Reign of Ice (Forever Fae series) (19 page)

My eyes welled with tears, but I nodded in reply. If this was our last night together I was going to do my utmost to fulfill his request. “Yes, Brayden. On this night nothing else exists, except you … and me.”

The night was young and there was nowhere else I wanted to be than in Brayden’s arms as we made love to each other. Hours upon hours our bodies and souls connected into one magnificent union, and what made it even better was that the magic of our court was strengthening our love. Out of every single gift in the world, love was the most powerful. I just wished it was strong enough to save the Land of the Fae.

WHEN THE NIGHT ebbed off to bring the dawn, I watched Brayden sleep peacefully beside me. I wanted to fall asleep and relax in his arms, but the night was over, meaning that our world of nothing else existing didn’t exist anymore. The evil was still there, lurking behind the corner and waiting to strike; I had to face it head on.

Dressing back in my white gown from the night before, I draped my blue cloak over my shoulders and quietly walked out of the house and out onto my land. The ice was smooth as I ambled across it, and I wondered what it would feel like to have ice skates and be able to dance and glide around on them. It didn’t matter, though. All that mattered was that my court was strong and ready.

The sound of hooves beating across the ground vibrated through the trees, and when I glanced behind me, I was amazed to see a whole entourage of people headed our way. My whole family, now including Brayden’s, trudged along on their horses along with Kamden and Zanna, and a contingent of warriors including Coran.

Brayden must have felt them coming because he walked out of the house, buttoning his shirt up in the process. “What are you doing out here?” Brayden asked softly. “I thought you would be in bed with me.”

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “I couldn’t sleep. Besides, we have company,” I informed him, pointing at our approaching guests.

Calista
reached us first and jumped off her horse, flinging her arms around me. “You look amazing, Ariella. So how does it feel to be the queen of your own court?”

“It feels great,” I answered honestly. “Why are you all here?”

“Meliantha and I are here to help lend our magic to make your home, and the warriors are here because they choose to be allegiant to this Winter Court and follow Brayden. We also had a meeting last night about our plan of attack, and now that you and Brayden have completed the bond we wanted to discuss it all with you.”

“What did you come up with?” I asked hesitantly.

She smiled and shook her head, but that smile didn’t touch her eyes. “Let’s talk about that later. Right now we need to get your home built. You don’t want to stay in your little ice house forever do you? Where would you put all your kids?”

The thought did bring a smile to my face, imagining all the children Brayden and I would have, but it was just a dream and
Calista knew it. Her eyes misted over, but I took her hand in mine and pulled her to the forest edge. “No tears, Calista, you understand me?” She nodded, but didn’t say a word. “Let’s use your magic and get this palace built.” Meliantha came up on my other side and took my hand, leaving me in the middle of my sisters.

“You weren’t planning on doing this without me were you?”
Sorcha scolded playfully, taking Calista’s other hand.

The moment we all four took hands, the magic between us exploded into the land. The ground rumbled and shook as everything began to shift and change. In my mind, I pictured a palace just like mine in the Summer Court, but this one with white stone bricks surrounded by glimmering sheens of ice. It sparkled just like mine and
Brayden’s little ice house in the woods and I loved it. Instead of gargoyles, like you would see on gothic castles across the world, I had angels protecting mine. If I couldn’t be there for Brayden, at least he would have his own guardian angels protecting our court. It all materialized in front of my eyes just as I imagined it.

“Thank you,” I whispered to my sisters as I gazed out at my new home. “I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life.”

They all looked over at me incredulously, and then to each other. “I didn’t do anything,” Calista admitted, letting go of my hand. “Once you grabbed a hold of my hand you took over somehow. I think that was all you. You didn’t even tell me what you wanted, remember?”

I stared at her for a moment, brows furrowed, and then out to my new home. “You’re right,” I whispered with uncertainty. “I didn’t tell you what I wanted.”

It was strange, but it was true. I thought it up in my head, and the moment I grabbed everyone’s hands it just appeared. It was weird, but then for some reason my whole body felt weird.
Did I get new powers when Brayden and I bonded?

Things only got weirder when out of the corner of my eye I saw someone appear that I wasn’t expecting to ever see again. I blinked a couple of times, thinking it was just from lack of sleep, but when he saw me looking at him, I knew then that he was actually there. He gazed at me uncertainly, not knowing if I was seeing him, but when I made full eye contact with him, he started to approach me slowly, cautiously.

I backed up quickly, thinking that I had to be going crazy. What was wrong with me? Brayden could immediately feel my panic and rushed over, taking my face in his hands and going on full alert.

