Frost Kisses

Bitter Frost #4

of the Frost Series

kailin gow

Frost Kisses

Published by THE EDGE

THE EDGE is an imprint of Sparklesoup LLC

Copyright © 2011 Kailin Gow

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Do NOT post on websites or share this book without permission from copyright holder. We take piracy seriously.

All characters and storyline is an invention from Kailin Gow. Any resemblance to people alive or dead is purely coincidence.

For information, please contact:

THE EDGE at Sparklesoup

P.O. Box 60834

Irvine, CA 92602

www.sparklesoup.com

First Edition.

ISBN 13: 978-1597489010

DEDICATION

This dedication is for my family and friends who stand by me and lend me an incredibly supernaturally amount of support for me to follow my dreams as a writer.

This dedication is for my mother, who underwent cancer surgery during the writing of this book, and although it was for preventative measures, suffered through the pain of the surgery and recovery.

Last, but most importantly, this dedication is to a wonderful lady name Kristi Stern, who got in touch with me first as a reader, a blogger, then as a supporter. She is an amazing woman whose story of pain management through reading the Frost Series inspires me to continue writing.

Prologue

Fairies were different. In the winding mountain paths and emerald-topped forests of Feyland, there were so many magical creatures. There were werewolves, who looked like men and walked like men and smelled like something deep and mysterious from the innermost cloisters of the woods, who could transform into beasts more noble, more intimidating, than any lion. And there were Pixies, slender creatures with pointed noses and pointed ears and neon-glowing eyes that masked a culture of deceit. There were kewpies, which looked so sweet, so vulnerable, and called you near to comfort them, and then would eat you alive. There were other creatures, too – rarer creatures. There were flying horses and unicorns, two herds locked in fierce rivalry with each other over the Northern Territories, and in the south near the deserts there were genies who granted wishes – if you dared to ask for them. There were some humans – not like those who lived in the cities and strange, unmagical towns beyond the Crystal River – but who had strange powers; a line of mortals who had passed from beyond the Crystal River long ago, and founded a lineage tinged with magic – sorcerers, stregae, crystal-ball-readers.

But fairies were different from all of these. They were not merely magical, not merely supernatural, not merely able to connect with that magic which lie in all things and manipulate it. They had one gift which was far greater. They could not die, at least of any natural cause. Never could a fairy simply die on its own. Nobody knew why. The Summer Court had a legend that immortality was first delivered to the fairies in the form of a gift from the heavens. A fairy prince had, riding on his stallion, once discovered the place, hidden in the mountains of Feyland, where the dead were sent upon their death, to live out the rest of their eternity in unimaginable beauty. The fairy’s courage, which had led him to make this discovery, was to be both rewarded and cursed. For at the gates of this splendid and shining kingdom, he met a woman – unlike the fey and yet so much more beautiful than even the Fairy Queen herself – who said to him:

“I am rewarding you, and I am punishing you. For a reward for your courage, your bravery, you will never die. And for punishment, for having seen what cannot be seen, you will never return to this place.”

And so did the woman at the gate snatch away the fairies’ ability to die, and no fairy was ever to know if that shining palace would have been as beautiful as it seemed, or as terrible.

The Winter fairies had a different story. They believed that immortality came when the daughter of the Fairy King fell ill, and was near death. The Winter King pleaded with Death for the life of his daughter, and at last offered to fight Death in single combat on the barren snow-smoothed meadows of his kingdom. If he lost, he declared, he would give up not only his own life, but also that of his entire kingdom; they would all succumb to the reign of Death. But if he won, and defeated Death, then his daughter would live. But the battle was rougher and more vicious than he had imagined, and instead of merely felling Death from his horse, as he had intended to do, he in his rage and determination to win, slaughtered the fallen Death, cutting off his head.

That night he had a dream, in which Death appeared to him and said: “You, of the race of Fey, have killed death, and so it has no hold over you. But you have done more than defeat death; you have gone further – by slaughtering me. So your reward is tinged with punishment. Your daughter shall live, but from this time forward, none of your race will know the peace I bring. You have asked for life and you will be given it – forever.”

The Pixies, who did not know this tale, believed that there was some secret in the medicinal herbs and berries that the Fairies customarily ate, that would provide immortality, and Pixie doctors and alchemists spent centuries studying the properties of the rowan berry in the hope that they could unlock the secret of immortality there. Humans, those who had crossed the Crystal River, started a legend among their people that they were fallen angels, and their wings were the only reminder of the place they had been before. After all, had not the Sons of God in Genesis carried off human women, as fairies were known to do? For fairies often fell in love with human women and sought to carry them across the shining waters of the River. But those women were all too often not strong enough to survive the power of the fairy kiss, a power that drove most human women mad the moment a fairy’s lips touched her own. Those women were the strongest of their human tribe, and their children – a mixture of fairy and human – were the strongest of all. There was but one woman in the past two hundred years who had survived this kiss, and this was Raine Malloy, who had given birth to the Princess Breena, who in time had become the Summer Queen. Her love for Foxflame had been true – true enough to restore Raine’s sanity, to allow Breena to be born with the strength of this love. It was a strength that had made her powerful even as a child – she had been able to repel a kelpie before she could walk – and it was a strength that attracted the jealousy of the previous Queen of the Summer Court.

For fairies, for all their immortality, could not love. Some said that the two were linked – that death and love would evermore be intertwined, and that therefore fairies who could not die could not truly love. Love, when it infected fairies, took over them like a fever – causing them to go mad, to lash out, to lose control of their powers and take leave of their senses and their strength. Humans could love, but fairy love was dangerous. And so it had long been taboo in the fairy kingdoms. Love, if it occurred, was not to be spoken of – one married in arranged marriages, out of obligation, and one perhaps, if one was lucky, developed affection for one’s husband. If one had the misfortune to fall in love, it was treated like a shameful secret, and the afflicted fairy knew it was her duty to keep quiet. If lovers were discovered, they would be treated as outcasts by their community: selfish fairies who allowed the dangers of love into the area.

But love had never been expressly banned by anything other than cultural mores until the Winter Queen – seeing the havoc love had wreaked on her own daughter Princess Shasta– had decided to take action. Not only was love frowned upon, but love was now expressly banned, and any fairy who allowed love to control him would meet with punishment by death.

In the Summer Court, where Breena reigned, love was still legal, but frowned upon by many fairies – particularly those in the upper classes. Breena’s own announced engagement to the Wolf Logan had caused quite a stir among those who suspected that she was marrying for love, although the fact that the Wolf was a trusted military advisor led her supporters to rationalize that she was marrying in order to secure an alliance with the Werewolves.

But then again, as everyone knew, Breena was not a true full-fairy, but a half-fairy, borne of a human and a fairy. She could love, for she did not have the gift of immortality that made love so dangerous.

At least, not yet.

Chapter 1

In the belly of Feyland, hidden in the rocky crevices of Feyland’s deep gorge, creatures of unspeakable evil, with morphing black shapes, red eyes, and sharp teeth felt the stirrings of life once again penetrate their centuries long sleep.

Creatures of different sizes, of different race, and breed slowly opened their eyes to the sunlight that streamed through the cracks in the cavern. How long have they been here, buried in time, like fossils hidden in the sands of time now solidified into harden stone? Hundreds of years, perhaps thousands?

Layers of dirt and Feyland colored sand, have preserved them into hardened flesh…a prison within their own bodies, forever attached to the hard jagged surface of the cavern. A natural chain to tether them to the cavern, years of water and sand formation had crystallized even their red eyes. For the creatures of this gorge, driven into there in a battle long past, were prisoners.

They were the Dark Hordes. And they were the enemies of Feyland.

Evil seeped into their very veins, so dangerous were they that their threat to Feyland compelled the denizens of Feyland to band together in their fight against the darkest forces of Feyland - creatures who used their magic to ravage the land, to destroy other creatures for spite, to cast fear into every living creature in their path. They were the Dark Hordes made up of the most evil of Feyland creatures, corrupt by the madness of power and magic, ruled by Death and Destruction - minotaurs, giants, kelpies, fairies, Pixies, and whatever creatures touched by the corruption. They were once distinguishable by what they were – minotaurs, giants or fairies; but had gradually transformed into hideous black morphing creatures that retained their original shapes, but were now made of dark substance, mere shadows of their former selves.

For a period in Feyland, the Dark Hordes ruled the lands, water, and air. Their rule was unjust and many Fey creatures suffered. Chaos ruled, and all that was beautiful and tranquil – art, literature, poetry, music, and speech were trampled in this chaos. The Age of the Dark Hordes was finally laid to rest when the denizens of Feyland came together. Winter, Summer fairies, the shifter fairies led by the Red Wolf, and even the Pixies of the Ancient Fey had banded together, united in magic and might to drive the Dark Hordes deep down into the Great Gorge. With the combine force of the Fey and Pixies, they closed the cavern of the Great Gorge and sealed it shut, laying to rest the darkest period of Fey history.

So dark was this time in Feyland that the descendants of Fey had tried to forget this period, bury it into the deep crevices of time. Records were lost, burned of those years where no civility and no honor reigned. No fairy, no Pixies, no kelpies, nor wolves dared to invoke the powers of the Dark Hordes. No desire was strong enough to warrant the wrath and destruction that would come of it.

Until the day the Summer Queen was lost, forever taken from her love. Until the day passion once again made its way into Feyland, bringing with it the strongest power: Love.

*******************

In the horizon of the Valley that surrounded the Great Gorge, was the territory known in Feyland as the Feyland Forests where woodland creatures of the fey resided. The Wolf Fey was one of them, and the leader of the Wolf Fey, the Wolf King sat with his son surveying the land and valley.

“Logan,” the Wolf King said, “I must leave to cross the Land Beyond the Crystal River to speak to your mother. I’m afraid it may be the last chance I have before all hell breaks loose.”

Logan, a tall and muscular young man of seventeen with sandy hair and hazel eyes turned his face toward his father’s, and nodded. “I understand. I feel it too. There’s something brewing in the horizon, and I can’t get my finger on it, but I feel it like a heavy weight on my chest.”

The Wolf King patted Logan on his shoulder. “Take it easy, son. I know you’ve been through so much already, especially with what happened to Breena.” At the name, Breena, Logan winced, and his eyes mist over. “I’m sorry again, Logan. I feel bad about leaving the Clan right now, but your mother is sick, and I haven’t seen her in months. She’s human, not like us wolf fairies, she is vulnerable. I’ll try to get back as soon as I can, but your mother needs me right now.”

“She can always cross the River and live in Feyland, in the Feyland Forest with us,” Logan said. “Humans can adjust…like Breena…did.” At this, Logan got up and paced around, his hands at his waist, trying to catch his breath. He couldn’t even say her name without feeling the pain it brought. The pain was too fresh…only days, but each day had felt like eternity. He couldn’t even think of her without wanting to howl in anguish…the feeling of anger, remorse, and loss was so strong, it was enough to transform him immediately into a large grey wolf. He tried to control it for his father’s sake… taking in large gulps of air and letting it out slowly, like a runner trying to slow down his heart rate.

He couldn’t think of Breena now. He couldn’t think of his love, who had always been his friend since they were five or six in Oregon. He couldn’t think of how warm and happy she made him feel, her lavender eyes twinkling brightly when she smiled, her long honey brown hair with copper highlights swinging in the wind, smelling like honeysuckle, oranges, and jasmine. He thought she was human, but she turned out to be a fairy princess, and he was a wolf, an enchanted werewolf from Feyland, who happened to be the Prince of the Wolf Fey, wolf shifters, who were originally all fairies.

In Feyland, they had gotten engaged, and she had made him her Wolf Prince and her adviser in the Summer Court where she became Queen. He gave her a ring made of tiny diamonds in a crescent moon pattern, the symbol of the Wolf Fey, and she was to become his fairy princess…the Wolf Princess.

So many hopes, so many dreams…he had shared them with her when they spent their nights together at the Summer Palace, hopelessly in love, wrapped together in each other’s arms. He couldn’t believe that Breena had said “yes” to him, that after all the years he had been in love with her, she was finally his.

But then all that fell apart at the Peace Treaty between the warring Winter and Summer fairies, and she was taken from him, taken from her own court. He should have been faster. He should have stopped him from hurting her, but by the time he got to her…

“Logan?” his father said. “You alright?”

Logan shook his head. “Yeah, I was just lost in my thoughts. Sorry, I drifted.”

“It’s alright,” his father said. “Now you sure you’re going to be fine? I have a lot of faith and confidence in you to take charge of the Clan, but I know you’re going through a tough time.”

Logan took in a deep breath and said, “I’ll be fine. Having the Clan to look after while you’re back in Gregory will take my mind off of her, you know. It’s what I need. That or I’ll go crazy. Right now all I want to do is find that Winter Prince and drive a sword through him, you know.”

“I do,” the Wolf King said. “And normally I would agree with you there, but for some reason, from everything you’ve told me about him and what he’s done for Breena and for you, it seems something didn’t make sense.”

“Love can do that to a fairy, right?” Logan said, not expecting a real answer from his father.

“Love is dangerous to fairies, but not to us wolves who are more human than fey after all the generations of marrying humans. But the Winter Prince… I thought he’d be more in control than that.”

“If his sister Shasta is any indication of how he would handle love, then I would expect him to go mad,” Logan said.

The Wolf King raised his eyebrows. “What happened?”

“She nearly killed her love, the Summer Knight Rodney,” Logan said. “It was intense, and the way those two were so in love, you wouldn’t think anything could get between them.”

“There is a fine line between love and hate,” the Wolf King said. “The same passion that spurs love - the kind where you would go to the ends of Feyland for -  is the same passion that fuels hate.”

Logan nodded. His father saw it all the time in the human world where he was a lawyer. Crime by passion. Spurned lovers becoming destructive and even murderous to their object of desire. Logan knew how much it hurt to be in the shoes of a spurned lover…before Breena had accepted his proposal… “Guess fairies aren’t too different than humans when it comes to love then,” Logan said.

“Guess so,” his father agreed. “That’s probably why it’s possible for fairies and humans, werewolves to fall in love with human women. We are so much alike in many ways.”

“You and mother, The Summer King and Breena’s mother…”

“You for Breena,” his father said. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You have always loved that girl. No amount of persuading can change that.”

“I know,” Logan said.

“But,” his father put his hands on both of Logan’s broad shoulders. “Sometimes you’ll have to let go. You’ll have to carry on, move on. You can love someone forever, but when it’s time to go, the greatest love that you can give someone is to move on, to live on. Breena would’ve wanted you to live on. To be free.” He laughed drily. “Of course you know that already.”

“I know that’s what Mom does for us,” Logan said. “It must be difficult for her with us here in Feyland all the time while she’s alone in Gregory.”

“But you know how your mother feels…” the Wolf King said. “Her life is in Gregory, Oregon. I love her enough to marry a human, but she is not fey, and she would be swallowed up in Feyland because of it.”

It was time for Logan to take charge. His mother needed his father back in the human world, and Logan was needed to lead the Wolf Fey. He looked at his father. “Go. Mom needs you right now. Whatever happens here, I’ll take care of it.”

His father nodded, looking deep into his eyes with confidence. “You’re in charge of the Wolf Fey now, son. Lead with your heart and what you think best.” Then he looked out onto the horizon where the sky met the sharp cliffs of the Great Gorge. “Logan, I know you prefer being human than wolf, but as the leader of the Wolf Fey, to survive in Feyland, we must tap into our wolf heritage.” He pointed to Logan’s tattoo, a Celtic design of a wolf head on a cross, stretched across Logan’s right shoulder, like his. The wolf head was of The Red Wolf, the first of the Wolf Fey, a shifter fairy who became a wolf. “Remember the Red Wolf,” the Wolf King said. “When our fey blood is restored, all wolves in Feyland would be as strong and powerful as the legendary Red Wolf.”

“Who was the Red Wolf?” Logan asked.

“The Wolf who drove the Dark Hordes into the Great Gorge, along with the Pixies, Winter Fey and Summer Fey…back in the Dark Ages of Feyland. He was all fairy blood thus holding the same magic and power as the Winter and Summer fairies…thus having the power of immortality. But he was lost in the last battle of the Gorge, buried along with the creatures of the Dark Hordes in the Great Gorge.”

“Dad, I know there’s a reason why you’re telling me this story…Feyland history, right?” Logan said. “But you’d better get going before the sun goes down and it gets late. Crossing the River is no easy task.”

“I trust the Wolf Fey would be in good hands,” his father said. With that, his father transformed into a large black and grey wolf that would make its way through the forests, through the mountains, and across the river into Gregory.

Logan watched his father run, powerful and strong as far as wolves go. Then he closed his eyes. He was strong for his father at the moment. He was strong for the Wolf Fey, but deep down inside, he was crying, his heart torn out, his body shook with exhaustion and worry. For days he had been trying to find tracks, traces of his love, but to no avail.

He let out a wail into the wilderness that shook the trees, causing Feyland birds to fly out in all directions.

“Breena, where are you?”

Chapter 2

I opened my eyes. I couldn’t make out shapes, nor were colors clear to me. There was only the hazy patterning of light and dark, soft and sloping across my eyelids. For a moment things became clearer… as they had done before… shimmering into my consciousness… but then I felt my eyes close again, and suddenly it was gone. What was it? Was there a face… did I see a pair of eyes, glowing at me… or were there only two yellow circles, beaming like the two suns of Feyland? It was too late. The exhaustion had hit me again, the slow and soft intoxication that kept my brain quiet, muffled its screams. I felt calm, extraordinarily calm, and yet within me I felt a yelp of terror. Wherever I was, this wasn’t right. This wasn’t where I was supposed to be. This place, this room… it wasn’t my home. And where was my home?

Images flickered across my brain. I remembered a Midwestern detached house with two bedrooms and a slab of marble across the kitchen, but it seemed hazy to me, as if it was but a dream from long ago. I remembered woods… their pine-sharp smell, the crunch of leaves beneath my feet… and then the woods became magical and I remembered whispering trees and leaves that changed color before my eyes. I remembered oranges, ripe and red and smelling like the richest perfumes. I remembered the sound of a fairy dance. I remembered a Prince…

My eyes flew open again, and again I saw the shapes. There were no golden eyes, now, but I could make out crystals – tall, slanted boulders with enough sides to make me dizzy. I couldn’t move. I could only wait, wait for the world to make sense to me. And then I saw what it was. It wasn’t a crystal at all. It had the same sharp sheen, the same beauty, but it was colder than a crystal, darker. It was pure ice.

But I wasn’t cold. That was the strangest thing, the thing that first hit me when at last I was able to sit up, to look around. I was lying in a cavern made of ice, upon a slab of ice, and yet I felt no cold. My gown was flimsy – it was silk, beaded with fairy beads of gold and silver, intricate, more beautiful than any gown I had ever seen and yet unfamiliar – it could not have protected me. And yet the cold meant nothing to me. I couldn’t feel anything. Not the cold, not the softness of the silk, nor the slippery hardness of the ice.

