Ice Queen

by Candace Wondrak

  “I want you,” Frost whispered, bringing her eyes to his. She leaned up, pressing her lips against his, feeling his beard scratch her chin.

  Douglas’s chest rumbled when the kiss broke off. “Well then, you have me.” Frost leaned away from him, his arms leaving her so he could work to take off his coat, his shirt and shoes, and lastly, his pants and everything under it.

  She watched, unabashed. At first, she’d found the naked male form strange. The cock part, at least. It looked like a strange animal, a snake, almost, but now, after knowing the pleasures those cocks could bring, she did not find them weird to look at or bizarrely-shaped. Those cocks were made for her, and she would make good use of them.

  Douglas, Hale, and Noel—they were hers, and she was theirs. It was an arrangement she never saw coming, and yet it was one Frost welcomed with her entire being. She’d gone from never having a man to having three at once, and honestly, truly, she could not be happier. Each of them completed her in different ways, each of them complimented a part of her. They each loved her, and she…she loved them, too.

  So why was she so anxious and hesitant to say it? Why could she not tell them her true feelings?

  Perhaps Frost thought, deep down, it would be easier that way. Her magic was running out, she knew. She could feel it. It did not take a scholar to deduct that she might not have a beating heart once her magic fully disappeared. She was nothing without her magic, so she might very well die without it. These men, they would have to go on without her. Telling them she loved them seemed cruel, and after wiping out an entire kingdom with an eternal storm of ice and snow, she was done being cruel.

  When Douglas crawled back into bed, Frost was working to take off her clothes. She set them aside, on the nightstand near the bed. Blue was sleeping by the fire, turned away from them. He knew enough by now to either pretend he wasn’t awake or leave the area when Frost and one of her men were about to be intimate.

  A strong hand was placed on her back, pulling her closer to him. She nestled against his wide chest, feeling the heat radiating off his skin and sinking into hers. Frost felt so small beside him, almost like a child. His great sword was nearly as tall as her. She was nothing compared to him.

  “Holding you is the best feeling in the world,” Douglas murmured, his hand running up and down her back, eliciting shivers from her. His hardening cock pressed against her thighs, and she lost herself in the feeling.

  She could say nothing back to him, could tell him nothing, for whatever words she thought of, she knew they would not be enough. So Frost merely reached up and kissed his neck, softly, tenderly. She felt his grip on her harden when her lips connected with his neck, and she knew his willpower to hold back was crumbling. They would not be cuddling for much longer; neck kisses always seemed to push him over the edge.

  Such a simple, small thing his body reacted to. Frost loved it.

  Douglas let out a low moan, moving her so that she lay beneath him, surrounded by his muscles, his pressing erection, and the intensity in his sapphire gaze. Those eyes, such a deep, pure blue. Her eyes would be close to that, if she was normal, if she didn’t have magic.

  Frost would never know. That reflection in her dream would never come to be.

  His mouth lowered to hers as his hands caressed her, circling her bare breasts before running his thumbs over her nipples, sending tiny shockwaves of pleasure rushing through her. His hands were so large, so rough, but Frost didn’t care. They were Douglas’s hands, and that made them hands she adored with her entire being.

  Frost opened her legs, breaking the kiss to whisper huskily, “I want you inside of me.”

  “As you wish,” he spoke seriously, moving up somewhat to position his cock before her entrance. The first time she’d seen it, Frost had gaped and wondered how it would fit. She knew better now. She knew better than to ask silly questions such as those.

  Douglas’s cock pushed inside of her, filling her to her brim. With every inch that slid into her, Frost felt complete, full, and still so very wanton. Never before had she ever longed for the carnal escapades of life; these men had changed her so very much, helped her to see, to realize things she was content to ignore, and she could never be more grateful.

  When he was inside her, when he pushed her to her brink, Douglas slowly pulled out, only to do it all over again. Frost arched her back, which allowed him to push inside deeper. It would take a moment for her body to grow used to his size, and once it did, she would be lost in obscene, indescribable pleasure.