“Ariella, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he uttered worriedly, running his hands along my arms.

“I think I am,” I told them.

Everyone gazed at me with concern in
their eyes, but what was I supposed to say. I didn’t understand what was happening, but even I couldn’t deny what I was seeing. It wasn’t an illusion, but there was some kind of magic at work that was making me see things. 

It only became even more real when he spoke. “Ariella, can you see me?” he asked.

My eyes burned with unshed tears as I gazed upon the guy I looked up to as a child. I even had a silly crush on him when I was a little girl because he was always around my sister, Calista. Even in death he still followed her around. He still looked the same, all Summer Fae with golden tanned skin and blond hair that curled slightly over his ears and hung over his forehead. Merrick hadn’t changed a bit in the six years he’d been gone to the Hereafter. The question was … why could I see him?

I nodded quickly and whispered, “Yes, I see you.”

Brayden gently grasped my chin and turned my face toward him, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Are you all right? Who are you saying yes to?”

Standing by
Calista, Merrick smiled and assured me, “I’m here, Ariella. Just tell them you see me. Maybe someone will know why you can. Elvena usually knows everything.”

I glanced at Brayden and then over to
Calista, letting the tears fall as I kept looking at them both and then to Merrick. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and opened them one more time … only to see Merrick still there with a smirk on his face. “I’m still here,” he teased.

“Oh, holy hell I am going crazy,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I’m talking to a ghost.”

“Who?” Brayden and Calista asked at the same time.

I glanced at them both and whispered, “Merrick.”

It turned out that Merrick wasn’t the only deceased person I could see. Lukas happened to be one of them, too. It wasn’t easy relaying his and Kamden’s messages to each other. I spent the entire time crying, trying to talk to both of them. After a couple of hours of speculating and questions from Elvena and my family, the conclusion came down to my seeing ghosts being a case of delayed magical abilities. However, I knew it wasn’t true, but how could I tell my family that it didn’t feel right? I knew what my powers were and what I could do, but this gift didn’t have anything to do with my own abilities. It was something else.

Everyone gathered in the throne room of mine and
Brayden’s newly built palace while he and I walked through the halls. I needed some time away; time to think. “I can’t believe you can see Merrick and Lukas,” Brayden announced. “I wonder why you can see them now and not before. Is it strange being able to see them?”

“Of course it is,” I replied incredulously. “Especially with Merrick since I know how bad
Calista misses him. Now that I can see him and she can’t, it makes me feel bad for her. I know your sister helped her see him in her dreams, but I know it’s not the same thing as what I can do.”

He draped his arm across my shoulders and sighed. “I know it’s not the same thing, but at least you have ties to him now in case she ever wanted to talk to him.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Are you ready to go back now?” he asked.

I glanced up at him and nodded. With my newfound powers my body felt odd and not like myself at all; it was strange. “Yeah, I’m ready to go in there. The sooner we do, the faster everyone will leave.”

And the sooner I could get away and get to the dark sorcerer to kill him. The longer we waited the more time he had to get his mortal army into place. Brayden opened the giant heavy wooden doors with our Winter Court crest carved onto it and led the way into the room. Merrick and Lukas were still there, and with a nod I acknowledged them along with everyone else gathered around.

“What have you all discussed?” Brayden asked, glancing around the room.

I took a seat in the front of the room on the dais while Brayden gathered around everyone else on the floor. It was hard to participate in the strategy planning when I already knew what was going to happen. I was going to head out first thing tonight and make my way to the Black Forest.

Merrick lifted a brow and strolled up to me looking grim. “I hear that weapon you carry on your belt is what’s going to save our land,” he mentioned, taking a seat beside me.

“Yes, it is,” I answered as quietly as I could.

Merrick pursed his lips and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Did you know they were thinking about taking it away from you?”

Immediately, I jerked my head in his direction and glared. “What?” I hissed, placing my hand protectively over the hilt of the dagger. “I don’t think so.”

“Why do you need it?”

I huffed, “Because I just do. I can’t let them take it away from me.”

He studied me for a moment and then lowered his head and groaned, running his hand through his blond hair. “Oh, baby girl, you haven’t changed a bit. Always so fearless and strong, yet running head first into trouble any chance you got.”

I rolled my eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Merrick sighed. “It means that I know you’re up to something. Have you forgotten already that I’d been a part of your family for years? I watched you grow up, Ariella, so I know what you’re capable of. Calista told me to keep my eyes on you because she thinks the same thing.”

“Is everyone going to always think I’m up to something?” I snapped halfheartedly, knowing very well everyone would always think that no matter how old or young I was.