Reign of Ice (Forever Fae series) (13 page)

The sorcerer laughed and used the tip of his iron dagger to scratch his chin. It was confusing seeing him as Brayden, but anyone could tell that it wasn’t my prince in there. He lowered the dagger and said, “You know very well who I am so stop messing with me. I need to find her and you’re going to tell me where she is. Or better yet, maybe your lover would be willing to tell me.”

His dark eyes gleamed with anticipation as he approached me, but I stepped back and brought up my sword, ready to fight. Lukas blocked Alasdair from getting closer. “You are not going to touch her,” he hissed.

Alasdair laughed evilly and shook his head incredulously. “I don’t think you can stop me, warrior. Or better yet, you can always try.” Everything after those words moved in slow motion. Lukas attacked at the same time I screamed for him to stop.

All it would take is one cut from that iron blade and it would be over. Being almost immortal in our land didn’t mean anything against the poison in the sorcerer’s blade. The sorcerer appeared and reappeared in a different location as Lukas tried hard to fight him off. However, I knew it was a losing battle even before I saw the sorcerer sweep his iron dagger toward Lukas’ chest.

I lunged into the fray, sword swinging to knock the dagger out of Alasdair’s hand, and immediately tried to push Lukas out of the way. I was too late. Lukas growled painfully as the iron blade grazed across his chest, and he fell to the floor, holding his hand over his wound.

“Lukas,” I cried angrily, knowing he was two minutes away from dying.

I was mad with rage, with a burning fire in my gut that wanted blood and revenge … Alasdair’s blood. Screaming out my fury, I swung my sword, blind to anything but the consuming hate. Lukas only wanted to protect me and now he was going to die. How many more people were going to lose their lives because of this atrocity of a man who wanted to steal our land?

The only thing I had was my sword, and I was up against his iron blade. One false move and everything could be lost, except I was angry and hurt, saddened by the fact that Lukas was lying there dying and was also the brother of my good friend. I was going to have to tell
Kamden how I watched his brother die senselessly and how there was nothing I could do about it. I didn’t want to feel that pain, I only wanted to think of the anger, the burning rage in my soul that demanded justice.

“Ariella!”
Brayden shouted.

I couldn’t respond to him. Instead, I screamed the loudest battle cry I could muster and thrust my sword into the sorcerer’s chest. Even though he had taken the form of Brayden, I didn’t let that sway me. He laughed as I pinned him up against the wall, my sword protruding out of his rib cage. My weapon was just a simple blade with no guardian qualities whatsoever, so I knew I didn’t do any damage.
Durin hadn’t made my guardian sword yet for me to fight with, so I was stuck with nothing to defend myself with other than just a plain one. I could’ve wounded him if I only had what I needed.

“You are a feisty one,” Alasdair taunted. “I think I could have fun playing around with you.”

Thundering steps echoed down the hall and I knew it was Brayden and his warriors. The sorcerer slowly changed into his inky black form and escaped the clutches of my sword. “I’ll be back for the princess, and when I do I’ll come for you as well. I need someone who can keep up with me.”

I scoffed, completely disgusted, and snarled angrily, “You make me sick, sorcerer. I would rather die than be anywhere near your clutches.”

“That can be arranged, too,” he bellowed, disappearing into the shadows. When I knew he was gone for sure, I used my glamour to turn my body back to its usual self. Dropping down to the floor beside Lukas, I pulled him into my lap. I tried to transfer some of my power to him, wishing that I could heal like Meliantha could, but it didn’t work.

I inspected the gash across his chest and winced as his skin turned black with the spreading poison. “Lukas, please forgive me,” I cried. “This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for me. I thought I could help you.”

He swallowed hard and his voice came out raspy when he said, “You did help, Princess. You fought like a true warrior when you saw me in trouble. I am honored to die beside you.”

I took his hands in mine and closed my eyes, my lip trembling because I knew what was about to happen. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I gazed down at him and kissed his forehead. “As am I,” I whispered.

Lukas’ body began to shake and I held him tighter. I could feel his soul slipping away to the Hereafter, but he gazed up into my eyes and mustered up the strength to say his last words, “Will you tell Kamden farewell for me? I’ve missed him so much.”

I nodded fiercely and cried, “Of course I will, Lukas.” Before his body turned to ash, he smiled and released a final breath. “Safe journey to the Hereafter, warrior. As long as I live you will never be forgotten here.”

“Ariella,” Brayden called, storming through the rooms frantically. When he reached the room I was in, he flung open the door and rushed to my side, followed by his warriors. He crouched down where Lukas’ ashes lay helplessly on the floor and bowed his head. “I should’ve known,” he expressed helplessly. “He knew I wouldn’t want you out there fighting and he anticipated that.” When his sorrowful gaze found mine, I wanted to cling to him and let the tears fall with no shame. Being strong and being a leader meant keeping your pain hidden, and for Brayden I could see it taking its toll.

