One moment I was standing in the strange clearing, surrounded by those smooth circular stones, chilled by the all-encompassing silence that surrounded me. The next, I was near frozen in fear.
A gust of wind whipped through the clearing, colder than anything I had ever felt. On that gust was the putrid scent of mildew and mold infested waters. The scent made me crinkle my nose, and I couldn’t mistake the festering edge to the smell; it reminded me of rotting flesh.
Apart from the monstrous Fae woman I had seen my first time here, everything else in the Fae realm had been tinged with this otherworldly beauty. It was like this world had a filter over it, heightening the colors and scents.
This was my first true glimpse at what hid beneath that beautiful exterior.
I had blindly followed the Wisp, uncaring of how far I ventured. I hadn’t even noticed when the trees changed, turning dark and warped. I cursed myself for being so stupid, so irresponsi
Mother, sister, or perhaps even a distant cousin. I hadn’t a clue. She was young, around my age. Her platinum hair was pulled back from her face, draped over her shoulder in a thick braid that glittered with little clear crystals. A few curls framed her angular face, grazing against her sharp jawline.She wore a form fitting tunic as light as her eyes, and white leather boots that reached her knee’s. Fur lined those boots and the collar of her tunic, as though she expected to step into an icy tundra but was met with the humid air of the surrounding forest.She was beautiful, in a way that all Fae were. Her eyes were a bit large, giving her that doe-eyed look, but there was a flash of intelligence in those glacier eyes. That flash told me she knew exactly who I was, and I briefly wondered what she might do with that information.She wore one of those laurel wreath’s that you see in Roman movies, only it wasn’t golden and there weren’
I awoke to that annoying prodding sensation in my head. Like sticky sweet tendrils of darkness were trying to worm their way into my ears, into my brain and thoughts. They were moving slowly, these tendrils. Trying not to disturb me, trying to remain undetected.Whether it was the power of the High Lords running through my newly Fae body, or the fact that this Fae woman wasn’t as good as she thought, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I sensed those tendrils and knew who had put them there.This time she wouldn’t get away with it. I was no longer gasping for air like a fish on dry land, my energy completely depleted and eviscerated. This time, she would pay.The library of thoughts in my head, with endless books that contained my memories and thoughts, those tendrils were nearing closer and closer. I had no clue what to do, and even Micah had said there was practically no one willing to train me in Spirit. I highly doubted this obnoxious woman
Atlas had only been half an hour behind Aralia and Tamara when he first felt the jagged pangs of my fear pierce his head and heart. Neither of us knew if it were a side effect of being true-mates, but it had alerted Atlas in the middle of the night. Try as he might, he couldn’t feel my every emotion.He arrived at the boundary to the Water Court half an hour after Aralia and Tamara passed through carrying me in tow. They had at least a dozen warriors with them, men and women with fair skin and pale hair. They detained Atlas at the border, while waiting for Aralia and Tamara to show.Apparently, Aralia wasn’t a relative of Atlas at all. She was a ward, a child brought in by the ruling family. Her backstory was unknown, but she came into the family during her childhood, and had been raised in the Water Court. Atlas had learned a lot about Aralia, all of which peaked my jealousy in ways that had my head spinning.She was a ward of the family, but a high
“I’m going to kill them all.” He snarled in to my neck, which if anything, only added to the molten arousal pulsing between my legs.“I might just let you.” I mumbled, out of breath and near-shaking.We had come so close—and, I didn’t regret it. Not a single bit, in fact. If anything, I felt it was a long time coming. All of the anger and rage in the world couldn’t erase the pull of the bond and the tension that arose whenever we were together.Atlas tore himself from my arms reluctantly, his shoulders tense as he strolled over to the set of double doors across the room. I took the time to get myself together, wandering over to a frosty white vanity and closet. Inside the finely carved closet were absolutely stunning dresses. Laces of white and blue, shimmering gems that sparkled and looked like gem snowflakes. I ran my fingers over the shimmering fabrics with just a hint of envy in my veins.There weren&rsq
The ornate doors swung open, the stone-like material shimmering with a million colors. A rush of chilled airruffledmy hair, carrying the scent of snow, and sweet flowers.Iwasn’tsure what I had been expecting; a formal dinner, perhaps? Blue ball gowns andsnootyroyals?Iwasn’texpecting crystalized balls of ice that radiat
A few minutes later, Aralia approached, stiff necked and shimmering with incredible beauty. Her platinum hair was braided over her shoulder, crystals that mirrored flashes of pure snow were dotted in her hair. The form fitting dress she wore fluttered to the ground in waves of icy satin.The cold that clung to Aralia wasn’t like the blizzard the High Lady summoned. Aralia’s cold came from deep within, from whatever block of ice held her soul.“The High Lady wishes to speak with you, Atlas.” Aralia turned towards my true-mate, not sparing me a glance as she moved to place a hand on his shoulder.“Do not overstep, Aralia.” Was all Atlas said before leaning down to place his lips against my own. His voice was soft, and his eyes met mine for just a second. The kiss he gave me was frantic but passionate, meant to show everyone in this court that we were together. “I’ll be back shortly, kitten.”I nodded a b
“What’s up with Adelina?” I asked Atlas when we all but sprinted from the dining hall and back into the room I had first woken up in. “The kid knows way more than she lets on. Alette clearly tries to keep her quiet, but she’s determined to be heard.”Atlas had little grasp of where we were in the castle, but the posted guards were actually very kind and showed us the way.“I don’t know much more than you do.” Atlas admitted, sitting on the edge of the bed as he pulled off the leather boots he wore. “Adelina trusted me the moment I approached her. She already knew who I was, even though only the High Lady, Aralia, and Tamara were expecting me. Alette only trusts me because Adelina does.”“Isn’t that odd?” I mused, “That a teenager would follow the word of a kid? Do you think it’s some kind of Fae thing?”“I have no clue. I’ve thought the same t
“How are we supposed to sleep after that?” I grumbled, my face pressed against the hard planes of Atlas’s chest.We had been escorted back to our chambers—with a guard of twelve men. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should be insulted. Atlas and I could easily take more than twelve men, even if they were Fae.We had curled up in bed the moment we returned, plunging the room into darkness as we both recounted what had just happened.“She’s practically declaring war against Micah, based on Tamara’s word. If anything, I bet she stalked those Earth Court guards down. Probably went onto their territory to do it. Micah wouldn’t have sent guards into another Court to find us.” I frowned until my forehead ached, wracking my brain for an answer that made sense. When it finally hit me, I knew I had to be right.“I agree. I might not know Micah well, but he knows the damage a war would cause. He wouldn&