Summer of Frost (21 page)

Oren nodded. “Well, at least it’s good news
that she called to you in your dreams. It goes to show you that
deep down her heart knows who you are.”

“Yeah, but she still looked at me as if I
was a stranger. Don’t you know how hard that was to see her looking
at me like that? She at least knows who you are.”

“Thank the heavens for that because if she
didn’t then we’d be in some serious trouble. She trusts me over
Alston, which is the good thing. I just hope she comes to me
tonight like you suggested, but if she doesn’t know where she’s at
how are we going to find her?” Oren asked.

“Do you think Sarette might know where to
find him? They were close after all.”

Oren shrugged. “Maybe, but after finding out
about his betrayal she’s refusing to talk to anyone right now.”

I understood her grief, but if she wanted
her friend back I was going to need her help. “She’s not going to
have a choice. If Sarette knows something she
is
going to
tell us. One way or another, she’s going to tell us where he has
her.”

We walked around the land and all we came
across were trees, trees, and more trees. We were in complete
solitude with no mortal in sight. I wanted to explore further, but
Alston insisted we not get too far from the house in case someone
came to get us.

“You really picked a place out in the middle
of nowhere, didn’t you?” I asked as we made our way back to the
house.

“It was the safest thing to do,” he
replied.

“Where are we exactly?” I tried to hide my
skepticism, but I could sense he was getting antsy. I glanced at
him from the corner of my eye to watch his reaction. Alston had
been dodging my questions all afternoon, and wouldn’t make eye
contact with me when he’d give me his clipped answers.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked over at me
curiously. “Why do you keep asking me questions like that? It’s
like you don’t trust me or something.”

“It’s not that,” I lied. “It’s just … I
can’t hear Oren in my mind, and it’s a little unsettling. I’ve
always been able to hear him, even in the mortal realm.”

Alston shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe your
senses were dulled after the potion. I’m sure he’s okay.” Putting
his arm around my shoulder, he leaned down to kiss me on the cheek.
“Trust me. You’ll be safe with me. I can protect you just as well
as he can.”

Forcing a smile, I nodded at him, but I
couldn’t get past the lump in my throat. When we returned to the
house, or better yet the empty land where the house should’ve been,
I was deeply confused. Furrowing my brows, I looked around thinking
I’d lost my mind. Alston laughed and moved past me.

“It’s here, Sorcha. It’s just invisible,” he
told me.

“How?” I asked incredulously. “It takes a
lot of power to work a spell like that.”

He shrugged, but I could see the tension in
his face. “I have my ways,” he said quickly. Clearly he didn’t want
to explain anymore because one minute he was there, and the next
minute he disappeared. I was assuming he disappeared through the
front door of the house. Unease flowed through my body. I only knew
of one person with the kind of magic that could make things appear
invisible, and it sure as hell wasn’t Alston.

Alston and I fixed dinner together and ate
silently. I couldn’t ask him anymore questions about the house for
fear that he’d get suspicious. It killed me not knowing what was
going on. As we sat at the table, Alston watched me with an
intensity that had me squirming in my chair, and it wasn’t in a
good way. It was predatory and possessive, and I felt like I’d seen
it before.

Noticing the darkened skies out the window,
I turned to Alston and uttered sleepily, “It’s getting late, and
I’m not feeling too well. I think staying in the mortal realm for
so long is starting to wear me down.” I didn’t wait for a response,
but smiled and got up from the table, hoping he wouldn’t follow me
to the bedroom.

I changed my clothes and breathed a sigh of
relief when I came out of the bathroom and noticed I was the only
one in the bedroom. Climbing into bed, I rested my head on the
pillow and closed my eyes. When I started drifting off, the door to
the bedroom opened with a tiny creak of the hinges. I pretended to
be asleep when Alston pulled the covers back and crawled into the
bed. Silently I groaned, and prayed that he’d keep his
distance.

His arm wrapped around my stomach, pulling
me tight against him. He nuzzled my hair and took a deep breath in,
sighing as he released it. His cock was hard against my back,
making me instantly tense. When his hand cupped and began kneading
my breast, I shifted so he’d lose his hold.

“Are you avoiding me?” he asked gruffly.

“No, I’m just tired that’s all,” I replied,
trying to sound groggy.

“Uh-huh, why do I not believe you?”

I huffed. “I don’t know, maybe because
you’re thinking with your cock right now.”

Growling, he grabbed my arm and pulled me
over to face him. His piercing, blue eyes bore into mine with such
raw intensity that it had me shivering. “Can you blame me? I’ve had
you to myself for two days and I’ve been trying to be patient with
you, considering all that you’ve been through, but I need you,
baby.” He groaned in my ear, pushing his cock against my back so I
could feel how much he needed me. “I want to fuck you so bad.”