Another life was lost, another soul taken because of the sorcerer’s greed. Calling upon my wind, I closed my eyes and lifted my hands over Lukas’ ashes. The window burst open and in gusted the cold, snowy breeze of
Winter. It swirled around the ashes and gathered them up, carrying them out to the land. “Take him somewhere special,” I breathed across the wind.

Still gazing out the window, keeping my tear-stained face away from the warriors, I silently pleaded with Brayden,
“We need to send word to everyone and let them know what’s happened, especially Kamden. I didn’t know Lukas was his brother until he told me.”

“I’ll take care of it,”
Brayden uttered soothingly.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
He took my hand and helped me to my feet. The warriors bowed their heads solemnly and backed out of the room, leaving Brayden and I alone. Wrapping his arms around me tight, he held me up against his chest and said, “From now on, you are not leaving my sight. If we have to fight, we fight together. We are in this as one.”

With my heart tired and bruised, I gazed up at him with a newfound strength. Maybe he wouldn’t be too difficult to deal with after all. “And that’s how it should be,” I told him. “I will always fight for my people, for my court … and for you.”

Always …

THROUGHOUT THE EVENING, Brayden kept a contingent of warriors posted at the gates to keep lookout. There were times every now and again when we would see a scout scurrying along the forest line, keeping watch on our every movement. I couldn’t feel the evil of the dark sorcerer, which was good, but what bothered me was that he had his people monitoring us. It almost seemed like we were being trapped somehow. How was Durin going to deliver the dagger without being attacked?

I watched as Brayden gave
Coran his final commands before we could retire for the night. I had sat on the front steps of the palace for the past few hours, pondering how I was going to tell Kamden of his brother’s death. I wondered if he was going to blame me.

Brayden approached me and reached out his hand. “He’s not going to blame you, angel. Come on let’s go home. You need your rest.”

Taking his hand, I let him pull me up to lead me through the palace and out the back. The snow crunched beneath our feet as we somberly made our way to his dwelling, hand in hand. “How are Durin and everyone going to get here safely with Alasdair’s scouts watching our every move? I know we can fight them if we have to, but I don’t want to lose anyone else or put anyone in unnecessary danger,” I said.

Nodding, he blew out a heavy sigh. “Right now I have an idea, and for the time being it’s going to have to work. I sent our sprites with letters to go to each court, and even to
Durin, to inform them of what happened here today. I also sent in a request to Calista asking if we could compensate Nixie somehow to get her to transport everyone here when the time comes, and to also get Elvena to figure out what it would take to put up a protection spell against the dark sorcerer. It’s not safe for you anywhere if he can get to you.”

Nixie was
Calista’s friend who helped rescue her from the dark sorcerer when she was in the Black Forest. She can port travel to anywhere in the Land of the Fae in a matter of seconds. Years ago, after the attack on Calista, Nixie was our only way of travelling safely and it appeared it was going to be that way again.

“When do you think we will hear back from everyone?” I asked.

“Most likely first thing in the morning, angel. Coran is going to keep watch for the rest of the night so I can be with you. There are some things I wanted to show you.”

He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulders as we climbed up the stairs to his dwelling. “What did you need to show me?” I asked curiously, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“You’ll see,” he whispered. “You need something to get your mind off of things.”

When we got inside, I took a shower and changed into one of my silky nightgowns. I was exhausted, and what I really wanted was to lay my head on
Brayden’s soft pillows and go to sleep. When I got back in the bedroom, Brayden was nowhere to be found.
“I’m down the hall, angel. It’ll be your second door on the right.”

Opening the bedroom door, I found the hallway dark except for the sliver of light coming from the room two doors down. I slowly crept across the soft rugs on the hardwood floor and
when I got to the crack in the door I peeked inside. What I saw had me completely taken by surprise. Gently pushing the door open, I ambled inside and gazed at the pictures on the walls in awe. Some were of places in the mortal realm, but most were of different landscapes in the Winter Court. I scanned each picture with appreciation, one after the other, until I came upon a couple of paintings on the opposite side of the wall. Gasping, I placed a hand over my mouth and gazed at them with tear-filled eyes.

“Brayden,” I whispered. “Did you paint all of these?”

Brayden was behind the easel with a smirk on his face as his hands deftly moved up and down with the paintbrush. “I knew you would like them. My mother taught me how to draw when I was young, and over time I got really good at it. No one else knows I can do this other than her. I wanted to share something of me with you so you would know there is more to me than you realize.”

I reached out to touch the face on the canvas before me … my face. It was like I was staring in a mirror it was that perfect. I murmured softly, “You know, your mother told me we had things in common and I thought she was crazy. I never once realized she could be right.”

