking through his shirt. “When the sorcerer came looking for me, Lukas was the one who guarded me. I tried to save him, but I failed. You have my promise that I will avenge him and all the others the sorcerer has taken away from us.”
He stiffened in my arms and quickly pulled away from me. I tried to grab his arm to make him stay, but he jerked out of my grasp and left me standing there staring at his retreating form as he walked away. “Kamden,” I shouted. “Kamden, wait!” I was about to run after him when Brayden caught my elbow in his grasp.
“Let him go, angel. He needs his space, but I know he’ll come back,” he assured me.
“He’s going to blame me, isn’t he?”
Brayden wrapped his arms around my shoulders and placed his chin on the top of my head. “He’s not going to blame you, Ariella. He will, however, need you to be a friend and help him through it. He still has his parents that live in the village, but he and Lukas were really close. I can’t imagine how it would feel to lose one of my brothers.”
I watched Kamden disappear, and the farther he went the more it killed me to know that he was grieving alone. “I understand,” I uttered sadly. “I’ll ask Nixie if she’ll fetch Zanna when she brings over Calista, Ryder, and Elvena this evening.”
“I think that would be wise, angel. In the meantime, you need to focus. Coran told me we’ve had several of our fae women request to be trained, and I think it would be good for you to help them. They will need your guidance,” he suggested warmly.
“Okay,” I agreed. My heart wasn’t into the training, but it was my duty to help the court. We hastily travelled to the training field, and when we got there I was amazed at all the women that were there ready to learn. Wide-eyed, my heart swelled with pride as I gazed at them in wonder. These women were willing to put their lives on the line for their people and their court. I wondered if soon there would be women in all the courts battling the front lines with their men. It was a new beginning for the Land of the Fae.
“This is amazing,” I breathed in awe.
“Yes, it is angel. I know you will do right by them.”
I searched over the women, but when I spied Taryn stretching and bending over in her tight black spandex outfit I groaned in annoyance. “Oh, I’ll do right by them, but if any of your ex-lovers are on that training field, I can’t promise they will make it through the first ten minutes.”
Let the training begin …
Training the women wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, but they were strong and they learned quickly. I was showing one of the women the proper way to hold a sword when a snowball smacked me against the back.
“Who the hell …” I growled, turning around to see who the instigator was. Brayden tried to hold in a laugh as my nephew, Merrick, balled up another snowball and pitched it at my head.
Laughing, I dodged the ball of snow as it flew past my head. I began to race toward the curly, blond haired little boy with the chubby cheeks. Merrick giggled and shrieked, “Ari! Ari!”
I scooped him up into my arms and twirled him around, loving the way his angelic laugh brought a smile to my face after the terrible day I’d had. “How’s my little man doing?” I asked sweetly.
“Nixie brought me through the rainbow. It was fun,” he exclaimed happily, bouncing in my arms. I had port travelled with Nixie a couple of times in the past, and when she took you from place to place the colors around you looked exactly like a shimmering rainbow. It was an amazing sight and feeling to be in one place one minute and then in a completely different one the next.
Merrick leaned closer to my ear and whispered, “Uncle Brayden made me throw the snowball at you.”
“He did, did he?” I asked, pursing my lips at Brayden. “I think I might need to give a little payback to Uncle Brayden. Maybe later we can throw snowballs at him. He’s never had a snowball fight before, you know.”
Merrick snickered and wrapped his arms around my neck. “Who told you to call him Uncle Brayden?” I asked quietly in his ear.
His whisper came out louder than I had hoped. “Mommy and Daddy told me to,” he said.
When I glanced up at Brayden, he shrugged and commented silently, “I will officially be his uncle soon, but I bet it was Ryder who put him up to it. It sounds like something my brother would do.”
By the time I set Merrick down, Calista made her way down the path to us, covered in a thick, long coat that billowed out in the wind. Her long, golden blonde hair matched little Merrick’s and her Fall colored skin stood out amongst the brightness of the snow. I remembered having to bundle up when I was still a Summer Fae. It was amazing how things could change so drastically.
Calista’s eyes went wide when she noticed all of the females training behind me. “You’ve been busy,” she muttered in awe. “I think it’s amazing what you’re doing. Just imagine what it would be like if we had female warriors in all the courts.”
“It’ll soon be that way,” I said. “Give it time and it will happen.”
Calista hooked her arm through mine and lowered her voice when she asked, “Are you and Brayden finally getting along? He’s completely different from the last time I saw you two together.”
Brayden smirked and turned his head, trying to hide that he was listening. Rolling my eyes, I pulled on Calista’s arm and held Merrick’s hand as we ambled up toward the palace. “Yes, we are getting along. Now that we can hear each other’s thoughts, things have gotten easier. I understand him, or at least I’m trying to.”
“Do you think you would be where you are now if you didn’t have the guardian bond?” Calista wondered.
That was a good question.
