Kalan stomped over to stand in front of her. He roughly took her shoulders in his hands, and gave her a firm shake. “Do you not know the reality of your situation, Gwen? If my mother gets her way, you will be in more danger than you can imagine. This is not a joke!”
Kalan watched as Gwen’s eyes turned cold.
“Trust me. I know it’s not a joke,” she hissed. “But I’m not going to be naïve and think your suggestion to the Wise Ones is going to get everyone off my back. No matter what you do, I will be a target. Maybe you are the one who doesn’t know the reality of my situation.”
“Don’t presume to tell me I don’t know what is going on. I am the one who sits at Winter Court and hears all of my mother’s plans. I am the one who has done everything I can think of to dissuade her from wanting to harm you. Do you know how difficult it is to hear others speak of your death and remain unable to stop them?”
“No one is asking you to do any of that!”
Kalan readied himself to give an angry rebuttal when he suddenly realized only an inch separated their two heaving chests. During their heated words, the prince unconsciously backed Gwen against the wall.
He stared down into her fake-green eyes from his advanced height, and observed a small amount of the familiar blue color around the edges of her irises. He yearned to drown in their depths.
Kalan swallowed heavily as his frustrations turned into desire. He could feel the warmth of her skin through the short-sleeved blouse against his fingers. He noticed the exact moment Gwen realized how close they stood. She nervously licked her lips. Kalan saw the action, and it sent his pulse racing.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, looking down and away from his gaze. “I know you’re trying to help. It just seems… pointless.”
Kalan raised a hand to cradle Gwen’s cheek, forcing her face back up to his. She gasped the moment he touched her.
Kalan knew she must have felt what he did; a calming sensation coursed through their bodies, originating from their point of contact. The prince had known Gwen was in Eirie the moment he stepped inside the citadel gates. He could feel his soul calling out for the soothing presence which could only belong to Gwen.
“Trying to help you could never be pointless,” Kalan told her with complete sincerity. “Even if it doesn’t work, I will never stop trying.” Before he lost the nerve, the prince gently lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.
He heard Gwen’s soft intake of breath and almost pulled back from her frozen lips.
Then, she moved against him.
Gwen’s slender arms snaked up his chest and around his neck as she stood on her toes. She leaned against him for balance as she engaged in the kiss.
Kalan’s hands moved to her hips to steady them. His fingers caught fire when they touched the skin over her hip bones. His grip tightened, bringing her body flush to his. Their mouths moved in rhythm, heads tilting to opposite sides to deepen the kiss. Heat shot through Kalan as Gwen slipped her tongue past his lips.
He needed to feel every inch of her against him. He pushed her back against the wall, covering her with his body. Gwen tangled her hands in his hair; her fingernails scratched his skull.
Kalan gently bit her bottom lip. He moved to kiss the corners of her mouth before moving down to her neck. His lips landed on the racing pulse just below her chin. She tilted her head to give him better access, moving her hands to rest on his arms.
He placed reverent kisses all along her neck and shoulder. Kalan smiled when he heard Gwen’s contented sigh. He returned his attention to her lips and increased the tempo of his ministrations. He never wanted to stop.
Kalan bent down and picked Gwen up at the waist, not breaking their kiss. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he turned to sit on one of the paper-covered tables in the room. Gwen’s raised position gave her control of the kiss, and she took it willingly. Placing a hand on either side of his face, Gwen devoured Kalan’s lips with hers. She had kissed him before, but the prince knew this was different. Her actions were a release of pent-up frustration and desire that Kalan knew all too well. He hated to think Gwen had been experiencing the same amount of pain and longing during their separation, but he also relished the knowledge he was not alone in his feelings. He ran his hands up and down her spine, causing her to shiver.
On the opposite end of the table, a heavy book fell to the floor.
The noise shattered the kiss.
Gwen pulled back and looked into Kalan’s heavy-lidded eyes. He watched as her desire turned to disbelief. She pushed against him to try to stand, but Kalan tightened his hold.