And this cavern was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Delicate etches of Feyland meadows, mountains, and skies covered the crystal ice walls. As my eyes adjusted, I saw familiar things. Golden silken curtains, intricately carved tables and wardrobes and shimmering fairy paintings. I recognized the style immediately. This was Summer work. The carved fruits and flowers, the golden hue, the life and vibrancy of Summer that glowed from every piece of art: this was the work of the Summer Court.

I must be in the Summer Court, I thought to myself. That meant I was safe. I could feel my breathing slow, feel my body relax beneath me, as if it had a will of its own.

Or did it? The heartbeat in my chest started up again, sensing my fear before my brain did. The Summer Court wasn’t safe – that was the last thing I remembered thinking, in the time that existed before I was in this cave, in the time before…but I couldn’t remember the time before. My images were still hazy. I remembered only that the golden halls of the Summer Court had been stained silver with fairy blood, and that a knot of terror had formed at the pit of my stomach and I could feel it, tensely knotted, still.

My memories crept forward out of their hiding-place. I remembered the clashing of swords, so loud and horrible even in my memory. I remembered the fear in my throat, fear that tasted black on my tongue. I remembered a swarm of knights I did not know or recognize - the confusion that followed – as we no longer knew who we were fighting, or who our enemies were, and fought only to survive, to kill whomever stood in our way.

I remembered that face, the face that had haunted me so many times before, icy and remote, yet so beautiful: its paleness like the marble statues that stood in the Great Hall. What Great Hall? My memories searched each other, making connections. The Great Hall of the Summer Court.

Where the siege had taken place. Siege?

I could remember at last only that pain, that pain that had made me clap a hand over my mouth and scream first in shock and then in astonishing pain which crumbled me to the floor. The pain so sharp and sudden I thought it had killed me where I stood. My hands moved to the wound, but there was no wound.

My muscles remembered the pain; they tensed as my fingers touched the contours of my belly. But there was no scar there, no line. There was no pain, only the echo of a pain that had been felt once before. Something had happened, but whatever it was, it had been fixed. It had been taken away. Had another fairy healed me – is that what it was? Had a Summer fairy taken out the wound and replaced it with new, pink skin?

I tried to sit up again, higher, this time, and suddenly pain sent shock waves through my system. My head had collided with something hard, something that left a trail of silver trickling from my forehead…

Silver? My mind began to shudder and shake. I didn’t have silver blood. Only true fairies had silver blood. I was a Halfling, one who bled red like the humans from the Land Beyond the Crystal River. What was going on?

I felt again the thing… invisible and sharp… that had collided with my head, running my palms up and down, trying to ascertain its surface. Whatever it was – some hard and invisible thing… it seemed to be trapping me on all sides, holding me inwards, keeping me on the slab of ice.

I pushed up, harder, squeezing my muscles and groaning with the effort, but it was no use. The invisible covering surrounding me remained immobile, mute, cloying.

I began to breathe faster now as terror took hold of me. “Help!” I cried out, and my voice seemed to echo within the confined space of the covering. “Help me, somebody help me!”

But I heard no sound in response; my voice had been muffled inside the slab. I beat at the covering until my hands bruised, but there was nothing. Nobody would come to save me.

Come on, Breena, I told myself. Use your magic. I imagined myself commanding the cover to rise up, imagined it rearing back, shattering in deference to my will. I used the magic of Summer, which came from being its Queen and felt a warm amber glow heat up within my confines. But still the covering would not move, even as I squeezed my eyes shut and focused all my concentration on that heavy, terrible invisible slab.

I was trapped. I looked around the room, wildly, hoping for some answer, hoping for some deliverance. I could see only the flowers… the orange-blossoms of the Summer Court and the cold winter lilies… decaying and withered alongside the slab.

And then it hit me. I was in a coffin. This place – this beautiful, cold place – was my tomb. I wasn’t in the Summer Court at all. I had been buried alive.

And I could not stop myself from screaming.

My scream died as the footsteps – hard, decisive footsteps, sounded in the hallway, and the door opened. For a moment my heart leaped with relief. Somebody had heard, after all! Somebody knew where I was. Somebody was going to save me!

And then I froze, for I knew him. I knew the figure that had just walked in, the figure that I had not seen in a while – whom I had expected, hoped, never to see again.

It was Delano, the Pixie King.

Chapter 3

I had hoped never to see Delano again. When I had escaped from him many months ago… carting Logan away to safety… I had sworn to myself that I would do everything in my power not to let him touch me again. He had imprisoned me in his dungeon and tried to convince me to become his lover, his mistress, his concubine, so that I could bear him children powerful enough to take over Feyland: part pixie, part fairy, part human. All the powers of the supernatural, combined with the ability to control love. I still had nightmares about him, sometimes – his yellowish-green eyes and white-blonde long hair, his caress. I still remembered the terror that kept me awake and screaming those nights in the dungeon. I remembered the relief, palpable enough for me to taste it, which rose up in my throat when we had at last escaped. And here I was again, in his hands. Here for him to capture, to control, once more. If being trapped alone in this tomb was terrifying, then this was even worse. I would have rather been left to my fate than suffer this.

“Hello, Breena,” Delano’s voice was low and cool. “Or, as I am delighted to now say, Queen Breena.” He gave a deep bow that belied his intentions.

“What are you doing here?” I pounded on the invisible glass angrily. “What am I doing here?” My mouth struggled to form words. “Where am I? This isn’t the Summer Court, is it?”

“No,” said Delano. “Glad to see that you’ve got your powers of observation with you, even after all that time out of consciousness. Looks like you’re recovering nicely.” He gave a little laugh and waved his hand. “For a while, though, we – that is to say – I had my doubts about you. Wasn’t sure that you’d come through, given the severity of… what happened.”

“This is a tomb!” I cried. “You left me for dead!”

“Not quite,” said Delano, rapping playfully at the invisible glass. If it hadn’t been there, I would have bit his knuckles off. “I believe everybody at the Fairy Court left you for dead. See, Breena, they left you these lovely flowers. Even the Winter Court, despite your treachery. You were dead as any mortal could hope to be, Breena.”

“What are you talking about?” I could feel my voice shake.

“You died, my dear Queen,” said Delano lightly. “Right in your own Grand Hall, in front of so many witness of Winter and Summer alike. All fairy knights saw Queen Breena of Summer die by the hands of that Winter Prince – the broken-hearted Kian, the scorned lover who could not handle love.”

Kian! My memories came rushing back to me in a flash, and I felt that same agony in my stomach – that same pain in my heart as he drove the dagger through…

“Your death, Breena – the death of the Summer Queen, not to mention her betrayal in the Grand Hall, was enough to break the peace treaty. It is null and void; there is war raging once more between your land and the land of your lover. If you can call him your lover. After all, there is war between you. He killed you. Perhaps that was enough to set you free of that dangerous thing called love. You are a fairy, after all. You let love get the better of you!”

My heart sank. I had given up everything – my love for Kian, my autonomy, my whole life- in order to broker peace between the Summer and Winter kingdoms. I had gone from a girl who had never heard of fairies to a Queen dedicated to protecting her people – and the people of the man she loved – at all costs. And now my efforts had failed. The peace I had worked so hard to create was ruined, destroyed, broken. And I had lost Kian, too. Kian! My heart once again cried out for him – I felt once again the pain shuddering through me. He thought that I had betrayed him, that it had all been a trap. How could I explain to him that my lust for Logan which led to the engagement had been brought on by a spell – a spell so terrible it made me sick to my stomach? For Logan and I had been drugged by the evil Wort to believe that we loved each other – the drug had made me lose my mind, forget my senses; forget even my love for Kian. And I had hurt Kian. And now the consequences for all of Feyland were clear.

Delano leaped forward, at last lifting the heavy lid of the coffin. “Special trick,” he said. “It can only be opened from the outside.” He leered at me. But as I felt the air enter my lungs – fresh and clean, so different from the dry, stale air inside the tomb – I felt stronger, better. The air, whishing through my lungs, brought with it clarity, brought with it strength. It tasted like the fresh air of the Summer Court, alive with bergamot and orange blossoms. The taste of freedom sent me reeling, and made me realize just how confining the tomb had been. My vision blurred once more as I was overwhelmed by the burst of freshness that had come over me. I felt a hand touch mine, and for a moment I let it stay there. Then I realized who it belonged to: Delano. I quickly yanked it away.

Delano almost looked hurt. “I was hoping you might have forgiven our petty little squabbles, my Queen,” he said. “After all, you’re free now. No longer betrothed or bound to your fairy prince. He killed you; the bond is broken. You can choose anyone you want.”

I may have been disoriented, but I wasn’t that stupid. I knew exactly what Delano wanted with me, and it wasn’t exactly connected with true love. “Why am I here?” I said in my sharpest, most intimidating voice.

“Because that was part of the plan,” Delano whispered. “I brought you here, complete with your tomb and flowers, my Queen. I wanted you here.”

“As a pack animal?” I snorted. “Some thing you can breed with – like an animal?”

“Have you forgotten our arrangement, Breena?” Delano rolled his eyes. “Before you reneged on our plan and escaped, I believe you promised to be my wife on the condition that I freed the Wolf and the Princess Shasta.” His gaze turned serious. “You cannot go back on a pixie oath, my sweet. Everybody knows that. They are unbreakable.”

“Too bad,” I said. “I’m already engaged.” The fact that my engagement was to Logan, who didn’t yet know that his love for me was worsened by the spell, I decided to leave out for the moment.

“Too bad,” Delano grinned back at me. “You’re not at the Summer Palace, are you? Nobody to check up on these things here. And everyone over there thinks you’re dead. You were publicly killed – as Wort and my men, glamoured as your Summer Knights, wreaked havoc on the Great Hall.” He closed his eyes, as if gleefully remembering his crimes.

“You still haven’t explained to me why I’m alive,” said Breena. “What happened? Did one of my fairies heal me?”

“Afraid not, my dearest one,” said Delano. “Your wounds were too deep for that. Rodney tried – he even enlisted the help of his sister Rose, an alchemist. But it was too late. They pronounced you dead – you were dead. They laid your body in wake after the fighting died down, and after the funeral my Pixies – glamoured as some of your loyal attendants – were able to snatch away your body….”

I felt even sicker than before. First Wort and the potion, now Delano and his glamouring. How dare these Pixies try to take me away, to control me? My feelings for Kian and Logan may have been confused, but they had no right to do this to me, no right to take away my choices! To take away my chance to make peace in the two kingdoms, to explain to Kian truly what had happened! My face burned with anger. “What did you want with my body?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. After knowing what Delano was capable of, I didn’t think I could stand to hear of any more of his villainies.

“I thought we might be able to try some… darker methods of resuscitating you.” Delano’s pale, pointed face said it all, and I decided not to ask any more question on that front. “But you see, my dearest Queen Breena, in the end I had no need at all of using any kind of magic. You seem to have managed all on your own.”

“What are you talking about?” I rounded on him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, Breena,” said Delano laconically, “that I did not use any magic on you whatsoever. You woke yourself up.”

And then it hit me. I looked down to see the bloodstains on my hands. Silver blood. The blood of fairies, not of mortals like me. I shivered, and immediately I knew it to be true. Kian’s snowflake of immortality. I had become immortal.

Chapter 4

I sat up straight, my heart pounding within my chest. I felt my lungs gasp for oxygen, my whole body reacting, contorting – as if I were a drowning woman, cast adrift in a sea of storms. My throat closed tightly suffocating my tongue, which felt leaden in my mouth. My skin crawled and shuddered, and my muscles tensed up so tightly I felt that stones had been tied to my bones in place of flesh. What was wrong with me? I looked down at the silver blood again and felt sick. My own body had changed – it had become different, not merely taller or thinner or more muscular but something entirely else – a different thing, a thing with silver blood, a thing that did not die as humans did.

Was I even human anymore?

The idea made me nauseous. I couldn’t stop myself from shuddering. Only the clear, cold eyes of Delano, staring at me with something between amusement and curiosity, stopped me from descending into full-on madness. Whatever fear I felt, whatever conflicted revulsion divided me from my own body, I wasn’t about to let Delano see it. For despite my disgust with him, he was of aristocratic bearing. I would be strong – brave. I would behave as befitted a Queen of the Summer Court. A court of fairies – but I couldn’t let myself think about that. I couldn’t let myself think that my blood was silver, or that I wasn’t human. I sat up straight, my eyes blazing, and demanded that Delano tell me what was going on.

“I thought it was bizarre too,” said Delano. “But then I remembered something awfully strange. While you were dead – or seemed to be dead – I saw this glowing…this strange, silver glow coming from that necklace you were wearing.”

My hands instinctively shot to my throat, but I felt nothing there but smooth skin, raised slightly with goose bumps.

“Looking for this?” Delano smiled as he dangled the gem before me. I recognized it instantly. It was the snowflake pendant that Kian had given to me when proposing marriage that night at the castle – a proposal that had killed me to turn down. My heart and head were both in such turmoil that night, and yet in the melee that followed Kian’s proposal, I had never gotten a chance to return the pendant. It had remained clasped around my neck, nestled close to my heart, a reminder of my love for him – of a promise I could not make, and yet which my soul seemed to have uttered in spite of itself. How dare Delano touch it! How dare he take it away from me – my only reminder of what was left of Kian!

I made to snatch it back, but he was too quick for me, dangling the sparkling pendant above my head. “Tut tut,” he said, clucking. “Not so fast. If it’s as special as I think it is, it’s not something I’m in any rush to get rid of, my dear girl.”

“Give it back!” I couldn’t help shouting more like a teenager than like a noble and august Queen. “It isn’t yours!”

“Funny,” said Delano. “It seems to be mine now.” He shrugged. “Was it yours, my dear Summer Queen? Awfully wintry for a flowering court like yours. Perhaps the Winter Queen is its true owner – would she like it back, do you think?”

My heart ached with the memory. I thought of the Winter Queen, proud and regal even in the heart of battle. I thought of the look she gave me… pained, but above all things disappointed… when she thought that I had betrayed her and the rest of the Winter Court, that all my talk of peace had been a lie for my own ends. She had, although she was by law my enemy, always been the model of a Queen for me – she ruled wisely and justly, as best she could. I had hoped that, by my actions, I could win her respect and be regarded one day as an equal. Now I felt sure that that day would never come. I had disappointed them all - let them all down. I’d betrayed Shasta, betrayed the Winter Queen, above all things betrayed Kian, whom I loved but whose heart I knew I had broken beyond repair.

“It is the property of the Winter Court,” I said, trying to act like Queen. “And I demand that it be returned to them!”

“And how did you get it, my pretty queen?” Delano sneered. “Steal it, most likely!”

“I did not!” I shot back. “It was…given to me.” I could not help my voice faltering. “By the Winter Prince. As a proposal of marriage.” I hoped my cheeks hadn’t risen into a blush.

Delano gave me a smug look. “From the events that transpired afterwards,” Delano said, his mouth contorting into a grin, “it would appear that you refused him.”

“I didn’t!” I shot back, trying to make sense of it. “I just needed more time, that’s all…” My cheeks turned bright pink! How dare this Delano try to manipulate me into talking about my feelings! “I was too…”

“Confused?” Delano gave me an expression of mock sympathy. “Is that it? Overwhelmed by your feelings? Besotted, perhaps, by your love for another? Say…the Wolf, Logan? Oh, we’ve heard all about those rumors of your behavior with the Wolf…quite the passionate queen, aren’t you?”

I wanted to rise to my feet, to defend myself, to defend my actions – it was a spell, only a spell, that had made me feel what I felt for Logan! I remembered once more the hurt on Kian’s face, and I pursed my lips together tightly in anger. “Why is it any of your business?” My eyes blazed with rage. “You have nothing to do with this!”

“That’s what makes me so useful to you, my Queen,” said Delano brightly. “You see, I don’t care which of those two jejune young men you choose in the end. Kian or Wolf Prince – it doesn’t matter to me. I can give you some straight advice. And I think I have a rather clear idea of whom you should choose.” He leaned in, baring his sharp teeth at me. “And it isn’t either of those two boys…”

“Ew!” I couldn’t help it – my first reaction was disgust – girlish, shocked, disgust! Hadn’t we already established that I had no intention of playing mother to any of Delano’s hypothetical hybrid children? “Believe me, Delano – not if you were the last creature on earth!”

Delano almost looked hurt. “You find me that revolting, do you?” His yellowish-green eyes twinkled. “Even when I’m offering you something far more than being my concubine – even when I’m offering you… affection?” I found it hard to believe that Delano could offer anybody affection. I was already well aware of all the atrocities that he had committed during his life. Still, there was genuine hurt in his voice, and although I found him morally repugnant, he was not by any means unattractive. Certainly, by pixie standards, he was less horrendous than Wort, who had resembled a toad afflicted with a skin disease, but Delano was like fey and elegant with sharp cheekbones and a, graceful nose that pointed just slightly from his smooth pale face. He was tall and almost regal, not as old as I thought he was at first… resembling someone in his early to mid-20s, if he was human. If I had met Delano in other circumstances, had not known anything about him, he would be quite attractive… sexy even.

“Not revolting,” I conceded. “Not physically, at any rate.” I grimaced. He was still a villain. “But I still don’t want to marry you! And I don’t think it would do you much good to marry me, either. You wanted half-human babies, right?”

“And you’re not human anymore…”

He knew! My mouth shot open in surprise.

“I can see the silver blood, Breena! There’s just a dab on your forehead, see – here…” Before I could stop him, he reached out and touched the wound, giving my mouth a caress and wiping off the blood with his finger. He put the tip of his finger in his mouth.

“You do taste like a fairy!”

“That’s disgusting!” I wanted to vomit. I had almost forgotten that Pixies sometimes drink blood, including fairy blood.

“Don’t knock it, my Queen. I’m doing this for you!” Before I could pull away he reapplied his finger to my cut. I could feel my skin seal together: he had healed me instantly. “That’s better, my Queen,” said Delano. “No more bleeding for you right now. We’ve got a lot of business to attend to.”

“You…healed me.” I was dumb with surprise. I thought magical creatures could only heal their own kind.

“See, you fairies. So arrogant. Convinced that you have all the magic, all the power. But it’s a falsehood, Breena. You fairies can only heal your own court – Summer to Summer, Winter to Winter. But we Pixies can heal anyone we choose. We have existed long before fairies ever came into being. We have the magic. We have the legitimacy. Feyland is our birthright.”

As he spoke, I saw in him a passion I had never seen before. Delano may have been reprehensible, but he cared about his people and his country – in his mind, however sick and clouded and twisted, he was doing this for them. “But like fairies,” he said, his mouth twisting with hatred at that word… “we have something else that fairies don’t. The ability to feel passion. The ability to feel love. Desire… that we can control. That will not turn us mad the way fairies have been turned bad. I know what happened to the Ice Prince, Kian. I know you melted his heart, and put him into a rage so terrible he was willing to kill you! But he could not stand the force of love. I, however, can!”

While he was speaking, Delano had moved closer and closer to me, but it was only when he kissed me that I realized his intentions. I tried to jerk away, but it was too late: his lips and tongue found mine – his heat so unfamiliar after Kian’s cool kisses.

