Crown of Frost

by Isabella August

  But she wasn’t in the Lifeless Garden now. Rather, she’d been tucked into a very large, very soft canopy bed. Silken sheets rubbed against her cheek, and she sighed with pleasure. Her coat was nowhere to be found, but she hardly needed it; the heavy blanket on top of her wasn’t strictly necessary either, given how inured she was to the cold, but it was deliciously comfortable all the same.

  The room she’d been taken to was clearly still within the castle. The grey stone walls and floors should have been unconscionably cold, but Elaine felt none of it. Old, eccentric treasures were scattered about the room, as though someone had intentionally plucked out all the most curious ones they could find; a huge, antique silver-backed mirror hung along one wall, just across from a frayed, medieval tapestry and what looked like a tall, hand-carved floor-harp. The bed itself looked Victorian, carved with fantastic, intricately-detailed leaves, though it had been draped with heavy, dark blue silks that looked more modern in origin. As Elaine sat up, she noticed that a delicate, icy window looked out over the expanse below. She pushed herself up and padded across the floor toward it, taking in the view.

  There was a soft, heavy snow falling outside, muffling everything in a pleasant silence. Elaine smiled as she watched it. True, it was still dark… but if she’d had a hot chocolate in hand and someone to share the view with, she might have considered it perfect.

  “I could get used to this,” Liam said from behind her. Before she could turn to look at him, he’d tugged her back into his arms, settling her back against his chest. Elaine sighed and leaned into him, mentally checking off someone to share the view with. Now if only she knew where to find a hot chocolate in Blackfrost.

  Liam fell into silence, staring out over her shoulder. Elaine felt a whisper of uncertainty in him as he did.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Liam settled his chin on top of her head. “I’m afraid things are only going to get more complicated,” he admitted. “What I am now is an aberration. With two other faerie lords at my border, I saw the future laid out before me. The rest of Arcadia will slowly turn against me. My best allies are all human.”

  Elaine closed her eyes. “Simon and Pallid Valentine,” she said. “You gave them both exactly what they asked for, to gain their alliance.” She let the understanding sink in slowly. “What exactly are you expecting to happen?”

  Liam took a long moment to respond. “If I had given into the mantle, I would have eventually become indistinguishable from any other Lord Blackfrost. That’s the natural order of things, here.” His arms tightened around her. “Instead, I’ve infected Blackfrost with humanity. And I intend to keep doing it. All of the human choices I make are bound to drive me into conflict with the others. They don’t understand empathy, or morality, or sacrifice. Just by being myself, I’ll make enemies, year by year.”

  Elaine stared out over the bleak realm in front of her. “It can’t be that hopeless,” she said.

  “It’s not,” Liam said. A core of ice backed the words. “I don’t intend to sit back and wait. All the faerie lords here are like petty gods in their own realms. They get to thinking they’re invincible. But you killed one of them, right where he thought he was safest.” He paused. “If I can’t get Arcadian allies, I’ll have them from the Lower World. Simon and Valentine are an excellent start. They’re already familiar with Arcadia, without being fully bound by it.”

  Elaine bit her lip. The Lady is infected too, she thought. She’s not as far along as Liam is, but—

  Just the thought of speaking the words aloud sent a shiver of pain through her stomach. She winced against it, shoving the thought back down. I can’t tell him. I swore to Simon, on my true name.

  “You can’t be the only aberration in Arcadia,” she said slowly. “It might be worth watching for others like you.”

  Liam kissed the back of her neck absently. “Maybe you’re right,” he said. “I’ll think on it. For now… I think you must be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Elaine glanced down at herself skeptically. Most of the mud had flaked off her skin by now, but her favorite cardigan had gathered several dramatic holes and tears, and her slacks were likely beyond repair. Both were miserably stained. “If you say so,” she muttered. “I can’t believe you put me in a bed like this. I probably left the rest of that mud in the sheets.”

  “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Liam repeated patiently. He trailed his lips down her shoulder, brushing her hair aside. “If it bothers you that much, I found you something else to wear, for the moment. I’m afraid it’s about as tattered as what you’re already wearing, but at least it hasn’t been through a bog.”