She gave him a frantic look. “Put me down.”
“Don’t,” Kalan’s voice cracked. “Don’t push me away.”
It was exactly what she did.
With a hard shove, Gwen unwrapped her legs and stood. Kalan rose from his seat on the table. She took a step back and held up her hands, making him keep his distance.
“Gwen, I lo– ”
“No,” Gwen shook her head violently. “Stop. We can’t. You know we can’t.”
Kalan stepped forward, forcing Gwen to either press her hands to his chest, or lower them. She quickly dropped them, but he did not advance further.
“We can’t,” she repeated in a desperate whisper.
“According to the Wise Ones,” Kalan countered with confidence he did not truly feel. “Not only can we, but we should.”
He continued in response to her wide eyes. “Yes, I heard everything. I heard them confirm you are my lifemate.”
Gwen’s face turned as white as Winter Court snow. “I don’t believe it. Neither should you.”
“I have to believe it, Gwen. It is the only thing that makes sense. It is the only explanation for what I feel for you.”
“It’s wrong, Kalan!” She shouted with desperation. “You know it’s wrong.”
“Not if it is the will of Fate.”
“I don’t put any trust in fate,” she argued. “Neither should you. Not when it, supposedly, causes this.” Gwen waved a hand in between them.
Kalan managed to feel a small bit of encouragement from Gwen’s acknowledgement that there was something between them… even if she did not like it.
“We can figure all of that out later,” he offered. “In the meantime, should we discuss the Wise One’s recommendation?”
Gwen frowned. “What recommendation?”
“That I join you in Summer Court.”
Gwen let out a breath of surprise. “What? No way.”
“You heard the Wise Ones. We will only grow weaker if we remain apart. It would be best for both of us to reside in the same court.” Kalan did not add the fact he relished the thought of having more opportunities to convince Gwen she was his lifemate.
“My grandparents won’t let you,” she said weakly.
“I think you know they will,” he countered. The prince might have barely spoken to the Summer Royals at the ball, but he knew they were kind. They would do anything to help relieve their granddaughter’s pain.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t let you.”
“You can’t stop me if King Cai or Queen Orla agree to it.”
Uneasiness settled in Kalan’s chest as Gwen’s eyes darkened. He could feel her soaking in the energy of the room. She was letting her emotions take control of her abilities.
“Gwen, control yourself.” The prince took a step back, hoping the distance would motivate her to relax.
“Don’t worry, Kalan. I am.”
The energy around Gwen increased, becoming a dense fog swirling and covering her body. Kalan sensed both Winter and Summer powers building. It was an uncontrollable amount. Gwen would not be able to handle it.
Just as the prince opened his mouth to shout for assistance, the room hummed with untapped energy. It was deafening.
Before the prince could think of what to do, he watched as Gwen faded from the spot in front of him.
Kalan let out a shout of disbelief.
He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.
Gwen was gone. She fazed out of Eirie.
Kalan felt fear and dread like never before. Gwen should not have been able to do that. No fae should be able to do that.
If anyone realized the feat Gwen just accomplished, all of the extreme fears regarding dual-court fae would be validated. How was he supposed to protect her if she did such foolish things?
The prince’s emotions became too much for him as he felt his familiar pain begin to build back up with Gwen’s absence.
Without restraint, Kalan released an intense quantity of Winter power into the library, turning nearby scrolls into cylinders of ice. The wooden shelves cracked with the cold. Kalan’s breath puffed out in the frigid air.
The Wise One’s would know how Gwen left. If word got out, she could be in even more danger than before.
Kalan cursed Fate out loud, releasing another icy blast through the citadel.
In the entryway of the tower, Jai and his fellow immovable guards could not stop their shivers as the sudden rush of cold air brushed past them.
Chapter 17
Sara sat in the waiting room at Kitty Hawk Dental, unenthusiastically flipping through the latest gossip magazine. She mentally scolded her sister for the tenth time that morning, wishing she were able to browse social media sites on her iPhone. Nothing irritated Sara more than Kate managing to use over 80% of their data, leaving them on the brink of going over at the end of each month. She hated being forced to seek entertainment from the dental office’s trashy reading selection.