And then I felt the pixie magic sear through me – a magic so strong that it overpowered my desire to resist, my desire to escape. I felt my magic connecting with his – not the primal, earth-shattering icy desire that had overwhelmed me with Kian, but something different. The emerald earth called to me through his kiss; I felt connected with the pixie realm – rock and stone, metal and the magic of cliffs and crags and mountaintops. I could taste mint upon my tongue.

At last I was able to break the spell’s hold over me and pull away. “Don’t you dare ever do that again,” I said, my voice shaking. I felt shame alongside my anger. How had my body, my magic, reacted like that? And how dare Delano try to manipulate me once more?

“You taste like a fairy,” Delano licked his lips. “But I can taste the human in you. The passion is there. You still have that human capacity – fear not!”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” I snarled back. But deep down, I knew I was. My body was reacting in strange and unexpected ways – my response to Delano, for example. First my infatuation with Logan, and now this! I was no longer in control – what had happened to me?

“You’re turning into a full-blood fairy,” said Delano. “And I imagine your power will increase accordingly. But what, I wonder, will come of your ability to love?”

I thought back to the feeling of being crowned Summer Queen – the warmth and sunshine that had flooded through my being. What I felt when Delano had kissed me was different: it was cool, shocking, like ice and yet not painful.

“The Winter Prince has given you his snowflake,” said Delano. “So perhaps Winter is overtaking you after all.”

Chapter 5

I could feel my heart pounding, and in my blood I knew that what Delano had said was true. Whatever was in me, changing me, it had come from Kian; his Winter blood had entered my body, my soul, and transformed my magic, making it meld and shape into his. The magic I had felt within myself when Delano kissed me – the same magic that had made me immortal – was different from anything I had known before. This was not the warm magic of Summer, with its scent of orange blossoms and the gold liquid feeling inside me. This was icy cold and strong, primal – this was the very essence of Kian’s being inside of me. This was how much he had loved me – loved me enough to give this part of himself to me, to make me immortal through the gift of the Winter snowflake pendant. I could have been his! My heart cried out through the pain and confusion. If I had only said yes, I could have been his Queen – the Winter Queen. The magic couldn’t lie. I belonged to Kian, as utterly and totally as he belonged to me – his magic giving me new life, new strength. I knew now that whatever had happened at the melee at the Summer Court, Kian could not have truly betrayed me. He still loved me. I felt it in the effect of his magic. I felt it in the pounding of my heart. He loved me.

“Kian!” I heard myself whisper, and my love for him was born anew. We would have much to work through – the cloud of my love spell that had overtaken my heart and my brain, and thrust everything into confusion – but we could do it. We had to do it. We would be able to do it, together. We could restore peace once more, hope once again, make everything as it once was: Winter and Summer, together. My body shook with the surety of this vision.

Before Delano could stop me I leaped to my feet and began rushing across the room, thrusting his arm off me as he attempted to bar my path.

“My Queen!” he shouted. “You will remain!” He stepped over to the door. “Or risk facing an army of Pixies alone… Summer Queen.”

I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t interested in fighting pixie hordes, and as long as I could get out eventually, it was probably a better bet to keep calm and carry on. “Fine,” I said.

Delano led me into another room. Delano’s bedchambers. This was far less sparse and cold than the room in which I had been laid out. Here was an opulent space, a bedroom made warm by the blazing fire roaring at the heart, a warmth that comforted my aching joints. I could smell the sizzling food and just-baked bread that stood tantalizingly on the table.

“In the wardrobe,” said Delano, opening it wide, “you see a vast selection of pixie-made fashions.” And so there were – glittering gowns, gold, silver and green, in all manners of silks and satins and lace. I could not deny their beauty, but I refused to be tempted. I looked down.

“Since you left,” Delano whispered close to my ear. “I have thought of nothing but you. I have attempted to make our pixie ways more to your liking. We are a cold people, who like the bare stone and the flaming roast, the snow and empty, barren mountain ranges. But I know you like the warmth and beauty of summer, and this I have supplied to you.”

“How sweet.” I made it clear I wasn’t having any of it. “Do you think I like being taken prisoner?”

“Not a prisoner, but as my betrothed, as you have bargained for, my dear,” Delano winked.

“My heart belongs to another, Delano.”

“For now,” he shrugged.

“For always!” I raised my voice.

“And what about your engagement to the Wolf?” Delano said with a smile. “What was that, eh? Always-love – just a bit confused, a bit muddled up?”

I remembered my queenly manners just in time to avoid slapping him. “There was a spell…” I muttered through clenched teeth.

“Of course there was!” Delano laughed. “There’s always a spell. When you’re looking for a convenient excuse to give in to desire…”

That was enough! I raised my hand to slap Delano clear across the face, but he grabbed hold of my wrists, forcing me down onto the bed. Panic spiked through me. What was Delano about to try? I gathered up all my fairy magic, closing my eyes, concentrating, ready to fight, adrenaline leaving me breathless as I prepared for a final battle for my honor.

But nothing happened. I opened my eyes tentatively to find that Delano had left the room. I didn’t know what he was up to, but I didn’t like it. I had to get out of there – quickly – before Delano tried whatever pixie lust spell he’d used on me again. I made a mental note to teach myself how to protect my heart against love spells. In a kingdom where love was outlawed, such techniques could be very dangerous indeed. I concentrated all my energy on establishing a telepathic connection with someone, anyone – Kian, Logan! But it was Kian who called to me, Kian for whom my love was strong enough, had to be strong enough…

I focused on a mental image of his face: beautiful, strong, stormy blue eyes that were almost grey with those sharp cheekbones and that impossibly high jaw, his black hair long and loose across his face.

But there was nothing. No response. No return. Had he forgotten me? My heart doubled over with fear. Had he really stabbed me – and closed his heart to me forever? No, it couldn’t be! I felt my immortality, my Winter immortality, within me. It was the symbol of his love.

Well, I’d have to make my own way out. I sighed. But if I was going to make it out of the pixie castle alive, I’d have to get some strength. I stared at the plate of food and realized how hungry I was. Before stopping to wonder if the food was poisoned, I gobbled it down, deciding mid-bite that Delano was too interested in me to have me killed, wolfing down a loaf of bread and fruits.

My strength restored, I set about to look in the closet for something more practical to wear. I’d never be able to fight in this golden train. Nothing as practical as the knight’s uniform I’d worn to rescue Kian appeared, but I did spy some male Pixies’ clothes: one of Delano’s, no doubt. I made a face, but it was better than the alternative. As I hurriedly began changing into male gear a sudden sound stopped me, a voice in my ear that filled my soul with desire and relief.

Breena!

At first I thought he was contacting me, speaking directly, but then a vision appeared before my eyes. Kian was kneeling, knee-deep in silver blood on the battlefield, his boots caked with old mud, the body of a summer knight splayed out at his feet. I recognized the red hair and my heart stopped. Rodney? Shasta’s lover? No, it couldn’t be! I looked closer – it wasn’t Rodney – but my heart remained pained. Some Summer Knight, one of my men, had died at Kian’s hand.

Kian! I called out.

Breena! But he didn’t hear me, didn’t see me. His cries were directed to the great, cloud-covered sky, cries of pain and despair. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. He closed the lids of the eyes of the fallen body, his own frame racked with pain. “I never wanted this, my friend. I never wanted this!” No, Kian had always dreamed of peace – a peace that he and I would share. “I’m sorry you had to die. I knew you. You were a good soldier.” He began to sing, softly – a song he had sung for me in the old days, when Kian was first teaching me about Feyland at his cabin where he had taught me how to fight, and where we had first kiss – the icy Snow Prince and the mortal girl. It was a song in the ancient tongue, to be sung for a fallen warrior. Its beauty made me double over in pain.

Kian finished his song, and then cast his eyes down to the corpse. “I have sung for you,” he said, his voice cracking with pain. “But who will sing for me? The woman I love…she is where you are now. If you meet her on the road to Heaven, tell her that I love her. Tell her that I’m waiting for her, and that I want nothing more than to cross that gorge across which I have sent you, and to see her shade for myself! If she will forgive me for having failed her – having failed our peace!”

The pain was too great to bear! Tears began welling in my eyes, and my gasp caught in my throat. Delano was wrong – he had been wrong! My love for Kian was as strong as ever, and his for me!

Kian! I called out in desperation, one final time. I’m here!

At last he looked up, his eyes flitting around to the emptiness. Where are you?

Here. With you.

This is not real! Kian rounded about the empty air. My mind is playing tricks on me again, trying to deceive me, to drive me mad! Where are you?

It’s me!

His face contorted with pain. The dead do not speak with the living.

I’m not dead! I cried, and the look of joy on his face filled me with ecstasy. I’ve been captured by Delano – I’m alive! Your snowflake saved me…even after what happened. Even after you stabbed me! It was a mistake, all a mistake! I never betrayed you…Wort organized the siege…

I know it now! Kian cried to the heavens. I know it in my heart – but I always knew it. I never doubted you.

But in the Great Hall! At the siege! I tried to explain, to help you…

I was never there! Kian’s voice thundered in my ears. I had left. Breena, after you refused me – refused to accept my proposal… His voice broke off in pain. I was beyond distraught. My mind was on fire. I could not remain a moment longer in that castle. I had to get some air, to breathe. The very walls of the corridor felt as if they were tightening around me, waiting to choke me, to bury me alive within their depths. My heart was beating so hard that it shook my very chest. Had I remained a moment longer, I would have given into my primal desire: I would have challenged your wolf Logan to a duel, and killed him. I knew I could not let myself succumb to this rage I felt, a rage that I could not control. And so I left. I ran into the forest and cried out my pain to the trees of pine and fir. I told myself that you loved Logan after all, that you had made your choice. But I could not allow myself to believe it. For when I kissed you last, my kiss broke the spell that was on you – so powerful, so overwhelming, was our passion for each other. I knew then you loved me…but it was too late. I heard of your death – a death supposedly by my hand…

Kian paused, and I can see his entire body shake. I would die before I hurt you, Breena. You know that. My love for you is absolute. You’re the only woman I love…have ever loved, Breena. And I certainly would not and did not stab you.

Kian’s eyes grew wide with alarm. Where can I find you, my love? I need to see you. I need to see you with my own eyes in order to believe, lest I succumb to this pain, this fear that this is but another vision, another method of torment that my mind had conjured up… He grasped the air with his hands, as if making to hold me instead. My body longed to run into those waiting arms, to wrap my arms tightly around his broad shoulders and give myself over to the love I felt. Please don’t be a dream, Breena. Please don’t be another one of those haunted visions that have kept me screaming and awake for so many nights. Please don’t be a phantasm, a shade – please be real…Tears had appeared in his eyes, making them even more iridescent as they shone and sparkled at the corners of his gaze.

I am real! I wanted to take him in my hands, to touch his face, to touch his silky hair, to let him feel me, to convince him. I’m real – I’m alive. My heart broke for his suffering; I wanted to bear it myself, to take it away from him, to spare him the agony that I could feel even from so many miles away. I knew it wasn’t you who stabbed me – knew it couldn’t have been – any more than I could have loved another! We’ve both been fooled and enchanted.

I could see Kian’s face grow hard and cold. Whoever it was who has betrayed us, Kian gave a stony glare out across the horizon, I will seek out. We will restore justice. We will restore peace. And we will make sure our enemies never ever hurt us again.

And then our connection faded, and he was gone.

Chapter 6

I huddled against the cold, warming myself one final time against the roaring fireplace before heading out to fight the Pixies. I knew the battle would be hard – one girl, even if she was the Summer Queen with the magic of Summer, against hundreds of pixie knights. But I was willing to risk it – I had to risk it! I wasn’t going to be a slave or a prisoner to any pixie king, least of all - Delano, and especially not if I had something to live for. Kian loved me, I knew that now – and I knew too that he still dreamed of peace between our two kingdoms. If I could only get free – if I could only escape! – then we could rejoin our forces, fight once more for freedom, undo the wrongs committed by Wort and Delano in their plot to overthrow the fairies once and for all! I gritted my teeth and felt my resolve deep within me, as icy-hard as winter steel. I would not give up! Kian hadn’t stabbed me; he hadn’t hurt me! It had been someone else – someone with powerful magic willing to use it to pry us apart.

Before I finished putting on the final piece of clothing – a hunting-green velvet cloak that had clearly belonged to Delano, the warmest thing I could find in the wardrobe – I heard a distinctive cough coming from behind the door. I rushed over and opened it, expecting to find Delano lurking there.

Instead I saw a familiar face, a face I had dreamed of so often – yet more beautiful than ever in its nearness, its warmth. It was Kian, standing at my threshold with a look of rapturous joy upon his face, his smile crinkling at the edges just as I had always remembered. “Breena,” he whispered. “I found you…”

My heart leaped into my throat as I practically flew into his arms. He took my hands, and at his touch I felt that same familiar burst of electricity within me. He was staring at me now not only with love, but with desire – a palpable desire that I had never seen in him before. He had shown me love, passion, even longing before, but in his eyes now I saw the animal raging of true and ferocious need: he had longed for me; he had wanted me. And I wanted him.

Before I could speak, Kian was upon me, kissing me with a ferociousness and a passion that he had never had before. The passion was so overwhelming I could barely move to respond, even as my body cried out to meet him motion for motion, kiss for kiss. He lifted me, carrying me in his arms to the satin sheets of the bed that had been prepared for me.

“We have to get out…”

“Not yet!” Kian threw me on the bed, and I caught sight of his hair glistening in the flickering candle-light. “Not yet…” His shirt seemed to come off in a single, fluid motion, and I saw again the taut contours of his muscles, that soldier’s body, that had gained its strength and agility over decades, if not centuries, of practice. His skin was smooth, pulled taunt against his muscles. He was perfect. I trembled as he kneeled into the bed, straddling me as he covered my shoulders with kisses. I had once feared that I would never see him again. But as he appeared before me I knew there had never been anybody else, there would never be anybody else. Kian was my true love, and my whole body ached with the desire to let my magic, my love, my being meld with his. I closed my eyes as he removed the velvet cloak from my shoulders, then began to strip away my garb, one item of clothing at a time until I was nearly completely bare.

His lips fluttered on my skin, cold and tantalizing against the heat of my body. I could feel his tongue tickle my collarbone and explore the hidden recesses of my neck, and then lower – towards my stomach, as I couldn’t help but sigh with delight. “Kian!” I tried to think, even as his touch destroyed thought altogether. “How did you get in here? How did you find me?”

He made no response, but only returned his mouth to mine, sucking gently on my bottom lip, then increasing in his passion, biting me slightly, then letting me feel the full brunt of his passion hot upon his lips. “How did you get in?” I murmured again between kisses, my eyes closing with unbelievable pleasure. “Delano’s guards…”

And then I heard a familiar chuckle, which did not sound like Kian’s and was unmistakably evil.

“Delano!” I shot up, looking around, expecting to see the Pixie King standing at the doorway. But nobody was there.

“Looking for someone?” came that eerie voice from the bed.

I gasped. Kneeling over me, his eyes hooded in lust where Kian had been a moment before was Delano, shirtless, as Kian had been, wearing the same black trousers that I had been so close to taking off…

“No!” I cried, feeling my gorge rise. “No, no!”

“From the looks of things,” Delano said languidly, “it seemed a great deal more like ‘yes’ ‘yes’ ‘yes’!’ He laughed, and I saw in his eyes the same smoldering desire I had seen in Kian’s. But while on Kian’s face it had excited me, even thrilled me, here I felt only shock and disgust.

“That’s because I thought you were Kian,” I spat. The effort of speaking through my revulsion was great, and every word seemed like a new trial. I wiped my hand across my mouth, trying to erase the taste, the smell, the sensation from my lips. My face burned with red-hot shame, having responded to Delano with such passion.

Delano’s smile grew wider. “Just me,” he said, his teeth pointy and flashing, his hands still on my bare skin. “Just glamoured up to look like your favorite lover boy…of the moment!”

I leaped to my feet, gathering my clothes around me, putting them on as fast as I could. They were Delano’s clothes, I knew, and the idea disgusted me even more, but I wasn’t about to let Delano take a good look at me half-naked.

“I just wanted to give you a little…ah….taste of what it would be like,” said Delano. “If you were with me. I wanted you relaxed so that you could tell what I’m capable of! You see, Breena, I hold much passion for you…your refusal of me has only fueled my want of you.”

“You are not Kian!” I cried.

“The Wolf Prince is not Kian, yet you spent days and nights with him…”

“How many times must I tell you it was because of the love and lust spell Wort put me under…”

“You could pretend I’m Kian…” Delano said with a wry smile. Then he laughed. “Or your Wolf Prince… or whoever you fancy…at the moment! Although with me, you seemed to be enjoying yourself very much!”

I felt my cheeks stain red from anger and embarrassment! How dare Delano try to corner me in such a position, to see my secret feelings like that! I’d never even shown Kian that side of me before, that side so filled with desire that I was willing to – stupidly! – forego asking any questions in order to be with my beloved. And now to find out it was Delano who had seen my face, heard my moans! I wanted to throw up.

I felt my anger burning within me, a rage so white-hot it seemed to emanate in a fiery glow from my body. You will get out of this, I heard a voice saying – my own voice, but older, stronger, a version of myself I had never heard before. You will not let yourself be a victim any longer. It was Winter and Summer magic, joining together within me, the power of my newly immortal blood.

And I had to take control.

Suddenly, a sword materialized in my hand, a ray of white light that hardened into steel. Delano’s eyes opened wide with shock, and I too had to work to hide my surprise! Was this what I was capable of with my new powers? I didn’t stop to think! I rushed straight to the bed, where Delano had been lying, defenseless, and pushed the sword straight against his chest.

“How did you….” Delano’s eyes were bulging.

“Someone else was glamoured as Kian before, you know…” I prodded the sword point into his flesh. “When I was stabbed. I don’t suppose you know who it was, do you?”

Delano stared at me, his green-gold eyes blazing and defiant. His leer had twisted. “So what?” Delano smirked. “Maybe I did glamour as Kian before – maybe I didn't! But if I did, I'd certainly say you're better off for it.”

“What do you mean?” I drove the sword in harder.

“Well,” said Delano, warily watching the point of the sword as it pressed against his pale, ivory flesh. “Now you're free of the Summer Court, aren't you? No more worrying about peace between Winter and Summer. No more stress. No more heartache – do I want Kian? Do I want Logan? None of that. Instead, you get a beautiful chamber in a gorgeous palace, with a loving pixie king who wants nothing more than to please you and give you a life of ease and luxury.”

“You call that helping?” I scowled at him. “I was fine before!”

“Really?” Delano gave me a look of mock surprise. “So let me guess. You were perfectly able to marry Kian, despite the fact that his mother and his people would never have agreed to the match. Or perhaps you were happy to marry Logan the Wolf – even though your heart belonged to the Winter Prince...”

“That is none of your concern.” And then it hit me. Wort's pixie heritage – the glamoured Kian that had stabbed me...the Summer Knights...or were they Summer Knights at all? Pixies had the power to glamour into fairies – the whole attack, the whole siege, had been a setup by Delano! “You’re the one behind all this, not Wort!” From the look on Delano's face I could see that it was true. “You set up my assassination; you set up the siege in the Great Hall. Just to get Winter and Summer fighting again.”

