The creature twists through the air as though in pain.
“But you were stolen from me,” it continues. “Your mother refused to honor the bargain, and your father betrayed me.”
It twists violently in the air, writhing and nearly disappearing before its black shadow form takes shape again.
“Your father tricked me. During our bargain, he drew my true name from me. When I realized he meant to cross me, I sent a dark blight across the land. Black frost and a plague. Then your father chased me down and used blood magic and winter magic together. Ice formed around my essence, frozen power binding me in place. I could not flee.” The creature twists violently in the air. “He cast me into the Bottomless Spring beneath Mount Drayanor, then shattered the mountain peak itself. Stone and ice rained down upon me, burying me beneath the depths while wards sealed my prison.”
It laughs yet again, but this time its laughter sounds almost like the howling wind.
“Ah, but thankfully I was finally able to escape. As ussha leaves the Winter Court, old spells and wards fade as the magic leaves the land. At last, I broke free and came in search of you.” Its pale eyes gleam brighter. “What a pity your parents are already dead. I found their graves on the mountain overlooking the ruins of Vaelnor. What fun it would have been to torment them before coming for you.” It smiles. “Ah, but at least I found you. The Lord of Nothing. And you have a pretty human femalewith you now. How interesting. Perhaps once I claim your soul and inhabit your body, I will keep her for myself.”
Merak growls, and anger surges through the bond. Not just rage toward the shadow creature for daring to threaten me, but rage toward his parents. He cannot fathom the dark secret they kept from him for centuries. He also cannot help the wave of guilt that comes from realizing his mother would’ve died birthing him if not for the terrible bargain his father made with the spirit of a dark mage—the deal his father later broke.
Despite my growing fear, I summon as much warmth as I can, sending it through the bond. What if these are our last moments? I still haven’t told Merak how I feel about him. Yes, he can probably sense my affection for him, but I’ve never told him.
Merak suddenly starts flying backward. A rapid movement that steals my breath. Snowy wind lashes my face as my hood falls back.
Then he dives into the forest. Above us, the shadow creature emits a furious howl.
We crash through snow-dusted branches and land in a small clearing. Merak immediately sets me on my feet, tosses his rucksack to the ground, and starts turning in a circle, his hands held out.
I feel the familiar energy waves of his wards. My heart races, and my worry deepens as I finally realize what he’s doing. I sense it through the bond. He’s creating a protected space. A circle of safety… a place where he can leave me.
He plans to fight the shadow creature.
Alone.
“Merak…” My voice wavers, and I swear my heart teeters on the edge of a precipice, ready to drop and shatter.
He turns to me, and his eyes instantly soften. He steps closer and gathers me in his arms. Then he rests his forehead against mine. “My dearest. I am sorry, but I must leave you here.You will be safe. The wards should hold, since there is a large concentration of ussha in this area. Furthermore, that means my magic will be strong as I fight this creature. I will be victorious, and I will come back for you. I promise.”
He steps back and holds me by my upper arms, then looks me up and down as though he’s memorizing me. As though this might be the very last time he sees me. My heart teeters that much closer to the edge, ready to fall and break apart. He can’t leave me. He can’t.
Tenderness flows through the bond. I stare at him, feeling the chill of winter against my face as the tears start rolling down my cheeks. He wipes away my tears with his thumbs and leans in to kiss my forehead, his cold lips lingering long but not long enough.
I love you, Merak, I say into his mind. Holding his gaze, I take a moment to memorize his features as well. Just in case… no, I cannot think it.
He cups my face. Ilove you, too, my dearest. With all my heart. With all my soul, he says down the bond.
The shadow creature’s howling intensifies, growing so loud and invasive that I find myself struggling to sense Merak’s thoughts and emotions through the bond.
Gods. It’s as though the bond has gone suddenly cold.
Merak growls. Then he presses his lips to mine quickly, gives me one last tender look, and launches into the sky.
CHAPTER 20
MERAK
The momentI reach the clouds, a blast of energy nearly knocks me out of the sky. Gasping, I try to catch my breath and right myself. Where did the blast come from? Why can’t I see the shadow creature now?
A dark form appears in my peripheral vision, but when I turn, there is nothing there. This keeps happening again and again, and eventually the creature’s dark laughter reaches me, an eerie sound that joins with the howling wind.
Holy Fires. I should have known. I always sensed my parents were keeping secrets from me, always thought there was something about the black frost they knew but wouldn’t reveal. No matter how many times I asked them, they claimed it was a mysterious occurrence that no one could explain. And the remaining servants claimed the same thing when I questioned them, though I suppose my father probably glamoured them to keep certain secrets.
I glance down at the small clearing, searching for a glimpse of Gwen’s dark hair or her blue cloak, but the snow-dustedbranches are in the way. Gods. I hated leaving her there. But I cannot hold her in my arms as I fight the shadow creature. I cannot risk any harm coming to her.
Holding out my palm, I allow dark winter magic to gather, the sort of magic that my people don’t use. Not anymore. Not since the two original fae courts, the Unseelie and the Seelie courts, fell into ruin many millennia ago. It’s magic that my father taught me in secret.
