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I scoffed. “Those are never good words to use, Kai.”
A sad smile formed on his face. “Yeah, I know. I’ve seen plenty of movies in my time.”
“What’s happened since last night? I thought things were going great between us.”
“And they were until reality kicked me in the ass.”
Taking my hand, he led me through the white fog until it cleared to reveal a whole new land. It was different from the Winter and the Ice Court. In the distance was a white-stoned castle covered in frost just like everything else. The trees sparkled like diamonds, and so did the frost-covered flowers.
“This is where you belong, Ella,” Kai murmured.
“I know,” I breathed excitedly, taking it all in. Letting his hand go, I held out my arms and lifted my face to the sky. “This is exactly how I picture it to be.” All of it came from Kai, the castle, everything; it was his vision. When I looked over at him, I hated seeing the trepidation on his face. “This is going to be our home,” I said. “Why aren’t you happy?”
He shook his head. “It’ll never be my home, Ella. The only time I’d be able to enjoy it is in our dreams. But we can’t live in a dream world forever. All I’ll be doing is holding you back.”
“No,” I snapped, storming over to him. “I’m going to claim my land tomorrow. That’s what I was going to tell you tonight. I’ll be Queen of the Frost Court. There’s so much I want to do to help the fae, so many plans. I need you with me.”
Kai shook his head. “No, you don’t. What you need is to love again, to have children. A life with me would just be constant loneliness. I can’t bear to see you suffer, and I know you’ll want more than I can give one day.”
Tears burned my eyes. “Why are you saying this to me now? Our bond is stronger than it’s ever been. I feel it with every fiber of my being.”
Kai placed a hand over his heart. “As do I. But with time, it’ll fade, especially when you learn to love someone else.”
Just hearing him say that infuriated me. I didn’t want to love anyone else.
“That’ll never happen,” I growled.
Kai moved closer, his hands grasping my face. I could feel the dream world shift, and panic rose in my chest. “Yes, it will,” he urged. “And I’m not going to stand in the way.”
He pressed his lips to mine, so soft but then urgent. I tried to hold onto him, but he tore away from me, disappearing through the fog. I could only see an outline of him as he walked away.
“Kai!” I shouted, rushing after him. “Dammit, Kai! Stop!”
But then everything disappeared.
I bolted awake and clutched my chest, wishing it was a bad dream. Sadly, it wasn’t, and there was no way I could go to him. What I feared the most was never seeing him again. I had to find a way. He wasn’t going to have the final say on what I did and didn’t need.
Chapter33
Ella
Sleep did not find me again after the dream. Instead, I sat by the window and watched the snow fall until morning, thinking of ways to get Kai back. One way or another, Kai was going to hear me out. If the land was keeping me from him, there had to be a reason; I was going to find out what it was.
Once dressed in my silver and black warrior gear, I strapped my dagger to my belt and took off out the door. It felt like I was about to go into battle. In a way, I was. I wanted all of my power back. I wanted to be the queen of my court and love the man who had sacrificed everything for me. But most of all, I wanted to know why we’d been forbidden to see each other.
Was it because he was an enemy of the Land of the Fae? If that were the case, why was he accepted into the Hereafter? He’d obviously proven himself worthy. Yet, there were so many unanswered questions.
Before reaching the forest line, I glanced over my shoulder at my parents’ Ice Court palace and my grandparents’ Winter Court castle in the distance. Things were about to change for our people. I was going to bring a new dynamic to the Land of the Fae.
Turning on my heel, I started on my way through the forest to the border of the Ice Court and the unclaimed land beyond it. The land called to me, beckoning me closer with each step I took. The last time I visited the border, I was afraid the land had forsaken me after allowing myself to get close to Kai. But instead, the magic had coursed through my body the second I touched the snowy ground.
I’d always been fascinated with how vast the Land of the Fae was; it was constantly growing and changing. My Frost Court was going to be connected to all of Winter, but it was going to be mine. The same went for my brother when it was his time to claim his part of the land. The Winter Court was going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Centuries ago, there was only one Winter king and queen. Now there were two kings and almost three queens. All I had to do was proclaim my allegiance to my court.
Once at the border, I stopped at the line and looked out at the snowy meadow. That was all it was: just an endless scene of pure white. The land had been waiting a long time for me. It wasn’t until just recently that I found my true purpose.
“Here we go,” I whispered, letting out a nervous breath as I stepped over the border.