“I wouldn’t take all the credit,” shrugged Delano. “I believe you met my half-brother, didn't you? Wort. You didn't treat him very kindly, did you? You see, I may be Pixie King of most Pixies, but he is in charge of the Pixies of the East, close to the fairy Autumn lands. Unlike you fairies, we Pixies work together. He convinced me to create this rift between you seasonal fairies. And now you've got your just desserts. And fairyland is unstable once more, making this an awfully ripe time for me to put my oar in, as it were. Perhaps with Winter and Summer so distracted with their own wars, they won't notice the real threat...”

“The Pixies!”

“How will the Summer Court survive when its Queen is dead?” Delano smirked. So, it hadn't been about lust at all – at least, not mostly. Delano wanted to topple the Winter and Summer Courts alike and rule all Feyland with his pixie brood.

“Not so fast,” I said. “The Summer Court has a ruler – my consort, the Wolf.”

“While my half-brother Wort is quite nasty, he's awfully clever. I'm sure he'll make sure that the Wolf doesn't reign too long...”

I'd had enough of this conversation. I had no time to waste in pleasantries. I'd found out what I needed to know, and that was enough. I had to get back to my kingdom, to figure out what had happened. Logan was alive, that much Delano had revealed to me, even if it sounded like he was in danger. My hands clenched down on the sword, instinctively. I wanted to run Delano through for what he had done to me, what he had done to Kian, what he had done to all those fairy knights who lay dead on the battlefield now, both Winter and Summer, because of his actions.

Moments before I had run my hands up and down that chest. Now I wanted to see a sword in the middle of it. I bit back my anger. Killing Delano would only make the pixie problem worse. But that didn't mean I couldn't scare him. Delano kept on staring at me with those smoldering eyes, making it clear that he was thinking back on every lascivious moment we'd shared when he was glamoured as Kian. It made me want to vomit. “I should kill you,” I said. “You're lucky you lasted this long!”

“You wouldn't kill me!” Delano sounded over-confident; I had made him nervous.

“Maybe not right now...” I said. “Not if you do as I say. Say, if you handed me the snowflake, and made a solemn pixie oath not to follow me out, not to chase me....a magic oath.”

“That's bloody unlikely!” Delano spat.

“I'm not going to kill you, that's true,” I said. “But I’ll stab this where it’ll hurt.” I moved the sword downwards, pointing directly below his belt. “And then you won't be having children at all – with me or anyone else.”

“Highly unlikely,” Delano snorted, but cried out in pain as I hit the flat end of the sword straight into his groin. He knew I meant business.

“Next time,” I said between clenched teeth. “I’ll slice something off.”

“Fine!” he gasped for breath. “The pixie oath – I swear it!” He threw me the snowflake from around his neck.

“What do you swear?”

“I swear, as a pixie, on my very magic, that I and my men will let you pass through unharmed.”

“Good.”

I gave him one last withering look, and ran.

Chapter 7

I rode as fast as I could. I had taken one of the Delano's horses, a strong-looking steed with green-tinted skin, and set out on the path I remembered towards Feyland. I knew it would be many days before I reached home; the Pixie lands were far north, and last time I'd had Logan to carry me. In Wolf form, his speed could rival that of a flying fairy.

I wasn't sure how to feel. As soon as I had set up camp for the night – casting warmth and invisibility spells around a small perimeter of soft grass – I curled up underneath the velvet cloak I had stolen from Delano. I had taken food from the larder and a saddle-bag filled with weapons, much to the dismay of the Pixies, who remained scowling, magically bound by the oath that Delano had sworn on their behalf. The food was tasteless – the bland gruel that Pixies seemed to consider a delicacy – but it was better than nothing.

When I had finished eating I looked down at my hands. They looked the same. The same hands I'd always had. But I knew I was different, somehow. My body was different. My very being was different. I pricked my finger with the end of my sword and watched the silver blood pool in tiny dots on its tip. What was I? Since waking up from my tomb, my body has felt strange to me…reacting with such passion with someone I abhorred: Delano. Was I no longer in charge of my own body?

And was I really immortal? The idea was at once exhilarating and terrifying. On the one hand, I imagined that this would make creating peace in the Winter Court a great deal easier – I could be kidnapped or thwarted, but fairies were notoriously hard to kill. I knew that great magic could do it – Kian's father, I knew, had died in battle – but nothing mortal could cause death.

What a strange idea – never to die. To outlive my mother, my friends, Logan! The world back home would go on changing for thousands of years, and I would never grow old! I would have to watch them die, one by one, and have to suffer the pain of missing them. I'd never be able to return Beyond the Crystal River now, of this I was sure. How could I bear to see the people I loved, the places I loved, and know that I would outlive them all?

I felt a sudden involuntary rush of anger at Kian. How dare he give me this gift – and deprive me of the choice to be immortal or not! And yet I knew he was not to blame. He had offered me his life, his love, but it was I who had accepted it; my soul had answered his call, and I had bound myself to him utterly.

My thoughts were racing as I tried to settle down into comfortable slumber. So much had happened since my sixteenth birthday. I had met Kian and fallen in love. I had discovered who I really was. I had even met my father.

My heart sank as I thought of King Frank Foxflame, who still lay somewhere – I didn't know where – in the deep spellbound coma, where he had been ever since the Summer Queen had rebelled against him. She had hated him, resented him for his affair with my mother, sought to take her revenge by exercising all the power in the kingdom, and at last had decided to take over as sole ruler. She was dead now, killed by Shasta's blade. But where my father was, and whether it was even possible to wake him, I did not know. I knew only that we had shared some days together – awkward, at first, and then beautiful – as I had come to learn about the man who had always been a stranger to me.

But now he was in a sleep, a sleep from which I did not know if he would ever wake. He had been a stranger, but in those few days during which I had known him I felt a connection to him. He was my father, after all, and I mourned his loss still – quietly.

I lay staring up at the stars of Feyland, which seemed to ripple through the soft black waves of night. They seemed more beautiful than ever now, gleaming with a milky pearl sheen, as if viewed through a veil. I wanted to sail upwards, to transport my body into those heavens and dance among those stars, gliding from moonbeam to moonbeam, losing myself in this impossible beauty. My heart felt a pang as I looked towards the horizon of Feyland, which spread out before me at the base of the hill against which I had made my camp. Tomorrow, I thought. Tomorrow I would get to the Summer Kingdom; I would get to go home. I listened closely. The Feyland stars seemed almost to be humming – an impossibly soft melody that nevertheless filled me with agonizing longing. This was my country, my fairy country, a place that called to me with such a force that I felt my very body ache with the distance. This was the land that had called to me through my dreams all throughout my childhood, that had beckoned me nearer, that had called upon me to achieve my destiny. I loved this place. I knew I always would. My destiny was to save it.

Tears filled my eyes for my loss of my humanity. I was to die in Feyland and be reborn as a fairy, a Winter fairy combined with Summer blood. I felt my silver blood prickle as I seemed to come alive, called to the fairy stars, called to all the magic in the kingdom. I was a fairy now – one of them – and my body connected with the rhythm of Feyland; my heart beat to its magic. I felt its warmth, like the breeze of the breathy tropics, and the soft kisses of the cold on my lips, tiny droplets of frost: Winter and Summer magic were one in me now, and it fell to me to embrace it.

I closed my eyes and let the feeling overwhelm me. It was time to accept who I really was. My immortality. My fairy nature. If it meant that I had even half a chance of saving this place I loved so much, giving up my humanity was worth it. I had never felt more at home here, here where the stars shone so brightly and the breeze felt like a lover's touch.

I heard a sizzling sound. As I raised my head, I saw sparks gathering and flickering outwards at my fingers – combined blue and yellowish orange flames emanating from my fingertips, twirling together like spirals of smoke, heading upwards into the sky...

My magic, I thought. My power. Summer and Winter.

And then I heard rustling in the bushes. I snapped into alertness, looking wildly around. Had Delano been able to break his oath and follow me? “Who's there?” I called, my voice harsh with the long silence, “What do you want? Show yourself!”

A figure stepped out from the shadows. He was tall and dark, with a mysterious look in his eyes and his long black hair shading his face. I knew him well, and the sight of him made me reel with desire. Kian. It was Kian as I had remembered him, as I had seen him in the idealism of my dreams. He was dressed in full fairy knight armor, silver and shining, that glowed in the moonlight and shone its beams back at me with blinding intensity. Around him I saw the same blue sparks that had been flaming from my fingertips, glowing with a bright indigo flame. With his fairy wings fully extended behind him, he looked like an angel – like one of the stained glass images of the Archangel Michael I had seen in our church at home. He was looking down at me with a gaze so full of love, so full of passion and emotion, that I wanted to cry.

“Kian?” I whispered, my voice filled with tears. I was so terrified of being deceived again, of having my heart broken once more. “Is it really you?” Or was he only a glamour –another false Kian sent to torment me?

“My love...” But I knew the truth this time. The blue sparks coming from my fingertips swirled towards his own flame, and the two tongues of fire met, surrounding us with magnificent blazing blue. I knew this man. This was Kian – the real Kian and none other. Our souls called out to each other. Our bodies needed each other. The magic in our two bodies collided and combined, as the heat from our fire warmed us both.

“Breena!” Kian's face was too solemn for a smile, but the joy in his eyes was clear beneath the mask of pain. I raised my gaze to his, and in his eyes I saw all that he had suffered, all that he had feared and undergone. It seemed an eternity that passed with the two of us looking at each other, trying to make sense of our emotions, to put the pieces of our lives back together.

And then it happened all at once. Kian was rushing towards me and I was rushing towards him, and then I was in his arms, alive and complete, and his arms were tight around my waist and our kiss was electric. The blue fire continued to rage around us, punctuated by flickers of orange and gold. It was a cocoon, I thought – a safe place, laid out for us by this magic that connected us both. Nothing could touch us here. Nothing could reach us here. There was nothing here except me and Kian, except our love.

At last Kian was able to speak. “Oh, Breena, my darling!” He held me closer, tighter. “I thought I'd lost you forever – that I'd never see you again!” He pressed his lips tightly to my forehead. “Seeing you is like seeing some phantasm, some shade. No, not a ghost...” At last he smiled, and his grin seemed to light up the world. “An angel!” He stared at me with wonder and rapture plain upon his face, and I could feel the burdens in my heart lifting. Kian was here. What else mattered? Whatever challenges we still had to face, we could face them together! “When I saw the flames, blue and orange together, in the sky, I knew it had to be you! Where else could I see Summer and Winter magic acting in such perfect unison? And yet I did not dare to hope, dare to dream, until I saw your face, until I was sure that what I experienced this morning was not another lie, another trick borne out by fancy.”

I took Kian's snowflake from my pocket and held it out to him. The pendant sparkled in my hand, sending out beams of light into the stars. “This saved me,” I said. “Your snowflake. It made me immortal.”

He took the snowflake, his hands trembling. “Then you accepted me,” he whispered, his voice so soft, it felt like a caress. “My proposal – you must have accepted, deep in your heart, for this magic to work.” He took hold of my shoulders and pulled me in towards him. “You have become part of the Winter Kingdom. In accepting my love, you have bound yourself to my magic. And our love has brought you back from death...” Our kiss silenced him. There would be time to talk in a moment. But for now, I wanted only to feel his lips on mine, and give myself in to that ecstasy.

Kian held me tighter, and I leaned into his embrace, feeling his cold, steely power running through me – a terrible chill that coursed through my veins and yet did not hurt me, even as I felt the full force of its magic. “I want to feel you, Breena. Just let me hold you, please. Let me feel you in my arms once again. I want to savor this. I want to feel this!”

I ran my fingers over Kian's face and body – over the scars on his arms, the wounds on his cheeks and forehead. As my fingers touched each aggrieved spot, I could see a small orange-blue glow that restored his wounds to their former health. Once, I had heard that fairies could only heal their own kind. And now I was healing Kian – my Winter magic connecting with his. We were one, after all.

But as I looked into his eyes, lined with dark circles, I knew the psychological wounds would be harder to heal. The anguish we both shared at the loss of the Peace Treaty, the love that we felt for our fellow countrymen, the pain we had suffered – this would take time to get better. I touched his face with my hand, and he leaned into my hand, caressing it with his cheeks. Then he turned his face so that he can lay a kiss into my palm.

I closed my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to take away his pain, to show him how much I loved him. But as I sank down to the ground with Kian, kissing him harder than I'd ever kissed him before, I knew that the path before us was clear. We were together now. After all the misunderstandings, all the sadness, we were together now.

And we had tonight.

Kian held my face in his hands and began kissing me first with his lips. Soft kisses on my top lip and then my lower. His tongue urged my mouth to open wider, and swirled around mine teasing and tantalizingly so until I felt my entire body heated up into a fireball of desire. I kissed him back, nibbling on his bottom lip, tasting him. As I devoured his mouth, he drew me closer and our lips met in a deep soul-searing kiss.

We broke away for just an instant, and he was smiling, his eyes shining. “Now that you’re of winter fey,” he said, “your kiss can take my breath away, Bree, not that you haven’t before, but now we can give each other frost kisses.”

I laughed, and then he pulled me in for a kiss, his eyes hooded in desire. His mouth covered mine, and I felt his tongue again against mine, soft and searing, tasting me delicately and with fervor. When I couldn’t take the heat of his kisses much longer, he blew frosty cool air into my mouth until I felt my spine chill and my lungs freeze, and then he was sucking the warm air out of my breath until we were breathing as one. Hot and cold, summer and winter.

Now blow your breath into me, Breena. Cool air first.

I blew cold air into his mouth as he inhaled my breath and felt him gulp. Then he blew cold air into me, causing me to gasp for air. The sensation was electrifying and the coolness of his breath seeped through every pore of my body, making me shiver with cold and anticipation.

Hot, Breena. I want to feel the heat of your breath…of Summer, of life.

I blew warm hot air into Kian’s mouth, causing him to tense up, feeling flush. He gripped me tighter, and we were rolling on the ground, consumed with our passion for each other. And as our kisses grew more heated, and the protecting flames around us shielded us from any view, we gave ourselves over to that long-held desire, and allowed our love to at last take hold of us both.

By the time we opened our eyes again, the sun was coming up over the mountainside, and it was nearly morning.

Chapter 8

I woke up to feel a strong arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly. Could it be? Or had it all been a dream? No – the reality was more blissful, more beautiful than that! I rolled into Kian's chest, as strong and well-defined as marble, placing my hands all over his body, reminding myself that he was real, that this was real.

Kian laughed as my fingers tickled his ribcage. “So,” he murmured through barely parted lips. “This is what true happiness feels like.”

“I guess so,” I whispered. It was as if all the other times I'd shared with Kian were only a dream, only a shadow or an echo. Last night had been so different, so much greater and more beautiful, that it was like wakening from a dreamland of shadows into the brilliant color and vibrancy of life. All of the love I felt for Kian had been leading up to that moment, that final consummation of our love, a reunion that joined not only our bodies but our very souls. Summer and Winter magic had melded in the force field of flame that surrounded us, even as our bodies had tangled on the grassy floor of the woods. When I first entered Feyland, I was a mere girl, but have grown up quickly, becoming an adult almost overnight as the realization of the danger and duty I hold sank in immediately. I was now the Summer Queen, with all the responsibilities of a woman. I was a woman now, human or fey. Back in Oregon, in the mortal world, time had pass while I was in Feyland… so much time that I was sure I was no longer a child, a minor, but of age. My classmates would have graduated from high school by now as time in the mortal world moved along faster than time in Feyland.

I sighed as I looked at Kian. I had grown up in Feyland, and my love for Kian had grown into a mature one. Yet all my life, Kian had been with me, in my dreams, and now in my arms. As I traced my finger along his bare chest, I knew our bond from childhood – our engagement still held true.

Everything seemed so right, so perfect. This was how it was always meant to be – I felt that now, with a surety that made me strong. Kian and I couldn't be apart any longer; no, I wouldn't be able to bear it! I thought once more of the pain I had suffered when I promised Kian's mother I would abandon our relationship in exchange for making peace. But I felt different now. I felt sure that I could not make peace without Kian, without our love.

The sun was high above us when Kian at last sat up, brushing his jet-black hair out of his eyes. He leaned over and kissed me long and slowly. When he stopped, leaving me wanting more, he traced a finger along the curve of my hips. He smiled, his eyes staring into mine. “I wanted to make sure you’re real and not an illusion. Seeing you again is too good to be true, Breena.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight and kissed the top of my head.

“I can stay here in your arms forever,” I said. “But it seems there is so much I must do to restore the Summer Palace and begin anew with the peace treaty.”

“It's time to start,” Kian sighed. “The work of restoring Feyland may yet never be finished, but we must try...”

“Restore Feyland?” Last night, we hadn't talked about politics or kings; we had only given in to our love and desire. The harsh reality of the renewed war came upon me all at once, like the blaring of an alarm bell. “Kian, what's happened?” I thought once more of him standing above the defeated Summer soldier and my heart felt sick. “The war...the peace treaty...Delano was right. He had been telling the truth about Winter and Summer again at war.” But I knew what his answer would be. I didn't want to hear it. “Kian – is the peace gone?”

He lowered his head and shook it, his eyes grave and dark. “I'm so sorry, Breena,” he whispered. “I'm afraid Winter blames you for having allowed the siege of your men, and Summer believes that we are responsible for not one but two assassinations – the Summer Queen Redleaf, and now you. I don't know if peace will ever be possible now.”

“That can't be!” I almost shouted aloud. “Not after we've worked so hard....” My voice trailed off. “So, they think you've killed me, is that it? They think you were just some spurned lover, killing the woman who betrayed him?” Hot tears stung my eyes. “How could they think you would let anything get in the way of peace? Even I, who saw you stab me, knew there had to be something...that it couldn't have been you!”

“I was stupid,” said Kian. “If I hadn't left the Great Hall, whoever it was would never have been able to glamour into me...everyone would have seen the real me! But I left you, and that imposter was able to take my place! Despite my protestations, I cannot prove it was not me who stabbed you. Even the Winter Queen and all of Winter believe so.”

“I know who it was,” I said.

“Wort!” Kian's face darkened with anger.

“No, not Wort.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Kian, it was Delano.”

“The Pixie King!” Kian's eyes blazed with anger – like twin blue flames staring out at me. Delano had nearly killed Kian, while he was his prisoner. “I should have known. Nobody could be that insidious, that capable of deceit. He's always been our enemy; we were fools to ignore him.”

“Who else is alive?” I asked quickly. Then I lowered my head, not wanting to let Kian look into my eyes. “Is Logan okay?” my voice was low, barely louder than a whisper. I didn't want to make Kian any more jealous, but I had to know. Was my friend still alive? Was Logan, the man I was engaged to under Wort’s spell, there?

I saw the jealousy in Kian's eyes, but he refused to alter the stony expression on his face. “Yes,” he said softly. “He is still alive.”

“I' m sorry,” I cut in. “I had to ask....”

“No, I understand. He was – is – your friend.”

“He doesn't know...” I said, sighing, “that what we had was only a result of a spell.”

“Only?” Kian raised his eyebrow. “I think Logan's cared about you even before he drank that potion.”

“But he doesn't know that our engagement, that it was all a lie!” I sighed.

