by L. P. Dover
He moves his body to position himself between my legs and I can feel the heat of his arousal pressed against my body. I wrap my legs around his waist to pull him closer. He groans into my mouth and tugs on my bottom lip.
Ryder kisses his way to my ear and whispers, “You’re killing me here. I’m starting to feel like I’m going to have no control when I’m around you.”
I grip my legs tighter and breathlessly add, “Well, then don’t.”
His breathing picks up and he begins to move his body against mine. I moan in pleasure because the sweet taste of orgasm is making its way to the surface.
His hand travels down across my breasts and down to the edge of my shirt. He gently lifts it and trails his nice warm hand up my stomach to one of my breasts and massages it gently. My eyes flash open and my body freezes. Wait. He has warm hands and his body is warm. That’s not right. I stop kissing him and gently push him back so he can see my face. He looks at me questioningly and rises so I can sit.
That is when things begin to change. It all happens at once and both of us sit there shocked and wide-eyed as we stare at each other. His body is warm and the chill that usually inhabits him is gone. His skin has taken on a golden glow. It isn’t the sun-kissed glow that the Summer Court fae have, but somewhere in the middle between his Winter Court heritage and the Summer Court. I look down at my skin and see that I have the same skin tone, too. My normally tanned skin has become paler in comparison to what it was. What is happening to us? He reaches down to grab my hand and I notice our skin feels the same as well. I am no longer hot to the touch like I was before, but I still feel warm.
Mystified, I say, “Why is this happening to us? This is the way we look and feel in the vision.” I stare at my body in amazement, but it quickly turns into anxiety because this development is going to cause some major issues. I groan and lay my head in my hands.
“What is everyone going to say to us tomorrow when they see?”
Ryder shrugs apologetically and says, “I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it now. Obviously this is the way it is supposed to be. All I can say is that it’s happening for a reason. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”
I move closer to him and I lean my head on his shoulder. Merrick is going to be heartbroken when he finds out about it. How am I going to explain this to him? I don’t even know the full extent of what is happening. Elvena better have some answers for me in the morning.
I stand up to brush the leaves from my hair and back when I am met with another shock. The leaves that fall from my hair are in all sorts of different colors. I see red, orange, yellow and brown leaves scattered across the ground. Ryder sees them, too, and gives his own gasp of excitement and shock. I bend down to pick up the leaves and am marveled by their beauty. We don’t have leaves this color in the Summer Court.
“We are going to cause a mighty stir tomorrow, Ryder,” I say apprehensively.
He leans over to kiss my head.
“Yes, we are Princess, but I will be with you every step of the way.”
“I am going to talk to Elvena first thing and I hope she gives me some answers.” I wave my hands around my body and say, “I need to know what to do about all of this. The council will see us this way at the meeting and we have to know what to tell them. I still have training in a few hours as well and I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to Merrick.”
Ryder flinches at the mention of Merrick’s name. He may not like Merrick, but Merrick still means a lot to me. I run my hands over my face and massage my temples. Talking to Merrick is going to be the hardest thing of all.
Tilting his head to the side, Ryder asks, “Were you not planning on telling me what happened between you and Merrick?”
I look him in the eyes so he can see the total honesty in my words.
“Ryder, I didn’t know what to tell you. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me again if you found out that Merrick kissed me. I could have used my magic to push him away, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to hurt him.” I take his hand and pull it to my face. His skin feels perfect against mine.
“I want you to know that my feelings for Merrick have never been romantic. He is always going to be my guardian and he is always going to be by my side. I don’t know how we are going to get through this because he is going to be so angry, but not able to leave my side. He is stuck as my guardian until one of us dies and it breaks my heart to know that he will be watching us together for as long as we live. I will constantly feel guilty putting him through that.”
Ryder nods his head and closes his eyes. When he opens them they are full of understanding.
He says, “I know, and we will find a way to work this out. After the meeting, I still need to head home to the Winter Court and speak to my parents and the council. I don’t know what all of this is going to mean for me and you being together, but we will figure it out.” He looks at his hand and back to me and says, “I’m not sure where we fit in now.” He kisses me gently and holds me close.
I look at the sky and notice that it’s lighting up a bit on the horizon.
“The sun will be up soon, Ryder. We probably need to head back,” I say.
Taking my hand, Ryder says, “I agree, Princess. We have a busy day tomorrow.” He shakes his head, laughing. “I mean today. We have a busy day today.”
As soon as he says it I hear the water sloshing about in the lake. I look over to see my little pride and joy making his way over to me. The little black kelpie walking toward us was born a month ago. The one thing that is different about him is that he has a white spot on his forehead in the shape of a star. I call him Styx, and he is the sweetest thing, but I know he will be fierce when he matures.
I call to him using my baby voice.
“Come here, Styx, you sweet little thing.”
