by L. P. Dover
“I hear my parents talking about the Black Forest all the time. The evil grows and if we don’t have the magic and strength to fight back, we’re doomed. We all know you are the start of saving our land and it looks like Ryder is the one who helps you. The prophecy says you will be drawn to another. Ryder has to be the one.”
“I don’t want him to want to be with me because of the prophecy,” I exclaim.
Her face falls as the realization dawns on her.
“I’m sorry, Calista. I didn’t think about that.”
The thought of him only being drawn to me because of the prophecy is disheartening. I want him to be drawn to me because of who I am and not because of some prophecy and saving the Land of the Fae.
I jump up looking around for the time.
“What time is it? I have to meet Ryder at midnight.”
Xylia looks at the clock.
“Well, honey, you have three minutes to get there. I suggest you hurry. Before you go, I have something to tell you.” She’s bouncing up and down on the bed and I look at her questioningly. “Conall and I kissed tonight,” she squeals.
“Xylia, that’s great. I am so happy for you,” I squeal back.
She waves me off and says, “I will tell you all about it later. I just couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. You have to go or you will be late.”
“I can’t go out my door or Merrick will hear it. What am I going to do?” I search around frantically to figure out my escape plan. I can always go out the window, but I’ve never had to do it before. In order to do it, I need to change out of my dress. I change really fast into a pair of jeans, a form-fitting pink tee and my sneakers. I head over to the window and look down.
Xylia asks curiously, “You know, we are a few stories high off the ground. How are you going to get down and back up?”
“Watch and learn.” I open the window and lean over the edge. I haven’t used my magic in a while, so I decide to give it a go. I call upon the wind to embrace me. It lifts me up out of the window and glides me down to the ground. The feeling of the magic surrounding my body caresses me like a soft blanket. It makes everything feel warm and it’s like a glow takes over my body. I guess you could say it feels like being high on faery dust, but this high is on magic.
Xylia calls down to me, “I’m going to wait here in your room until you get back. That way, Merrick will think we are still in here having girl time. I also want to hear all the juicy details when you get back. Have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She winks at me and waves her hands at me to move on.
“Keep the window open for me, will you?” I whisper loudly.
She nods her head yes, smiles and then gives me the thumbs up sign. I’m going to be a few minutes late, but he said he would wait. I make my way to the back of the palace and head to the path. The lake should be up ahead about a quarter of a mile. What all am I going to tell him? Will he think differently of me if I tell him Merrick kissed me? What if he is the guy in the vision? If he is, how will I know if what we feel is real?
Chapter 12
Ryder
After I leave the Great Room, I decide to spend my time taking a walk. It’s night outside, but the air is still hot and humid. I hope Xylia can help me if Merrick presents a problem. The gardens are beautiful and well kempt. Calista’s sister has a wonderful talent. The vibrant colors are a welcoming sight. We don’t have flower gardens in the Winter Court, but our lands are just as beautiful. It is definitely not as hot at home and I will be glad to get home away from this heat, but not glad to leave Calista. How am I going to find a reason to see her again?
The sprites are everywhere tonight and their flickering lights are making it a sea of colors. I make my way to the back of the palace where the path will be and I stop to take a look at the architecture of the establishment. The brick fortress has vines and flowers cascading down all over the outer walls, but not covering the windows.
Speaking of windows, I see Merrick standing at one of them. He doesn’t see me, but I make myself invisible to make sure I’m completely hidden. I see Calista come up behind him and put her arms around his waist. What the hell is this? She says something to him, but he just closes his eyes and has a pained expression on his face. He finally speaks and I wish I knew what they were saying.
He unfastens her arms and turns around. She lifts her hand to his face and he holds it there. I really don’t think I want to see this. She told me she didn’t care for him in that way, but what I’m seeing doesn’t appear that way.
