Enchanted Frost (Frost Series #8) (A YA Romantic Fantasy Adventure) (17 page)

          “Kian!”
It was Breena's voice – a voice overwhelmed with emotion, with joy. With
happiness. With happiness I would give my whole life to ensure was never
destroyed again.

          I
lifted Gail up with my bare hands, no longer feeling the pain of the flames. I
walked towards the stone gates to the Ancient Realms, holding her aloft.

          “You'll
regret this, Kian!” Gail was screaming. “By the power of the White Witch, I'll
make you regret it! Your love is making you weak – it's making you foolish.”

          But
I no longer heard her. I threw her across the gate.

          No
sooner had she landed with a heavy thud than the other witches, too, began to
vanish, one by one, dissolving into shadows that in their turn dissolved into
nothingness.

          And
then there was only silence.

          I
turned to Breena, who was standing before me, tears shining on her face. I
collapsed to my knees, overcome by joy, by love, by the desire to take her into
my arms once more. I knew then that no spells could ever separate us again, no
potions, no enchantments. She was mine and I was hers; our destinies were ever
intertwined.

          “My
darling...”I whispered. “I'm so sorry – so, so sorry...the spell...”

          “You
broke it.” She began to shake like a leaf in my arms. “You broke the spell.”

          “I
could never stop loving you, Breena. I never did. I loved you so much I thought
it would kill me – but I never stopped. And I never will. My love for you is
stronger than the strongest magic – and if you'll let me, I want to keep loving
you until the end of time. Please, Breena, if you'll forgive me, if you'll have
me, if you'll only accept my profound regret for all that I've done in my
jealousy, in my stupidity. Please, Breena, do me the great honor, and give me
the greater still joy, of becoming my wife.”

          Her
words were all but indistinguishable through her tears. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, yes, I will.”

          And
then, again, through telepathy – through the connection that surged through us
both like a flame.

         
Yes.

            I
love you.

Epilogue

Logan

S
o,
this was the end. This is how Breena and I ended – how I always knew we would
end, deep down. Me watching her pledge her heart to another – me knowing now,
for the last and most certain time, that they were going to be together
forever. That my love for her, strong as it was, wasn't
true love.
Would
I have been able to withstand that potion? Perhaps, perhaps not. I would never
know. I'd had my chance with Breena, after Kian left – and I had not taken it.
It wasn't circumstance that had kept me and Breena apart – it was destiny. I
knew that now. And I knew that the road towards moving on would be long and
hard. But necessary.

          But
I knew that much lay still in store for me. One day, I hoped, Breena and I
would be best friends again. As I had learned from the Summer King, the bond
between the Summer Heir and the Wolf Prince was a historic one, one imbued with
ancient magic. But before I could be a friend to Breena, I had to learn to move
on, to find my own love, to follow my own heart, wherever it led.

         
Could
I love another? The idea seemed possible for the first time. For the first
time I wanted to love another – wanted to fall for someone whom I could love
the way Breena and Kian loved one another.
But could another love me?
A
face popped involuntarily into my mind – a beautiful, round face surrounded by
a cloud of bright saffron-colored hair – a face so often brought to a blush of
embarrassment, of flirtation...

         
No,
impossible...
I pushed the thought out of my mind. But it returned again –
Rose's face, Rose's body. The only other girl I'd ever dreamt about. All during
the ride back to the Summer Palace, I couldn't help but wonder, couldn't help
but think...
No, Alistair loves her. And she is with Alistair. It could
never work...Alistair's your friend.

           
And
then, as the Summer Palace came into view, as I ran into the courtyard and
under the shadow of the orange blossoms, I saw her, and the sight made my heart
go still.

          “Logan?”
She was more beautiful than I remembered, her rosebud blush in full bloom. “I
came to greet you – they're waiting in the Great Hall for dinner.” She was out
of breath, flushed, as if she'd been running. Her balance was precarious; I
reached out and caught her to steady her. As soon as my hands touched her
shoulders, I felt a curious stirring in my chest, as if my body itself had
responded to our touching by spurring me on to touch her further. How had I
never noticed the way she smelled before? It was as if my newfound magic had
made me more sensitive to scent – to the way she smelled of apples and
fresh-cut grain, of the harvest after rainfall. She smelled warm, inviting.

         
Funny,
I thought.
It was Kian who set out to be cured of his love for Breena –
and it was I who found it.
I would never stop loving Breena – but as I
looked over at her, wrapped in Kian's arms – I felt for the first time that my
love for Breena had changed. It was no longer romantic, no longer physical. Our
time together had been a test of our love. I knew now what it would be like to
be with her – with no obstacles in the way, no Kian competing for her
affections – and knew that, even then, we were not to be. And I knew that it
was time to stop nursing my hopeless crush. I'd been afraid to move on – afraid
to expose myself to heartbreak again, to rejection. It had been easier to love
hopelessly than to risk being hurt. But now there was no more fear.

          I
looked down at Rose. Her skin was smooth – so preternaturally smooth. Had it
always been this way? I caught her eye and smiled at her smile.

          “There's
some news,” she said, furrowing her brow. “All is not well. The Summer King's
consort...”

          “Raine?”

          “She's
not well,” Rose looked worried. “She needs to go back to Oregon, to seek a
doctor there. Our magic doesn't work on her.”

          “Sick?”