  Frost ran a hand down his chest, feeling his muscles rippling under her touch. When his thrusts grew steadier, when she could focus on the feeling of his large cock inside of her, he started to groan. He made nearly as many sounds as she did during the act of lovemaking, which she only found endearing. Everything about him she loved. There was not a single thing she would change.

  His hips rocked, his cock gliding in and out, pushing against her core every time he went all the way in. His arms surrounded her head, blocking the rest of the world out, and that was more than fine. Who needed the rest of the world when she had a man like Douglas in their bed?

  She closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the pleasure. Her body grew warm, her inner core at a searing boil, the heat growing rapidly, both from the feeling of Douglas’s strong body above hers and his cock pumping inside her. Frost felt her body being pushed to its precipice, to a sensual release she would never deny herself, and she welcomed it with open arms.

  An orgasm rushed through her, dominating her entire body. She felt her inner walls clenching around his thick length, and she turned her head, letting out a cry of pleasure. She rode a high for the next few moments, a high she’d only recently gotten used to. To think, all her life, she’d been missing out on this. Truly, there was nothing else in the world like it.

  Douglas’s release came a minute later. His backside clenched, pushing his cock deep inside her as he squirted his seed. His large body tensed, and he groaned a manly, ragged breath. Frost was not worried about children; why would she, when she knew her time was limited?

  Once he had regained control of himself, he was about to pull out of her, but she stopped him by saying, “Oh, no. We aren’t done yet.”

  He gave her a look, but didn’t say anything more. He wouldn’t. What man in their right mind would complain about having more sex? Didn’t seem probable.

  So they switched positions, and Frost rode him until he came again. Thus the time went; Frost actually worked up a sweat, putting her body to work in ways it never had been before. This was the longest session of love-making she’d ever had with any of her men; she might be too exhausted afterward to wander the castle, too.

  No. She had to. She’d go to the vault, find the Jewel, and then…

  Then whatever would happen would happen.

  Frost could not say how much time passed, but she wore Douglas out well enough. The man’s head was turned to the side, his breathing steady. She’d cuddled with him for a while, watching him sleep. Once she was certain he would not wake, she quietly slid out of bed and got her clothes on. She tiptoed from the room, about to walk down the hall when she heard nails on the stone floor.

  Frost’s shoulders tensed, and she turned to view Blue, who had gotten up and followed her. His ice-colored eyes studied her, and she made a shooing motion. “Go back in the room,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.” When Blue let out an angry breath through his nostrils, she added, “Watch over Douglas while he’s sleeping.”

  Blue could not argue, mostly because he was a wolf. He turned on his four legs and sauntered back into the room, his tail and ears low, as if he didn’t want to go. He was a smart enough animal; he probably knew she didn’t want to be inside this castle.

  She’d be fine. She’d be okay. She would go to the vault and find the Jewel, and then they could leave. Hopefully her magic would last that long. Hopefully she wouldn’t die in the damned castle. This place…it was not where she wanted to
breathe her final breath.

  Once she had her hair re-braided, she inhaled a great breath and started moving.

  It was strange being inside the castle again, even stranger to know everything remained untouched since that day. She passed a few frozen servants, a few guards who were stationed elsewhere during the ceremony, and she refused to look at them. Frost was on a mission, and she wasn’t about to break down into tears again. No, there was no more time for that.

  The halls of the castle were confusing, even for someone who’d grown up in them. Still, it was like she’d never left. She knew precisely where to go. Though she was tired, though she couldn’t feel her magic around her, though her legs wanted her to find the nearest cushion and sit, she kept going. Today would be the end of it all. Today she would find the Jewel and be done with it.

  The vault itself was not an actual vault. It was not underground, for the nearby body of water made anything built underground difficult to fully waterproof. All of the castle was built above ground, which was why it had so many towers and peaks, why it felt so obscenely large opposed to the rest of the city across the lake. The guard barracks, the grand ballroom, the kitchen, the dungeon—everything was in its own tower. The vault happened to be in the castle’s tallest tower, with a locked door.