He must have said something that made her mad because she tries to turn around and walk off, but he grabs her arm and pulls her toward him. She’s crying and he bends down to kiss her palm. He moves closer, like he’s going to kiss her, and the anger boils inside me at the thought of it. Snow begins to fall around me with the unleashing of my power. It’s hard to control when my anger takes over. The air around me has turned electric and frigid because of it.
He moves in for the kiss and he holds her tightly to him. She tries to pull away, but he does not let her go. That’s it, I can’t take anymore. Merrick is going to get his ass kicked and it’s going to be by me, and the time is now. He is supposed to be protecting her, not her needing protecting from him. I start for the vines on the side of the house so I can climb up to her room, but a sound behind makes me freeze.
“I would not do that, Your Highness,” the angelic sounding voice says. Hearing the voice, I turn visible again.
“Who are you?” I ask. I look around but see no one yet.
A short, curly brown-haired woman steps out of the shadows. She looks like a brownie, but she also looks like she might have elf blood in her, too.
She speaks again.
“I am Elvena, Calista’s nurse maid and the Prophetess of the Summer Court.”
I bow my head to show my respect. The snow stops falling around me and melts quickly on the ground.
“Forgive me, but Calista needs my help,” I say frantically, trying to head back to the vines.
Elvena laughs and that gives me pause. I turn back to scowl at her, clearly letting my anger be noticed.
In between laughs she says, “Calista doesn’t need help, child. She is a strong woman, and can handle herself.” She points to Calista’s room. “See, take a look.”
I take a few steps back, and look into Calista’s room. Merrick is gone and now Xylia is in there. I wish she would have gotten there sooner. It looks like Calista is probably telling her everything that happened.
I give Elvena a dark look and reply, “That may be the case, but I think Merrick needs a lesson on manners. He shouldn’t have done what he did, and he’s lucky I didn’t kill him.”
Elvena shrugs.
“He is in love with her. He always has been. He could feel her slipping away from him when she met you. Merrick has longed to be with Calista and he wanted to let her know before she gave her heart to another man. Merrick is her guardian and he is going to be very close to her for the rest of her life. It might take him a while to move on if she decides on another man, but he is still going to have to watch her with someone else for the rest of his life. Can you blame him for wanting to take the chance?”
No, I couldn’t blame him. I couldn’t imagine seeing the person I love with someone else. Seeing Calista with him about killed me.
“I still would not have forced her to kiss me. He’s supposed to protect her, not cause her more pain.” I pause. I wonder how Elvena knew I was there in the first place.
“How did you know where to find me?” I ask curiously.
She just smirks and says, “I have my ways, child. King Oberon sought me out after leaving the party. He told me what happened between you and Calista and he wanted my advice. You had a vision, am I right?”
I nod, “Yes, we both did.”
“Did you both have the same vision, or were they different?” Elevena asks. Her forehead creases like she’s trying to concentrate on something.
“
I am not sure, but we have planned to meet tonight to discuss it.”
She smiles like she already knew it.
“I’m pretty sure it was the same vision. Do you mind if I take your hand?”
I think the question is a little odd, but I put my hand in hers. She closes her eyes while holding my hand and murmurs words of the Old Fae language. Most of the fae do not use the language anymore. She rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet and then abruptly stops and opens her eyes. Tears fall down her face and she has the most radiant looking smile on her face.
What did you see?” I ask.
“I saw the answers, child. The answers we need are within you and Calista. I watched you both secretly tonight and I should have known then. You and Calista are going to be the ones who help save the kingdoms.” She looks up at Calista’s room and then back to me.
“I must go, there is much to think about,” she says and gives me one last grateful look then turns to walk away toward the castle. I wonder what she means about saving the kingdoms. I’m assuming it is about the prophecy.
I holler out, “Wait!”
She turns around and looks at me with love and respect in her eyes.
“How do we save the kingdoms and what are we trying to save them from?”
Elvena waves me off.