  Elaine blinked, briefly distracted from the hot tingle his kisses sent down her spine. She noticed then that he had set a folded black dress onto the bed — something like the spectral gown she’d seen the snow maiden wearing. “I sincerely hope there’s not a snow maiden wandering around Blackfrost naked right now,” she observed.

  Liam snorted. “What do you take me for?” he said. “They make them out of the shadows here. I did my best to copy them, but I probably made a mess of it. I’m hardly a tailor.”

  Elaine fingered the sleeve of her cardigan with a sigh. “I really liked this one,” she muttered.

  “Hm,” Liam murmured against her neck, sending another warm shiver through her. “If you take it off, I promise I’ll see it fixed. By someone who knows what they’re doing, that is.” He slipped his fingers beneath the hem, running his fingertips over the line of her slacks. Elaine sucked in her breath, letting her head fall back against him. His breath ghosted deliciously across her skin. She realized she’d been yearning for his touch, his warmth, ever since he’d left her bed in the little loft above her shop. The sheer need to be close to him, to have his skin against hers, was suddenly overwhelming.

  Elaine peeled off the cardigan, along with the shirt beneath it. Cool air hit her skin, but didn’t chill her; it was an odd sensation, and it gave her pause for just a moment, while Liam hissed in his breath behind her. He pulled her back against him, skimming his palms up the skin of her stomach so that he could cup her breasts through the fabric of her dainty light blue bra. She felt him harden against her bottom, and knew that he’d been craving her touch just as badly as she’d been craving his.

  “You’re really mine,” he whispered in her ear tightly. “I know I shouldn’t think of it like that, but… I can feel it. I can see it on you. I didn’t realize what that would do to me.”

  Elaine shivered. She could feel it too — the pact, the warlock bond. She’d pledged herself to Liam, accepted his power into her. It wouldn’t have felt the same with anyone else, she suspected… but feeling Liam that much closer to her, knowing that she belonged to him in every way, feeling his power and attention directly… it was a high unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

  And he’s mine, in return.

  Liam turned her toward the great mirror, and she gasped at what she saw there. For just an instant, the woman in the mirror was unrecognizable. The touch of Liam’s power had indeed washed away much of her previous color. Her complexion was now even paler than before, but it seemed burnished by an unearthly glow — the same silvery light that sometimes lit the way in Blackfrost. Her eyes had once been a muddy blue-green, but they had now mixed with a hint of Liam’s haunting blue to become something sharper and more compelling. The bright aquamarine gaze of the woman in the mirror was currently half-lidded, and blatantly sensual — desirable. Elaine had never thought of herself as dark or mysterious, but her reflection had taken on those qualities.

  Blackfrost had staked its own claim on a very tiny part of her soul… and not all of it was terrible, she had to admit. There was a new, confident power within her that chilled her fears and laughed at foolish insecurities. Maybe she was no faerie lord herself… but she was a warlock queen, and Blackfrost would not allow one of its rulers to ignore her own worth.

  Elaine knew the dark to
uch for what it was. It was the same one that had torn her apart, tried to crush her. She would never forget its danger. But just for the moment, watching Liam’s hands slide along her body, she embraced the heady feeling. A faerie lord desired her, had sought her love, had begged her permission to claim her. The expression on his face as he caressed her was the same one she knew she’d worn when she’d seen the Briars for the first time.

  The night that Liam had first taken her had been possessive. But tonight was a dark, hungry worship. That was the right word — worship.

  Elaine leaned her head back to catch his lips, reveling in the heat between them. Liam closed his mouth on hers, and she parted her lips in open invitation. His tongue tangled with hers, deliciously fierce. She allowed one bare foot to glide teasingly along the inside of his leg, urging him on. He groaned, and moved one hand down to start unbuttoning her slacks. His mouth parted from hers. “Look at the mirror,” he breathed. “I want you to watch.”

