Enchanted Frost (Frost Series #8) (A YA Romantic Fantasy Adventure) (15 page)

          “No,”
Shasta took a decisive step towards me. “It's too dangerous,” she said. “You
need to stay well out of sight. The Wolves are used to fighting without magic.
As much as I hate to admit it, they're better equipped than we are this time
around. And Kian would never forgive me if I let you get into any trouble on
his behalf.” She gave me a small, slow smile. A subtle sign of forgiveness.
Very
subtle,
I thought to myself.

          “Right,”
said Logan, bowing low before me. I could see it in his eyes – how he longed to
touch me, to hold me, to embrace me as he always did before going off to
certain danger. But he held himself back, and I too bit back the urge to hug
him goodbye, allowing him to bid me farewell in the more formal manner of a
courtly knight. “Keep a lookout,” he said. “If anything happens, Breena, you
fly in and get Kian out of there.”

          And
with that he was off, heading with his pack of Wolves towards the tower where
Kian was being held.

          I
watched the pack skulk around the edges of the tower. One of them, a Wolf I
knew was called Gideon, started begging for food, whining in a high-pitched,
nasal voice, putting up his paws.

          “Shoo!”
The guard looked annoyed, rather than suspicious – at least from this distance.
My heart began to race. The plan was working. Gideon whined a bit louder,
rolling on his back like a mortal puppy.

          “I
think it's working,” Shasta whispered, squinting to see better. “He's rolling
his eyes – he's going in to see if there's any meat, any food, he's unlocking
the gate...yes!”

          The
gate was open. The Wolves had gone in.

Chapter 18

S
hasta
clenched my hand as she watched the battle unfold. The temptation to fly out
with Logan, to participate in the melee, was overwhelming. The idea that Kian
could really be there, be so close to me, drove me wild with anticipation and
desire – as well as fear. Why had he cut off our telepathic connection? Why
wasn't he answering me? I flushed with fear as I leaned against the railing of
the tower, trying to spy what was going on. The Wolves had entered the tower;
there were at least thirty of them, breaking into the prison as we spoke,
seizing him...if he was even there at all...

          “Look!”
Shasta's face was transformed with joy. “Look, there he is!”

          My
heart all but stopped. There he was, being carried on the backs of two Wolves,
slumped in their arms – injured but still discernibly, definitely
alive.
Before
I could make any movement, Shasta flew down to pick him up in her arms and
carry him to the height of the tower; Logan followed swiftly after, jumping to
our hideout in a single, green-glowing leap.

          And
there he was before me. That same smooth skin; that same rippling muscled chest
I knew and loved so well. Those same dark blue eyes that bore straight through
into my soul, making me weak at the knees. He looked weary, to be sure – his
face and body spoke of injury and exhaustion – but that hardly mattered to me.
This was
Kian
– this was my love – he was here, before me, at last. At
that moment I didn't care about our arguments, about our fights, about what
we'd said to one another, about any recriminations at all. All I wanted to do
was to sink into his loving arms once more, to wrap my arms about him and kiss
and kiss and kiss him with a hungry mouth, giving into my longing, my desire.

          “Kian?”
My voice shook like an earthquake. “Kian – I've missed you so much!” I couldn't
stop myself; I threw myself into his arms, wrapping my own tightly around his
chest, kissing his chest, his shoulders, his neck, his lips, overwhelmed by the
force of my own passion, overcome with joy that we were here together again,
reunited at last. “Kian – I'm so sorry – please forgive me, I'm so sorry...”

          He
pulled away sharply, abruptly, causing me to tumble to the floor.

          “Madam,”
he said, his voice stiff, his eyes turned from me. “Would you mind refraining
from making a spectacle of yourself in public?”

          His
words were cold and cruel; they hit me like a thunderbolt. Not even in the
first few days of our courtship had Kian been this distant, this arrogant, this
removed. I looked into his eyes and felt my heart break. The worst was true.
The eyes that stared back into my own were utterly devoid of love, utterly
devoid of emotion.

          “Kian...”
My voice still wavered. “It's me, Breena! Don't you recognize me?”

          “Of
course I recognize you.” He sounded mildly irritated. “I don't see why you had
to come all the way out here just to throw yourself at my feet. I mean, it's
terribly dramatic, don't you think?”

          “But...I
had to find you! You were in danger.”

          “I
was perfectly all right, thank you, madam,” he said. “I had hoped that you'd be
able to treat our parting with some degree of dignity and serenity, but I see
instead you've chosen to drag my whole family into your embarrassing hysterics.
I'm terribly sorry to hurt you, madam, but I have made my intentions quite
clear. I'm simply no longer interested in caterwauling of this nature. I have
better things to do.”

          I
stood still, my mouth open, staring at him in wonder and confusion, feeling my
heart become ground to dust within my chest. Could this be? Was Kian –
my
Kian –
who loved me once, who once promised me all of eternity – speaking
to me as if I meant nothing to him at all.

          “But
you love me...” I found myself whispering as the tears trickled down my face.
“You love me, Kian, don't you?”.

          “Loved.”
His voice was light and sharp. “I have, thank goodness, been cured of that
affliction long ago.”

          “But
– I haven't been! What about everything we've shared, Kian? What about
us
?”