“Oh, Breena,” Kian whispered, holding me close. I felt his soft breath close against my shoulders, like a warm breeze filling me with love. “It's all gone so terribly wrong. And I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding with you, about what had happened to you, the confusion you must be feeling when you realized that you'd been placed under a spell. Only once the news of your death had reached my ears was I able to take control of the dark emotions that overtook me when I thought that you'd chosen Logan, was I able to think clearly through my pain. And I knew then what a fool I had been not to be there for you at that moment. My guilt, my shame, my pain: I thought they would destroy me! I wasn't sure I could survive without you. I went into battle, seeking out death at the hands of my enemies, and instead I continued the cycle of war, so deep was I in despair!” As Kian spoke, I saw tears – sparkling and iridescent – forming in his bright blue eyes.

He looked into my eyes and saw the tears rolling down my cheek, and then his tears began flowing, too, transforming into infinitely tiny snowflakes as they hit the ground. My tears followed his, streaming slowly at first, and then faster, watering the earth.

Then, where my tears had wet the ground, I saw budding with impossible speed a single flower, a snow lily. I jumped up in surprise. “What the...”

Kian couldn't help but laugh through his tears. “I suppose you really are a fairy now,” he whispered. “Really and truly.” He stroked my hair. “Your magic is exceptional. I have never seen anything like this before, except last night – the combination of Summer and Winter magic. Where I make frost, you make flowers.”

“I feel like I've died,” I said. “And come back as somebody else. I'm me, and I'm not me.”

“Whoever you are,” said Kian, “I love you more than ever, Bree. You’re still the same Bree who stole my heart. You hold in your hands my heart, my soul, and my very being. You are already the Queen of my heart, my love, my true love, my only love.” He kissed me gently.

“I can’t get enough of your kisses, Kian,” I sighed into his chest.

“I wouldn’t mind showing you how frost kisses are done again,” Kian said so low and deep, so softly that I leaned in closer to hear him. As I leaned in close, he grabbed my arms and pulled me into an embrace that had every part of me against him. I felt his heartbeat against my ear, and I felt his cool breath against my hair.

“I promise you, Breena,” said Kian. “For you and for my family – for everyone I love – this war has got to end. And we will be together at last…you will be by my side forever my queen, and I will be by yours forever your king!”

He led me to my horse and helped me into the saddle before jumping on alongside me. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, kissing the back of my neck as he stroked my hair out of my face. His touch was light and soft; I never wanted to leave it. “With my life, Breena,” he was murmuring into my neck. “The future is ours!”

I gave the horse a light kick and then we were off, galloping through the fields and forests of the mountainside, coming closer and closer to the fairy lands.

Chapter 9

We rode for hours, galloping and trotting over unfamiliar rivers and through high mountain passes, trying to find our way out of the pixie dominions. At last the landscape began to change – the trees became lusher, more beautiful; the animals of the wood began to stop and stare at us with preternatural intelligence. We were in fairy territory; Kian and I both felt the call of its magic in our blood as the cold, barren world of the pixie kingdom gave way to the rich red forests and beautiful arctic snowdrifts of the Autumn Lands, where Summer technically had power, but where plenty of Winter magic remained.

“How long have I been gone,” I asked Kian as we rode through a forest of flame-colored trees. “How long have they thought me dead?”

“Evenings and mornings have run together since I lost you, Breena,” Kian sighed. “But I'd guess it would be about seven days in your world – long enough for chaos to start.”

“Then I need to get back right away,” I said. “I need to get to the Summer Kingdom, to make sure everyone knows I'm alive.”

We passed the Autumn lands, so majestic in their fertile beauty, and began riding through more familiar territory. I knew these hills – so ripe with autumn fruits and vegetables: pumpkins, squash and gourds all grew the size of boulders here, the colors of the harvest brilliant and alive. This land was the former Summer Queen Redleaf’s Autumn lands…now part of Summer. I felt proud of the budding fruits and harvest found here, where life abound. But the pumpkins and tree-trunks were all dappled with silver alongside the golden sunlight, a viscous substance I recognized immediately. Fairy blood. “There's been a battle here,” I whispered.

“The blood is fresh,” said Kian. “This can't be more than a few days old.”

So this battle was the consequence of my death, I thought. If I hadn't been gone, then this never would have happened. We would have had peace – we would have had happiness in both kingdoms at last. I looked down in shame. How had I been so stupid as to let Wort get the better of me?

Kian saw my downcast expression. “You've done more for peace in this land than anyone,” he said, putting his hand to my cheek. “Don't blame yourself. It is not your fault. Wort and his Pixies have integrated themselves into the Summer Court long before you became Queen, Breena. This mess with the Pixies was there before you. We'll fix it – I promise.”

“That blood...” I whispered. “It's like my blood. These are my people – I feel this connection to them.”

It was now Kian's turn to look ashamed. “Summer blood,” he said, looking around. “In the heat of battle, I had not recognize this place, but now I do. I was at this battle...” He did not finish his sentence, but I knew what he was thinking. He had participated in this skirmish. He had killed some of those Summer Knights. “It was here that your voice...came to me. After your death, Winter and Summer again clash in battle, and I was to lead the Winter Knights in defending against Summer. Breena, after your death, your people wanted revenge, wanted Summer to avenge the death of their Queen. Winter fought in defense. I didn’t mean to kill anyone – they besieged me, had I not been faster with my sword it would be my blood there now.”

I loved Kian, but I also loved my Summer denizens. “Kian,” I said. “I don’t blame you for anything. I understood what happened. It is true, if my Summer Knights did not attack you, you would not have to defend yourself.” I said to him. “We'll both try even harder for peace. It's got to happen – it's just got to! It's not your fault. But we have a long way to go. We both know that.”

We dismounted the horse and went over to the site of the battle. We both cast our eyes downwards, whispering prayers for the fallen soldiers, Winter and Summer alike.

I was shivering. There was so much blood around us…silver blood that leaked like a river glistening in the sun. I looked away.

Kian touched my shoulder, his caress full of tenderness. “I’m sorry for my part in this, Breena. I would do anything – whatever it takes – to make sure that our children never have to suffer and risk their lives the way these soldiers have done.” He took my hands, bending down on one knee. Silver blood stained his trousers, but he didn't care. He looked up at me, his eyes full of light and love. “Just tell me what to do to earn your love. Your passion, your love, your trust, everything.”

“Just love me,” I said. “And help me. That's all I ask. Believe in me – believe that together we can do this.”

“I do that already,” said Kian fiercely, his eyes shining bright with the force of his passion. He leaned in and kissed me softly, and then with greater passion. “I love you with all my heart, Breena, the Queen of Summer and of this Winter Prince’s heart. For all those who died here, loyal to the kingdom of Summer and Winter, your deaths were not in vain! We will seek the peace our kingdoms deserve…that Feyland deserves.” He gripped Breena’s shoulders. “We were very close…so close to achieving it, Breena. We cannot lose hope. We will not be tricked by the likes of Delano or Wort ever again!”

At the name of Wort, we heard a familiar chuckle behind us. Too-familiar. We both whipped around, only to find the toad-like pixie himself leering at us. He was at the head of a band of five Pixies.

Of course! I gritted my teeth. Delano had promised with a pixie oath not to follow me with his men, but he hadn't said anything about Wort. I knew Pixies weren't to be trusted – even when making oaths. They were too tricky for that.

“So it was true,” said Wort softly, almost amazed. “You did have the Winter Snowflake on you. Delano wasn't lying. Lucky for him, I suppose. He's the one who cares about keeping you alive. He wouldn’t have gone through with stabbing you, if he didn’t think you could be brought back. I, on the other hand, would be happy to run you through with a sword. Guess he thought he still has a chance with you.”

Wort jumped off his horse, landing on the ground lightly. His pixie men did the same, leaping off with a grace unlike the Pixies Breena had seen at Delano’s castle. “You know, he is only half-pixie. Had everyone fooled, but I know. He’s got fairy blood in him, which explained his weakness to you, Breena. His slight madness, when it comes to you. Pity he is the favorite son of our father’s who took a fairy for a concubine and made her son Delano, the King. For that, we never got along. And because of that…I do not like fairies.”

“What do you want, Wort?” My sharp voice put an end to his ramblings. “You and Delano already killed me once. It's not going to work again!”

“They say fairies are immortal,” Wort scoffed. “I'd like to test that theory.”

“Just because your half-brother might be a fairy bastard, you hate fairies so much?” I snorted. “Bad childhood, Wort? Well here’s news – get over it! You've already got what you want, haven't you? War! Bloodshed!” Kian lay a warning hand on my shoulder and I forced myself to calm down, as much as I wanted to run Wort through. “Well, you're responsible for this, Wort. All this death,” I gestured toward all the silver blood around the land. “If it hadn't been for you, Redleaf would never have been manipulated into starting this war, into imprisoning my father....” My anger rose up within me. This one man – how could he be responsible for so much evil? My rage grew hot within me, and I could feel orange sparks flaring like fire-kindle from my fingertips.

Before I could stop it the flame had shot straight towards Wort, searing a hole that went clear through his arm. He let out a gurgling scream of pain. “Attack!” he shouted at the other Pixies, who rushed forth, brandishing their swords.

It was now or never. Kian raised his sword, and I clutched my own, concentrating all the force of my magic into the sword handle, praying that I would be able to cut a clean swath through the band of Pixies that was approaching us. Kian's sword flashed blue and silver, emitting indigo sparks as it shone and slashed backwards and forwards. The Pixies' swords clanged against Kian's and my own, sending a horrible sound echoing throughout the sky.

“Get back!” Kian cried, slashing furiously.

We both retreated slowly, attacking all the while. Kian had managed to run one of the Pixies through with his sword, but there were still four men left – four of what were evidently the best Pixies Wort had on hand. And Wort was fighting too, even as he clutched his left arm in agony.

“Stop!” I cried, as Kian stepped back.

We realized, almost too late, that the leaf-covered ground gave way quickly to a sharp precipice, a precipice that not even a fairy could survive. There was nowhere else to retreat to. We'd have to fight – or be captured. Three of the Pixies rounded on us, staring straight at us with eyes that glowed gold and green. But where was the fourth?

“Kian, no!” I shouted, running to him to block the blow, but it was too late. The fourth pixie had snuck behind us and had stabbed Kian straight through the shoulder. A spray of silver blood burst forth from Kian's arms, staining me and my armor.

Kian stopped in shock. His lips parted; his eyes grew glassy in their silver sheen. His sword seemed heavy all of a sudden – it teetered, and then fell from his shaking hands. Kian stumbled forward, wrenching his body clean of the sword. And then he fell back....

“No!” I rushed to Kian, trying to grab him back from the precipice, but it was too late. He had lost his footing, and then I too lost mine, and we were both falling together, sliding through the muddy leaves and then over the edge of the cliff, and there was nothing beneath our feet but air.

“No!” I screamed, as my feet kicked into shallow air. Kian was in my arms now, his head drooping low, and together we fell even faster: a single loaded weight falling with the speed of a bullet down, down, down towards the ground. I closed my eyes tight, not wanting to see the ground grow wider and closer before me...

And then I felt a jerk, and the falling stopped. I was moving, now, but it felt as if I were moving upwards, buoyed high by some invisible force. I opened my eyes. There were Kian's wings, iridescent and blue, flapping above us as we made our way home. His face still looked pained, and his silver wound was gaping, but I could see Kian's jaw set tight with effort: he would not let us fall; he would fly us to safety.

“You're hurt....” I whispered. “Kian!”

He gritted his teeth, and the flapping of his wings slowed and strained. “I can't hold on much longer,” he murmured, groaning with the pain. With a final burst of effort, he flew us down in a slow, graceful dive towards the earth. “When I say let go, let go!” His wings slowed to a stop as we lowered ourselves above a meadow of soft, sweet-looking grass. “Now!”

I unclasped my arms from around his neck and fell with a thud – painful but far less agonizing than the fall from the cliff would have been – into the patch of grass. Kian fell alongside me, his wings barely breaking his fall. We tumbled over each other down a narrow hill, and then landed squarely at the side of a sparkling pool.

When we had stopped rolling, I sat up immediately, going over to Kian and feeling his pulse. His face was whiter than usual – it was the pale color of death. Kian was wounded, and in this state he was severely weakened.

“I have to heal you again,” I whispered. “Use whatever Winter power I have....”

“See,” Kian gave a weak laugh – even in this weakened state. “Aren't you glad I gave you that snowflake?”

“It comes in handy,” I muttered, placing my palms on his chest. A combination of blue and orange light glowed from my fingers, entering his body and illuminating the wounds. The silver of his blood reflected the shining colors – the metallic blue of Winter and the bright, ripe orange of Summer. His wounds began to heal – slowly, at first, and then all at once – and then Kian lay before me as beautiful and as whole as I had always known him.

Kian was watching my face when I was done. I couldn’t read his expression, but he was quiet for a moment. Then he raised his finger to brush the hair off my face and behind my ear. “What a rare power you have,” Kian said almost in awe. “You are just what Feyland needs, Breena… a way of uniting the powers of Winter and Summer.” He pulled me to him, embracing me, crushing me to his chest. “Thank you,” he said softly.

I looked into his face and traced his cheeks with my finger. “Kian… no need for…”

He kissed me then, his mouth hot on mine. “Bree, no matter how many battles and fights we go through, you always amaze me.” His hand ran across my back and to my waist. “But every time, my love, I worry about you…about keeping you safe.”

I kissed him back, feeling his passion course through me. “Kian, don’t worry. I can take care of myself.” As his kiss deepen, I felt my hands on the back of his head, running my fingers through his dark silky hair, pulling his face closer to mine.

“Breena,” Kian said, “When Wort showed up with the Pixies, I was so scared for you,” he brushed his lips against my temples. “I can’t lose you again. I’d do anything to protect you, Breena. Even jump in front of Wort’s sword for you.”

“Oh Kian, Kian,” I said, feeling the depth of his love for me. “You don’t have to…please do not…I want you to live. If you ever have to choose, please Kian, I want you to live.”

“But Breena, how can I choose my life over yours? Without you, I have no life,” Kian cup my face in his hands then and kissed me so deeply, we felt the universe spin around us, and my breath became his, while his breath turned into mine. We were breathing into each other as if our lives depended on it, And when we finally broke off, we stared at each other for minutes, breathless, our arms still around each other in a tight embrace.

I love you.

Kian’s voice said into my mind.

I love you, too, mine responded back.

We could have kept staring into each other’s eyes for however long, but we have lost valuable travel time from Wort’s surprise attack.

“Bree,” Kian said.

“What,” I said, snuggled up against his chest.

“We must make our way back to the Summer Palace immediately!”

“Can’t we spend a few more seconds here…wherever we are? Where are we?” I looked around. This was not the leafy red territory, scented with nutmeg and cinnamon, of the Autumn lands. Instead the lands here were bright and airy – the blooming and blossoming of spring was all around us.

“I know this place,” said Kian. “I used to come here as a boy. It is a long way from the Summer Palace – but it is a way I can recall!” He took my hand. “Come with me!”

And together, without our horse now, we sprinted onwards.

Chapter 10

We looked around as we ran. This was the heart of the Spring lands, a place I had visited most rarely of all in my sojourns around Feyland. Here there were many waterfalls and springs – crystal clear and sparkling like rare gems. The flowers here grew in multitudes – many fields filled with sprigs of purple lavender and pathways bordered by bright, pert daisies. There were roses, too – bushes red and white and pink – and among the leaves I could see the buzzing of ladybirds and the hopping to and fro of tiny rabbits, who twitched their noses at us as we passed. This place was full of life, as the Summer Court was, and yet the life was not as ripe, not as fecund as it seemed in the gardens of the Summer Court. Rather, everything here seemed new and exciting: everything was just beginning. The rabbits were newborns – the flowers had just bloomed. A sense of peace washed over me with the scent of the apple blossoms.

“It's so beautiful here,” I said, looking around. “I don't believe I've ever seen a place like this before.”

“I know it well,” said Kian. “In my boyhood, before the war, my mother used to take me and Shasta here to play. We had a palace here – only it wasn't big and cold like the palace we lived in. It was a beautiful place: a wooden house with bowers of blossoms running all up and down the house, so much so that you couldn't even see the frame. Shasta used to clamber down the trellis to run wild through the night – she was always the mischievous one. She didn't have the responsibilities of being a future ruler...” He laughed. “But regardless, it was a wonderful time. The palace was destroyed in the war, of course. But this place hasn't seen as much war-damage as the rest of Feyland. It's largely been left behind – technically under Winter control, but most fairies who live here don't identify as Winter or Summer or anything in between: they live peacefully away from trouble.”

Could it be, I wondered? Was there anywhere in Feyland free of the ravages of war? If there was such a place, I thought, the Spring lands sounded like it.

“There's been a big battle over Blossom Valley,” Kian said. “That's the heart of Spring Country, and it's war-torn. But these are the Bloom Hills, and nobody bothered with them – probably because they're so remote. They're of no strategic importance.”

“But this place…it’s so beautiful!” I inhaled another breath full of the sweet floral scent.

Before Kian could answer, we were interrupted by a low growl from behind us.

“What the...” Kian and I turned around, only to see an enormous black wolf – the size of a bear – snarling at us with bared teeth.

“Stand back!” I cried. This must be one of the werewolves of Feyland – no ordinary wolf could be this large. And as far as I knew, all the werewolves were under Logan's command; he was their leader, and the captain of the Wolf Guard that had made an alliance with the Summer Court when we were engaged. “Stand down!” I cried. “By the order of the Summer Queen.”

This didn't seem to have much of an effect. The black wolf continued to snarl – its savagery apparently not tempered by my royal command.

“Figures we had to find the defector,” I muttered, raising my sword in defense.

Yet before the wolf could pounce another wolf leaped from the shadows – a wolf, slightly larger than the black one, with a smooth grey pelt the color of silver. This second wolf attacked the first one, baring its ivory-colored teeth with a ferocious look that made it clear that he meant business. As the black wolf continued to snarl, turning his attack on this new rival, the grey wolf sank its teeth into the black wolf's leg. With a yelp of pain, the black wolf backed off, and limped as fast as he could into the forest.

The grey wolf turned around and was staring at me, his eyes the color of grass and honey. Kian's hand flew to the dagger, and my hand stayed his. This wolf I would have recognized anywhere. My heart leaped as the wolf and I stepped forward toward each other.

Before I could reach him, the grey wolf transformed into the handsome young man I knew – the same familiar honey-brown hair, the same soulful dark eyes, which remained fixed upon me. “Breena...” he whispered, his voice throaty and hoarse. “I thought you were dead...” His voice trailed off. “What are you...” He rushed towards me, and before Kian or I could protest I was in his arms, held tight. I smelled that familiar woodland scent upon him – the smell that I associated most with home, with safety, with the woods of Gregory that we had both wandered together, growing up. Logan brought my face up to meet his. He searched my face, unable to believe I was back, in his arms. “How I've missed you....Breena.” His lips met mine in a passionate kiss of longing and despair. “I thought you’d die. It was the most horrible day in my life. I don’t understand. Why are you here? What happened?”