  A liquid heat rose inside her at the words, and Elaine flushed as she realized how much the thought aroused her. She obeyed, letting her eyes fall from his face, back toward the mirror. She watched as Liam slowly thumbed her slacks from her hips, letting them fall to the floor in a heap. His fingers hooked her panties, sliding down inside them. A wicked smile crossed his lips as he pressed the very tip of his finger inside her, testing her wetness.

  A moan slipped out from her lips. The feel of him touching her again was delicious… but the sight of him claiming her with his fingers had instantly dampened her panties. His fingertip teased along her slit, dipping in here and there — just enough to make her press her hips against his hand, wordlessly begging for more. His other hand had been massaging languidly at her breast, but he paused this long enough to unhook her bra, exposing her already-stiffening nipples to view.

  “Who…” Elaine’s breath hitched on the word. “Who’s overdressed this time?” She tried to reach back and tug at his shirt, but Liam stilled her by thrusting an entire finger inside her, making her cry out in surprise and pleasure. The woman in the mirror gasped too, with a nakedly aroused expression. Her body arched, and the tips of her breasts flushed with desire.

  “Keep watching,” he whispered in her ear. He crooked his finger inside her, brushing his fingertip firmly against a spot that sent a white-hot bolt of pleasure through her center. As she moaned more loudly, he did it again, moving his finger in a slow, delicious come-hither gesture that left her legs shaking. Elaine kept her eyes on their reflection, enraptured by the sight in spite of herself. She felt herself tighten on his finger as she watched; saw his lips curl up in satisfaction. She could swear that in that moment, he met her eyes in the mirror.

  “What do you want?” Liam murmured, holding her gaze.

  Elaine felt his finger curl inside her again, and she whimpered. “Inside me,” she managed. “I want you inside me.”

  “As you command,” he breathed. Liam slowly tugged his finger free, making sure that she felt every moment of it. He shrugged free of his shirt, but as Elaine tried to twist and face him, he settled his hands firmly on her hips, turning her back toward the mirror. He tugged down her panties, exposing her completely. She saw him undo the top of his pants, pulling them down just far enough to bare his hard, naked arousal.

  He pressed his tip against her entrance, his hands back on her hips. Slowly, he directed her back onto him, stretching her out. She was already wet and eager for him, entranced by the sight of him taking her from behind. “God, yes,” he groaned, letting his head fall back slightly. “You have no idea how much I’ve needed you.”

  Elaine leaned back into him, taking him to the hilt. She allowed herself a loud, erotic moan that made his cock twitch inside her. “I have some idea,” she panted, shifting her hips so that he hit another perfect spot inside her.

  Liam growled, and twisted his fingers through her hair, tugging her head very gently back. The dominating gesture sent a thrill through her whole body. “I’ve spent far too much time thinking of how I wanted to make you come again,” he elaborated. He punctuated the statement with a hard thrust, and Elaine let out another loud, encouraging cry.

  He continued the rhythm now, though he took his time with it. Elaine saw the bliss on his face as he enjoyed the moment, savoring the feel of her around him. There was an answering expression on her own features as he plunged into her over and over, his fingers still wrapped in her hair, tugging just hard enough to send shivers down her spine. Watching him claim her was unexpectedly intense; Elaine felt a climax building inside her already. But she wasn’t going to come alone.

  “Liam!” She leaned back into his next thrust, and called his name with a breathy cry. This time, she felt the way it tugged at the strings of his body and soul, sending shivers through him. He slammed into her with a hoarse gasp, the unexpected pleasure sending him over the edge.

  “Elaine.” His voice was hoarse on her name, but the sound of it hit her like a thunderbolt. She lost awareness of everything else — the room, the mirror, the bed, even the realm itself. All she could feel in that moment was him, sheathing himself inside her, claiming her heart and soul one more time while he came inside her.

  A wave of pure ecstasy overcame her. Her toes curled; the feeling went straight to her head, washing away her awareness as though it was only so much driftwood. Liam was there with her, though, holding onto her as his own pleasure overcame him.

