Betrayals of Spring (8 page)

Ashur dismounts first and comes over to
clasp my arm in greeting.

“Thank you, Prince Kalen, for offering
to guide us.”

“It is my pleasure, Guardian Ashur,” I
offer.

I noticed Meliantha’s body shivered when
I spoke, and I also noticed that she shut her eyes tight. Could she be feeling
the connection, too? My thoughts are put on hold as the uneasy feeling I had
before they arrived returns in full force. I look around quickly to spot the
danger, but again, nothing seems wrong until I look up at Finn. His eyes hold a
deadly intent that wasn’t there before. He dismounts his horse and walks over
to help Meliantha down from hers. She gives him an odd look, and I can tell she
feels something is wrong as well. He reaches for her waist and he slides her
off her horse to the ground. Finn grabs her hand in a possessive grip and pulls
her closer to him. She clearly doesn’t like what he’s doing from the frown
appearing on her face. Well, hell, I don’t like what he’s doing, and I believe
my reddened face is clear proof of that. The heat rising to my cheeks make them
burn, and if I had my way, I would rip off his arms. I tear my anger-filled
gaze away from Finn to look at Meliantha. I can see she’s looking down at my
clenched hands, Her pensive expression lets me know she can feel my anger.

She bites her lip, and then from out of
nowhere she lifts her face slowly to meet mine. Her amethyst-colored eyes bore
into mine, and my heart instantly stops. Her eyes go wide and she puts a hand
over her chest before sucking in a sharp breath.

The blast from the connection has me
weak in the knees, and I would have stumbled back if I didn’t catch myself in
time. She can’t deny these feelings now because I know she feels them, too. I
see it in her eyes. The look on her face goes from shock to confused, but then
it changes to anger.

I’m taken aback; I don’t understand why
she would have hostility toward me. I’ve never done anything to her to make her
react this way. I thought she would be happy to have this connection. I know
her feelings in the past were growing for me each second she spent with me, and
I felt the same feelings for her.

Finn’s grip on Meliantha catches my
attention. It looks hard and bruising, and what’s really strange is that his
expression is one of alarm, not anger. This guy is acting really weird and the
vibes I’m getting aren’t good ones at all. I honestly don’t like him being
around Meliantha and holding on to her so hard. I reach for her hand, but she
quickly pulls away. My chest tightens with rejection.

I’m beginning to worry about her
relationship with Finn. Why won’t she let me touch her, and why is she letting
Finn do this to her? I don’t understand what’s going on. If we are meant to be
together, why is she fighting it? I take a couple of deep breaths to calm my
nerves before turning my attention to the group of Summer fae before me.

“I believe it’s time to show you to your
quarters now. If you would follow me please,” I announce.

I take them to the back entrance of the
palace so we can take the path to where the cottage is located. I’m confused as
hell and uncertain about this turn of events. What the hell am I going to do
now? I’m engaged to another woman, but have loved someone else this whole time.
Now, the one woman I had fallen in love with years ago has changed into a
different person and is deeply involved with another man. How did things get so
complicated?

I can feel the frustration building, so
I quicken my pace to hopefully get the thoughts of killing someone out of my
head. I would really love to beat the shit out of Finn right now, but I don’t
think that would be such a great idea. Imagining him and Meliantha together all
these years make me livid. I know I have had Breena, but I never enjoyed
sleeping with her. I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair.

I really don’t need to think about it,
and so I chastise myself. I decide to concentrate on figuring out a way to get
Meliantha alone, so I can speak to her privately. She has to hear what I have
to say. The only sounds I hear as we walk along the path to their cottage are
the sounds of their footsteps crunching on the path, and the sounds of the snow
pattering on the ground
.

- Arriving at
the Palace -

This can’t be happening
, I scream at
myself. How can I be feeling this connection to Kalen after everything that’s
happened and after everything he’s put me through? I can see Kalen’s hands
clench when Finn possessively wraps his arm around me I kept repeating to
myself over and over that I can do this and keep my distance; however, some
strong force is urging me to look up. I tell myself not to look him, but my
eyes have a mind of their own and betray me. They search for his eyes and find
them staring back intently at me. The pull to him is so strong it makes me weak
in the knees. I thought hearing his voice earlier was a shock to my system, but
nothing compares to this
.
My heart flutters at the sight of him, and I
grab my chest hoping it’ll stop. I don’t want to feel this way for the man that
broke my heart. I need to feel the anger. The anger has gotten me through the
pain all these years, so I dig deep within my soul to bring it to the surface.

I look at Kalen defiantly and I lift my
chin. I refuse to be swayed by his charms; however, there is something
different about him now. He doesn’t have the callous and evil looking eyes he
had back when he broke my heart. He still looks like the same playful Kalen
from before, but now he looks defeated and saddened.