“Not tonight,” I mumbled, frustrated.

Alston huffed and got out of bed. I had to
find out the truth before I did anything stupid. Once I talked to
Oren, things would be clear. When Alston got to the door, he turned
back to glance at me. “I’m going to sleep in another room tonight,
but you can’t keep me waiting long. You’re mine, Sorcha, and if—”
He stopped abruptly, clenching his fists. He closed his eyes, as if
weighing in his next words. “I just need you, that’s all,” he
sighed, and with that, he opened the door and shut it hard behind
him.

After he left, I waited until he closed
himself into one of the other rooms before I allowed myself to
relax. Sleep started drifting in quickly and once again I was in
the dream realm.

The place of choice was my room in the
palace back home in the Winter Court. Inside my mind, I
concentrated on thinking about nothing except Oren, hoping he would
get the pull to join me in the dream. I was starting to doubt
Alston, and I needed Oren to back up my doubts before I did
something that could jeopardize my family.

When my bedroom door opened, I expected to
see Oren, but was met with the glorious sight of Drake instead. Why
the hell did I keep dreaming about him? “I didn’t call for you,” I
stated impatiently, even though he was a welcome sight. “I need
Oren. I have to know the truth.”

He nodded. “I know you do, and it kills me
that you can’t remember what we are to each other for you to trust
me. If you can’t get through to him, then you must be in a place
where your magic doesn’t work.”

Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “But how come I
can get you here?”

He walked toward me. “Because we have a
bond, Sorcha. It runs a lot deeper than a guardian bond. Nothing
could keep us apart.”

“
What do we do now?” I asked, taking a
seat on my bed.

Drake came over and sat beside me, so close
that our arms touched. I closed my eyes as the electricity sparked
between us and his scent engulfed me. I shivered as thoughts of him
taking me on the bed ran through my mind. Stop thinking about that
right now, I scolded myself.

“
My last option is Sarette. With her
being Alston’s cousin, I’m sure she’ll be able to give us some
inclination where he could’ve taken you.”

“
Why didn’t you think of that before? She
should’ve been the first person to ask,” I said, glaring at him
incredulously.

His wickedly handsome smile was all I saw as
he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “And that’s what I love
about you, beautiful. Your brains with my fierce take on life are
going to bring about a lethal Summer Court.”

My heart pounded uncontrollably, and
watching his smoldering gray eyes take in every inch of me didn’t
help. Shaking my head, I took in a deep breath. “Just so you know,
I’m keeping my distance from Alston for the time being. I’m having
concerns of my own, and I’m trying to find out the answers, but he
gets tense and short with his replies. I also found out that the
house we’re in is invisible from the outside.”

“
Yeah, and I’m sure we all know who did
that for him,” Drake mumbled.

“
I thought that, too. However, I didn’t
elaborate on the matter since he was already uptight. Alston isn’t
powerful enough to have that kind of magic, and of course, when I
asked him about it he said, ‘I have my ways.’ What the hell am I
going to do if this is all real?”

“
It
is
real, Sorcha. You have all
the evidence in front of you. Why can’t you see that? This is one
situation I wish you weren’t so damn stubborn. Anyway, this is kind
of what happened to Calista. The house she was in was invisible,
and she was also unable to use magic in there. That’s most likely
why you can’t use yours or talk to Oren.”

“
I don’t understand though. Alston and I
went for a walk and I still couldn’t feel the connection open up to
Oren. You don’t think he has the whole area placed under a spell,
do you?”

He shrugged. “Anything is possible, and it’d
make perfect sense.”

“
Anyway, whatever happens I’m sure I can
take care of myself,” I said, earning me a smirk from
Drake.

“
Oh, I know you can take care of
yourself. I’ve trained you in our dreams, except I know you don’t
remember that right now. I recall you kicking my ass on several
occasions.”

Laughing, I said, “I’m sure it served you
right. I’ve always heard you were an arrogant jackass.”

He smiled. “Yes, and you were always bold
enough to tell me that, too.”

It was amazing how easy it was to talk to
him. I wondered if he was like this with everyone or just around
me. “You know, you’re not as bad as I thought you’d be. If this is
really how you are and not my imagination then I promise to take
back every vile thing I’ve said about you.”

Laughing, he reached for my hand, and I
jumped as the electric shock bolted through my body. Drake smiled
and ran his fingers over the scar on my palm. “I’m glad to hear
it,” he sighed warmly. “Just be careful. I know how you are and I
know you don’t think before you speak sometimes, but do me a favor
and don’t provoke Alston. If your powers are suppressed, then the
only thing you have in your favor is your fighting skills. I know
you can take care of yourself, but the real Alston will show his
ugly self very soon and you need to be prepared. He’s not going to
sit idly by. He wants you, and it kills me to know that he’s alone
with you right now.”