Betrayals of Spring (7 page)

Ryder places his hand on her shoulder
and squeezes. “I don’t know why she wouldn’t tell you, love. Maybe you should
ask her.”

She nods her head and then turns to me
with worried eyes. She hesitates before speaking. “There is something else you
should know, Kalen,” she warns. “Meliantha isn’t the same anymore. She’s not
the same tender-hearted and shy girl that you knew years ago. I don’t know what
happened to her, but she isn’t like that anymore.” She looks down to fidget
with her hands, and if Calista is fidgeting then that means the situation is
serious and she’s truly worried. A feeling of dread settles in the pit of my
stomach. It’s been five years now, and I can only imagine what all has changed.

“By your tone, you make it sound like
she’s changed in a really bad way. What do you mean exactly?” I ask, pleading.

They both look at each other and then
back to me.

“Maybe you should see for yourself when
she gets here,” Ryder insists.

Calista grabs my hand and squeezes. “I’m
going to talk to her when she gets here. I want some answers, too.”

“Thank you,” I say, squeezing her hand
in return.

Ryder nudges Calista in the side and
says, “Alright, love, we need to go and get this little one to Elvena so we can
get ready for the ball.” He looks at me with serious eyes and his tone grows
urgent.

“If you’re only going through with this
engagement because of Meliantha, you really need to back out of it. Please
think before you jump into it, because once you say the sacred vow, you’re
bound for life.”

I don’t love Breena, but I don’t want to
hurt her either.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I quickly
reply.

Merrick reaches over from Ryder’s arms
to give me a hug goodbye.

“Bye, Uncle Kalen,” he squeaks.

“Bye, little man. Maybe I’ll show you
the wolves later?” I ask. He squeals so loud I have to put my hands over my
ears to keep them from bursting. I guess the squeal means yes.

“We’ll see you tonight, Kalen,” Calista
says while taking the squealing Merrick with her out the door. Ryder waves
goodbye as well and follows them. Again, I’m left alone with my thoughts until
I hear the horn sounding off from the palace tower. The sounds of the horns
make my chest tighten with anxiety because they signify there are people
approaching. Since I’m the leader of the Winter Court Army, it is customary to
meet all approaching guests. I don’t mind in this case because I know I’ll get
to see Meliantha, but I’m nervous about seeing her.

 I don’t know what to expect, but I’m
also glad she’s here because she’ll have no choice but to talk to me. It’ll
give me some closure if I understand her hostility toward me. I leave my room
and head down the stairs. It’s snowing like always, but the cold doesn’t bother
me as I step outside. The Winter fae are not affected by the cold, but the
Summer fae will find it more difficult to handle. I walk along the path that
heads to the back palace entrance. From there I’ll walk through the palace to
the front doors where our guests will be entering. As I’m walking through the
main palace entryway something stops me mid-step. The hairs on the back of my
neck stand up, and a strong uneasiness washes over my body. This is really odd.
Why would I feel this way?

I try to get an idea where it could be
coming from, but I don’t find anything unusual. I look at both warriors standing
guard, but nothing seems amiss other than the prickling of my scalp sending off
warnings. I haven’t had these feelings in a long time, not since everything
started with Calista. A revelation comes to mind, and I can’t believe the
thoughts haven’t been discussed before now. This would be the perfect time for
the dark sorcerer to strike. We all know he will come again, but with it being
five years, I think some people have lost their fear and moved on. I need to
ask Calista if she has sensed anything since she’s been here. She’s had
first-hand experience with the dark sorcerer, so I’m sure she would know. What
are we going to do if he’s here?

“Kalen.”

I am brought out of my reverie at the
sound of my father’s voice calling my name. He walks toward me with my brother,
Brayden, in tow.

Brayden is about two years younger than
me making him twenty-four now, and he looks exactly like my father with his
short, chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes. Brayden looks at me with a
serious expression just like he always does. That is one thing that makes me
completely different from him. He’s always serious, whereas I normally joke
around. Unfortunately, I haven’t been my usual self for a very long time. I
can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Brayden smile or myself for that matter.