Finn momentarily distracts me with the
vice-like grip he has on my arm keeping me by his side. The look he’s giving
Kalen sends chills down my spine and it has me worried. Finn has never been the
jealous type.. He has always been easy going and laid back. I can tell Kalen is
starting to get angry with the way Finn is acting toward him and the way he is
holding me. He reaches for my hand, but I quickly step back. My heart stops at
the thought of him touching me, but my mind refuses to let me budge. He looks
hurt at my rejection, but it quickly dissipates into anger when he looks down
at Finn’s heavy grip on my arm. In a clipped tone, he addresses the whole group
and says for us to follow him to our quarters. His stride is quick and angry as
he leads us out the back of the palace and back into the bitter cold.

Finn and I follow behind him while
Elissa, Ashur, and Ariella trail along behind us. We’re all silent as we make
our way along the path. I can hear Ariella sighing behind me in amazement.
She’s always had a fascination with the Winter Court and I’m glad she’s
enjoying her time here. At least one of us is.

The white and snowy landscape is
beautiful here, but the absence of flowers and greenery makes me feel empty. I
could never live here and be happy seeing nothing but white for the rest of my
life. I can see down the path and we’re headed toward three different houses
and a gorgeous water fountain. The water is actually flowing, which I find odd
since the temperature is below freezing. Kalen must be working his water magic
on it to get it flowing. The houses up ahead are two log cabins —one more
luxurious than the other —and a little cottage nestled off to the side. The cabins
are simple with their basic log frames, but the cottage beside them looks
quaint and elegant. It looks like a cottage in Italy surrounded by a vineyard.
I can tell it’s made from various varieties of gray stones with a steep gabled
roof, which no doubt has been used to keep the weight of the snow off the
cottage.

This place would be absolutely lovely
surrounded by flowers. I can feel a twinge in my heart at the thought of
flowers and gardens. I’ve neglected them recently and I know the land feels like
I’ve abandoned it. I have promised it numerous times that I’ll return, but deep
down I am afraid that I’m already lost.

I try desperately to get the thoughts
out of my mind and to concentrate on the task at hand. The snow crunches
beneath my feet and the frosty air smells of pine as it burns its way down my
lungs. I have the urge to cough, but I hold it back as best I can. I’m not used
to the dry, crisp air of the Winter Court. My body definitely isn’t either,
especially my feet. I can feel the cold spreading its way through my body,
giving me the chills. I clench my teeth down hard to keep the chattering from
being heard. I’m silently cursing my stupidity as I look at Elissa admiring the
palace grounds in her fluffy wool coat. Why was I trying to prove how strong I
was by not wearing a coat?

Finn must have felt me shiver because he
pulls me in closer to his body. I can feel his warmth and it does help, but my
comfort is put on hold when I look up at his face. He gives me a wink and a sly
grin, but it’s not a look I have seen on Finn’s face before. I think the chills
I’m getting are not from the cold, but from him. I try to pull away from him
slightly but his grip tightens on my arm keeping me in place.
I have
never been manhandled before, and it sure as hell isn’t going to start now. I
grit my teeth to keep my anger held back. To avoid causing a scene, I call out
to Ashur silently.

“Don’t look at me. Ashur, and don’t
acknowledge that I’m talking to you, but I need your help. Something is wrong
with Finn and he won’t let go of my arm when I try to pull away. I’m trying to
keep everyone from noticing, but he’s beginning to piss me off and I’m not far
from losing my temper.”

“Calm down and breathe, Princess. I
could tell his mood switched from being pleasant to hostile in a matter of
seconds. I was going to say something, but I didn’t want to alarm you. Has he
done this before?”Ashur inquires.

“Not to this extent, but there have been
occasions when…” I pause, not wanting to tell him the rest. “Well, there have been
times when he’s been a little rough and not his usual gentle self, if that
answers your question.”

“No need to explain, Princess. I really
don’t want to know the details. Oh wait...look ahead, Meliantha. I think you
have your way to escape.”

I look ahead and, yes, I see my escape
plan. Little Merrick, Calista, and Ryder are in front of the log cabins playing
in the snow and having a snowball fight. They all look so happy together and I
can’t help but be envious of what they have. I honestly believed that Kalen was
going to be the man I shared all of that with. Calista notices us first and
then Merrick. The snow throwing stops and with a mischievous grin, Calista
leans down to whisper in Merrick’s ear pointing straight at us. If I didn’t
know any better, I would say Calista might be plotting a snow war. She’s not
the only one in the family who can throw things and always hit their target.
Merrick bends down to grab a handful of snow and charges off screaming in my
direction with a huge smile on his face.

“Mel, Mel, Mel!”

I know he plans to bombard me with his
snowball so I use this chance to pull away from Finn to run to Merrick.
Luckily, he lets me go easily, but if he hadn’t we were going to have some
serious problems. I’m running toward the squealing Merrick and I lunge for his
legs. I scoop him up into my arms and over my shoulders. He squeals when I pick
him up and he slams the snowball into my back, laughing and giggling the whole
time. The coldness of the snow makes me cringe and now I can’t stop the shivering.
I laugh it off and swing Merrick around and around in circles watching his
fluffy blond curls sway in the wind. He wraps his arms around my neck and
latches on when he squeals, “Miss you, Mel!”