Summer of Frost (2 page)

Squeezing her hands, I gave her a small
smile. “He may love me, Sarette, but I just don’t think I can take
anymore,” I whispered to her. “If he wants to back off a bit and
just have fun with me that’s fine, but I just don’t see him doing
that.” Immediately, and out of nowhere, I could sense a strong
presence behind my back. Sarette’s eyes went wide at the same
moment I tensed and stood frozen. I cringed, thinking it was
probably Alston and he had heard every word I’d said.

My heart began its erratic beating again,
and when I slowly turned around to face Alston, I was astounded to
see that it wasn’t him standing there, but someone else. The man
before me was not only lethal and sexy, but he happened to be the
Summer Court prince, Drake. His bright, red hair reminded me of the
sun on a hot summer day, or better yet, the fire of the dragon
inside of him. However, I didn’t let his charm sway me. His smoky,
gray eyes bore into mine, and when he noticed I didn’t melt under
his gaze, he tilted his lip up in an arrogant smirk, clearly
amused. Cocky bastard.

“Good evening, Princess Sorcha. I don’t
think we’ve actually been formally introduced,” he expressed
regally, bowing slightly. “I’m Drake.”

“I know who you are,” I replied blandly.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He beamed. “Good things, I hope.”

“Not really,” I teased dryly.

Indeed, I’d heard many things about him. He
was an arrogant ass that liked to show off his skills anytime he
could, not to mention he probably had a million Summer Fae women
lined up to enjoy him in his bed. I didn’t know that for certain,
but I could only imagine. His life was very secret when it came to
women, so needless to say, it drew many speculations. He was
ridiculously good looking, and the longer he was in front of me the
more I felt a pull to fall into his arms. What the hell was wrong
with me?

Laughing, he tilted his head and held out
his hand. “How about we dance, and you can tell me all about what
you heard. I guarantee most of it isn’t true.”

I glared at his hand, and then back up to
his face, contemplating if I should accept. Before I could take his
hand, Alston pushed his way between us, anger emanating off of him
in strong waves. “How about you find someone else? Sorcha is with
me. I’m sure you’ll find another Winter Fae that would be happy to
cool your bed.”

For a second, I stood there frozen and
speechless. In a way, I wanted to see what Drake would do, but I
also didn’t want to see them fight. It would cause unwanted
problems that we didn’t need. Slow, and with determination, Drake
took a step closer to Alston, standing almost nose to nose with
him. “So … she’s with you, huh?”

“That’s right,” Alston growled.

A wolfish grin spread across Drake’s face.
He raked his heated gaze down my body quickly, before laying his
deadly gray eyes back on Alston. “Keep telling yourself that,” he
retorted.

Alston clenched his fists, ready to strike,
when Drake gracefully backed up and bowed his head slightly at me,
never swaying his eyes from mine. “Maybe next time, Princess
Sorcha,” he murmured, his voice low and seductive.

Out of all my years of always having a smart
ass comeback or something witty to throw out, that moment was one
of the times I couldn’t form words. Alston snaked his arm around my
waist, pulling me close, and for that second in time I didn’t care.
Nothing existed except me and Drake as he backed up slowly, both of
our gazes never wavering from each other’s. He winked at me before
leaving the ballroom, and once he was out of sight, everything
immediately returned to normal. My heart beat regularly while
everyone came back into focus, and that meant Alston and Sarette’s
angry glares.

I knew then that everything was going to
change after that night. Drake had captured my attention, and I was
determined to find out more.

“
Enough!
” I yelled, my voice carrying
out over the expanse of the field.

The warriors were on the training grounds
battling it out, but they stopped at my command. They bowed before
gathering their weapons and clearing the field with haste. They’d
been training since sunrise, and I knew they needed their rest. I
had to make sure they were ready for when the time came for
Ariella’s Guardian Ceremony, where they would combat each other for
the right to be her guardian.

Light footsteps approached from behind, and
I wasn’t surprised to see that it was my sister, Ariella, who had
taken place by my side. While she searched over the retreating
warriors, I could see the mischievous glint in her eyes, and the
wheels turning in her head.

“Whatever you have planned, little sister, I
can already tell you it won’t be wise,” I informed her in my most
serious tone, even though I knew I was wasting my breath.

She laughed, but I could hear the deceptive
tone underneath. “Oh, Drake, when will you get it through that
thick dragon skin of yours that I always follow through with my
sneaky plans? It’s what gives me purpose in life.”

I groaned, running my hands through my hair.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Ariella had this way of always making
everything difficult for me, and she loved it. Even when I trained
her she’d still be stubborn and up to no good, always trying to
take me down with her underhanded tactics. She was a good fighter,
but never disciplined enough to take it seriously. She always had a
dirty trick up her sleeve, and in battle that could be a good
thing. Out of all my sisters, she was the most fun to be around.
You never knew what you were going to get with her.