  She did not look for Hale and Noel. Perhaps she should’ve. Frost simply wanted to get this part over with. Being here, it wasn’t right. The dead, the frozen, should remain undisturbed. They’d met such an untimely end; it was the least she could do for them.

  After a bit of walking, she found the stairwell leading up to the vault. Tall and winding, it would take a while to climb up, but she’d do it. She began the long trek, one step after another, heaving a great breath to mentally prepare herself. She’d only been to the vault once, and she’d never been inside. Her parents had shown her the combination, and that was it. At the time, Frost didn’t even care about what was inside; she just assumed it was full of gold.

  The Jewel had to be in there. Where else would it be?

  It took her ages to reach the top, and once she stood above the stairs, she was utterly out of breath. Frost stood there for a few minutes, regaining herself as she stared at the stone door before her. It was not a traditional lock that kept the vault sealed. It was a strange design of gears behind the stone, and a combination that unlocked it. An indentation of a handprint sat on the door, meant for the hands of royalty.

  Frost stepped closer to the indentation, resting her hand on it when she was ready to open it. One full turn to the right, a half turn to the left, and then another full rotation to the right. Three turns of the handprint, each of the turns unlocking the lock hidden behind the stone. When the final rotation was completed, she heard a loud snapping of metal, and she pushed the door open, revealing the vault.

  The vault was simply a room in the tallest tower of the castle. Its name was quite a misnomer, but it’d been called the vault for generations. The air was thick and old, and Frost held a hand over her mouth as she stepped inside, glancing around. There were two small windows, but the light from the sun was blocked by curtains. She went over to the nearest one and yanked on it, tugging the old fabric down to shed some light in the room.

  A circular room, not even fifteen feet in diameter, full of gold and silver, precious statues and other valuable things her parents had deemed important enough to keep safe. The wealth stashed in this room, the wealth forgotten in this room, it was enough to turn a peasant into a king.

  Frost got to work, digging through the chests full of gold and silver. Bars and coins alike. She could’ve spent hours searching; she didn’t know. Area by area, she searched for the Jewel, knowing she’d recognize it, even though she’d never seen it before. So far, she’d found nothing but gold and silver, so any precious gem at this point would stick out like a sore thumb.

  There was nothing.

  Her back straightened, and her eyes darted back and forth over the treasure. No gemstones, nothing that could be the Jewel. The only thing that was here was plain old riches.

  Frost heard someone heading up the stairs, and she knew it would be Hale and Noel. They’d found her, just in time to witness yet another breakdown. She went toward the other window, yanking on the curtain as she did the other one, pulling it down in a fit of anger. Her fists clenched, still holding onto the fabric, and she stormed toward the center of the room, intent to dig through it all again, to find it. It had to be here.

  The sun’s rays were harsher from the second window, and a light shone into the room, taking the form of a beam. Frost realized the beam shone directly at her chest, and she sidestepped, finding it landed on a rather small chest that was full of silver bars. Could it be in there?

  Frost dropped the curtain, falling to her knees before the tiny chest, praying that the sun’s light had revealed its hiding place. Maybe she’d glazed over it the first time. Her hands dug through it, emptying the chest silver brick by silver brick.

  There was…there was nothing. No Jewel. Nothing but silver. The sun’s light hadn’t shown her anything, because this wasn’t some fairy tale. This was her life, and her life was awful.

  The footsteps in the stairs were closer now, and she whispered, “It’s not here.” She knew Noel and Hale would want to search the room themselves, and they could go right ahead. She wouldn’t stop them. “It’s not here,” she said again. “This was a waste of—”

  A sharp, sudden pain erupted in her lower gut, and she dropped her eyes to view a red-tipped arrow protruding from her stomach. The pain was unbearable, worse than anything she’d ever felt.

  “I told you to hold your fire unless I say so,” a stern voice, a voice she’d never before heard, echoed in the room.

