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A few seconds later, a door slammed down the hall and Piper marched into the living room with a bag slung over her shoulder. Tears streamed down her cheeks when she looked at me.
“I’m leaving, Kai. I don’t know what happened to you, but when I took your side over Dorian’s, I thought I was making the right choice.” She snapped her eyes over to Ridge and then back to me. “But I was wrong. I should’ve stayed far away.” She thundered toward the door and swung it open, slamming it against the wall.
“Where are you going?” I demanded.
Without turning to face me, she angrily swiped at her cheeks, presumably to wipe away her tears. “As far away from here as I can get.” And with those final words, she walked out the door and didn’t look back.
Deep down, I knew it should bother me that she left, but like always, my selfish desires were all I could focus on. Footsteps pounded up the front porch steps, and Draya, and two of my other brothers, Aric and Bane, walked in.
Draya pointed out the door, her head cocked in curiosity. “Where’s Piper going?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I hissed, stalking past her to my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and pounded my fists against the wall. A couple of seconds later, my door opened and Draya’s summer scent filled the air. “I’m not in the mood,” I snapped. Draya came up behind me and started to slide a hand down my jeans, but I grabbed her wrist. “What about ‘I’m not in the mood’ did you not understand?”
Giggling, Draya stepped in front of me, biting her lip seductively. She looked like a typical Summer fae woman with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. I’d indulged in her many times before, but she wasn’t what I wanted. “Oh, come on,” she begged. “You’re tense tonight. Let me loosen you up.”
Draya’s father was banned from the Land of the Fae and died twenty years ago when she was twelve. She’d taken up with a group of dark fae rogues who now worked for me. Draya lifted on her toes to kiss me, but I backed away.
“Get out of here. I don’t want you right now.”
Draya scowled. “Fine. Let me know when you do.”
She marched out of my room and slammed the door. Sitting on the bed, I closed my eyes, and again, all I could see was Ella. She was my only focus. Her magic was strong, pure, and unlike anything I’d ever felt. I won’t be able to rest until I take her body in every way imaginable.
Chapter6
Ella
To keep with the theme of winter, I chose to wear a glittering white gown with a crown of frost in my blonde hair. The only thing that didn’t go with the dress was my dagger, but I never went anywhere without it.
A knock sounded on my door, and I knew who it was before I even answered it. I’d heard the horns blow a few minutes ago, signaling the elves’ arrival.
When I opened the door, Iston was dressed in a silvery tunic with a silver crown on top of his head. The elves usually wore more earthy-toned colors, but I knew he was doing it for me, to show his loyalty to the Winter Court. He reached for my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently. However, there was nothing gentle in his heat-filled, sea-green eyes.
“You look . . .”—he stopped and his gaze traveled down my body—“amazing,” he finished. “Do you think anyone would notice if we showed up to the ball a little late?” Then, wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me into his body, his lips warm as they brushed against mine.
“Probably,” I said, clasping my hands behind his neck. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve missed you the past two weeks, but this is the Winter Court's biggest night of the year. Itwillbe noticed if we’re not there on time.”
Iston chuckled. “Yeah, I figured as much.”
I slid my fingers through his ash-golden hair below his crown. When we were kids, his hair used to be long and silky, just like most of the elves. He was four years older than me, which put him at thirty-four in human years. We don’t age like ordinary mortals, though. If we lived to be five hundred, we’d still look like we were in our midtwenties.
I kissed him one more time and latched onto his arm. “We should probably go.”
His gaze dropped down to my lips. “And then, after the ball, we’re coming back here. You have no idea how bad I want you right now.”
“Yeah, I think I do,” I teased. I could feel his hardness against my stomach. But I had a sinking feeling things would change between us tonight.
Iston led me out into the snow-filled night, and I squeezed his arm. “Do you remember the first time we rode together?”
I looked up at him and he smiled. “Of course. You were six and I was ten. You kicked my ass. I was not expecting to get outmatched by a girl.”
Playfully, I nudged him in the side. “Yeah, but you got me back with a bow and arrow. I don’t know anyone better at archery than you.”
We rode horses together all the time, and Iston even taught me how to use a bow and arrow; he was a master at it. But there came a time when our responsibilities demanded our attention, and we ended up spending several years apart. I had my duties to my family and the Hereafter, and he with his own family and the elvish army.
However, things changed between us when he finally returned to the Winter Court to visit. We crossed the line between friends and lovers. But now, I had no clue what to do. My stomach clenched the closer we got to the palace. Before we faced everyone, I knew I needed to speak to him about his visit with my father.
“Iston, I think we need to talk,” I said, stopping in front of him.