“Sara Roberts?” A pleasant dental hygienist read her name from a file in her hands.
Sara timidly raised her hand as she stood. “That’s me.”
The woman’s smile was too bright for eight in the morning. “Wonderful. My name’s Jenny. Please follow me.”
Sara obeyed and found herself in a slippery patient chair, facing the ceiling. “Now, we’re going to start with some x-rays just to see how your teeth are doing. Sound good?”
Sara barely nodded before a heavy lead smock covered her chest, and Jenny was forcing the x-ray film inside her mouth. She tried not to grimace as the film’s edges pressed uncomfortably into her gums.
Jenny was adjusting the film for the last picture when she nearly stumbled onto Sara’s lap.
“Woah,” she said, catching herself on the porcelain sink beside Sara’s chair. “Sorry about that, Honey. I lost my balance for a second.”
Sara opened her mouth, to assure the hygienist she was fine, when she saw the tools to her right begin to clatter on their tray. A picture on the wall fell to the floor.
“What’s happening?” Sara asked without expecting an answer. She gripped the chairs armrests as it started vibrating beneath her.
Jenny tightened her hold on the sink, trying to remain upright despite the force of the tremors threatening to throw her off her feet. “I have no idea!”
“Is it an earthquake?” It seemed unlikely. Sara did not think San Antonio was anywhere near a fault line.
The moment the words were out of Sara’s mouth, a shout came from down the hall. “EARTHQUAKE,” someone yelled. “MOVE UNDER THE DOORFRAMES.”
Sara did not think she could move to the doorway even if she wanted to. The tremors were too great. She held on to her seat instead. Jenny remained where she was, as well.
The ground stopped shaking fifty seconds later, though it seemed much longer. Sara could already hear sirens sounding from outside the building’s windows, rushing to offer assistance to citizens in need.
“Are you alright?” Jenny asked, her hands shaking as she removed them from the bowl. She ran her hands down her blue scrubs.
“Yes. You?”
Jenny nodded and excused herself to go check on the office’s other occupants. They both had heard more than one cry of pain during the earthquake.
Sara’s cellphone buzzed in her pocket. She reached to retrieve it and quickly slid the answer bar with her finger.
“Kate! Are you alright?”
“Sara? Thank God. I was freaking out,” Kate’s worry made her tone go up two octaves. Yes, I’m alright. Are you alright? I’m at home. Where are you?”
Sara answered both of her sister’s frantic questions. “The dentist office, and yes, I’m fine. A little shaken up, but totally fine.”
“Thank God,” Kate repeated. “That was so scary. The news is saying it was an earthquake. They’re estimating it to be around a six on the Richter scale.”
“That bad?” Sara asked in shock. She went through a phase in high school where she was obsessed with seismology and knew that such earthquakes could do damage even to well-built structures. Sara immediately worried over her uncle’s apartment complex.
“Kate, is Uncle Frank around? Is the apartment alright?”
“No, he left about twenty minutes ago. I think he will be back soon. The apartment looks fine to me. I can’t see any cracks in the walls or anything.”
Her sister’s words were not much of a relief. Sara knew there could be other signs of damage Kate wouldn’t know to look for. She tried to sound unworried for her younger sister’s sake. “That’s good. Do me a favor, Kate. Stay in the apartment until Uncle Frank or I get there. I’m sure the roads are going to be a mess with everyone reacting to the earthquake, and it would be safer for you to stay put.”
Kate quickly agreed and promised to not go anywhere.
Figuring she would not be getting her teeth cleaned, Sara removed the lead smock and stumbled out of the slippery chair.
Sara left the dental office and cautiously drove home. It took nearly thirty minutes to make the ten minute drive. The neighborhood streets were crowded with cars; their drivers stood in the middle of the roads talking to one another. Every so often, Sara had to stop for an emergency vehicle to drive past. She sent up a quick prayer to those who might have been injured each time.