As he held me in his arms, rocking me back and forth, I swallowed back my tears. I loved him, my dear friend, but how could I tell him our engagement was brought on by a spell, by Wort, and that the Pixies planned my death, that I was now part of Kian, of the Winter Fey. He still thought we were engaged, that we would marry. How could I break his heart and tell him that it was Kian who truly had my love?

“And you!” Logan snarled at Kian, his voice booming like the Wolf Prince that he was. “I saw what happened, Kian! I saw what you did! Breena, how could you trust him after what he did to you?” Logan's voice shook with emotion. “I went through hell and back, after I saw what I saw. Saw him – him – stabbing you to death, then running off like the coward he was! Some of us Summer Knights went after him, but the Winter Queen cut down anyone who tried. She would do whatever it took to protect that – that faithless piece of trash over there!” He turned his gaze to Kian. “How dare you come back here now after all you've done to Breena, to our Kingdom? I missed a chance to kill you once, Prince. I won't miss that chance again!”

He turned away from me and brought his fist square into Kian's jaw. Kian stumbled backwards, his hand instinctively rushing to his dagger, as Logan delivered him a second blow.

“No, stop,” I cried. “Please, Logan, you have to listen to me. Kian didn’t harm me. He didn’t stab me. It was Delano. Delano glamoured as Kian just like Wort's Pixies glamoured as Summer Knights, to start the war over again and pick up the pieces themselves. Delano kidnapped me – that's where I've been...”

Logan stumbled back, disbelief written all over his face. “Is that true?” Logan emitted a low growl. “Because if it isn't, Prince, I'll make sure you pay for what you did with your life! Don't protect him, Breena!”

Kian wiped the silver blood from his mouth with his hand. “It is all true, Wolf,” he said, his voice making clear his disdain. “If you used your head instead of brute violence perhaps you would have spared yourself a pair of grazed knuckles.” His voice grew serious. “You know that I would never harm Breena. I would die before I did such a thing. You know what it is like to love Breena, Logan. Would you ever hurt her? No – then why could you ever think that I would?”

“I see.” Logan looked down, then looked Kian up and down warily. I knew what he was thinking – why was I with my old love instead of with him?

“It's Delano's fault, Logan,” I said softly. “Not Kian's.”

“I swear to God, Breena,” said Logan. “I'll kill him.”

“Not if I kill him first,” Kian cut in smoothly.

“He kept me in this tomb made out of ice,” I said. “Luckily I was able to escape. And it was Kian who saved me. The Winter snowflake pendant he gave me gave me immortality: it brought me back when Delano stabbed me. It saved me, Logan. Kian saved me.”

“I see,” said Logan. He extended a reluctant hand to Kian. “In which case, Prince, I suppose I owe you the courtesy of thanks.”

“I suppose,” said Kian, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I am grateful to you for bringing my fiancé back to me, Prince.” He put his arm around my shoulder and Kian’s mouth twitched very slightly. “Well, this certainly explains why I smelled pixie stink coming from near you Bree. Right where Kian was standing near you during the siege. I was headed your way… but I thought it was just a trick of the senses.”

“Logan,” I said, looking down at the grassy earth at our feet. “I have something to tell you.”

“Breena?” Logan shifted onto one foot, looking slightly nervous. “What is it?”

“Logan, our engagement...”

Logan beamed. “Yes?” He shot a look of pride at Kian, whom I could see quietly seething.

“You remember the banquet at the Great Hall...right?” I swallowed hard and bit my lip. “That night after we defeated Wort.”

“Of course I remember.” Logan fixed me with a distinctively smoldering look.

“That night – oh, God, Logan, I'm so sorry!” I felt the tears gathering again – tears that had been cried all too often in the last few days.

“What are you talking about?” Logan looked around wildly. “Breena, what's wrong?”

“One of Wort's minions – a chambermaid. She knew Wort wanted to destabilize relations between Summer and Winter. She put a love potion in our drink – made us feel something we shouldn't have felt – you and me both...made me forget Kian, forget my promise.”

“A love spell?” Logan laughed. “Breena, what are you talking about? I love you. I've always loved you!”

“But I...” I took a deep breath. “I loved Kian. Or at least, I did before the spell. It confused me, made things different. And then when I broke the spell – Kian broke the spell – and I realized what had happened. I never meant to hurt you, Logan. And Kian didn't either. The only person who's to blame is Wort who did this to us!”

“No,” Logan shook his head. “It can't be. It's real, Breena – what I feel for you is real! It's no different than it's ever been.”

“Please don't say that!” I tripped over my words. “Please, Logan – it's the spell that's talking, just the spell. We were better as friends – we were always friends, my best very dear friend. You were just under the spell too.”

“It. Was. NOT. A Spell!” Logan spoke through gritted teeth.

“Listen – Logan. Kian broke the spell. He proposed – he gave me the Winter snowflake...and its power showed me how I really felt. In my heart I accepted him, breaking the potion's hold over me. It turned me immortal, made me a real, true fairy, with silver blood.”

I took out my dagger and slit my skin on my arm where silver blood oozed. “It gave me Winter magic. All because of the true love I felt for Kian.” I could see the pain clearly on Logan's face. “I'm sorry, Logan. But I can't let that horrible spell keep you trapped!”

“It wasn't horrible to me,” Logan said softly. “It was real...” He took my face in his hands. There were unshed tears in his eyes. “Breena, I didn’t drink the same wine as you. As your Adviser and Head of the Wolf Guards, I couldn’t afford to get drunk.”

I blushed, feeling the full weight of regret. Logan’s feelings for me were real; he was never under a spell like I thought. He thought I loved him enough to marry him. I knew that the spell had seemed to me to be real, too. At the time, I had loved Logan desperately, and the memories of our days and nights together were still vivid in my imagination. But I couldn't let Kian know that. I couldn't even let Logan know that. It would hurt both of them less if I made the situation seem to be clearer than it really was.

“But we belong together, Breena!” Logan was protesting, no longer caring that Kian was within earshot. “We grew up together in Gregory. I knew your mother...we were going to go back to Gregory, to see her.”

I felt a pang. “That was another life, Logan,” I said. “My life is here now, and I have responsibilities.”

“And he's a prince, is that it?” Logan shouted. “I am a prince, too – of my people! And regardless of how the Fey see the wolves – we are a noble race!”

“It's not about that,” I said. “I love you – I'll always love you. As a friend, Logan. But what we had: it was an enchantment.”

“I don't believe you,” Logan shook his head. “It was real – you felt it! You must have felt it! That snowflake of immortality, whatever Kian gave you changed your feelings for me. That’s where the real spell is.”

I looked down to disguise my red cheeks.

“I've always known I was destined to love a fairy woman,” Logan said. “That I would marry her. I promised my grandfather, before he died – it was the prophecy made of me at my birth, and I swore to him I would carry it out. And carry it out I will!” And with that, before Kian could stop him, he stepped in and kissed me.

His touch was electric. I still felt echoes of that love potion Wort had put on me – Logan's kiss brought back the memory of our passionate nights, of our ecstatic days, of the way it felt when Logan put his hands upon the contours of my body. But I couldn't let that sway me. I stepped backwards, pushing Logan away harshly. I wouldn't let this spell – or its aftermath – control me.

“And what about the Winter snowflake?” Kian cut in, clearly having had enough of this scene. “The one her soul accepted – that proved, as you can well see by her silver blood – that she is my intended? Or did you just conveniently forget about that part of her destiny in your obsession with your own?”

“Why don't we ask Breena? Does she want to listen to some stupid snowflake – or to her heart?” Logan turned his gaze on me.

Kian turned to me too. “You're right,” he said. “I've been a fool. Breena – if you do love him, I'll step aside.” His voice was confident, even cocky, but I could detect a trace of vulnerability in his voice. His face grew paler, white as snow, and I knew he was afraid of my answer.

“Logan....” My voice grew hoarse with the difficulty of what I had to say. “Kian is my intended. He is my love. He always has been. The spell – you can't blame us for it. But we can blame Wort and Delano. And we can fight together....the three of us....for what we've lost. Our dignity. Our sanity. And the peace of Feyland. The Pixies took it from us – and it's time to take it back. I don't want to marry you, Logan – but I'm not about to marry Kian either. Right now, the only thing that matters is that we have a united kingdom of peace. And I need both of you to be there for me.” I sighed. “Right now, we need to focus on peace. Not who I'm going to marry or not marry.”

Both Kian and Logan looked ashamed. They knew that what I said was true. I took Logan's hand in my left hand, and Kian's in my right. “I don't know what I'd do without both of you. If it was not for you both, I would be Delano’s bride by now… so you see, all of us have to work together.”

Kian and Logan looked uncomfortable at being in such near proximity to each other. “Very well,” said Logan. “I promise not to kill you... for now.”

“Very well, Wolf. I promise not to kill you... for now.”

I finally let myself smile. “Well, that's all we can hope for right now. We have bigger enemies to fight than each other. And we need to start fighting them.”

Hand in hand in hand, we walked onwards towards the Summer Kingdom. This was one peace, I was able to help broker… for now.

Chapter 11

As we walked through the low, sunny dales of the Bloom Hills, where the sun-dappled hillsides were bright and sparkling with pastel flowers, we heard a soft neigh come from behind us. We turned around, our hands rushing to our weapons as we suspected another attack. But what we saw instead was a doe-eyed, whinnying horse, with a tawny mane and a yellow, buttercup-colored coat tinged with green that, though scratched, was nevertheless shiny and smooth.

“Daisy!” I cried, rushing to the horse. It was the same horse I had stolen from the Pixie kingdom, and ridden all the way into the Feyland forests. I had been sorry to lose the horse when Kian and I had tumbled off the cliff, but from the looks of things Daisy had been able to find us again. She whinnied with glee and galloped up to me. “I know this horse,” I said to Logan. I turned to Kian. “She must have been able to find us by our scent....”

“A pixie horse…” Kian noted, looking at the green tint of Daisy’s coat. “Strongest trackers of all Feyland horses. This certainly makes things easier,” said Kian, producing an apple from his saddle-bag and proffering it to the horse, which gobbled it joyfully and noisily. “Breena and I can ride while the Wolf transforms into his original form.”

Logan shot us both a look of steaming jealousy, and my heart broke for him. I knew that our love had been only a spell, but even now seeing him in pain made me want to cry. I couldn't make him suffer – not when he had been so noble, not when he had sacrificed so much. “It'll slow us down if we're both on the horse,” I said to Kian. “You take Daisy and I'll walk with Logan – you can ride on ahead and scout for us.”

“Nonsense,” said Logan. “You'll ride on me.” He crossed his arms. “It'll be faster riding a Wolf than riding a mare, especially one carrying two people.”

Kian gave a cold, reluctant nod. “I suppose,” he said. “If that is what is more feasible.”

“It's fine,” I cut in quickly, giving Kian a bright smile that was more chipper than I felt. “It'll help us get to the Summer Court faster.” I sighed – the last thing I wanted to do right now was to deal with more tension between Kian and Logan. I couldn't blame either of them, but in a way that made it worse, rather than better. Somehow I felt like everything was my fault, like I had led them both on. But I was true to Kian up until I fell under Wort’s love spell.

No, I told myself. It's Wort's fault – nothing more. And yet I knew that was not strictly true. Even before the love spell, I had been attracted to Logan – we'd had a brief romance early in my time in Feyland. But I'd ended things, knowing my feelings for Kian were too powerful. Yet as Logan transformed once more into the sleek, grey wolf, and as I mounted his arched back, twisting my fingers in his pelt to stay upright, I felt the familiar memories of us together, rushing back to me. When we were engaged, we had spent a great deal of time like this: after mornings tangled together in bed, enjoying the satin sheets and silken pillows of the Summer palace, we would go for rides through Feyland, just like this. My thighs tightly clinging to his back, my fingers pulling at his hair, feeling the wind whipping through us. I remembered the passion that Logan and I had shared, and my body shivered involuntarily as my nerves tingled at the recollection. Logan’s love for me had always made him passionate as the wolf he was, yet caring and gentle as my sweetest friend. I had noticed that ever since my transformation into a fairy, my body had become more sensitive, more attuned to changes in the world around me. Logan's muscles felt tighter than ever – his fur softer and smoother. My attraction to him, even now, was stronger as my fairy magic sensed our connection and transformed it – making it more powerful, as everything was more powerful to me now.

At last we stopped to rest as the sun hung heavy and nebulous above us. Night would come soon, and the horse needed to drink. Kian led Daisy a few hundred yards off, to a stream he remembered where the water tasted fresh and clean and the banks grew ripe with green herbs and the scent of tarragon.

Logan and I were alone together for the first time since our reunion. I could see Logan looking at me warily, trying to find the right tone to strike. I knew that he was wary of getting too close to me – that he was still getting over being hurt in the way he had been. But I knew too that his love for me was still strong; even without my fairy powers I would have been able to see his emotions in his eyes. Logan, so strong, so straightforward, still maintained those animal instincts in human form. His eyes made it clear whenever he wanted something: and from the fixed way he stared at me, I knew his desire was for me.

“Logan,” I said, taking his hand. Logan closed his eyes at the electricity of our touch. “I just wanted to say I'm sorry. What happened between us – I know it was a spell, but I still can't help feeling like I led you on, like it was my fault, somehow...”

“It's not your fault.” Logan looked down, unwilling to meet my gaze. “Like you said, Breena. It was Wort's fault. We should be blaming him.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Or at least, you should. That spell didn't affect me – at least, I don't think it did. I loved you before, Breena, and I loved you just as much afterward.”

“I know,” I admitted. “It would have been easier, you know. If you'd only felt the way you felt because of the spell. But you didn't, did you?”

“I still remember what we had and, even knowing that you weren't really there – even knowing it was all a spell – all our memories still feel so real, so strong. I'm trying to forget them, Breena, for your sake; really, I am. But somehow I feel like I just...can't.” He sighed. “I'm so sorry, Bree. I just can’t stop loving you just like that. I’ve loved you for so long, Bree. I’ve always thought we’d be together.”

“No!” I rushed towards Logan, encircling him in my arms. “Don't say that. Logan – I know how you feel.” It was now my turn to sigh. “I know....exactly how you feel.”

Logan looked up slowly, his dark eyes growing bright with hope. “Breena, what do you mean?”

I felt my cheeks flush red. “I can't forget either,” I said. “The spell may have been fake, but those memories were real. I can't help remembering them.” I wasn't sure what I wanted. I wanted to come clean – not to lie to Logan anymore. I wanted to make him feel better, to soothe his pain by letting him know I did remember my memories of our time together

But I hadn't counted on the joy in Logan's eyes, a joy so strong I knew I had admitted too much. “Then don't stop,” he whispered. “Don't stop loving me – don't ever stop.” He cupped my face in his, and before I realized what was happening he was kissing me again, his lips hot on mine. I felt the same rush of memories – my body reacting instinctively to the touch of the man to whom I had once been engaged.

But I stepped back, even as my heart pounded with the force of this attraction. “Logan, I can't...” I didn't want to betray Kian. I had made my choice, and now I had to live with it – even as I knew it would never be easy. These feelings, these memories, would never go away. But neither would my love for Kian – and I owed it to both Kian and Logan not to hurt them any longer, not to lead them on. I had no spell to fall back on, to blame for my actions. I was only alone with my desires, with my feelings and my thoughts, and with the choice I had to make. “Logan, I love you but...” I took a deep breath. “This isn't right. You know that...”

But from the dumbstruck look on Logan's face, I knew that he didn't 'know that' – that he didn't feel it deep down. For him, kissing me was the rightest thing in all the world.

But we were interrupted by a fierce, low growl. It was the black wolf that had attacked us earlier. Despite its injury sustained earlier – we could still see the just-healed wound in its thigh where Logan had bitten him – it looked as savage and as ready for battle as ever. And this time it had come with reinforcements. A whole pack of wolves stood poised to pounce, tense on their haunches, all staring at their leader, waiting for the command to attack.

“Balthazar,” said Logan softly.

At these words, the leader of the wolf pack transformed into a man – a transformation so smooth and graceful that it took my breath away. Where there had once been a black wolf there stood now a strapping man, with the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen and jet-black hair that fell into his eyes. His cheekbones were high and taut, his beauty marred only by the scar running across his face. But, despite the perfection of his face, this man unsettled me. His eyes were not warm and kind as Logan's were, or deep and piercing like Kian's. These eyes were cruel and cold – their beauty serving only to enhance their lack of kindness.

“Nice to see you too,” said Balthazar, rolling his eyes. “You’d think you and your father would have gotten the message that not all wolves want to be on the side of the Summer Court. We finally are part of the seasonal fairies’ war, where we can increase our powers, claim more land and riches. All this no thanks to your Grandfather. Thank goodness Deacon killed him or we would never be part of the war!”

Logan winced at the mention of his grandfather. I could see his muscles ripple and tense – Logan was getting ready to fight. But while I had little doubt that Logan was one of the strongest wolves out there, even he wouldn't be able to fend off this entire pack – not without help. I tried to steady myself and concentrate my strength, but as I looked at the panting wolves, with their teeth protruding sharply from their straggly muzzles, I felt that my magic would not serve me too well against these lupine fangs.

“Who are you?” I asked the black wolf, trying to sound as brave as I could, and far braver than I felt.

“Ask Logan,” Balthazar scoffed.

Logan balled up his fist, his shoulders tensed.

“While Logan may be the Wolf Prince,” said Balthazar, “I too command a legion of werewolves…who no longer believe we should stand aside and let the Pixies claim all the land and riches of Feyland.”

“Breena,” Logan said, watching Balthazar warily. “Balthazar leads the rogue werewolves, who no longer belong to our wolf clan. He has no scruples…”

“You know who I am?” I cut in.

“Of course I do!” Balthazar gave me a wolfish leer. “You're a very desired woman, after all. And you have a massive price on your pretty little head.”

“And let me guess,” scoffed Logan. “Somebody offered you that price to get her for them.”

“You know me so well!” Balthazar gave a mock sigh.

“Balthazar can be bought by anybody!”

“Not true!” Balthazar smiled. “Not your grandfather.”

“My grandfather never tried to buy you.”

“No, exactly,” said Balthazar, grinning even wider. “And that's why we killed him!”

I heard a low growl emitting from Logan's throat. His lips parted, and I could see that even in his human form, he had begun to develop wolf fangs – a full-on transformation would come any second...

“Tsk tsk!” said Balthazar. “Don't lose your temper, boy. Or Wolf Prince, the Advisor to the Queen! Please! No real self-respecting werewolf would leave the woods for the frippery of a palace. You may be strong, but you've separated yourself off from the rest of us. And this here is my clan. My clan, my rules. And unless you want your pretty little princess to be dinner for the twenty of us, I suggest you back off.”

“You're not going to touch a hair on Breena's head!” cried Logan. His confidence was inspiring, but I wasn't quite sure how accurate he was.

“And who's going to stop us?” Balthazar laughed. “You?”

“No!” A loud, clear voice came echoing through the trees. “All of us!”

Chapter 12

Balthazar looked up, trying to identify the source of the voice. “What, who's there?” he growled, searching the shadows and bushes for any sign of a face. I recognized the voice, of course. It was a voice I knew too well, and loved too well, not to recognize in a heartbeat. “Kian!” I whispered to myself, my heart full of joy. The three of us would be able to battle these wolves – I felt sure of it.