          He
laughed, a cruel and bitter laugh filled with sarcasm. “I've learned, Breena. I
see now what a fool I was to think of mingling my pure bloodline with a
half-caste wench like yourself, what an embarrassment my behavior was to all
those that I cared about. To my mother, who died in shame because of her son's
weakness. To the whole line of Winter Princes who were far better than I in
freeing themselves from the wretched diseases of love and affection that made
me a weak, feeble leader. Well, Breena, no longer. No longer am I interested in
being your puppy, your follower, your spaniel, your swain, your dog. If I wish
to rule, I shall do so without your mewing interferences. I don't take kindly
to being ill-treated – but in your case I thank you for it. Had you not behaved
with such lack of care towards me, I would never have realized what a fool I
was to love you in the first place. So rest assured, Breena. You can marry your
hulking Wolf in peace. I will be no impediment to that marriage. I will gladly
let you go – come to the wedding as a kind of peace offering to ensure that
your kingdom and mine do not get involved in any more war. I may even buy you a
present. But I have no interest in any drama.”

          “B...b...b...”
I struggled to get the words out. “But I don't
want
anybody else, Kian.
You're the only one I want. I can't marry Logan. Not with the way I feel for
you.” I lowered my eyes so as not to see the pain in Logan's eyes. “You're the
only one I ever loved. You're the only one I ever wanted. I know you can't mean
this – that you
don't
mean this – that you're just doing it to push me
away, because you think this is what I want.” It had to be true; it was the
only truth I could bear. “But please,
please Kian
, don't let this be
true. I want to be with you, and only you. I made my choice long ago; I just
didn't realize it until now. Please don't let things end like this between us –
Kian –
please...
”

          “I'm
terribly sorry you're hurting, of course,” Kian looked utterly unconcerned with
the fact that I was sobbing hysterically at his feet. “But there's nothing I
can do. I simply no longer love you. If you don't wish to marry Logan, that's
certainly your business, and I won't insist. But I have no interest in being
groom to an overemotional half-breed like yourself.”

          “How
dare you!” Logan had flushed scarlet, taking a step forward. “How dare you
speak to her like that! How dare you hurt her in this way?”

          “I'm
simply being honest,” Kian shrugged, utterly insensible to my pain. I was on
the floor, now, gasping for breath, feeling the world reel around me, the floor
crumble under me, the sky open up and swallow me. Nothing made sense any
longer; nothing mattered. I didn't care about life, about Feyland, about
existence itself. If I could have waved my hands and made the whole world
implode, with me at the center of the conflagration, I would have done it
without a second's thought.

          “She
loves you, Kian,” Logan clenched his teeth. “Believe me, I wish it wasn't true,
but it is. And she's chosen you – again and again. And again and again I've
suffered the heartbreak of knowing she's chosen you over me. And you know what,
Kian? I'm happy to walk away. I'm happy to do it – even though it eats me up
inside – because Breena's happiness is more important to me than anything in
the world. But I'd sooner walk into the mouth of the Fire Pits of Sackler than
walk away from Breena if it means leaving her with a callous, idiotic coward
like you! How dare you spit in the face of her sacrifice – and mine! How
dare
you?” He took a step forward and shoved Kian, causing him to stumble
backwards. “I'm ashamed we were ever once friends.”

          “You
– call
me
a coward?” Kian scoffed. “When you've been sniffing around my
fiancé in vain for years, too sniveling to say anything about your feelings,
hoping you could get my crumbs from under the table!” He grabbed a sword from
Rodney's belt before any of us could move, and began waving it wildly in
Logan's direction.

          “Stop!”
I rushed between the two of them, feeling myself grow dizzy with motion. “Both
of you, stop it! This is crazy! Please – we have to focus on Gail Vines right
now – on getting her out of Feyland...”

         
Focus.
The last thing I could do right now. The last thing my body or my soul
wanted to do.
The thing we had to do.

            “
You
need a woman to defend you?” Kian scoffed. “You really are the coward, aren't
you?”

          “I'll
show you just how much of a coward I am!” shouted Logan. “Right here, right
now. And I'll enjoy doing it.”

          “Stop,
please!” I cried, but my screams were in vain.

          “
Now
just a second, here
.” Shasta had taken a step forward, her hands on her
hips. “You're my brother, Kian, and I love you, and I've known you to do many
stupid things in your life. But this is the
absolute stupidest
I've ever
seen you. I know you love Breena – believe me, I'm surer of that than I am of
anything. So if Kian's acting like a complete bonehead – there's only one thing
behind it. Magic. Can't you see – he's been enchanted!”

          “I
most certainly have not!” said Kian loudly.

          “Then
what were you doing in Gail Vines’ prison? Just hanging out? Having some fun?”

          This
caused Kian to fall silent. “I...can't remember.”

          “You
don't remember how you got there?” Shasta raised an eyebrow.

          “Something...”
He furrowed his brow. “I was in this room – with Gail. And we were drinking this
wine...no...it wasn't wine at all...”

          “Potion?”
Shasta looked dubious.

          “I...don't
remember.”

          “There
you have it,” Shasta crossed her arms. “Looks like Gail's gotten to Kian, too.”
She put a hand on my shoulder. “Don't worry, Breena – we'll cure him, too.”

          “I
don't need to be cured of anything!” Kian exclaimed. “I've already been cured!”

          Somehow,
I found my voice, my strength, in the midst of my despair. “We'll worry about
that later,” I said, trying to restrain my sobs. “For now – we have to defeat
Gail Vines.”

          “Do
you?” A high, cold cruel voice caused us all to turn around. Standing before us
was a beautiful woman with dark, blazing eyes, her hands on her hips. “I'd like
to see you try.”

Chapter 19

S
o,
this was the woman who stood before us, the woman who had filled our hearts
with fear for so long. Gail Vines. Gail. The White Witch. The woman who had in
the space of a few days taken away everything that I held dear. My people. My
love. My crown.

          “Welcome,
Breena.” Her voice was sibilant and soft, like a snake's hiss. “I see you have
come to try to regain your crown.” She laughed. “Or have you come to surrender,
to go into exile the way you sent me and my kind into exile so many years ago?”