by L. P. Dover
I reached out to touch the face on the canvas before me … my face. It was like I was staring in a mirror it was that perfect. I murmured softly, “You know, your mother told me we had things in common and I thought she was crazy. I never once realized she could be right.”
Brayden came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me gently on the neck. “My mother is a smart woman most of the time, but do you want to know when I really started to see you differently?”
Turning around in his arms, I gazed up into his warm, brown eyes and nodded. “Tell me,” I said.
He lowered his lips to mine, just a gentle brushing of his lips before he pulled back and explained, “It was when you were here with your family for the Winter Solstice Ball. I remember watching you get out of the carriage and thinking that it couldn’t be you. You had changed so much in five years.”
I laughed. “Five years is a long time for a female to grow up, Brayden. After everything that happened with Calista I had no choice but to see and do things differently.”
“I know, angel, and it’s definitely changed you for the better. However, I will never forget the day when I saw you playing with Merrick out in the snow. You were so carefree and everything I’d always wished I could be. The way you gazed at him with such love and adoration was an expression I’d never seen on anyone’s face before, especially when they looked at me.”
I cupped his face in my hands and smiled. “It’s because I love him, Brayden. Do you really think no one has felt that way about you? I’m sure there are plenty of women here who have loved you.”
“No, not like that,” he admitted. He took my hands away from his face and walked me back to our bedroom where I took a seat on the bed. Leaving the room, he came back almost immediately with something hidden in the palm of his hand. “I do not know if this is the right time, but I need you to know where I stand in all of this. You could have been taken from me on several occasions, and I cannot begin to describe to you the way it made me feel to know that I could have lost you. I have never felt that way about anyone until you.”
“What are you trying to say, Brayden?” I asked nervously.
My heart raced erratically to the point I could feel it pulsing throughout my body. I was sure Brayden could hear it and feel it through our bond. Through our connection I could feel how deep his emotions ran, and secretly I had hoped one day he would be able to tell me. No one had ever looked at me or loved me in the way I wanted, in the way I needed. We were the same in that aspect as well. My sisters had experienced love by other men, but I never had, even though I had taken lovers before.
Taking a deep breath, Brayden took my hand and opened his closed fist. In his palm lay a shiny silver and onyx band with a symbol engraved on it. I couldn’t tell what the symbol was until he slid the band slowly down on my finger. However, it wasn’t just a symbol, it was the crest of the Winter Court … our Court of Ice.
“How?” I whispered. Did he really remember the symbol in our vision?
“Yes, I did,” he replied, giving me the answer to my silent question. “I can still see our vision clearly, right down to the way we made love by the fire. I remembered our crest on the wall in the room we were in, and it’s been engraved in my mind ever since. I had Lukas make the ring for you.”
“Lukas made this?” I cried, gazing down at the ring. “It’s beautiful. I just wish I could tell him so.”
Brayden lifted my chin with his finger and grazed my lips with his thumb. “He was a very talented man and a good friend of mine. I will miss him. I know it’s not customary to exchange rings, but I wanted you to know that I am serious about us and about our court. We have so much to learn from each other, and by giving you this I am ready. I know you are not yet, and I am fine waiting for as long as you need me to, but I have faith in us. I’ve never believed in anything as much as I believe in you.”
Staring at the man in front of me, I couldn’t believe he was the same Brayden. Our time has been short together, but all along we both knew that we were the ones for each other. Deep down I knew I was ready to bond with him, except with everything going on I knew it wasn’t the right time.
Kissing me gently on the lips, he whispered silently in my mind, “Do you think you will ever love me the way I love you?”
I stifled a gasp and let him deepen the kiss. He said he loved me. Tears sprang into my eyes as I melted in his arms, lying back against the bed. He covered my body with his while melding his tongue with mine, tasting me and claiming me, never taking his gaze away.
“I need to hear you say it, Brayden,” I murmured tenderly.
He wiped away the tears in my eyes and whispered across my lips, “I love you, angel. No matter what happens and what challenges we face, I will always be there with you. In your mind, body, and soul, you will never be alone.”
We stared at each other, him holding onto me as we lay together on the bed, and I knew without a doubt that I had fallen for him. The times he pissed me off and the times I thought he didn’t care no longer mattered because I knew he did care … all along he felt the same way about me that I had of him.
The ring on my finger was a symbol of everything I had to live for, but yet everything I was going to lose. I needed to live for the moment and I planned on doing that. With all the love and determination in my heart, I poured it all into Brayden as I gazed at him and said the words I knew he had always wanted to hear, “I know it’s not easy for you to say these things to me, and I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to hear them. I love you, Brayden. There may come a time in our lives when you doubt that, but I want you to understand that I will always love you. I will always do what I can to protect you and our court. I will never stop fighting for us.”
After hours of kissing and consoling each other, I couldn’t stop my exhausted body from giving out. Brayden held me tight as my eyes drifted close, and I was steadily carried away to the dream realm. I didn’t, however, expect to find myself in the middle of a nightmare.
EVERYWHERE I TURNED it was dark and cold, devoid of any life except the heart that beat in my own chest. The stench of death was all I could smell, and judging by the black, oily looking trees I knew where I was … the Black Forest. Chills crept up my spine because I knew I wasn’t alone.
Alasdair’s laugh echoed all around me, except I couldn’t see him. He drifted around me in his shadow self, slithering across my skin, touching me. He couldn’t physically harm me for real, but even in the dream realm a person could still feel pain or pleasure. I wasn’t looking forward to this visit.
“You can’t hide from me here, sweet princess,” he taunted. “I must say, I am very disappointed in you.”
“I don’t care what you think of me,” I snarled. “You’re just upset that you couldn’t find me.”
Losing his humor, he revealed himself before me, taking his true form. He was tall with long, brown hair and glowing gray eyes. He appeared to be a little older than me, but I knew he was over a century old. He could almost pass for a fae warrior with the way he was dressed in a set of armor and leathers, but a warrior he was not.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stood my ground and kept my gaze on his as he approached. “You think wrong, Your Highness. I am not upset, I’m disappointed. There’s a big difference there. When I came for your sisters they challenged me and fought me with all they had, but you …”He shook his head and clucked his tongue. “You just hid away letting others take the fall. All I needed was one simple thing from you and that would be it. I am not trying to steal you away, because frankly you are not worth it. I like strong women in my bed and from what I have seen of you, you would break too easily.”
Gritting my teeth, it took all I had not to tell him that I was the one who fought him earlier and ran him through. If he would’ve been a normal man he would be dead. “I’m not going to give you what you want,” I snapped.
He sidled up closer to me and circled me like a shark teasing its prey. I st
ood my ground, and wondered how long this nightmare was going to last. What kinds of things could he do to me while we were here? I knew one thing, I didn’t want to find out and I sure as hell never wanted to sleep again if he was going to come to me every night.
Stopping behind me, he snaked his arm around my waist and slapped his hand across my neck, squeezing it tight. I couldn’t take in a breath, so I clawed at his hand trying desperately to breathe. I bucked against his body hoping it would get him off of me, but all it did was entice him.
He laughed. “Keep fighting, Princess. It only turns me on more.” When his grip loosened, I took in a ragged breath. Leaning down close to my ear, he whispered, “And I think you will give me what I want because if you don’t I will bring my army over from the mortal realm and destroy everything and everyone you love.”
I scoffed warily. “Isn’t that your plan anyway? Even if I give you my power you’re still going to bring them over. Why would I willingly give you what you want so you could destroy us? You must think I’m stupid.”
He squeezed my neck again and I gasped for air. I knew I could fight him off, but it was best he thought I was really the weak princess he believed me to be. However, I didn’t want to have to endure his toying with me and violating me. I tried to think of Brayden and if there was a way he could get me out of the dream. I screamed his name over and over, but I didn’t know if he heard because there was no response in my mind.
“I am giving you until the next new moon, Princess. If you don’t give me what I want before then, when I come for you I will have my army at your front gates to tear your world apart. You might as well face the realization that it’s over. You have no way of defeating me, even if you and your prince complete the bond to form your court.”
I struggled against his grasp, but I had had enough. Snapping my head back in a quick thrust, I bashed his nose and turned around to land a swift kick to his ribs. He doubled over but regained himself quickly, growling in anger. The dream realm shifted and began to shimmer. I could feel Brayden’s influence slowly growing stronger; he was trying to get me out.
“It is not over,” I spat. “There is still hope, and as long as that hope still lives I will not submit to you. I may appear weak, but there is more than meets the eyes with me.” The pull on my soul began to get stronger and I could hear Brayden’s frantic voice in my mind telling me to come back to him.
Before I disappeared, I stood my ground and glared at the sorcerer with all the anger and rage I had in my soul from the devastation he’d bestowed upon my people and our courts. Confident and without a doubt, I tilted my lip up in a snarling smirk and gave my final promise to him. “I can promise you this, Alasdair. On the day everything ends, I will be there to watch you fall. The hand that sends you to hell will be mine, and I will smile as I watch you and your evil be torn away from our land. I will be your demise.”
It was strange … one minute I was standing in the Black Forest and the next I woke up in the bed with Brayden straddling my waist and his hands on both sides of my head. When he saw my eyes open, he breathed a sigh of relief and helped me sit up. His head was covered in sweat and the veins in his face and arms bulged as if he’d worked out for about ten hours.
“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping the sweat drenched hair off my forehead.
I nodded and rubbed my neck from where the sorcerer had cut off my air. Nothing was sore and that proved to me that he couldn’t physically harm me in the reality sense, but in the dream it actually felt real. The room was still cloaked in darkness as the night sky filtered into our room. My eyes felt heavy, except I knew sleep wouldn’t come easily for me now. Especially, knowing the sorcerer could come into my dreams and wreak havoc.
“I’m fine, Brayden. How did you know what was going on?” I questioned curiously. “I tried to scream your name in my mind but I didn’t know if you’d hear me.”
Gritting his teeth, he said, “I heard you, angel. When you screamed my name, I woke up not knowing what was going on. You were thrashing against the bed, and when I tried to calm you down you wouldn’t wake up. I pushed into your mind as much as I could and that was when I could feel him there.”
He pulled me into his arms and held me tight. I could hear his heart thumping erratically in his chest and through our bond I could feel his anxiety and anger about not being able to protect me. “You did protect me,” I murmured gently. “You pulled me out of the dream.”
“But I wasn’t fast enough. I knew he hurt you in the dream because I could feel your pain. What did he do to you?” he demanded.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and reluctantly showed him what happened. “He’s threatening to unleash his mortal army at our gates if I don’t let him take my power. If they bring over mortal weapons from their realm we won’t stand a chance. It’ll poison our land and our people will die,” I cried.
“Dammit,” he hissed, running his hands angrily through his hair. He stormed out of bed and stalked over to the window, placing his hands on the cool, clear glass. The muscles in his back tensed and he lowered his head. “We’re running out of time,” he murmured regretfully.
I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “He said he would give me until the next new moon to give him my power. If not, then the war will begin.”
“The next new moon,” Brayden repeated incredulously. He turned around to face me with wide, concern-filled eyes. “That’s only two weeks away.”
Gazing down at the ring Brayden gave me to show his love, I knew in that moment what I had to do. It was a decision my heart had already made, but my stubbornness wanted me to take more time. However, time wasn’t on our side. Slowly sliding out of bed, I ambled over to Brayden and took his face in my hands, running my fingers over his tensed muscles.
I opened my mind to him fully and let him feel what my heart desired and wanted. Groaning, he clutched me tight with his arms wrapped around my waist and lowered his forehead to mine. “Is that truly what you want?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered across his lips. “I’ll be ready when the time comes.”
He leaned down and closed the distance between our lips, lingering for a few seconds while he responded silently to my reply, “So will I, angel. I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life. We will get through this.”
I had no doubt.
MORNING CAME, AND Brayden and I had yet to fall back asleep after what had happened in my dreams. As soon as we approached the palace doors, Coran came ambling out holding a handful of letters. “These came for you, Your Highness,” he said quickly, rushing toward us.
Brayden grabbed the papers and handed me half of them. The letters I held in my hands were from the Fall Court and Durin. I read over them quickly, and was happy to see that Durin was going to try to get the dagger finished within the week and bring it to us. I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Calista’s letter was good news as well. Nixie had consented to help everyone travel here undetected, and Elvena believed she could find a spell to keep the dark sorcerer away from me for the time being. They were going to be arriving later in the day.
I held onto the letters while Brayden finished reading his. Sighing, he handed them to Coran and took my hand, leading me inside the palace. “What did yours say?” I asked inquisitively.
“Kalen said he’s sending Kamden here today so we can tell him what happened. His family is going to want to spend some time with him while he’s here, so he will probably stay for a while. Everyone else, including your parents, requested we send for them when it’s time for Durin to arrive with the dagger. What news did Durin send?” Brayden inquired, gazing down at the letters in my hand.
I handed them to him so he could see for himself. When he read over the letters, he lifted his head and grinned. “This is just what we needed. If Elvena can buy us time with a protection spell for at least another week, we can get everyone here and formulate a strategy for attack.” We stopped outside of the throne room doors and stared at each other
. Brayden bit his lip and tucked a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear before asking softly, “Did you want to tell everyone what we decided to do?”
I smiled and shook my head. “I think it’ll be fun to surprise them, don’t you? They wouldn’t expect anything less from me.”
He narrowed his gaze, and smirked. “I’m starting to believe everything I had heard about you is true,” he teased.
“Oh yeah, and what is that?” I asked incredulously.
He kissed me on the lips and chuckled. “That I am going to have my hands full when it comes to you.”
I winked. “That may be true, but I think it goes both ways in this case. However, right now we have a hard day to get through, and I’m going to need your strength to do it.”
“You will always have my strength, angel. We will get through the day together,” Brayden murmured silently, before opening the throne room doors.
Queen Mab and King Madoc were waiting for us inside, so we informed them about everything that transpired during the night with the dream. Knowing there was nothing more that could be done at the moment, Brayden and I excused ourselves and decided to train together while we waited for Kamden to show up. My head wasn’t into the fighting, but I tried to maneuver the best I could.
“You’re fighting is terrible, Princess. Did you not learn anything that I taught you?” a voice called out.
Kamden’s laugh echoed through the air as he rushed toward us and scooped me up in his arms, swinging me around. “Are you just being lazy, or do Prince Brayden and I need to show you how it’s done?” he joked.
He set me down and all I could see were Lukas’ eyes staring back at me. Kamden and Lukas had the same shaped eyes, cheek bones, and smile. I can’t believe I didn’t notice the similarities earlier.
Tears welled up behind my eyes and I couldn’t stop my lips from turning down into a frown. Kamden narrowed his eyes and stepped back, unsure of what to do. “What’s going on, Ariella? Why do you look like that?”
