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The second my foot touched the ground, the land came alive. I knew I belonged to Winter, but this was different. It was like being lost for so long and finally finding your way home.
Dropping to my knees, I pushed my hands through the snow until I touched the ground beneath. An electrical surge of energy burst through my body, almost like a heartbeat attaching to my soul. The land was ready for me to say the words, to take what was mine. It was ready to listen to me.
“I’m here,” I murmured. “I’m sorry it took so long.” Then, with a heavy sigh, I sat on my knees and watched the snow fall. “I’ve always known I was ready to be queen, but I never knew my path until recently. Things have changed over the years, especially now that the Land of the Fae has a Fall and Spring Court. It’s clear that the land wants to grow.”
I held out my hands and smiled when a snowflake landed on my palm; it melted and quickly turned into frost. Trees formed in the distance and all around me, all sparkling white with frost.
“I have a plan to make my court different from the rest,” I continued. “There are so many fae out there in the mortal world who were cast out for simply loving the wrong people. I want to give them a chance to come back, to give them the home that was taken from them because of rules that made no sense. A Winter fae should be able to love a Summer without consequences, and vice versa. I’m going to make things right. With being a Keeper, I’ve met so many of those fae who missed this land and would’ve done anything to come back. My mission is to find the ones still out there, to fill my court with people who want to dedicate their allegiance to this land. I promise to be a good queen with an open mind and heart.”
The land shifted beneath me, and more frost-covered trees formed but that wasn’t all. Mountains appeared in the distance with a frozen lake at the base; it looked exactly like mine and Kai’s secret spot in Wyoming.
Closing my eyes, I could feel the burn of tears threatening to break free. Seeing the mountains and the frozen lake had to be a sign.
“Please,” I whispered, opening my heart. I wanted the land to feel my love, grief, and complete devotion. “I am a part of you, and you are a part of me. My loyalty has always been to the Land of the Fae and to my people, even if it might not have appeared that way not too long ago. I fell in love with an enemy, and in doing so, it saved not only my life but those I care about and those I have sworn to protect. That love made me feel complete.” Taking a deep breath, I held it in and then let it out slowly. “That’s why I’m asking you to let me have that love back.”
When I opened my eyes, my tears fell and dropped to the ground. Then, almost instantly, a gust of wind swept by, and the icy snow danced around me, tickling my skin. It absorbed into me, and I could feel the strength of my court coursing through my veins. Everything I had lost came back to me tenfold, including my connection to the Hereafter. But I’d gained a lot more than that.
On my head was a crown of ice and frost.
I was now the queen of the Frost Court, and I had the power to do what I longed for.
The wind began to die down and I smiled. “Thank you.”
“You did it, Ella,” Lailah called out. “I always knew you would.” I turned around and faced her, her long flowing emerald gown shimmering with frost as she walked toward me. She grinned as she nodded at my crown. “You make a beautiful queen.”
“Thank you,” I said.
She reached for my hands and sighed. “I’m sorry you had to go through so much heartache. But, as you can see, you had the answer all along. The land just needed to hear it. Your words and your tears were all it took.”
It was crazy to think that it was so simple yet complicated at the same time.
Lailah kissed my cheek and let me go. “I believe there’s somewhere else you’d rather be right now.”
“Yes,” I laughed, picturing Kai in my mind.
My connection to the Hereafter opened.
I was ready to get in the last word.
Chapter34
Ella
The second I stepped through to the Hereafter, I concentrated on Kai and was taken directly to him. I didn’t know what I would see or what setting he’d made for himself, but it warmed my heart to see everything covered in frost. It was the same place in my dream last night, including the white-stoned castle in the distance.
Standing by the trees with his back to me was Kai, only he wasn’t dressed in white . . . he was in black. His shoulders tensed the second I knew he felt my presence.
I stalked toward him, not even attempting to keep my steps quiet. “The next time you think of walking away from me, make sure I can’t find you,” I called out, stopping right behind him.
He hung his head. “I see you got clearance to come back here,” he replied, his voice tired.
“I got more than that. Look at me, Kai.”
Sighing sadly, he ran a hand through his hair. “It’s been hard enough leaving you the first time. I can’t keep doing this. The more I see you, the more I want to be with you.”
It broke my heart to hear the pain in his voice. “I understand that all too well. Imagine how much it hurt to watch you walk away and be powerless to stop you.”
“What do you want, Ella? I can already tell you that whatever it is, I can’t give it to you, not in the way you deserve.”