“Over here!” Kian's voice called out once more, and Balthazar's head whipped around, distracted. That moment was just enough time for Kian to let loose an arrow, and before the wolves realized the direction the voice was coming from, a single whizzing arrowhead pierced clean through the heart of one of the wolves. He fell to the ground with a thick thud.

“Attack!” cried Balthazar, but it was too late. A flurry of arrows was raining down on the wolves from a hundred different directions, and the wolves seemed torn whether to attack or go on the defense. They seemed, in the end, to choose a combination of both – the arrows hailed down, the wolves rushed ahead, and at once it seemed that there were hundreds of arrows and hundreds of wolves – a chaotic, screaming crowd of violence that neither pressed on nor moved away, but rather transformed the whole of this idyllic dale into a storm of terror.

I caught sight of Balthazar, evidently less brave than his bravado would have him appear. He was running away into the bushes, dodging and feinting arrows as he went. I wasn't going to let him get away without a fight. I ran towards him, feeling my fairy powers carrying my feet faster than any mortal run, rushing towards him until at last Balthazar was at my feet. I grabbed hold of his hair and held the knife to his throat. Instantly he transformed into a human once more.

“Listen to me, Black Wolf,” I said quickly. “Who hired you?” I stuck my dagger deep against his artery. “Who are you working for?”

Balthazar scoffed. “I'm not going to....”

I jerked his head back and pushed the dagger in deeper, drawing blood. Balthazar winced and yelped in pain. “Listen to me. I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf. And I'm not afraid of dying. I've already died once this week, and I'm not afraid of dying again. So I'm certainly not afraid of using this dagger.”

Balthazar remained defiantly silent.

“Was it Wort? Delano?” I yanked his hair. “The Pixies?”

“No, not the Pixies...” Balthazar forced out the words in strangled tones.

“Then who was it?”

No answer.

“Listen to me – I'm going to give you five seconds to answer this, and if you don't, I'm driving the dagger straight through your neck.”

“No...”

I jammed the dagger into Balthazar's shoulder, and his howl made it clear that he had been beaten.

“Fine, fine!” He panted. “It was Flynn – the Winter Knight!”

I stopped short. Flynn? I knew he was no friend of Kian's – he hated me, and wanted nothing more than to gain power in the Winter Court by serving as a high-ranking military general in the world – but I hadn't expected him to be at the root of all this evil.

I drove my knife straight into Balthazar's other shoulder. “This is for Logan's grandfather,” I said as he yelped. “And it's better than what you deserve. An eye for an eye? I thought you wolves were supposed to be above petty fairy qualities – like mercy or forgiveness? You yourself bragged about the brutality of the wolves, didn't you? Ready to see your theory in action?”

“No!” Balthazar gave a piteous squeal – like a puppy's plea. I sighed. I couldn't kill anyone in cold blood like this – no matter how clear it was that Balthazar deserved it.

“You don't deserve a quick death,” I muttered. I focused my magic and in an instant Balthazar was bound tight with fairy ropes, trussed to a nearby tree.

I rushed back to the glen where the battle had taken place. I gasped as I saw the carnage that had taken place – the bodies of at least fifteen men lay sprawled across the clearing, their throats ripped from their bodies. I knew they were werewolves – knew they meant to kill us – but nevertheless the sight was sickening. I forced myself to stare at the bodies, despite my nausea, fearing that Logan's body would be among those lying there....

“Breena!” A soft voice made me turn around. Logan was leaning against the tree, exhausted. As I approached him he collapsed into the earth.

“We have to get you healed!” I rushed over to him.

“I'll be fine,” he murmured, but I could see how much blood he'd lost. He wasn't immortal like me or Kian – I had to worry about him. “Where's Balthazar? He's dangerous...”

“I took care of him. He's tied up to a tree – he'll bleed to death, or one of his wolf cronies will turn on him, no doubt.”

Logan choked out a laugh.

“Where's Kian?” I looked around, seeing no sign of Kian among the dead or the living.

Logan gave no response.

“Kian?” My cries echoed through the woods, but there was no response.

Logan sighed, coughing out his words. “He was shooting arrows from the trees,” he whispered. “Then he swooped down from the trees with his silver sword and began fighting off the wolves one by one. He was valiant, but there were so many wolves....I think they took him, Breena...I couldn't see what happened; these two wolves jumped on me, I could barely fight them off.”

My heart sank. If Kian had been taken, we were all in danger. But right now I had to focus on getting Logan well.

“I'm going to heal you now,” I said.

“But you're not a Wolf!” Logan protested softly.

“These combined powers had better be good for something,” I shut him up, summoning all my healing powers into my palms. Let me heal Logan. My friend. My love. Please. I could feel my fingertips beginning to warm and glow: I pressed them to his wounds and instantly they began healing, one wound after another vanishing – the skin growing over like new.

At last it was done and I rolled off Logan, exhausted. He was looking up at me with palpable awe. “You did it!” Logan smiled. “I've never seen powers like that, Breena! You've finally become a full fairy – stronger than any full fairy! You can heal anyone – Winter, Summer, or Wolf Fey.” He laughed with joy. “My grandfather was right! He always said that fairy magic would save us! Wolves can distrust the Fey – but my grandfather believed only an alliance with them would help us to restore our former power.” He clasped me in his arms. “You say that your magic interacted with Kian's proves that he's your intended?” He gave me a searching look. “But I say that your magic on me proves you're the subject of the prophecy! It's got to be you, Breena!”

I sighed. How could I be both Kian's intended and the subject of Logan's prophecy? I couldn't deny Logan right now, especially given the joy in his voice and all he'd suffered, but I felt myself pulled violently in two opposite directions! How could I love these two men – so different, but both so noble and good – at the same time? And how could I be destined for both of them?

I sighed. “We have to find Kian,” I said, choosing not to answer Logan's protestations of love right now.

At the sound of his name, I heard a voice – weak and faint, but unmistakable – coming through the back of my mind. Breena! It was Kian. He sounded frail and exhausted; I could sense his pain.

Where are you? I looked around wildly, as if hoping to see Kian before me.

The wolves managed to overpower me. Kian's voice grew weaker. They wounded me and carried me off. They haven't done too much yet, but they've taken me to this cave!

Kian!

But he'd vanished now – too weak to communicate.

I sat up. “Logan, Kian says they've taken him to a cave. Do you know where that could be?”

Logan furrowed his brow. “Balthazar has a cave,” he said. “He uses it as its main lair.”

“Balthazar said he was paid off to attack me – that Flynn hired him in order to make sure I was never found. Apparently he found out I was still alive – but wanted to make sure I didn't stay that way. He hated Summer – hated Kian for falling for a Summer Princess. He knew that rising through the ranks of the military was the only way for him to gain power in the kingdom, and he couldn't do that if there was peace.”

“So Balthazar is on the side of the Winter Court,” spat Logan.

“No,” I said. “He's like the Pixies – he doesn't care who wins as long as he gets the spoils. In any case, Flynn can't be considered part of the Winter Court: Kian banished him. Kian didn't want anyone getting in the way of peace.”

“And Flynn didn't want anyone getting in the way of Flynn.” Logan rolled his eyes.

“We have to help Kian!” I pulled at Logan's sleeve. “I know this is the last thing you want, but...”

“He saved my life,” said Logan softly. “In the battle – he risked his own life to save mine. He has done so before. Whatever my personal feelings are, Kian is a brave man. We owe him that much, I understand.”

“Thank you.” I squeezed Kian's hand.

“I know where Balthazar's cave is,” said Logan. “I'll take you there. Not as a favor to you – it's not like that this time. I want to help Kian too. We both care about you and we both care about peace. And I know we all need each other now.”

He touched my nose lightly. “But if we're going to reach the Wolf Kingdom soon, we'll have to get a move on.”

He transformed into a wolf once more, barking for me to get on. I straddled his back and we rode on once more into the night.

Chapter 13

Logan and I rode into a place I had never seen before, into depths of Feyland that I did not recognize. The lands here were no longer as clearly seasonal as they were in the places where the Fey had sway, nor were they as barren and cold as the Pixie realms where Delano had kept me imprisoned. Instead, this region was beautiful and tangled: everywhere there were thick tree trunks surrounded by long vines and overhanging branches, giving the forest the appearance of a maze. We could no longer run; instead, we had to tread carefully, brushing aside hanging branches and peering around every corner in case of danger. I dismounted, and Logan transformed once more into his human form.

“Wolf territory,” he said, looking around, sniffing the air as if to identify the scent of the vanished wolf camp.

“I never knew this place existed,” I said. “You never told me – there's so much about the Wolf life that you never told me.” How had I never known, for example, that Logan was a prince in his own clan, or that he had a grandfather who had been killed? When?

Logan looked down, ashamed. “I never wanted you to think of me as anything less than human,” he said. “Even when you found out about me, about me being a werewolf, I just didn't bring it up. I didn't want you to think I was weird.”

I laughed. “I have silver blood and am immortal – how could I think you weird?

“It's different,” Logan sighed. “Fairies look like humans, they act like humans – but better. Prettier. More powerful. Werewolves – we're...animals. And I guess I didn't want you to see me that way.”

I took Logan's hand. “The only way I see you,” I said, “is as a brave, noble warrior. I don't care what you are!” I laughed. “And hey – at least you're not a pixie!”

“Small comfort,” grumbled Logan.

As we walked through the Wolf realm Logan began telling me more about the werewolf clan, about the life he lived outside of me, outside of the intrigues of the fairies. “I have my own reasons for fighting this battle,” Logan said. “My loyalty is part of it, but it's so much more than that. It's about my people. My wolves – my pack. My clan. It was my decision to ally our clan with the Summer fairies. But there were rogue wolves among us, wolves who ally with anyone who gave them the largest spoils of war.”

“Wolves like Balthazar,” I breathed.

“Yes, like Balthazar. And those he commands. They believe that the best outcome for us all is that the fairies of Summer and the fairies of Winter kill each other, so that we wolves can take over in their absence. They didn't like the fact that Grandfather wanted peace. They wanted to sell themselves as mercenaries to the highest bidder – fighting for Summer or Winter, whoever paid them more, in the hopes that the two fairy courts would cancel each other out. So they conspired to assassinate Grandfather. And they managed it!” Logan's expression turned dark. “He died in my arms. And with him died many of the hopes of the Wolf Fey.”

“The chance for peace?”

“More than that.” Logan sighed. “I never told you this, Breena – because I didn't want to pressure you.”

“What?”

“We're not simply human-wolf hybrids, werewolves. We have a certain amount of Fey magic within us – magic that allows us to shift back and forth between our wolf and our human natures. And the fairy blood within us is dying out, more than ever now that wolves like Balthazar have bred a hatred of Fey in our clans. And if the fairy blood dies out...”

“You won't be able to shift?”

“Exactly. We'll become dumb, mute beasts, who only snarl and attack. Not this generation, and perhaps not the next, but our grandchildren...they may be but wolves.”

“And you didn't tell me.”

“How could I tell you that the hopes of all my wolf supporters rested on my love for you?” Logan laughed. “I know how you felt when Delano wanted to use you to breed pixie-fairy hybrids. How is this any different?”

“It's different,” I said – haltingly, as I tried to put my thoughts together - “because I care about you. Because you're my friend.”

“It is not every wolf who finds a fairy bride,” said Logan. “We can't all be so lucky.”

We came to the end of the tangled wood, and arrived at the foot of a mountain. There we saw a manor built into the side of the rock out of wood and stone, an elaborate mansion that looked, I thought, like a rustic grand manor in the woods.

“Wolves like darkness,” Logan explained. “Especially when we shift. I'm used to shifting, so it's not so bad, but it's...less embarrassing if we have a bit of privacy.” Logan looked down. “Something else you should know since you’ve met him a few times at my house in Gregory… my father is a werewolf, too, and he’s the Wolf King.”

My mouth opened in astonishment. His father, too? I pictured Logan’s father, who was shorter and smaller than Logan, but still powerfully-built. I had always seen him in a suit since he was a lawyer in Gregory.

“I know, you’d never have thought,” Logan said smiling. “Like father, like son. We’re both wolves.”

He picked up the brass knocker and knocked loudly three times.

The door creaked open.

“My Prince!” An old man with a mess of white bushy whiskers opened the door. “But your father is not at home!” His eyes bulged in surprise. “We did not expect you; the King is attending to business in the Land Beyond the Crystal River.”

Logan sighed. “So he’s still not back. Thank you, Baneflint.” He put an arm around my shoulder and whispered to me. “Business means my mother. She's human...and not well at the moment. Dad had to see her back in Gregory.”

I touched Logan’s hand. “I’m sorry she’s ill.”

Logan smiled. “It would be nice if she can cross the River and stay in Feyland, but she’s human. Her life’s in Gregory.”

I nodded. “Like my mom. I wished I knew all this before. My mom and your mom could’ve help each other… talk about Feyland gossip or something. You know… have them connect with Feyland society.”

At that, Logan and I looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Picturing our mothers together talking about Feyland gossip was so far removed from our grave thoughts of battling rogue wolves and Pixies, we had to laugh. And it felt great to be able to laugh with Logan, just like we always did back in Gregory.

Finally Logan stopped and said. “I needed that, Bree. Thanks.” He noticed Baneflint standing there then. “Baneflint,” said Logan in a loud, commanding voice. “I need you to gather up all the wolves that are in this house – right away, and tell them that the Prince commands them to appear in an assembly in the Main Chamber. Can you do that?”

The old man responded not with words but with a bark, and transformed instantly into a silver-white wolf – looking aged but still noble, as did his human counterpart – and bounded past us into the depths of the manor.

“The house-bit is just the front,” said Logan. “It makes the non-wolf side of us feel at home, but the rooms all extend into the mountainside – through caves and tunnels. There could be hundreds of wolves staying here at any one time. We'll need reinforcements if we want to march on Balthazar's men.”

Suddenly, the sound of running feet came down the hall. I gasped as I saw what must have been easily a hundred pairs of yellow, lupine eyes staring out at me from the darkness. One by one, the wolves emerged, their noses sniffing at the intruder – me – their haunches raised and their mouths just agape enough to display rows of grinning teeth. I knew that these were simply wolves like Logan, but I couldn't help feeling nervous at the sight of all those fangs. Logan squeezed my hand reassuringly, but I held my breath until, at last, they changed at once into a hundred humans.

They were beautiful, almost uniformly – strong, rugged, masculine creatures whose muscles still bore the sense of animal urgency. They all stood up straight, staring at Logan with love and admiration – the loyalty of soldiers waiting for their Prince to speak.

“It is my duty,” began Logan, “to inform you that I have been attacked by Balthazar, the traitor wolf and conspirator against our Wolf Clan!”

A murmur rose up from the crowd. They may have been humans now, but there was something distinctively animal about the way the pack interacted, sniffing and muttering to each other.

“He has also threatened the life of my fairy queen, Breena! Some of you may have remembered being present at our engagement...”

I gulped. I wasn't sure how this pack of wolves would take my rejection of their leader's hand in marriage. Luckily Logan seemed to pass over the issue.

“There you swore an oath of loyalty not only to me, but to my fairy bride-to-be, the Queen Breena. And I will ask that you act upon this oath now. Balthazar's wolves have attacked and kidnapped the Winter Prince Kian, keeping him hostage in the hope of extending this war further. In the hopes of propelling us into a war we do not wish to fight.” Logan raised himself up to his full height. “You remember my Grandfather, Silverfoot. You remember how he hated war, and loved peace. You remember how you all loved him!”

The crowd murmured and nodded in assent.

“Now I ask you to honor him – by retaliating against these dreadful invaders. If Winter wishes to take control of the rogue wolves, we must side to protect the interests of Summer, including the restoration of Breena's friend and ally, Prince Kian, to the throne!”

The werewolves howled in unison, transforming once more into their unsettling animal form as they did so. I instinctively stepped back into Logan, letting him place his arms around my shoulders for protection. The Wolf Fey were a formidable group, and as I watched these large wolves, I could not help but fear for their foe. I wasn't interested in getting on the wrong side of these creatures.

“They're perfectly safe,” Logan whispered. “They're loyal. They're my men.”

All the same, I was glad when they transformed once more into humans, and began marching in a soldierly line out of the mansion, and towards Balthazar's cave, secreted away in the distant, cloud-capped North.

Chapter 14

We marched through the middle of the night. The stars shone cold above us, like so many bright snowflakes illuminating the ink-blue darkness. The light of the moon and stars set into relief the shirtless bodies of the werewolves – each stronger and more chiseled than the last – and I must admit that Logan caught my gaze lingering too long once or twice on these mysterious creatures, whose animal eyes and animal urges made them all the more entrancing. Who were these enigmatic figures, this clan that Logan had for so long kept from me? He said that he was afraid that his wolfish side would make me see him in a new light – was that true?

I considered Logan alongside the other werewolves. At their head, it was true; he did seem less human than he did before. I had always seen Logan as an affable best friend, a charming – reliable figure that could always be counted on to do the right thing. Even the Wolf I had so often seen Logan become had been a figure of stability to me.

But it was different now. Seeing Logan lead this army of half-men, half-wolves, who seemed no less dangerous with their weapons and their armor than they did with their teeth and their snarls, Logan seemed stronger, somehow, more powerful. He was not merely the loyal best friend I had come to take for granted. He was a prince in his own right, strong and brave, with a life I had never even heard about despite knowing him almost my whole life. How could I not have known about his grandfather, or about his promise to wed a fairy woman? How could I have known that behind the soft, kind exterior, beneath those warm brown eyes, there lay this stalwart warrior, whose resolve was only matched by his power? Logan's face had never seemed more alluring to me then, when it was set against the opposition – his jaw clenched and his dark eyes blazing as images of Balthazar danced across his brain. His body had never seemed more powerful. He had never seemed more dangerous.

I was almost afraid to speak, lest I awaken the wolf within him. That loyal dog had become in my mind a dangerous beast, like these other majestic beings. He had let me ride him, but it became increasingly clear to me as I watched the werewolves march that any woman who tried to ride on a werewolf's back unbidden would very easily risk becoming their dinner.

I thought back to the nights of passion Logan and I had shared under the spell. My memory was fuzzier than it had been – freed by time from the prison of my fantasies which had haunted my dreams, off and on, for so many nights since Kian had broken the spell – but I still remembered Logan's strength, Logan's passion, his kisses… Looking at him now, in the context of his wolfish clan, it no longer surprised me as it had done that first night, when I expected friendly affection and got his fiery ardor instead.

Perhaps, I thought sadly, trying not to let Logan see my face, it was better that Logan had kept me in the dark about his Wolf side up to now. The last thing I needed was any distraction from my love for Kian, and the sight of so many stunning werewolves marching in unison, their muscles so prominently on display was, to say the least, distracting.

Logan sauntered up next to me. “So, you see – you've gotten to know the Wolf clan at last,” he said.

“They're certainly...interesting.”

“You think they'll bite?” Logan gave me an affable grin, but I couldn't help but perceive the slight flirtation behind it.