Ryder laughs at how I change my voice, but doesn’t move. I don’t know how well my kelpie will deal with a stranger. Styx comes up to me and nuzzles my face, leaving a wet trail down my cheek. I giggle and wipe it off on my shirt.
“How are you, boy? I have missed you so much,” I say as I rub his tiny back. He is the size of a goat. He is still very small, but in a few short months he will be a little larger than the average size of a mortal horse.
“Where’s Mom and Dad, Styx?”
He huffs out of his nose and motions his head toward the water. I see the large, black head of his father poking out of the water and the white head of his mother looking out as well.
I look at Ryder and motion toward Styx.
“Ryder, I would like you to meet Styx. This little hellion is my favorite kelpie. His parents are over there.” I point to the massive kelpies in the water. “The black one is his father and I named him Poseidon. The white one is his mother and I named her Athena.”
Ryder says, “So you named them after Greek gods?”
“Of course, the Greek gods were magical beings and I have always been fascinated with Greek mythology. I don’t think the kelpies mind,” I tease.
I look at Ryder and he has a huge smile on his face when he replies, “That is so odd because I have always loved Greek mythology and I also named my horse after the Greek goddess Artemis.” I stop petting Styx to look excitedly at Ryder. I can’t believe he likes Greek mythology as well. Who would have thought we would have that in common? Maybe there is more to us than just the prophecy.
Styx nuzzles me to get my attention and huffs at Ryder. I pet him for a few more minutes and then he makes his way back to the water. I love being with my kelpies, but they can be very dangerous to be around and have also been known to eat other fae creatures. I watch Styx and his parents swim away and then disappear under the water of the lake.
I look back at Ryder and he has the hugest smile on his face. I could look at him all day while he has his shirt off, standing there all roguish and handsome. I bet the Winter Court girls go crazy over him, especially since he’s a prince as well.
I shake the thought from
my head and say, “I believe it’s time to get going.”
He grabs my hand and we walk up the path. We go to the back of the house where my wing is located and I see the window to my room is still open. Ryder pulls me close and gives me one last heart-stopping kiss. I love the taste of his lips and I can’t wait for them to be all over my body the next chance we get.
“Goodnight, Princess.” I see the hesitation in his eyes like he wants to say more, but doesn’t know how. There’s plenty I wish I could say to him, too, but it doesn’t feel like the right time.
I look at him and smile. I don’t want him to go, but I know there are things that need to be taken care of because it is his duty. Plus, I don’t want anyone seeing us together out here in the early morning hours.
“I think goodnight is way past. I believe it would be good morning now,” I tease.
I lean up to kiss him quickly and then call upon the wind to lift me to my room. The wind embraces me like a blanket and carries me up to my room. I look down from my window to see Ryder standing open-mouthed and astonished. I give him an arrogant smirk and blow him a goodbye kiss before closing my window.
Xylia jumps off the bed and runs to me as I’m closing the window. She takes one long look up and down my body and her eyes look like they are about to pop out of her head.
“What the hell happened to you?” She squeals.
If only she knew.
I pull Xylia over to the bed and I sit down to tell her everything. She sits wide-eyed and open-mouthed like a fish the entire time. She can’t get over the body change differences. She makes swooning noises when I tell her about our intimate moments. Xylia is very supportive and keeps telling me not to worry about what everyone else thinks, especially Merrick. She says he can’t come between fate and that Ryder is my destiny. Xylia and I talk for the rest of the early morning hours, which isn’t long at all, and she tells me more about her visit with Conall after the ceremony. She seems so happy and carefree and I find myself being envious of her. Her love can be easy and uncomplicated, whereas mine is full of complication.
When she leaves I decide to take a shower to wake my body. I hear a knock on my door and throw on my workout clothes so I can answer it. I know it wil be Elvena on the other side so I run quickly to answer it. I can’t wait to ask her what’s going on.
I open the door and find a not-so-surprised look on her face. She is holding a tray with my favorite breakfast food, pancakes with a lot of butter and maple syrup. She sets the tray with the three huge buttermilk pancakes, a carafe of maple syrup and a large glass of orange juice on the table.
She looks me up and down trying to hide her smile and says, “Well, well, child. Don’t you look different this morning? Did you put on a new outfit?” She tries to hold in her laugh, but fails. She doubles over laughing and snorting like she always does.
Annoyed, I say, “Leave it to you to joke about something at a time like this.”
She stops laughing and turns serious.
“This is your path, child. Live it, and embrace it. Your people are going to depend on you to follow through with your path and I know you don’t know what that path is yet, but you will. I met with your father this morning and he already knows what’s going on. He’s been excitedly waiting to see you all morning.” She pauses for a second and quirks her eyebrow.
“I saw Prince Ryder this morning as well.”
Well, of course she had. She can be such a nosy woman sometimes. I sit down at the table and stare at my pancakes. My stomach growls from having been empty for so long. I just realize I hadn’t eaten a single thing at the ceremony last night.