  As Elaine came back down again, she felt him reluctantly withdraw from her. She whimpered in protest — but Liam tugged her sharply toward the bed, shoving her back onto it with a wicked determination in his cold blue eyes.

  Before she could fully regain her senses, she felt his hands on her thighs, nudging her legs apart. As Elaine tried to push herself onto her elbows, she felt his hot tongue lick at her folds. She fell back onto the pillows again, bucking her hips against him, moaning in need and surprise. His tongue slid inside her, savoring her still-overflowing juices, and she realized that he meant to carry her swiftly to the edge again, before she could finish coming down from her first orgasm.

  She let herself give in to the moment, feeling his hands, his tongue, his hot breath. His fingers slid inside her; he moved his tongue upward, to lick and suck at her clitoris. She tangled her fingers in his hair, unable to stop herself. Dimly, she became aware of the hoarse, erotic sounds she was making as he brought her right back to the top.

  One of his fingers pressed against that perfect spot inside her again, gently but firmly, and her body reacted. She came apart beneath his tongue, sobbing in pleasure as a second, stronger climax overcame her.

  It took much longer than she was used to for those waves of delirious bliss to subside. Before she could fully stop her shivers, he had wrapped her in his arms, holding her close. His mouth closed gently on hers, and she tasted a hint of herself as he kissed her. That kiss lingered on until she had finally regained herself.

  Liam’s fingers stroked her hair with aching tenderness. Elaine closed her eyes and let herself enjoy it for a brief time, marveling at the realization that she would have the chance to sleep next to him again — to wake up in his arms again, safe and happy.

  Eventually, she found her voice. “If you do that every night, I may not survive this pact,” she said, with a bubble of giddy laughter.

  Liam chuckled. “There are worse ways to leave this world,” he said.

  He tugged her closer, and she let her eyes flutter shut again, suddenly spent. “There are worse ways,” she agreed contentedly.

  Chapter 16

  Night and day were relative within Blackfrost’s endless darkness, but Elaine spent the next brief period reattuning herself to the frost roses she had left behind so long ago, pouring just a bit more of her power into them. She had to wear that tattered black dress, for a time — and while it made her look a bit like a banshee, she found it surprisingly comfortable. Shadow, it turned out, made terribly fine cloth, regardless of its craftsmanship.

  She saw
the faeries of Blackfrost from time to time, out of the corner of her eye — the snow women, the shadowy faerie hunters, the glittering snowflake pixies with big black eyes. Vicious and strange, they had a cold curiosity to them, but they had yet to approach her directly. She noticed, however, that the feral pixies had started congregating around the newly-bloomed frost roses, and that one of the snow maidens had woven one through her long, ragged hair.

  Liam had spent the last five years desperately trying to keep the monstrous things all pent up within Blackfrost, where they couldn’t do any harm. Elaine found herself wondering if faeries could go stir crazy the same way that humans did, or whether they were simply pleased to obey, being made of the realm itself.

  Elaine did her best to kept track of time, though she knew such things were also relative in Arcadia. She didn’t want to leave before she was certain that her changes wouldn’t disappear in her absence — but she found herself keenly aware that Jenna was waiting for her return, and she didn’t entirely trust that her apprentice wouldn’t lose patience and come into Arcadia looking for her.

  In the end, it was Pallid Valentine who pressed the matter. For a woman at the heart of Blackfrost, she was recovering with surprising alacrity. Within days, she was back on her feet, pacing the halls like an impatient tiger.

  Somehow, the ex-warlock managed to track down Elaine. “Hey, Ice Queen,” she said shortly. “I’m headed back to the Lower World. If you want to go back, now is the time.”

  Elaine blinked. “I’m not sure I like that name,” she said. “It makes me feel like I should be breaking out into a Disney number.” She paused. “I’m utterly tone deaf, by the way. None of us would enjoy that very much.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Valentine said bluntly. Her blind eyes fixed on Elaine's general position, and she knew that the ex-warlock had opened her Witchsight. “Do you or do you not want an escort back through the Hedge? There’s a lot of pissy faerie lords running around. I figure there’s safety in numbers.”