“Go to Calista. The answers will come to you in time. I have no doubt that you both will figure it out. In the meantime, go easy on her about Merrick. She didn’t plan on him falling in love with her. Her heart belongs to you, it always has. No matter what happens with Merrick, you need to trust her.” She begins to back away. “That is all I can say for now. I have planned to speak to her in the morning. I trust you will make sure she gets to her room safely?”
I bid her farewell, and bow my head.
“Yes, Prophetess, she will return safely.”
Elvena was there one minute and then she vanished into the shadows. I have only a few short minutes to make it to the lake. I head toward the path and make my way to the big willow tree by the lake. I get to the tree on time, but there’s no sign of Calista yet. I knew I would beat her here because she was still in her room when I made it to the path. I slide my armor off and find a nice, soft spot of grass under the tree. I decide to lie under the canopy of the tree and clear my thoughts while I wait for Calista. I was so mad earlier and I need to calm down before she gets here, but I don’t see it happening. I don’t see the kelpies out and about so, hopefully, they won’t try to come out and eat me. Calista seems very fond of them so I would hate to have to kill them to protect myself. How am I going to deal with her and Merrick? I wish this anger would go away, but thinking about him with his hands on her makes me want to kill him. He’s obviously not going to let her go without a fight. If it’s a fight he wants, it’s a fight he’s going to get.
Chapter 13
Calista
I am a few minutes late, but I can see him lying on the ground under the willow tree. My heart starts the erratic beating again and my palms begin to sweat. Why am I so nervous? I stop where I’m at to gain my composure. I have never been this crazy over a guy before. Please let this be real. He looks over and sees me heading his way. He gets up and opens a place through the leaves so I can walk through.
I say a little nervously, “Thank you and I’m sorry I am late. I got held up a bit.” I fiddle with my hands when I am nervous. It is a rare occasion that I get nervous, but something in his eyes has me wary.
He gives a small laugh and shakes his head.
“Yeah, I know how busy you were, Princess. In fact, I saw through your window how busy you were.” I stare at him wide-eyed and I’m frozen solid where I stand.
So that’s why he looks the way he does. This is not what I need right now. I ruin Merrick’s heart and now I am going to ruin Ryder’s heart. Why didn’t I just stay in my room? Oh yeah, I know why, because I just met a stranger who happens to be a prince. He may be the one destined to be with me and I am already falling in love with him even though it could only be partly because of the prophecy. I also want to know what he saw in his vision and what he thinks about it.
His tone has me a little defensive because if he saw the truth of what happened between me and Merrick he wouldn’t be acting like this.
“What exactly did you see?” I ask.
He looks at me, tension rolling off him in waves.
“I saw enough. I saw so much that I almost crashed through your window to kick your guardian’s ass. If it wasn’t for Elvena, I might have caused some serious damage.” This is not going good at all. At the mention of Elvena, I need to hear about that first.
“Wait, Elvena was here? What did she say?” I ask incredulous. I wonder why Elvena was outside with Ryder. I also want to change the subject from Merrick.
He takes a deep breath and looks at the ground. He seems to be trying to calm himself.
“She watched us tonight at the ceremony. Your father told her of our vision and she had secretly been watching us together. She stopped me from coming into your room after I saw Merrick kissing you. I don’t understand why I feel this strongly about him touching you, but I didn’t like it.” He pauses and looks up at me. “Elvena took my hand, did some weird mojo stuff and watched the vision through my mind. She had some pretty interesting things to tell me after that.”
I close my eyes and turn away from him. My face is probably beet red from embarrassment. Elvena saw the vision of me and another man almost getting it on in the meadow. I wonder what interesting things she had to say. How am I going to face her in the morning? I stare at the lake to keep my eyes averted from his. I don’t want him to see how he affects me.
With my back still turned to him, I ask “What was your vision about? Do you think we saw the same things?”
He walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “Yes, we did see the same things. The vision was of me and you, Calista.”
I know deep down his vision was of us, but things were different between us in the vision. I don’t know what is going to happen to make it that way. I turn around so I’m resting up against his chest with his arms folded around me. It’s nice to be able to feel his hard muscles and the tightness of his chest. I know my skin probably burns him as he touches me, but he doesn’t seem affected by it, just like the coldness of his doesn’t bother me.