  Frost couldn’t even turn around. She couldn’t move. Sheer agony coursed through her, and as she collapsed, her world turned to black.

  Frost stood alone in a dark room. Everything was pitch-black, save for her. She was entirely alone, no walls around her, no ceiling or sky above her. No ground below her feet. She wore a sparkling silver dress, her hair pulled back and curled, not in its usual braid. She spun in a full circle, spotting something behind her; the only other thing in this dark place.

  A mirror, twenty feet away.

  She strode to it, extending her hand, feeling the strange urge to touch it, to feel it. The closer she got, though, the worse the mirror’s shape became. Its smooth reflection cracked and spider-webbed out, and by the time she stood before it, close enough to touch it, a single piece fell off.

  Frost caught it, and soon wished she hadn’t. It burned her bare hand.

  No, wait. It didn’t burn her—it froze her.

  She quickly dropped it, and as the mirror shard fell into the black abyss below her, a pain spread from her stomach. A shaking hand reached for her gut, touching it, finding something wet and gooey. Her hand came away bloody.

  She knew this was it. She was dying.

  Chapter Nineteen

  When Douglas woke, he stretched an arm beside him, wanting to feel Frost, wanting to hold her, touch her more, shower her in kisses. He wanted to tell her that he loved her a thousand times, and even then, it wouldn’t be enough. Nothing was ever enough when it came to that woman.

  Frost…how she’d stolen his heart right out from under him. It wasn’t a problem he was opposed to having, although he never expected to share his woman with anyone else, let alone with Hale and Noel. But it wasn’t too bad. As long as they all had time alone with her, Douglas could see this working out. A future. Let Wysteria remain cold and snow-filled. As long as Frost came with them, he would be happy.

  But his hand found nothing. Frost wasn’t there.

  Douglas’s eyes shot open, and he sat up, glancing all around the room. Frost was nowhere to be found. The only other soul in the room was Blue, and the wolf sat near the door, his ears laying back and a whine coming from his throat.

  Damn that woman. She drove him nuts in both the worst and best possible ways
.

  He hurried to slip on his clothes. The fire in the fireplace had long gone out, making the air cooler in the room. Once his boots were on and his coat was strapped, he looked at Blue. “Can you take me to her?”

  Blue let out a bark before leaping to his feet and running off.

  “Not so fast,” Douglas called out, grabbing his sword on the way out of the room. The wolf slowed his pace somewhat, allowing him to catch up. With his nose to the ground, Blue must’ve been able to sniff out her scent.

  What a good wolf, a nice pet.

  Blue took him through the winding halls of the castle, stopping only when they arrived before a closed door. Was Frost behind the door? Why did Blue look so…no, Douglas wasn’t going to worry about it. He went for the door handle, pushing it open and finding not Frost, but Hale and Noel.

  Hale was on the ground, groaning as he sat up, while Noel was leaning on the wall, holding the back of his head. Some of his knives were missing, Douglas noticed.

  “Fenburn soldiers,” Noel muttered, his face mask down around his neck. “There were too many, and they took us by surprise. They must’ve been watching, waiting for Frost to come here. It’s too much of a coincidence.” He winced. “The bastards.”

  Hale was unsteady on his feet, but he did not fall. His black eyes turned to Douglas as he asked, “Tell us she’s with you.”

  Douglas glanced to Blue, a pit growing in his stomach. “No, we…when I woke up, she was gone.” Knowing Frost was alone in the castle, and there were Fenburn soldiers about, it made him feel both angry and anxious. What if something happened to her? What if she couldn’t hold them off? They worked for a mad king. Who knew what their orders were…

  “Damn it,” Noel swore, moving to exit the small closet he and Hale were thrown into. “We have to find her.”

  Blue barked again and turned on his paws, leading them down the hall, much slower this time, to accommodate Hale and Noel’s limping forms. The wolf turned, his nose to the ground. He knew exactly where to go; Douglas hoped they got to her sooner than the soldiers did. There was no telling how the soldiers would treat her. And if she couldn’t use her magic to protect herself…