Sara tried to turn on the radio for news, but only heard the annoying sound broadcasted by the Emergency Services Warning Center.
“Kinda late for that,” Sara told her stereo before pushing in the volume control to mute any sound. She pulled into the apartment’s parking lot with a relieved sigh. The reprieve was short lived as Sara watched an ambulance follow her into the complex.
Sara slammed the car into park and rushed out. She ran up to her apartment. Kate stood in the living room with her phone in her hands.
“Sara! Did you see Uncle Frank out there? I can’t get ahold of him.”
Sara’s stomach fell. “No. Did he tell you where he was going when he left?”
“Yeah, just to a tenant’s apartment. They had a leak in the kitchen, and he was going to repair it.”
Sara nodded. She remembered Uncle Frank mentioning the complaint to her yesterday. “I know where that is. Come on, let’s go check and see if he is there.”
The sisters moved quickly. Sara led them and just turned a corner when she stopped in her tracks. Kate bumped into her.
“What is it?” Kate huffed out, moving to look around her sister’s shoulder. “Uncle Frank!” Kate ran forward to stand beside the stretcher her uncle was on.
“Please, Miss,” a young EMT gently held Kate back. Sara rushed to her side. “Stay back.”
“He’s our uncle,” Sara told the man, running her eyes over the unconscious man. There was blood trickling from his temple.
“You’re family?” The EMT asked for clarification.
“Yes!” Kate shouted. “What happened? Where are you taking him?”
“Your uncle took a nasty fall, ladies,” a second EMT answered. “We’re taking him to Northeast Methodist. One of you can ride in the ambulance with us. The other will have to meet us there.” Without waiting for a response, the men began rolling their uncle to the stairway before picking the stretcher up and carefully walking down.
Kate turned frantic eyes to Sara. “We’ll go together. We can meet him there.”
Sara nodded. Within minutes, the s
isters were sitting in their Civic and on their way to the hospital.
“I can’t believe this,” Kate said to the windshield. “First extreme heat, then floods, and now an earthquake. What the hell is happening to San Antonio?”
Sara bit her cheek. “I have no idea, but whatever it is, it’s definitely not good.”
Chapter 18
“Are you ready to talk about what happened in Eirie?” Ronan’s look said he would not take ‘no’ for an answer.
Kalan sighed. It wasn’t the first time his friend asked what happened, but the prince had yet to explain what transpired in the Wise Ones’ library. He sat on the bench in front of the pond in the gardens, staring out at the water.
The prince remembered Gwen’s display of power in front of the same pond. His lips tickled with the memory of their first kiss. It couldn’t compare to the one they just shared in Eirie. That kiss held a forbidden passion Kalan did not know existed. A passion which he yearned to express again, and he would happily do so, if only Gwen had not managed to faze out of Eirie.
Kalan did not have time to create an excuse for the beauty’s absence when the Wise Ones and Summer Nobles returned to the library. It would have been futile anyway. The Wise Ones sensed Gwen’s peak in power and were perfectly aware of how she left their dwelling. Kalan gave a humorless laugh as he thought of the Summer fae’s expressions following the Elders words. Ian and his brother both looked as if they had been physically assaulted with the news of Gwen’s departure. They also looked afraid.
Ronan was waiting for Kalan outside the tower during the fiasco, so he did not know the details of what transpired. Upon their arrival, the two Winter fae were met at the citadel gates by a Wise One. Kalan was immediately led to the building where he felt Gwen’s presence the moment he crossed the threshold. At the time, the prince was grateful for the space to discuss the sensitive topic with the Wise One. Unfortunately, it was a discussion he never had the opportunity to have.
Now, Kalan wished his friend had been in the tower and already knew what happened. The prince did not want to say it out loud; he did not want to acknowledge the reality of the feat Gwen accomplished by fazing out of an area which should have been surrounded by impenetrable spells.
Work of Fate (Dual Court Kiss Book 2) Page 11
