Summer of Frost (19 page)

“Great,” I muttered sarcastically. “Remind
me never to visit any of them with her when I get her back.”

“You have my word, Your Highness.”

We stepped through yet another portal,
knowing it was going to be one of many. Desperate couldn’t even
begin to describe the way I was feeling.

The bed was soft underneath my body, and the
sheets were warm against my bare skin. When I tried to turn, I was
held in place by an arm across my stomach. Tilting my head back, I
could see it was Alston holding me tight, and he was sound asleep.
What I didn’t understand was why I had no idea where I was or how I
got there. By the smells and the feel of the land we were in the
mortal realm, but the place we were in was never one I’d been to
with Alston. Why couldn’t I remember how I got there, and why did
my head feel so damn fuzzy? I guess I drank too much faerie
wine.

When I pulled the covers off of me, that’s
when my attention peaked. My skin was no longer the pale white of a
Winter Fae, but a golden hue of the Summer. “Holy shit,” I
whispered. Panicking, I grabbed Alston’s arm and shook him
forcefully. “Alston, wake up! Something’s wrong with my skin,” I
shrieked.

Alston woke with a start and immediately
came to attention. When he saw me going frantic, he placed his
hands on my face and pulled me down to him. “Shh, it’s okay,” he
said soothingly. “You’re safe now. Everything’s going to be all
right.”

A jumble of questions came to my mind and I
couldn’t stop from spouting them all. “What happened? Why are we
here? Where’s Oren? And why do I feel so weird?”

Alston sighed and ran his hands through his
hair. “Calm down, Sorcha. It’s been a rough couple of days, and
there’s a lot I need to tell you. Some of it’s going to come as a
shock, but you need to know that you’re safe and so is your
family.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I
asked frantically.

He paused for a few seconds before
answering, and when he did I could tell he was very hesitant in
telling me. “There was an attack at the palace,” he began. When I
opened my mouth to speak, he placed a finger to my lips. “I’m going
to tell you everything, okay? Just let me finish.” After I nodded,
he continued, “When the palace was attacked, you and I were walking
to your room. When I opened the door there were people there
waiting for you. I don’t know how they infiltrated the palace, but
they did, and they were coming to take you to the dark sorcerer.
After I killed them, we left to find your parents and Oren. Oren
wanted to be the one to bring you here, but your parents thought it
best that he not follow you. The dark sorcerer knows he would never
leave your side, so that made him a target. Wherever he is, you
would be, but that’s not the case now. When you refused to leave,
they had one of the healers give you a potion to knock you out, and
for some reason your skin changed after you took it. I don’t know.
They said it would probably go back to normal soon. I brought you
here so you couldn’t be found so easily. We have to stay hidden for
a while until it’s safe to go back.”

“It’s never going to be safe!” I snapped.
“How long do they expect me to stay here?”

Alston’s sympathetic gaze was answer enough.
“As long as it takes,” he suggested sheepishly. “We have to wait
here until they come get us.”

Jumping out of bed, I stomped over to the
window. “Where is here exactly?” I asked, pulling open the
curtains.

I was met with rolling hills and trees as
far as the eye could see, and I had no clue where we were. Alston
came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I loved the
feel of them around me, but for some reason it didn’t give me
comfort right then. “We’re somewhere safe, baby. Why don’t you lie
down and relax.”

Giving in, I nodded and headed back over to
the bed. “Okay, but what about clothes and food? How are we going
to handle it here if we have to stay more than a couple of
days?”

“You don’t need to worry about any of that.
We have all we need here, and then some to last us a year.”

“A year!” I shrieked. “I’m not staying in
the mortal realm that long. My people need me. I’m not a coward
that runs for the hills, Alston, and you know that. If they haven’t
come to get me in a week, I’m going back myself.”

Alston lowered his head and sighed. “I don’t
want to stay here that long either, but your parents made me take
an oath that I wouldn’t let you go back until they’re ready for
you. I’m sorry, baby, but we have to stay in the mortal realm. If I
go against my oath they can punish me to death, and your mother is
cold enough to do it, too. I, for one, don’t want to die, so please
don’t condemn me to it.”

“Dammit!” I hissed “Why would you do
that?”

“I would do anything to keep you safe.”

Sagging in defeat, I laid down on the bed
and groaned. “I know, and I’m sorry. It’s just the thought of being
here for a long period of time doesn’t settle well with me.” I
paused to examine the room. It was very rustic, but modernly so.
Everything felt and looked new, as if no one had ever stepped foot
in the house. “Whose house is this anyway? From the looks of
outside it doesn’t seem like there’s much to do around here. We’re
going to be bored out of our minds.”

Alston grinned and placed his arms on both
sides of my body, pinning me to the bed. He leaned down to kiss me,
and I allowed it willingly. His tongue entangled with mine, growing
more urgent, but the way he tasted was … different. Why did I
remember the taste of Summer?
That’s strange,
I thought.
When Alston pulled away from the kiss, he said, “I wouldn’t say
we’d get bored. I can think of a million things we could do
together here. But to clear things up, this is my place.”