Brayden came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me gently on the neck. “My mother is a smart woman most of the time, but do you want to know when I really started to see you differently?”

Turning around in his arms, I gazed up into his warm, brown eyes and nodded. “Tell me,” I said.

He lowered his lips to mine, just a gentle brushing of his lips before he pulled back and explained, “It was when you were here with your family for the Winter Solstice Ball. I remember watching you get out of the carriage and thinking that it couldn’t be you. You had changed so much in five years.”

I laughed. “Five years is a long time for a female to grow up, Brayden. After everything that happened with
Calista I had no choice but to see and do things differently.”

“I know, angel, and it’s definitely changed you for the better. However, I will never forget the day when I saw you playing with Merrick out in the snow. You were so carefree and everything I’d always wished I could be. The way you gazed at him with such love and adoration was an expression I’d never seen on anyone’s face before, especially when they looked at me.”

I cupped his face in my hands and smiled. “It’s because I love him, Brayden. Do you really think no one has felt that way about you? I’m sure there are plenty of women here who have loved you.”

“No, not like that,” he admitted. He took my hands away from his face and walked me back to our bedroom where I took a seat on the bed. Leaving the room, he came back almost immediately with something hidden in the palm of his hand. “I do not know if this is the right time, but I need you to know where I stand in all of this. You could have been taken from me on several occasions, and I cannot begin to describe to you the way it made me feel to know that I could have lost you. I have never felt that way about anyone until you.”

“What are you trying to say, Brayden?” I asked nervously.

My heart raced erratically to the point I could feel it pulsing throughout my body. I was sure Brayden could hear it and feel it through our bond. Through our connection I could feel how deep his emotions ran, and secretly I had hoped one day he would be able to tell me. No one had ever looked at me or loved me in the way I wanted, in the way I needed. We were the same in that aspect as well. My sisters had experienced love by other men, but I never had, even though I had taken lovers before.

Taking a deep breath, Brayden took my hand and opened his closed fist. In his palm lay a shiny silver and onyx band with a symbol engraved on it. I couldn’t tell what the symbol was until he slid the band slowly down on my finger. However, it wasn’t just a symbol, it was the crest of the Winter Court … our Court of Ice.

“How?” I whispered.
Did he really remember the symbol in our vision?

“Yes, I did,” he replied, giving me the answer to my silent question. “I can still see our vision clearly, right down to the way we made love by the fire. I remembered our crest on the wall in the room we were in, and it’s been engraved in my mind ever since. I had Lukas make the ring for you.”

“Lukas made this?” I cried, gazing down at the ring. “It’s beautiful. I just wish I could tell him so.”

Brayden lifted my chin with his finger and grazed my lips with his thumb. “He was a very talented man and a good friend of mine. I will miss him. I know it’s not customary to exchange rings, but I wanted you to know that I am serious about us and about our court. We have so much to learn from each other, and by giving you this I am ready. I know you are not yet, and I am fine waiting for as long as you need me to, but I have faith in us. I’ve never believed in anything as much as I believe in you.”

Staring at the man in front of me, I couldn’t believe he was the same Brayden. Our time has been short together, but all along we both knew that we were the ones for each other. Deep down I knew I was ready to bond with him, except with everything going on I knew it wasn’t the right time.

Kissing me gently on the lips, he whispered silently in my mind,
“Do you think you will ever love me the way I love you?”

I stifled a gasp and let him deepen the kiss. He said he loved me. Tears sprang into my eyes as I melted in his arms, lying back against the bed. He covered my body with his while melding his tongue with mine, tasting me and claiming me, never taking his gaze away.

“I need to hear you say it, Brayden,” I murmured tenderly.

He wiped away the tears in my eyes and whispered across my lips, “I love you, angel. No matter what happens and what challenges we face, I will always be there with you. In your mind, body, and soul, you will never be alone.”

We stared at each other, him holding onto me as we lay together on the bed, and I knew without a doubt that I had fallen for him. The times he pissed me off and the times I thought he didn’t care no longer mattered because I knew he did care … all along he felt the same way about me that I had of him.

The ring on my finger was a symbol of everything I had to live for, but yet everything I was going to lose. I needed to live for the moment and I planned on doing that. With all the love and determination in my heart, I poured it all into Brayden as I gazed at him and said the words I knew he had always wanted to hear, “I know it’s not easy for you to say these things to me, and I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to hear them. I love you, Brayden. There may come a time in our lives when you doubt that, but I want you to understand that I will always love you. I will always do what I can to protect you and our court. I will never stop fighting for us.”

After hours of kissing and consoling each other, I couldn’t stop my exhausted body from giving out. Brayden held me tight as my eyes drifted close, and I was steadily carried away to the dream realm. I didn’t, however, expect to find myself in the middle of a nightmare.