“Honestly,” I started, “I don’t think we would be where we are now without it. Eventually we would, but being able to see into his soul and feel his feelings has helped us to where we are now. He’s changed, and I see it every day in how he opens up. All he needed was a push and he got it.”
Calista smiled over at me. “I’m glad things are getting better. I was really worried about you and him. I know Sorcha was ready to kick his ass there for a moment.”
We both laughed, and when I gazed back at Brayden following us, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I was close to kicking your ass there for a moment,” I said. “You were a complete jerk to me.”
“Are you going to remind me of this every day for the rest of my life?”
For the rest of his life. In better terms it should be for the rest of my life, which wasn’t going to be long. I didn’t want to think about that, not when there was still happiness to be had. Brayden could feel my angst and uncertainty, so when he called out my name I let go of Calista and Merrick’s hand and turned around.
“I’ll see you in the throne room,” I said over my shoulder to my sister. Smiling hesitantly, she glanced from me to Brayden, and took Merrick’s hand. She led him away from us and toward the throne room where I knew everyone was waiting.
“Did I say something wrong?” Brayden asked.
“No,” I lied, hating myself for keeping secrets from him. “I guess I just have
so many things on my mind.” Taking his hand, I gazed up into his soft, brown eyes. “Let’s go see what kind of spell Elvena has cooked up for us. I’m pretty sure she found a way to protect the court.”
“I sure hope so,” Brayden remarked skeptically. “If not then we’re going to have some major problems.”
That was for certain.
RYDER WAS IN the throne room talking to Queen Mab and King Madoc when Brayden and I entered. Everything went silent as we approached the group, side by side. Elvena smiled and took my hands, pulling me down so she could kiss my forehead. “You look lovely, child. We were just discussing what we need to do to keep you safe from the sorcerer,” she explained.
“What have you come up with?” I asked, looking from her to everyone in the room.
When Queen Mab and King Madoc joined the group on the floor, Elvena began, “Basically, what we need to do is perform a protection spell. The only problem is that we can’t protect the whole expanse of the Winter Court. We can, however, protect the palace and extend it to your dwelling if need be.” When Brayden and I both nodded, she continued, “When we do this, you will only be protected inside the walls. I know it’ll feel like you’re trapped, but this is the best I can do.”
“Let’s do it,” Brayden insisted, gazing down at me. “We have to keep him away from you.”
I hated feeling like a trapped animal, but I knew it was for the best. Sighing, I closed my eyes and blew out a frustrated breath. “All right, what do we have to do?” I muttered, giving in.
Elvena smiled sadly and said, “What we need is royal blood and a lot of it. We need enough to be able to scatter it around the palace and form a circle. It only needs to be a drop here and there around the walls. So now you can understand how we don’t have the means to protect the entire grounds.”
I nodded in understanding and so did everyone else. Queen Mab handed Elvena a bowl and immediately sliced her palm, letting her blood flow freely. “This is for you, my dear,” Queen Mab murmured, gazing at me. King Madoc clapped Brayden on the shoulder before slicing his hand and mingling his blood with his queen’s. Calista and Ryder joined in and gave their blood, along with Elvena who contributed some as well.
Brayden took out his guardian dagger and I casually held out my hand for him to slice open my skin. He lifted a brow, but I waved my hand at him. “Just do it,” I scolded him playfully.
Slicing open my skin, Brayden immediately cut open his as well and we stood there staring at each other as our life essence joined in with the others. “I wonder why everything involved with spells requires blood,” I silently said to Brayden.
He smirked. “Our blood is the strongest part of our bodies. It holds the key to everything.”
That actually made sense.
After our blood was taken, Elvena made her way outside and began to chant in the Old Fae language. In my spare time in the Summer Court, I had secretly been trying to learn the language of our elders. We never used it much, but in this case, with the spell it would’ve come in handy. We all watched and waited as Elvena disappeared around the side of the palace, pouring a thin trail of our blood in her wake.
When she was done, she came back inside with the empty bowl and breathed a sigh of relief. “It is done. The spell has been cast.”
For the time being I was safe … just as long as I stayed within the boundaries.
Nixie had taken Calista and everyone back to the Fall Court, and when she returned she had Zanna in tow. “Thank you, Nixie,” I said softly. “I appreciate you doing this for me.”
Nixie was a green imp with green hair and golden wings. She was a little smaller than a child, so she fluttered up to eye level with me and bowed her head, first to me and then to Brayden. “You’re welcome, Your Highnesses. I will bring everyone back when the time comes.”
Smiling, I took her small hand in mine. “If there’s anything I can do to repay you I will gladly offer it,” I promised.
“Just keep our land safe from the sorcerer. I was imprisoned by him for far too long and I can only imagine what his poison would do to our land.”
Nodding somberly, I bowed my head to her and said, “I will keep our land safe. You have my word.”
A sad smile passed across Nixie’s face before she closed her eyes and disappeared almost immediately. Impatient, Zanna narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest while tapping her foot against the floor. “What’s going on?” she asked quickly. “Where is Kamden? All I was told was that I had to come here as soon as possible.”
Brayden squeezed my hand and muttered silently, “I’ll give you some time with your friend, angel. There are some things I need to take care of.” He walked past me and placed a gentle hand on Zanna’s shoulder before he left. Zanna’s mouth dropped wide open and she became even more confused.
“Are you sure that’s Prince Brayden, Ariella?” Zanna asked as she turned to watch him leave the room. “Because I swear he’s not acting right.”
“I promise it’s him,” I replied with a hesitant smile. “Things have changed since I’ve been here.”
“Yeah, I can see that, but you never answered the question about Kamden. Where is he, Ariella? I have a bad feeling about this,” she claimed.
Taking her hand, I led her to the window seat in my room and sat her down. Elvena’d had enough blood to extend the protection spell from the palace to Brayden’s dwelling, so I had Nixie bring her here away from everyone else in the palace. Sitting beside her, I gazed out the window and wished I could answer her question. I had no clue where Kamden went or what he was doing. He left and hadn’t come back.
“Lukas is dead,” I whispered, my breath fogging up the glass. “We brought Kamden here to tell him about his brother.”
Zanna gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh no,” she cried. “He has to be devastated.”
A tear escaped the corner of my eye, but I wiped it away quickly. “He is, which is why I needed you here. I don’t know where he is, Zanna. After I told him, he left and I haven’t seen him since. I figured you would be able to track him down.”
Zanna sighed and wiped the moisture from her eyes. “I think I might know where he is. I’ll find him and bring him back.”
She squeezed my hand reassuringly and hastily got up, running out of the room to the front door. She wasn’t the only one who had a bad feeling.
A WEEK HAD passed and there were no other attack attempts on the court or any bad dreams with Alasdair. The protection spell was working, but I only had a week to go before the new moon and before the threat of the upcoming battle. A battle we could definitely lose if we weren’t strong enough. Durin had sent word saying that he would be arriving soon with the dagger, so we expected him to show up the following afternoon. Everyone else would be arriving as well.
“Are you coming to bed?” Brayden whispered gruffly in my ear, drawing me away from my thoughts. Brayden had hung one of his paintings in our room, and for the past hour I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. It was a picture of how our court was going to look when we completed the bond. At first, when everything came to light about my destiny, I didn’t even want to complete the bond with him. Now I couldn’t imagine not completing it.
Brayden wrapped his arms around my waist and slid his hands under my silky nightshirt to trace circles on my bare stomach. His touch sent tingles down my spine and it made me shiver. It was hard to imagine a Winter Fae getting chill bumps, but I did. His warm breath grazed across my neck as he chuckled and nipped my earlobe.
“I don’t see how I can refuse with you tormenting me like this,” I teased.
“It’s not tormenting if I plan on doing something about it, angel.”
Brayden kissed along down my neck to my collarbone while smoothing his hands up my bare skin to my breasts, cupping them gently. Tilting my head back, I rested against his chest as he kneaded and massaged them, rolling my nipples with the coldness of his fingers. For the past week we had explored each other’s wants
and needs, but tonight that was all over. I knew what he wanted and I knew what I needed.
“I’m ready, Brayden,” I whispered, turning around so I could face him.
He brought his hands up and brushed a strand of hair off my forehead before cupping my cheeks in his hands. “There’s no turning back, Ariella. Are you absolutely certain you’re ready?” he inquired gently.
Smiling, I clutched the hem of my shirt and slowly lifted it over my head, exposing my breasts that ached for more of his touch. His gaze twinkled in the candlelight and his mouth tilted up in a tiny grin. I kissed his lips while pressing my bare chest against his and wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I want you to make love to me, Brayden. I’m ready to bond myself to you for the rest of my life, however long that may be,” I vowed.
Brayden walked us back toward the bed and sat down on the edge with me standing between his legs. He looked up at me, his eyes glistening with unbound love and passion. “I love you, angel,” he murmured wholeheartedly.
“And I love you,” I cried, a lone tear sliding down my cheek.
Never taking his gaze off of mine, Brayden slid his fingers under the waist of my silky bottoms and slowly slid them down my legs, taking my underwear with them. He growled low in his chest and picked me up to set me on the bed. He was shirtless with only a pair of loose linen pants riding low on his hips, and when he untied them and let them fall to the floor, my insides trembled with the need to feel him inside me.
I moved back across the bed and propped myself up on my elbows as he stalked toward me. Starting with my ankles, he kissed his way up my calves to my knees, and then to the tender spot between my thighs. From there he trailed his tongue up my stomach to my breasts where he licked and sucked them generously. I arched off the bed and moaned as my body verged on the edge of climax. Before I could get there, Brayden chuckled and moved up to my neck, where he bit the soft, fleshy part of my shoulder.