When they reach me my father looks from
Brayden to me and commands, “When the Summer fae get here we will greet them,
and then you,” he points to Brayden, “will take King Oberon and Queen Tatiana
to where they’ll be staying and I will let you,” my father then looks at me,
“escort the princesses to their quarters since they will be staying in the
cottage beside your cabin.”

My heart starts beating frantically with
the thoughts of having to escort Meliantha to her cottage. I have no idea how
our reunion is going to be, but I put on a smile and respond, “As you wish,
Father.” Brayden just nods his head in reply when my father looks at him.

He claps us on the shoulders and says
happily, “Alright, boys, let’s go meet our guests. The dwarves and the elves
should arrive soon as well.” My father has always loved to have a good party.
It’ll be very entertaining to see King Oberon and him carrying on and having a
good time.

We walk out the front doors of the
palace to await our arriving guests. We stand at the top of the steps with my
father in the middle, my brother and I flanking him. In the distance, the
Summer fae are heading through the palace gates. There’s a contingent of
warriors on their horses and four carriages, but they are still too far away to
get a good look at them.

“Where, may I ask, is the Queen?” I ask
my father sarcastically.

He clamps his lips together like he’s
trying to hold in a laugh and shakes his head.

“You know why she’s not here, Kalen. Her
direct quote was,” he clears his throat and mimics my mother’s voice when he
continues, “‘I don’t want to have to spend any extra time with that Summer
wench than I have to.’” I can’t help but laugh at how well he mimics my mother.
Brayden smirks and looks off into the distance at our oncoming guests. My
mother and Queen Tatiana have never really gotten along, so hopefully there
won’t be too much drama between them tonight.

“That is definitely something she would
say,” I say to my father.

My thoughts are cut off quickly when the
contingent of Summer fae come into full view. My fae vision is immaculate, but
I can’t be seeing what I think I’m seeing. That can’t be Meliantha on the horse
coming this way, can it? I close my eyes and blink them a few times because
surely that’s not her. My eyes have not deceived me…it is her. Her long,
beautiful, auburn hair is pulled back in a tight braid and her clothes—she’s
wearing warrior gear with the leather and everything. Her upper arms are bare
and I know she has to be cold. Surprisingly, she’s actually showing no signs of
discomfort. She hasn’t looked at me yet and by the way her face is averted, I
can see she is trying to avoid it for as long as possible. There is one thing I
know for certain, I can’t seem to take my eyes off of her. I feel mesmerized like
I did all those years ago. The connection I felt then feels like it’s igniting
in my chest all over again. The feelings are too strong to ignore. She may be
with another man, but I know she can’t be happy, just like I’m not happy with
Breena.

It feels like I’m defying all balances
of nature with keeping my distance from her. I should have pursued her more and
demanded to know what I did wrong all those years ago. I left like a coward and
didn’t listen to my heart. I don’t plan on doing that anymore. Now all I need
to figure out is what I’m going to do about Breena.

The carriages are pulling up and I see
Meliantha in the back riding along with the warriors. I bet the King and Queen
didn’t like that at all. Her face is turned away, but I can see the tight grip
she has on her reigns and the rigidness of her body as she sits regally atop
her black faerie stallion. Even with the harsh expression on her face, she is
still as beautiful as I remember her. She’s riding in between her Guardian,
Ashur, and her lover, Finn. I remember seeing them both fight Merrick during
the Guardian Ceremony for Calista. I look at Ashur and he nods his head at me
in greeting, but Finn just gives me a blank expression and remains stoic upon
his horse. It doesn’t look like we’re going to be friends. I honestly don’t
give a damn if he likes me or not. If Meliantha is meant to be with me, then
there is nothing he can do about it and neither could Breena for that matter. I
can’t stop my eyes from travelling back over to Meliantha. She’s looking at her
Guardian with a serious but pleading look. They must be having a silent
conversation, and by the look on her face, she doesn’t look happy. I notice
that her face has lost the sharp angles it once had and has now filled out to
be soft and full. Her lips are still as pouty as before, and I remember how I
had longed to kiss them when I was in her presence. Her body has also changed
from gangly to well-toned and curvy. She was always beautiful, but now she’s
breathtaking.