Wide-eyed, I pushed him off playfully. “Why
didn’t you tell me you had a house in the mortal realm?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wanted to
surprise you with it one day. I thought it would be good for us to
get away sometimes and have our own place to stay.”

“Does anyone know you have a place
here?”

He shook his head. “No one other than your
family when I told them. Why, do you like it?” he asked, grinning
roguishly.

“I haven’t seen much of it yet, but yes I
do. Even though we’re in hiding, I bet you’re happier than hell
being alone with me, aren’t you?”

He laughed. “Well, I’d be lying if I said
no.”

I didn’t know what it was, but something
felt off with him. I couldn’t quite pinpoint it. When he noticed me
studying him, he shifted nervously. “Why are you staring at me like
that?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. “You just seem …
different. Is it weird to say that you seem glad that we’re away
from home?”

His grin looked devilish when he smiled at
me. “I’m not necessarily glad that we’re away from home, but I
am
thankful that you’re safe and with me. I have you all to
myself.” He paused and kissed me quickly on the lips. “Why don’t
you rest? I’ll be downstairs watching what these mortals call
television, and later I’ll be up here to join you.”

Yawning, I nodded. “Sounds good to me. Wake
me up if our people send word?”

“I will. Sweet dreams, baby,” he said before
leaving the room. Once he was gone, I stared around the room in
total confusion. My mind felt jumbled and unfocused. What the hell
was wrong with me? Surely, it wasn’t the potion affecting me that
badly, was it?

Resting on the pillow, it wasn’t long before
I slowly drifted off into a much needed, dream-filled sleep.

The sand underneath my feet squished between
my toes as I walked along the shore. The beach seemed almost
familiar, like home in a way, but I knew it wasn’t. The water was
warm as it lapped around my ankles and calves, guiding me to go
further in its depths.

“
Oh, why not,” I said to myself.

The water pulled me in, welcoming me in its
embrace. Even though I knew how to swim, I could feel the water
keeping me afloat. It was strange how it seemed to have a mind of
its own, almost like it was protecting me. Out of everything that
had happened, this was a welcome escape. If I had to be stuck in
the mortal realm, my dreams would be the only link to my world,
except this beach didn’t exist in the Land of the Fae.

The trees behind the sand bank look exotic
and fruitful, and I wished I could stay here and explore every inch
of it, but I knew the night time wouldn’t last that long. The sun
overhead soaked in my skin as I floated along the water, and
surprisingly it felt normal. Usually, with my Winter skin it would
burn and be very uncomfortable, except my body had changed somehow,
welcoming the heat. I guess you can make anything comfortable when
you’re the one controlling the dream.

However, the water churning underneath me
was definitely not my doing. The current electrified all around me
and began pulling me back to shore. I stopped kicking my legs and
let it guide me. Laughing, I teased the water, feeling somewhat
ridiculous, “I thought you wanted me to swim. Are you tired of me
already?”

My laugh stopped in my throat when I saw
someone on the shore waiting for me. When the water guided me to
shallow water, I walked the rest of the way out. Glancing around
warily, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.

“
Um … why are you here?” I asked
him.

His eyes were unsure and slightly sad as he
stared at me. “I think because you brought me here, and I’m hoping
like hell I’m right,” he answered. His eyes were full of passion
and longing, and he was gazing at me as if we were lovers. I
laughed out loud, thinking how ridiculous my mind was
wandering.

“
This is crazy! I have no clue why you’d
be here or what you’re talking about.” I ran my hands over my face.
“Oh, I must be losing my mind.”

He moved closer, as if not to startle me,
like I was a lion ready to flee. “You need to let me explain. I
know what you are, Sorcha, and this dream is one of many that we’ve
shared together.”

“
No,” I laughed, exasperated. “I think
I’d remember if I’d been dreaming about the infamous Drake. It’s
kind of hard not to miss the flaming red hair and smoky eyes, and
not to mention, I’ve never even actually talked to you before.”
Closing my eyes, I said to myself, “This is a really weird dream.
When I open my eyes, he’ll be gone.”

I counted to ten with my eyes closed and
when I opened them, he was gone. That was until he came up behind
me and wrapped me in his arms, tight. “What the hell are you doing?
Get off me!” I snapped, struggling half-heartedly in his grip. In a
way I didn’t really want to fight him off because I couldn’t deny
that it felt like I belonged in his arms.

Grunting with trying to keep me still, he
whispered in my ear, “I’m only doing this to see if it helps.
Otherwise, I don’t think you’d let me touch you. Feel me, Sorcha,
breathe me in and tell me you don’t know who I am on the inside. I
have to believe you’ll remember me when I find you.” He ran his
hands along my bare arms, making me shiver. “Look at your skin, it
reflects my own because once you gave yourself over to me you
changed. This land you brought us to is … or will be, our home once
I get you back. I will find you, and that is a promise.”