“What does the vision mean? If it’s me and you in it, where are we and why does the land feel different?” I whisper against his chest.
My head fits perfectly in the crook of his neck and I breathe him in deeply. He still smells like a winter snow and pine, but there’s something else. It wasn’t exactly the scent of him in my vision, but very close. It’s strange that his scent had changed. I look up at him still waiting for a response.
He sighs, “Elvena wouldn’t give me any answers. She says that you and I would be able to figure it out together.”
He pulls me back a little so he can look at my face and into my eyes.
He continues, “She also said that your heart belongs to me, and it always will. After I saw you with Merrick she told me I needed to trust you.” I smile, thinking of Elvena. She has never in her life doubted me or my decisions and I love her for it.
I saw you with Merrick and I know you care about him, but I need to know what you feel for me. If what I saw in the vision is real, we have a deeper connection than I could have ever imagined,” he says softly while rolling wisps of my hair through his fingers.
“Ryder, I don’t know how or why it is happening so fast, but my heart does feel like it belongs to you. When I saw you tonight, I felt it. The connection is there and I see it now, but what if it isn’t real?” I pull away from him to walk closer to the crystal blue water of the lake.
He looks at me bewildered.
“Why wouldn’t it be real? It feels real to me,” he says while making his way toward me. He’s coming closer to me and all I want to do is run into his arms and feel his body surround mine. That’s what my body is t
elling me, but how do I find out if that’s what my heart truly feels?
I shrug and say flatly, “I just think we might feel this way because of the prophecy.” He wraps me in his arms again and tilts my chin up to look in his eyes. He is worried and I can see the tension around the lines of his mouth.
He shakes his head and lets out an exasperated breath.
“Why are you trying to fight this, Calista? Whatever we feel is between me and you. No prophecy or any amount of magic is going to change the way I feel in my heart.” He cups my face with both hands and brings his face closer to mine. Our foreheads are touching.
He breathes lightly in my face and whispers softly, “My heart tells me this is real, and if we can’t believe in our own hearts, then what can we believe in?”
We stand frozen in place and the only sounds I hear are the rippling of the water in the lake and our erratic breathing. Just his touch makes me yearn for more, but do I trust what’s in my heart?
He lowers his hand to rest over my heart and moves his lips closer like he’s about to kiss me. I close my eyes expecting his kiss, but instead he says something that answers all my questions.
He whispers lovingly, “I trust my heart, Calista, and you need to do the same. The heart won’t steer us down the wrong path. A wise lady told me not too long ago that I would find the answers through you. How about we find them together?”
I let his words sink in and then I do what I have wanted to do ever since I saw him. I lean into him, press my lips to his and let our feelings take over. The kiss begins slow and then gracefully moves into a sensual rhythm like our dance earlier that night where our bodies took over. Ryder’s arms tighten around my waist and he pulls me closer. I can feel his heart beating against my own chest.
He breaks from the kiss breathing hard and whispers, “I believe I might be falling for you, Princess.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond because his lips find mine again in a deeper and harder embrace. A moan escapes my lips. I can tell they are swollen from his feverish kisses, but I welcome the feeling with open arms. I run my hands down his back and move them around slowly to his chest. His heart is beating fast and mine is beating to the same tune. I feel lightheaded with the intensity of our kisses and if he wasn’t holding onto me I’m sure I would have fallen to the ground. I can feel him slowly moving to the ground and he pulls me with him to lie on a pile of soft, green leaves. He lies down half on top of me and half to the side, just like our vision. The weight of his body feels so good beside mine, but I want more. The intense feeling of longing spirals through my body and all I want is to be closer to him, as close as any two people can get. I grip his shirt and pull it over his head. I run my hands over his smooth, muscled arms and they flex and ripple underneath my touch. I feel protected with his arms around me.