Much to my dismay, and never would I say
this to them, but I actually missed my sisters, Calista and
Meliantha. The palace was a lot quieter with them gone, but it was
full of energy when they were here. Meliantha was due any day to
have her twins, and once we got the announcement I was sure
everyone would be flocking to the Spring Court, maybe even …
Sorcha.

Ariella snapped her fingers, trying to get
my attention, so I cocked my head in her direction. “Drake, are you
okay? You’ve been acting weird for a while now. You’re usually an
arrogant ball buster, but I’ve noticed that you haven’t been as
hard or mean to the warriors here as of late. What’s going on with
you?”

Quickly, I averted my eyes from her, and
tried to think of an excuse, but none came. Ariella was the last
person I wanted to talk to about what was on my mind. Jumping up
and down excitedly, she clapped her hands and asked, “Are you
seeing someone? That’s the only reason I can think of. Who is
she?”

Turning my head away from Ariella, I
contemplated my next words. What was I to say … that I was in love
with a dream? For the past few months, the Winter Court princess
had occupied my fantasies every single night. Ever since I met her,
she’d taken over every thought in my mind like a plague. I’d even
turned down countless nights of bedding the women of our court
because all I could see was the Winter beauty inside my head. I
couldn’t seem to dream of anything else other than her, and what
pissed me off about it were the feelings I was having. It was
pathetic to be falling in love with a dream, and especially with
someone from Winter. Except, if I was honest with myself, I’d say
that I was already in too deep, but no one needed to know that.

Smiling, I glanced over at my sister who
still had a goofy grin on her face waiting for my lover’s name.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no one. You should know
better, Ariella. Love is for idiots who have nothing better to
do.”

She stared at me in disbelief, but then
burst out laughing. “I don’t believe you for a second! Say that
shit to someone who’ll believe you. Drake, I’m sure one of these
days you’ll find the Summer girl of your dreams. You don’t have to
hide behind your arrogance, you know. Unfortunately, I’m sure you’d
still be the same arrogant ass as always when you do decide to find
someone. In a way, I kind of pity the girl that you fall for,” she
joked. When I growled at her, she smiled and linked her arm with
mine. “Oh, calm down, I’m just kidding. Now come and take me for a
ride,” Ariella demanded. “It’s been ages since I’ve flown with
you.”

Ariella and I had always had a certain bond.
I think it was because she was the youngest of my siblings, and
also the one I had to spend a great deal of time with to keep her
out of trouble. She happened to be the only one of my sisters who’s
ridden with me in dragon form. I don’t do it often, but when I do I
enjoy the times I can be free and fly. Out of the people in my
court, I’m the only one who’d been gifted with the ability to turn
into a dragon. It made me different, and also lethal. When the
final battle with the dark sorcerer comes, I was pretty sure I
could handle my own.

However, there were disadvantages of
transforming, such as the pain before and the fatigue after. It
took a lot of power and strength to be, ‘The Dragon,’ but it was a
sacrifice I’d happily give to see my sister smile.

“Where would you like to go?” I asked while
we made our way to the edge of the field. “We flew over the Spring
Court last time, so where will it be this time?”

Ariella smirked in her usual mischievous
way, and acknowledged the one place I was hoping she would pick. “I
say we fly over Winter this time. Let’s give them something to talk
about, shall we?”

I smiled, and rubbed my hands together.
“Let’s go.”

I could feel the excitement in my chest as
my body prepared for the change. After removing my warrior gear, I
knelt down in the soft grass below me. Ariella moved back to give
me plenty of space, and folded my clothes into a neat pile. Before
I let the dragon forth, I took a few deep breaths to concentrate,
in and out. The calmer I was, the less pain my body endured during
the change. On the days I was angry, I could shift almost
immediately; the pain was explosive, but it was over just as
quickly.

The dragon stirred beneath my skin, closer
and closer to the surface. My skin stretched and my limbs grew,
breaking and snapping while mending quickly back in place as the
dragon took over. Gritting my teeth, I slammed my eyes shut. The
snaps and cracks of the bones made Ariella gasp, but the sounds
were actually worse than what it really was. She saw this every
time, and every time she’d do the same thing. The pain was
something I’d gotten used to, and I would gladly accept it to get
the reward of the freedom it gave me.

My body grew until I soon towered over the
trees, and my claws took root into the soft soil below. The
fragrance of the land intensified while my sight magnified
ten-fold. I could see and hear things over hundreds of yards away,
and I could fly to and from each court within a matter of minutes.
The fire inside me rumbled in my chest, bursting at the seams to be
let out. When the transformation completes, my mind stays the same,
and I can think just as clearly in dragon form as I can in my fae
form. The ground shook as my heavy weighted claws thumped on the
ground as I made my way to my sister.