Elvena is staring at me, waiting for me to speak. She’s obviously excited to see what I have to say about the change.
“So many things changed last night and my emotions are everywhere right now.” I rub my hands over my face to rub my eyes. They feel heavy and tired from lack of sleep.
I continue, “My skin tone changed and even my body temperature changed. How am I going to face Merrick like this? I not only turn him down, but seeing me like this is like rubbing salt in his wounds. I have nothing to say to him that will make him understand. To top it off, I’m falling in love with someone that I’m drawn to, just like the prophecy says, and I don’t know if those feelings are real.”
I start to eat my breakfast and wish I could enjoy it, but the weight of everything is heavy on my shoulders. I push my pancakes away and decide to just drink the orange juice. Elvena comes to sit with me at my table and she’s fidgeting with one of my napkins. She only fidgets when she’s nervous about something.
I narrow my eyes at her and ask, “You know what’s going on, don’t you? You might as well spill it.”
She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she opens her eyes and begins to speak.
“I know you’re worried about the prophecy and what all it entails and I know you’re probably worried that your feelings might not be real.” I nod my head yes so she continues.
“But that’s not it at all, child. There is no magic in the prophecy. The prophecy is just words, so anything you feel or what your heart desires is all you, my child.”
I let go of the breath I have been holding and sigh in relief. If I had known that earlier, things probably would have escalated further with Ryder.
To confirm, I ask, “So you’re saying my feelings and his are real?”
She shakes her head in disbelief.
“I can’t believe you would ask that. Calista, my child, your heart is your own. You make the choices yourself. You and Ryder were connected long before the prophecy ever came about.”
I squeal and jump up and down.
“Oh Elvena, you have no idea how happy this makes me.”
She rolls her eyes and waves her hands for me to calm down.
“That’s not all of it, child. You and Ryder are destined to save the kingdoms but your change isn’t fully completed yet.”
“How do we complete the change?” I ask curiously while taking a gulp of my orange juice.
She gives me a sly smile and says, “You have to consummate the relationship, child.”
I spew my orange juice all over the table and Elvena. I cough out the orange juice that I just sucked into my lungs. She makes a disgusted look and retrieves a towel to help clean up the mess.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, but are you saying we have to have sex to save the kingdoms? What kind of shit is that? Don’t get me wrong, having sex with Ryder would be amazing, but how could us doing that be so powerful?”
She smiles her motherly smile while I sit there feeling embarrassed. I have never slept with a man before and talking about it with Elvena is a little weird. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of men over the past few years, but I never slept with any of them. Merrick pretty much scared them all off and now I understand why.
“Oh, child, you underestimate the power of love. Leave it to you young folk to think I was just talking about the sex. It is not just the sex that’s powerful, but the bonds of marriage as well. You and Ryder are two of the most powerful fae in both courts. Your brother and sisters and Ryder’s brothers and sister are just as powerful. They play a part in this, too, but it’s not their time. The prophecy involves all of you from both courts, but you are the beginning of it all. Once combined, the love you and Ryder share is going to bring about a whole new world. Four courts, Calista. If you don’t do this, the evil will spread and we won’t have the power to defeat it.
I try to contemplate all she has said. How are we going to make four courts? She breaks me out of my reverie by tapping me on my head.
“Think, child.”
She lets out an exasperated breath and takes my hand. I close my eyes and my vision comes back to me full force, but in full clarity. I see Ryder and his magnificent ice blue eyes, and we are in the meadow again. Our bodies are changed just like they are now. The vision comes so quickly, but it leaves me the answers
I want and need to know. The Land of the Fae is depending on me.
“Thank you, Elvena. I don’t know what I would do without you,” I cry.
She says, “You would be lost, but you would eventually find your way.” She takes my hand, looks adoringly in my eyes and states, “I know you realize your path now and the importance of it, but when all things are said and done I will follow you.”
I tear up and hug her tight.
“I know and I love you so much for it.”
“And I you, Princess. Now go, Merrick will be waiting for you. Your training will most likely be extra hard today,” she teases with an amused smirk.
She is probably the only person who finds this funny, other than Xylia. Elvena leaves my room and I’m left to ponder everything in silence. My future in the Land of the Fae has finally been revealed to me. Not only will my power be important to fight evil, but to achieve my full power I must bond with the man I am falling in love with. I think I can live with that.
Before Training-Calista
My hair is still wet from my shower so I throw it up into a messy ponytail. I decide to finish my breakfast and check the time. Merrick will be here in about five minutes. I look at my body in my little tee and yoga pants. This won’t do. Keeping my sports bra on, I decide to change into a long-sleeve shirt and put some powder on my face and neck to hide my slightly paler skin. Maybe this way it won’t be such a shock to Merrick if he notices anything.