I heard that she’s been training all
these years and I see that it’s definitely changed her both mentally and
physically. She seems to be more confident and obviously stronger. Her bow and
arrows are strapped securely on her back, and I can see the special arrows I’ve
heard so much about. It was a good idea by the dwarves to not only make the
guardian daggers but to also make other special weapons to be used as
protection. Looking at her proud posture and arrogant expression I can tell
that she’s not the same Meliantha I knew before. She could almost belong here
in the Winter Court with the ice-cold vibe I’m getting from her.

King Oberon and Queen Tatiana step out
of the carriage and my father greets them with a welcoming smile.

“Greetings King Oberon and Queen Tatiana
of the Summer Court. I hope your journey went well.”

Queen Tatiana smiles at my father then
at me and Brayden. King Oberon addresses my father and clasps his forearm in
the warrior greeting.

“Yes, King Madoc, our journey went well,
thank you. I look forward to enjoying the festivities with you tonight, my
friend.” He gives my father a wolfish smile and they both laugh.

“As do I,” my father laughs. Those two
together can be quite a show. The parties are never boring when my father and
King Oberon get together.

My father puts a hand on Brayden’s
shoulder and says to King Oberon, “My son, Prince Brayden, will show you and
the queen to your quarters.” He looks over at me and continues, “And my son,
Prince Kalen, will show the princesses to theirs.”

I heard a hiss come from Meliantha, so I
jerk my head to look at her. She closes her eyes for just a second and pulls
her bottom lip between her teeth biting hard. I can tell she wants to object.
Damn it, I wish I knew what the hell her problem is with me.

King Oberon nods his head at my father
and turns to clasp Brayden’s forearm.

“Thank you, Prince Brayden. It’s been
years since I have been here and I look forward to the tour.”

Brayden bows his head and murmurs, “It
is my pleasure, Your Highness. Feel free to venture anywhere you please. I’ll
show you to your quarters now so that you can rest up before the ball tonight.”

King Oberon motions to the carriage and
out comes two beautiful ladies. I recognize the curly blonde-headed one as
being Meliantha’s best friend, Elissa, and the other blonde hair beauty is
Ariella, Meliantha’s younger sister. Ariella turns in circles to look at the
palace and its surroundings in awe. I’ve never seen a Summer fae so fascinated
in the Winter Court before. She appears to be more at home here than me. I look
over to see that Brayden appears to be fascinated by her actions as well. I
narrow my eyes at him and study him for a moment. It’s very odd because he
never shows interest in the females— or anything for that matter— other than
fighting. I sneak a glance at Ariella and she notices him staring at her. She
gives him a flirty smile and the trance he was in seems to break in an instant.
I need to remind myself to ask him what that was all about.

He clears his throat and turns away from
Ariella to look at King Oberon. He stammers at first but then regains his
composure.

“This way, Your Highness. I’ll show you
the way,” he insists.

“Thank you,” King Oberon replies. He
takes Queen Tatiana by the hand and motions with his other for their servants
to help bring the luggage and follow them. The contingent of warriors follows
in their wake as well because they will be staying close to the King and
Queen’s quarters. My father follows along after King Oberon, and I can hear
their laughs echoing off the palace walls as they walk through.

I’m now left with the remaining Summer
fae, which includes Meliantha, Ariella, Elissa, Ashur, and Finn. They are all
looking at me for direction, except Meliantha who still has her head turned
away from me. I really want to see her reaction when she looks at me. I want to
see if I affect her as much as she affects me. Ariella and Elissa walk up the
steps to wait on the others to dismount their horses.