          I
followed Rose to Raine's chamber, wondering what kind of illness it could be.
But as soon as I saw Raine – radiant, but with eyes full of sadness – I knew.
Her illness wasn't physical. It was mental. As she sat, cradling Breena in her
arms, she smiled softly at me.

          “Homesickness,”
she whispered. “It's real, isn't it? I need to go back – back to where I
belong. Humans like me don't belong in this place. I love Frank – and I always
will. But I love my life back home in Oregon. My career. My world. I see the
sacrifices that Breena has made, or will make, and I know that choice is right
for her. But not right for me. But I need a Knight to accompany me on the
journey.”

          I
turned to Rose. “Could you spare me?”

          She
flushed scarlet. “Me?”

          I
couldn't resist giving her a flirtatious kiss on the forehead – one that sent
chills up and down my spine.

          “I'd
be happy to accompany you back to the Land Beyond the Crystal River, my lady,”
I said, bowing low.

          “You
don't have to use titles with me,” Raine smiled. “Ms. Malloy will do just
fine.”

          “Mrs.
Flametail, more like!” King Flametail appeared in the doorway, beaming. “I'm
going back, too. I'm ready to hand over my title to Breena – full time. I'm an
old man, and have been ruling for too long. It's time for me to retire. And
retire I shall. But I have one last act before I go.” He put his hand on my
shoulders. “As of this morning, the Summer Kingdom is officially changing its
constitution to recognize all Fey of Wolf descent to be official citizens of
the Summer Kingdom, and enjoy all rights, comforts, and benefits that go
therein. And I wish, too, to create an official role for the Wolf Prince within
the Summer Court. The role of Lupine Vizier – a part of the Royal Family – so
that Wolf issues are looked after at the highest levels of government.”

          “Oh,
Logan!” Breena smiled at me. “Isn't that wonderful?”

          We
hugged – awkwardly, at first, but then naturally. A hug full of friendship –
and yet one, at last, that was free of lingering desire. A hug that promised a
new relationship between us.

          “Promise
me,” Raine said to Breena. “That you'll have a big wedding! I'll do my best to
come back for it. Both of us will. Or else you'll have to have a second one in
the Mortal World. And Rose and Alistair – that will be the next wedding, won't
it?”

          Rose
turned a darker shade of scarlet. “It's....awfully early, your Highness.”

          I
couldn't resist feeling jealousy prickle down my spine – involuntarily.
Oh
no, Logan,
my subconscious chided me.
Not this again...

           
As
I walked out the door, I caught snippets of Raine's conversation with Breena.
Curiosity compelled me to stop and listen.

          “Logan
is a wonderful man,” said Raine. “But Kian...he's the one, isn't he?”

          “There
were so many reasons for us not to be together,” said Breena. “Summer and
Winter, warfare, struggle – and yet, we keep finding our way back to each
other. In the end, love found its way back to us. No matter what.”

          “And
Logan?”

          I
couldn't resist pricking up my ears at the sound of my name.

          “Things
are going to be interesting around here, I bet,” said Breena. “Especially with
Rose heading up the Department for Lupine Research.”

          “You
don't mean...”

          “She'll
be in charge of teaching the Wolf Fey to harness their magic. And somehow, I
think she'll be harnessing a bit of her own power in the process...” She began
to laugh. “It will be hard – at first. But I'm happy for him. And a little bit
excited.” She sighed. “It's time for a new start,” she said. “For all of us.”

         
A
new start.
For Kian and Breena, for Feyland, for Raine and Frank Flametail.

          “Rose!”
I called. “Wait up!”

         
And
maybe, just maybe, a new start for me.

*****

This is the
end of Bitter Frost: Fairies of Feyland

Stay Tune for
a new series featuring Logan, Rose, Kian, Breena, and some special mortals in
the mortal world, a few years later in:

BEYOND CRYSTAL
RIVER

Fall 2013

A FINAL WORD

Reasons Why?

I get asked this all the time, why do you interact with your readers so
much?

1) The answer is simply because I
see many of my readers as friends.

I’m a reader, too, and over the years, I’ve gotten to know some of you
through Facebook, Twitter, or even at events I’m participating in. You have
read my books, understood the story, and have come to love the characters in
these stories as much as I do.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know many of my readers. I share your pain
when you lose a love one, congratulate you on victories, go through your
birthdays and dramas at home and work. So you see, in other words, a lot of my
readers have become friends of mine. You read my books, and even understand me
like a friend understands a friend.

2) I know how
reading can be time-consuming so I am pretty happy when a reader Facebook me
and tells me she just read one of my books and she knows she'll be one of my
biggest fans. I can't tell you how incredibly touched I am when someone tells
me this. It literally brings tears to my eyes.

Not only does this feel incredible, and I am truly honored, but I want my
readers to know from the bottom of my heart, this:

3) You Make Me, an Author, feel
Warm and Fuzzy, too!

When you love my books and even reach out to me to let me know how much you
love my books or that it has touched you in some way, and even write a review
about it, you can’t imagine how happy that makes me. I’m only human you know.
It makes me feel good about what I'm working hard for.

4) My Readers are Not Only
Interesting, but they are Fun, Smart, and Great to Hang Out with!

So, please don't be a stranger. Come
on by and say "Hi" on Twitter, Facebook, or my blogs. And become a
Facebook friend of mine and vice versa. I really do want to find out more about
you, and consider it a great honor that you're a reader of mine.

From
the bottom of my humble heart: