Ice Queen

by Candace Wondrak

  At least her own death was deserved after what she’d done, but Blue? The wolf had been nothing but a friend to her, a companion during those long years she’d spent alone. He was a smart, kind creature, and he didn’t deserve to meet his end simply because her magic was running out.

  Frost thought back to the woman in the vision. She’d been old, perhaps the oldest person she’d ever seen. Wrinkles upon wrinkles, her frame small and slender, but even then, the witch had held her head high. Her hair was a sheer white, almost translucent in its color-less state, long and flowing. And her eyes…they reminded Frost of her own eyes, of Blue’s eyes. They were the eyes of winter itself, the eyes of ice and snow and cold. Magic’s eyes.

  No, before the vision, Frost had never seen the woman before, but deep within her core, she knew her. She knew her by her very soul, which was an odd thing to realize. Almost as if the witch had given some of her power to Frost, made her a part of her.

  Whatever it was, Frost didn’t want to think about it. It only made her sad, and she didn’t want to be sad. She didn’t want to cry. Crying only hurt, mostly because her head hurt afterward, her eyes became puffy, and the tears usually stung on their way down, freezing themselves to her cheeks. Her tears only became little tiny icicles she had to peel off her face.

  A soft knocking on the outer ice alerted Frost to someone else’s presence. She lifted her face from Blue’s fur, quickly swiping at her tears before they could freeze. She could let whoever it was in, or she could tell him to go away. She was lingering towards the latter, but then, when she and Blue met eyes, she had the sudden craving to feel warm, human skin on hers.

  If she was going to die…there was no use waiting, right? There were some things one should experience before death arrived.

  Waving her hand, Frost allowed a tiny hole to form at the base of the ice, which allowed the knocker to crawl in. It was Hale. Blue got the hint and exited after Hale’s entrance, and when she was alone with the archer, she waved her hand again, enclosing them both in the icy dome.

  Hale sat cross-legged on the grass, meeting her stare. He’d left his bow and quiver outside, bringing nothing but himself. His black eyes examined her, and she found herself biting her lip to stop herself from frowning. The way he looked at her made her feel both good and bad. Good, because it made her warm and happy, and bad because it made her think about what the white-haired witch had said.

  It won’t last forever.

  “I know you wanted to be alone,” Hale whispered, “but I thought maybe you could use some company. We don’t have to talk. We can just sit here.”

  Having him here with her, knowing he was fine just sitting here and not saying another word, filled Frost with warmth. Gone was the Hale who had pulled himself away from her. This Hale was facing the music, so to speak, and she supposed it was time for her to face the music, too. The music of the truth. It was a symphony both ugly and beautiful.

  Frost reached for him, whispering, “I don’t want to talk.” Her hands touched his neck, and she pulled herself closer to him. “But I don’t want to sit here, either.” She was on his lap the next moment, about to kiss him when he stopped her, hands on her waist, pulling her back slightly.

  “Don’t do this simply because you believe you’re going to die,” Hale said. “I’m not going to let you die, Frost.”

  She wanted to smile, but she found she couldn’t. The words were exactly what she needed to hear. “I’m not doing this because I might die. I’m doing this because I want to do it.” She ran a hand down his face, watching as he closed his eyes, relishing in her touch. “Unless you don’t want to.” Her other hand ran through his white hair, tugging at its lengths gently.

  Was she teasing him, egging him on, baiting him with an offer he could in no way refuse? Perhaps.

  Hale gave her a weird look, saying not a single thing before pulling her back in, pressing her chest against his. His mouth found hers, devouring her whole. When their lips connected, a rush of heat seared through her, and when his lips parted and his tongue found its way into her mouth, that heat turned into a raging fire. She needed so much more, craved to feel every inch of his skin on hers.

  Truly, touching Blue was nothing like touching a man. There were some sensations only another human could bring, clearly, and a man whom she cared about could bring so much more.

  Frost was on her back, Hale having moved them, changed their positions. His body pressed against her revealed a growing hardness in his pants, and the fire burning inside her settled deep within her core. It was a fire she knew could only be put out by one thing—their union.

  Hale’s mouth left hers, trailing kisses along her neck. The quiet archer asked a single question, a question which made her sigh out a breathy sigh: “Are you sure?”

  After the breathy sigh escaped her, Frost managed to murmur a soft, “Yes.”

  It was all Hale needed. As his lips roamed along her neck, he worked at helping her out of her clothes. She would worry about how cold he would be, but in this moment, even she felt ridiculously warm. Neither of them would freeze while together. Winter’s chill would not touch them right now.

  When she lay beneath him, utterly bare, Frost felt a bit self-conscious. Never before had she shown her naked body to anyone, no one but the servants in the castle when they helped dress her or bathe her, and that was years ago—and they never gazed at her the way Hale currently was. His black eyes ate her up, a hunger lingering in his expression, the telltale sign he found her body beautiful. He wanted her, she knew it without a doubt.

  “You are,” Hale paused, his eyes dancing across her chest and stomach, “so flawless it hurts.” It was close to the compliment he’d given her before their first kiss; he’d called her a dangerous kind of beautiful. She didn’t think she was that gorgeous, but she supposed she didn’t see herself quite like how he, or any of the other men for that matter, saw her.

  She smiled up at him, her hands working on the straps on his coat. “You’re not too bad yourself,” she whispered, feeling both foolish and cheesy for saying it.

  When it was clear her fingers could not work the straps on his coat, Hale took charge, shedding himself of his clothing in a matter of seconds. Someone was beyond eager. When he was free, before he pressed his naked body against hers, Frost couldn’t help but stare.

  She’d seen Douglas shirtless, but it wasn’t the same. First off, Hale was thinner than Douglas, leaner. His muscles weren’t as pronounced, but they were there all the same, just smoother and slenderer. His was the body of an archer, not a warrior. His chest was not riddled with scars like Douglas’s was.

  And, secondly, she hadn’t ever seen a man’s cock before. It looked a bit strange, almost like a foreign creature staring at her from between Hale’s legs, but the moment he lowered himself back down on her, pressed himself against her, she knew it felt right. He wasn’t inside yet, his cock only pressing against her inner thighs, but she let out a sigh all the same.

  Hale’s mouth met with hers, a quick peck before traveling down her throat, straight down between her breasts. When Frost shivered, she didn’t do so out of coldness; it was her body’s reaction to feeling a mouth where a mouth had never gone before.

  Hale propped himself up, his hands spreading her legs before him, his cock standing erect and ready. Her body must’ve enticed him as much as his did her, for he did not hesitate to position himself at her entrance. Their eyes met, their stare connected as Hale slowly pushed himself inside of her.

  Frost let out something that was a mixture between a groan and a moan. Feeling a cock inside of her was…well, it was not like anything else in the world. It certainly wasn’t how she expected it. The way her mother always spoke, as if childbirth and being with a man were simply duties a woman had to partake in—her mother had never told her that it was pleasing, that it was fun.

  Because it was. It was more pleasing and fun than Frost ever could’ve imagined.

  Her hands held onto his lower back
as he pushed his entire length inside, filling her up in a way no man had ever done before. Hale closed his eyes, a deep-throated groan coming from him, and she whispered, “Am I too cold?” She worried her body was too icy for him, that she would hurt him and make him never want to touch her again. Such deep-seated insecurities.

  “No,” he replied quickly, burying his face in her neck, kissing it tenderly. “You’re perfect.” Hale was the quiet one of the group, and most of the time he knew the right words to say. She could forgive him for what he’d said at the Springvale camp, as long as he never tried to keep himself from her ever again.

  His hips started to rock in a rhythm that drew out sounds from her she never knew she was capable of. Soft, breathy moans. Sighs that begged him to keep going. Frost kept her hands on his back, feeling his lean muscles tense every time he thrust into her. His movements were slow and steady at first; he was gentle with her, careful, which she appreciated.

  The fire burning in her core set every nerve on edge. With every thrust of Hale’s body, when his cock filled her up tight, Frost felt the sensation only growing within her. It expanded on itself, becoming something she could not deny, a pleasurable feeling she was a slave to. Hale’s hands went to her breasts, tweaking her nipples, which were hard and pointed, sending waves of ecstasy racing through her.

  It was almost too much for her body to handle.

  Frost felt a strange yet amazing pressure building inside her, and it was but a moment before the pressure exploded, causing her to arch her back and dig her nails into Hale’s skin. She let out a moan, her eyes squeezing shut of their own accord, her toes clenching as the pleasurable feeling touched every part of her, sped up her heart and put heat in her cheeks. She was…she was actually sweating after that.

  Hale had watched it happen, and her release must’ve furthered his, for it wasn’t too long before his body tensed above hers, his thrusts growing quick and erratic. A grunted moan came from him, and she could feel his cock twitching inside of her. He nearly collapsed on top of her, a content sigh escaping his lips as he withdrew from her, his cock wet with their juices. He rolled beside her, pulled her into his arms, and lightly kissed her forehead. He was sweating too, she noticed, and the smell was anything but gross.

  She rather liked him naked and sweaty, actually.

  They lay there for a while, neither one of them moving, neither one of them wanting to. Frost herself never wanted this moment to end, because she’d completely forgotten about what had dominated her mind before. Hale was the best distraction around.

  Hale kissed her lips once before whispering, “I never expected this, you know. I never thought I’d fall in love with a princess.”

  Love.

  Love?

  The word settled deep in her heart, and Frost felt it start to swell inside her chest. There was not a doubt in her mind that he was telling the truth; he loved her, and in her heart of hearts, she knew she loved him back. But, somehow, she couldn’t say it. How could she, when there was still so much he didn’t know about her?

  So Frost said the one thing she was able to, “I’m not a princess. I’m only a woman.”

  “Just a woman,” Hale repeated, moving his head to look at her. “You are anything but a normal woman, Frost. You are so much more than you know. Even if you don’t believe in yourself, know that I do. We all do,” he referenced the two men outside. “You will never be alone again.”

  She smiled, feeling new tears pricking her vision, for a different reason than before. She was just so happy, it was hard to reconcile feeling like this while knowing what she did, while hating herself. A part of her wanted her magic to run out, even if that meant she would die, because at least the world and all its kingdoms would be safe from her wrath.

  They remained that way for a while, but soon their body sweat faded and coldness took its place. While it didn’t bother Frost—for she could walk around Wysteria naked and not feel a thing besides the cold that was a part of her soul—it did bother Hale. He was the first one to put on his clothes, giving her a kiss before she opened the icy dome and allowed him to crawl out.

  She took her time in putting on her own clothes, watching as Blue entered. The wolf gave her a look with his crystal eyes, and Frost felt a smile growing on her lips. The way Blue looked at her, it was as if the wolf knew what had gone on in here, and it was amusing. The damned wolf.

  Once her clothes were on, the rest of the icy dome came down with a wave of her hand. She wandered near the fire, where Hale had rejoined Douglas and Noel, all of whom turned to look at her.

  “And?” Noel asked. When Frost said not a thing, he added, “Inquisitive minds want to know, how was it? We heard a lot, you know. Your icy wall might’ve blocked our view, but we heard every little thing that went on inside there.”

  Douglas was grinning, setting his uninjured hand before his mouth, trying to hide it.

  Frost felt her cheeks heat up. Was this embarrassment? How annoying. She had nothing to be embarrassed of, right? She shot an icy look at Noel.

  “What?” Noel asked, shrugging, acting innocent. “I was only curious. I have to know what I’m up against.”

  Hale spoke, “This is not a competition.”

  “But it could be,” Noel said. “Who is the better lover?” He moved a hand through the air, as if imagining a wooden sign with those words etched in it. “The broody but well-meaning archer, the intrepid and ridiculously handsome assassin, or the surly warrior with a heart of gold? I don’t know about you guys, but I’d watch that play in a heartbeat.”

  Frost wanted to be annoyed with him, but she found herself laughing. “I don’t know about ridiculously handsome. Just ridiculous, I think.” Her words earned a chuckle from Douglas and a smirk from Hale.

  “Oh, come on. We all know I’m the most handsome out of the four of us,” Noel spoke with a shrug. As if he was simply stating the facts. He wasn’t, but that was beside the point. Sometimes he liked to talk just to hear himself talk, Frost knew.

  “More like the most annoying,” Douglas said. His injured arm rested across his lap, and his blue gaze met with Frost’s. The surly warrior with a heart of gold; Noel’s description of him was spot-on.

  They continued to banter until they grew tired. The constant back-and-forth helped to keep Frost’s mind off the vision of the white-haired woman and what she’d said. When morning came and they began to travel once again, she was ready to push the thoughts from her mind, to ignore the nagging feeling resting inside her. The pit in her stomach would remain, but she would not think about it.

  Frost would help get the Jewel for her sister, and she knew that if she perished along the way, the men at her side would finish the job.

  The truth of the matter was, no one knew what the future had in store for them, or for her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The Wysterian castle sat in the heart of Wysteria. The castle stood, its towers tall and pointed towards the sky, resting on a man-made island in the middle of a giant lake. A bridge connected the castle to the city built on the shore of the lake. It was not a place Frost ever wanted to return to, but after weeks of traveling, after coming across more snow-creatures that didn’t heed her magic, when she saw the roofs of the houses on the outskirts of town, she knew there was no turning back.

  It was far too late for that.

  The city itself was big. Since it was the heart of Wysteria, it had held thousands of citizens, more people than she could’ve ever met personally. The capital of the land, and yet it was nothing but a cold desert, barren and dead, all because of her. They came upon the city when the sun was setting on the horizon, which Frost was more than fine with, for it gave her one more night to calm her jittery nerves. One more night to face the fact that these men were about to learn about her worst mistake.

  “What say we find a house, bunker down for the night, and head to the castle in the morning? We’ll need light anyway to search for the Jewel,” Noel said, glancing between them all, linge
ring on Frost the most. They stood in two feet of snow, bundled up.

  Frost’s eyes roamed the snow-covered city before her, and she nodded once, hoping that whatever house she chose would be empty. All throughout their travels, she’d tried to muster up the courage to tell them the truth, but she found she simply couldn’t. Now, this place would force her truth out, whether she was ready to tell them or not.

  She trudged through the snow, Blue at her heels, heading to a nearby house. She stood ten feet before it, breathing in and out evenly, raising her hands. Magic swirled around her, coming to her slowly. Frost had no idea if it came so slowly because she was losing its power or because she was too anxious.

  Frost swatted both hands aside, and the snow covering the house swirled, sweeping itself off the roof and away from the front door, revealing a quaint little cottage of brick, its window glass unbroken. The snow and cold aside, it looked like a nice home.

  She was about to head to the front door, but Noel stepped ahead of her. “Let us check it, just in case. You never know.”

  So Frost stood back, allowing the three men to go inside first. Hale passed her, his bow in hand. Douglas was in last, tossing her a comforting smile. His arm had gotten better; he could use it without grimacing now. Once they were all inside, she met Blue’s stare. The wolf’s expression was too heavy, too knowing.

  “I know, I know,” Frost muttered, heaving a giant breath before stepping inside the house. She walked right into a family room of sorts, where a few chairs sat before a rug. Her eyes immediately fell to the small teddy bear on the rug, covered in dust after being forgotten for so many years.

  Douglas was checking the kitchen area, while Noel and Hale were walking down the hall, checking the other rooms of the house. Frost went to the bear, lowering to her knees to pick it up, her thumb running over its button nose and stitched eyes.