“It's ridiculous,” I laughed. “This whole time knowing you – and I never knew...”

“That I commanded armies? That there were more like us?”

“No, I knew that... I mean, once I found out about the werewolf thing... I just didn't really think about it. So much was going on right then, you know? I didn't really just sit down and think about what life must be like for you. What being a werewolf was like?”

“Is this what you expected?” Logan gave a little laugh.

“Well, it's certainly more... primal than the Summer Court.” Two of the werewolves had stopped for water, and had gotten into a tussle over the first taste, an argument evidently solved by wrestling each other by the riverbank – like two overgrown puppies.

“I suppose it's not as refined as what you're used to with Kian!” Logan looked down quickly, realizing that I'd said too much.

“It's a nice change,” I said. “I'm not worried about Court etiquette and negotiating diplomacy.”

“Just about being eaten!” Logan let out a hearty laugh, one that it was all too easy to join in.

“You're joking, right?” I just wanted to make sure.

“These wolves are loyal to me,” said Logan. “But don't go sitting in front of the noses of any rogue wolves...”

“Wasn't planning on it,” I said, putting my hand on my sword. “Next time I'm in front of those wolves I intend for them to be far too terrified to worry about dinner.”

“That's my girl,” Logan clapped me on the shoulder.

His hand lingered a moment too long, and we exchanged a glance – fleeting and full of meaning – before hurriedly springing apart.

“Sorry,” Logan mumbled.

“Sorry.”

We had by now reached a plateau in the mountain range, which led into a deep cave that gaped open at us like the mouth of a snake. The wolves all stopped short, and I gathered that this was the lair that we had come to seek. Two men – by their long hair and furry chests I guessed werewolves – were standing guard.

“Hey, what the...” one began, but it was too late! Logan sounded the battle-horn, and instantly the entire pack of wolves was bounding forward, their teeth bared, all aiming squarely at the throats of the two glaring guards.

“Let's go!” Logan cried, leading me by the hand as we rushed past the warring throng and into the cave. A number of guards rushed at us, but two wolves of our number leaped forward, holding them off.

“There he is!” I caught sight of Kian, tied with his hands behind his back at the edge of the cave. His face lit up as his eyes caught mine, and I felt a palpable sense of relief. I may not have been worried about Kian dying, but at least I knew he was not in any pain or danger.

“How dare you!” roared a voice. I turned to face Flynn, the cold Winter knight who had tried to kidnap me mere moments upon my entrance into Feyland. I hadn't liked him then, and I didn’t like him now.

“Queen Breena,” Flynn nearly spat the words, so great was his contempt. “I should have guessed you'd get your brood of puppies to do your dirty work for you!”

“At least I don't hire mercenaries to get the job done!” I raised my sword. “These are my allies. They're fighting for more than just pieces of gold.”

“Always the idealist, my Queen,” said Flynn. “Wort was right about you. Delano never should have risked trying to keep you alive – no pretty face is worth as much trouble as you've caused.”

“I'm assuming you wouldn't know,” I said, clenching my teeth. “Then again, your ugly mug explains a lot. I'm assuming you're another half-breed pixie!”

Flynn stopped short in mock-offense. “Now really Breena,” he began. “You do me little credit. I'm the most noble, most loyal knight in all the Winter Court. I loved the old Winter King…” He scowled. “A rare thing, when even his own wife and son are willing to concede peace to you Summer cowards!”

“As opposed to letting our citizens die in a needless war?”

“If the Winter King were alive, he would punish his son for this ridiculous love! It's true what they say – love makes fairies go mad! No self-respecting King would stand for this – now even the Winter Queen's gone soft!”

“She wants to stop needless deaths!”

“Like my brothers?” Flynn scoffed. “Whom your men killed – are you telling me they died in vain?”

I looked down. I had no answer for him, and this made me ashamed. I had hoped to find in Flynn only a despicable villain, but as I looked at him I knew he was sincere. Flynn may have been power-hungry and cruel, but my people had made him suffer.

“We didn't start this war,” I said softly. “It's not ours to fight.”

“But it's yours to continue – until it has run its course! We Winter fairies are not cowards enough to run – we are happy enough if this war ends with our destruction. Happier still if it ends with yours!”

With that, Flynn raised his sword and, before I could react, rushed straight at me.

Chapter 15

I dodged, but I wasn't quick enough. With a loud clang, Flynn brought his sword down inches from my feet, bringing the flat side of the sword down against my thighs. I crumpled to the floor, overwhelmed by Flynn's force. “Summer bitch!” he hissed at me, his eyebrows twitching with the force of his hatred. “The blood of all my brothers, all my men – it's on your hands now!” I tumbled backwards, edging myself along the floor as he raised his sword for another blow. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my legs, I sprang to my feet, rushing behind a boulder that stood at the edge of the cave: the only shelter I could hope for.

“Logan, help!” I cried. He and the other fighters had by now transformed back into their wolfish forms, and everywhere there was a struggle. Enormous wolves with huge teeth were savaging each other to death; with them in their animal forms, I couldn't see which of them was on our side and which rogue. I gulped, seeing Flynn raise his sword once more.

I reached for my sword, trembling under its weight. Fear made the thing seem heavier than it ever had before. “Not so fast, Flynn,” I cried. I brandished my sword, and met his blow with mine. My hands shook from the effort; my shoulders ached, yet I knew I could not back down. I would not allow this man to get between us and our dreams – the dream Logan, Kian and I shared of a land of peace. We dueled for a while, our swords clashing with impossible force, but I knew with terrible certainty that I could not sustained the hand-to-hand combat. Flynn was easily twice my size, and while I could take him out with magic, there was no way I'd be able to concentrate hard enough to produce any kind of force while Flynn was rushing at me with his sword. I tried, but only sparks of blue and orange emitted from my fingers – stinging him like embers without stopping his resolve.

“Oh no you don't!” I heard a howl, and then Flynn was toppled by an enormous figure, with matted fur and teeth that sank straight into his shoulder. Flynn gave a loud yell as Logan pressed his snarling muzzle into his rival's face.

Serves him right, I thought, taking advantage of the distraction to get to Kian. He was still languishing in the corner, tied up tightly with twine and rope. I grinned when I thought of the fairy bonds with which I had trussed up Balthazar. Next to that, getting through these ropes seemed downright easy. I grabbed hold of the dagger I kept in my doublet and cut swiftly through Kian's ropes. His hands came loose with a gasp of relief, and he flexed them with joy.

“I knew you'd come, Breena,” he whispered, pressing my hands with his. “I felt your presence before I saw you!”

“Take my sword!” I pressed it into his hands. “I'll be fine with my dagger.”

I wanted to rush into his arms, to kiss him and promise him my love. But there was no time for that. Around us there was only fighting, and while Logan had initially managed to press Flynn into the earth, he was now distracted by two more rogue wolves that had jumped, biting and snarling, onto his back. “Go on!” I shouted to Kian. “We have to get out of here!”

Flynn had clambered by now back to his feet, and his eyes fell upon Kian with disdain. “So,” he scoffed. “The Winter Prince is reunited with his love! But not for long – I guarantee you both that! I shall live to see you executed as the traitors that you are!”

“Stop, traitor!” Kian cried out in his clear, ringing voice. Even after being kidnapped and beaten, Kian still had the dignity and bearing of a true prince, and even the rogue wolves stopped short in their tracks to listen to his commanding voice. “I will give you one chance to surrender honorably, to the authority of the Winter Court you claim to serve!”

“The Winter Court was your father, boy,” cried Flynn. “And he is dead. You are no true scion of Winter! Maybe your mother had a little fling with a human rat...just like your little love's father did!

“How dare you!” I cried, my face growing hot with anger, but Kian remained cool and calm.

“Nevertheless,” Kian said softly. “I will not allow you to insult me or my family – or my kingdom – by your actions. Submit to me, and I will show you mercy. This is your last chance, Flynn. Do not be stupid or foolish! Prove your loyalty once and for all!”

“Never!” Flynn's laugh turned to a cackle. “I'll see you all burned alive, I'll see the plains of Feyland stained silver, before I surrender to a weak-willed Winter whipping boy and his Summer bride! No blood-traitors for me – if Winter will not stand strong, I will take over Winter, and be sure that we conquer our enemies – Summer or Winter, whoever stands opposed to us.”

Kian looked almost sad. “I remember serving with you in battle, Flynn,” he said softly. “And I do regret that it has come to this. You were my friend, once!”

“And you were once loyal,” Flynn shot back. “Now raise your sword and show me if you're really the Prince you say you are, or only your mother's bastard!”

The two rushed at each other, their swords raised high in the air. My heart stopped, and then beat only with every blow of the two swords; I bit my lip in fear. Flynn was one of the Winter Court's best swordsmen – and while I knew of Kian's skill I knew too that he was evenly matched by this fanatical interloper, who knew how to match each one of Kian's blows and thrusts for a parry of his own. Flynn had, as Kian had said, served in battle alongside him, and so he knew Kian's fighting style, Kian's moves, better than almost anybody. He could predict them in advance – but Kian could predict his.

Even the wolves had grown distracted now, and stopped to watch the fight between Kian and Flynn. Logan had managed to defeat his two aggressors, who lay moaning in a pile at his feet, still in their animal form, and those few remaining rogue wolves cautiously stood back, waiting for the battle to decide their fate. If Flynn fell, they knew, they were lost – and so they chose to bide their time. A hush fell over the cave, formerly alive and thronging with the sounds of battle, as Kian and Flynn clashed swords, their weapons glowing silver and blue.

“Kian!” My voice caught within my throat, but Logan put a hand on my shoulder. “This is a Winter battle,” he said. “Don't interfere – your Summer magic may only hurt Kian, not help him!”

My body ached to step in to help Kian with every ounce of magic in my being, but I knew Logan was right. Who knew how Summer magic – even Summer magic with a touch of Winter - would respond if I tried to step into the fray? I hadn't learned to fully control it yet – I was just as likely to injure Kian as I was to fell Flynn.

Still, my heart raced as first Flynn, then Kian, seemed to be the victor each advancing on the other and retreating in equal measure. They leaped over boulders, hanging from stalactites, and at last raced out of the cave to do their battle in the open air, beneath the stars that shone so coldly upon us.

“I've got you now!” crowed Flynn, as with a strong blow he knocked Kian to his feet.

“No!” I whispered.

But Kian was not to be felled so easily. In an instant he was back upon his feet, knocking Flynn back with the full force of his sword, slashing a deep wound across his chest as he did so. Silver rushed from the wound, reflecting the light of the stars. Flynn staggered back, shocked at his own defeat. “You think you've won, don't you?” He stumbled backwards. “Maybe for this time. But no matter what you do, boy, no matter how hard you try, nothing will change – do you understand me? The biggest war Feyland has ever experienced is upon us now – and there's nothing you can do to change that!”

With that, Flynn opened his wings – beating black and silver against the night – and flew into the air, his wound still dripping silver as his wings propelled him upwards, towards retreat. At this sign the rogue wolves, too, gave up the battle, and ran yelping and barking into the darkness, until only the surviving part of our men remained.

Logan was pacing around sadly, tallying up the number of the dead with a cold efficiency that did not mask the pain in his eyes. “Twenty wolves have been lost today,” he said softly, as the remaining number of his army gathered round, their eyes deep with the pain of their loss. “Twenty brave wolves – you will all honor them.”

One by one, the wolves raised up a long howl to honor those who had departed. Kian and I looked down, solemnly. We were not part of this. This was the land of the wolves, where we would always be outsiders.

“Jonah!” Logan called out, and immediately a tawny yellow wolf transformed into a skinny, slightly gawky teenaged boy with sandy-brown hair and an awkward expression. “Come here!”

“Reporting for duty, s-sir!” said Jonah, with a too-quick salute. “Anything you need!”

“I want you to lead the rest of the pack back to the Manor,” Logan said.

“Me, sir?” Jonah's eyes bulged wide.

“You have shown great prowess in battle today.” Logan let a small smile escape his lips, and Jonah beamed with pride at the acclamation.

“It's my first battle, sir.”

“I am sure it will not be your last – you are a brave warrior. I charge you to lead the pack back safely now – and send word to the rest of the loyal Wolf Fey who are in the forests now that they too will be called upon to fight against the rogues. Send word to me at the Summer Court if there are any developments.”

“Right, sir!” Jonah crowed happily. “As you wish!” He transformed once more into a wolf – he looked, with his long limbs and unwieldy posture, more like an overgrown puppy than a fearsome soldier, but I could see the bravery and loyalty in his eyes.

Jonah began bounding away into the distance, the rest of the wolves following behind in a single tight pack.

“Kian!” I rushed towards him, at last able to express my emotion. He encircled me in his arms. His body was still weak from the beating he sustained, but the joy in his eyes was unmistakable.

“I'm so glad,” he whispered in my ear, “to have you back.”

“I'm glad you're here!” I held him closer.

“No time for pleasantries!” Logan's voice was solemn, though I could detect the jealousy in it. “It's time to make our way to the Summer Court once and for all!

Chapter 16

After two more days of hiking and camping – made rather slower by the fact that we now lacked a horse, and I didn't dare ask Logan if Kian could join me in riding on his back – we at last caught sight of the glorious spires of the Summer Court in the distance. At first glance, it seemed that the Summer Court was as beautiful as it ever was. The spires were still covered in bougainvillea – purple flowers that hung from vines that twisted and turned around the palace roofs. I could still see the streaming fountains that divided the gardens from the orchards, and even from a distance of two miles I could smell the scent of bergamot and clementines from the orange groves. Yet somehow my heart was still filled with sadness, as if something weren't right. No, something had gone on in my kingdom since my absence. The blue sky, the shining sun, the thriving vines were all hiding something. Something wrong.

My suspicions were confirmed as Logan, Kian and I entered the town center of the Summer Court. I remembered this town as being a lively place, filled with joy and chanting: the humming of the baker, the chortling of small children running underfoot. The jovial Summer Knights, who used to serve as friendly guards in the town square, had vanished – and with them it seemed the rest of the town had gone. The streets were empty, even ghostly, and my cough spread echoes around the squares and alleys of the city.

“Where is everybody?” I whispered. My voice came back to me in echoes: “where is everybody? Where is everybody?” But I received no answer.

At last I heard a low wail rising in the distance, a low, gravelly sound that seemed to be full of misery and pain. At first I thought it was a dying animal, but as we approached and came closer, I realized that the sound was collective: a crowd unified in a single groan.

“Shame!” came the cry. “Shame! Shame upon the Winter Court.” A group of about two hundred fairies was gathered in the main square of the town, standing before a makeshift candles and a portrait – moving and shimmering in the way that fairy paintings always moved.

I stopped short. The painting was of me. This place was my memorial. The thought made me feel queasy.

“Hurry,” Logan hissed. “Hide Kian.” The noble Prince's sheer blue eyes would surely give him away as a member of that hated sect, even to those who did not know what the Winter Prince looked like.

I removed my pixie green-velvet cloak from my back and hurriedly threw it over Kian's back. He pulled it over his forehead and around his chin, obscuring his face from view.

“Shame!” The cry started up again, and then one Summer fairy – a haggard old man that seemed familiar, but whose name I did not know, stood up before the crowd, pointing at the picture of me with a shaking finger. “Winter must pay for what they've done!” cried the man to what seemed to be evident popular approval. “They have murdered not one but two of our queens! The prince, the heir to the Winter throne, pretended to love our Queen, only to murder her in cold blood on the very eve of the treaty!”

“For shame!” the crowd chanted. “Devious! Shame!”

Kian looked down sheepishly.

I pulled out some remaining clothing from my bag – a shawl to disguise my head, and another to cover up the pixie clothes I still wore. I wanted to figure out the situation before coming so obviously back to life.

We slipped past the mourning crowd and into the palace, surprised to find that no guards stood before the great gate that led to the gardens within.

“What's going on?” I asked Logan, when we were out of earshot of the others. “What happened here?” The whole palace seemed to be a ghost-palace. Nothing had been moved since my absence; nothing had been changed – and yet a feeling of dread grew within me.

That dread grew greater still when we entered the palace. Here the place bore the clear sign of an attack: silver streaked the marble floors, the curtains were torn and rent to bits. The crystal and stained glass windows were shattered. Even the Great Hall had been left unmended – clearly in the same state of chaos it had been since the siege.

“I never thought it would get this bad,” said Logan. “When I left – after you were murdered, or at least, we thought you were murdered, it was awful! We thought it was the Winter Knights who had betrayed us – in all the chaos we didn't realize that it was the Pixies masquerading as Summer Knights who had started the fighting – and we went on a rampage – murdering so many of the Winter Knights, drunk on our own violence, murdering so many men...so many innocent men.” He looked ashamed. “The fighting grew worse. The Winter Queen and many of her cohorts were able to escape, killing so many of our men in the process. The next day, the surviving Summer Knights called up an army: not only the generals and high-ranking officials who were at the signing but rather called up all eligible fairy warriors, summoning them to battle. I knew it was no longer safe for me in the Palace. The people had been willing to overlook their wariness of the Wolf in their midst as long as you were alive, but the second you were gone they lost faith in me. I was the one to suggest peace, after all, and they blamed me for the attack. They said that it was because we had let in the Winter soldiers that we had made ourselves vulnerable to a siege.”

“No!” I cried.

“It's true,” said Logan. “I didn't know it would get this serious -

“Then...who's in charge now?”

“One of my second-in-commands, a Summer Knight called Ladislaw, was elected second in command. Only...I could have sworn I saw him die in the fight. I got suspicious...”

“You think it's Wort, glamoured up as this Ladislaw?” I cut in.

“I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were,” Logan scowled.

We heard voices and footsteps and rushed to hide behind a collar. A group of three men, all evidently high-ranking Summer Knights, appeared.

“There he is – Ladislaw!” Logan whispered, and my eyes went straight to a very distinctive cut on Ladislaw's arm....just the size and shape of the wound I had delivered to Wort. I squeezed Logan and Kian's hands to signal what I knew.

“Perfect,” Wort was saying. “We must keep the palace exactly the way it is...”

“But, my lord, how can we live in such a place?”

“Respect, Firemouse!” Wort said, in an insufferable tone. “We commemorate the death of our beloved Queen, and keep the palace the way it was at her death – to remind our people of the dangers of believing those wretched Winter traitors! To remind the people just what we are fighting for!”

“Why that evil....” Kian muttered, but Logan held him back.

“As you wish, Sire,” Firemouse nodded, and the men marched onwards.

“I wish to pay my respects at the anti-Winter demonstrations!” Wort said pompously.

We breathed a sigh of relief as they exited.

“Can you believe it?” Logan turned to me. “Those deceitful little Pixies have taken over your kingdom!”

“We need to find Rodney,” I said. I knew that there was at least one Summer knight out there I could count on as being loyal to me. His love for the Winter Princess Shasta was strong enough to overcome anything Wort might say about the Winter Court – after all, he'd been willing to risk the wrath and forbidding of the Winter Queen in order to reach his love.

There was no sign of Rodney anywhere in the castle, but at last we caught sight, not of Rodney's face but of Rodney's hair – those unmistakable bushy ginger tresses. They were attached to a young girl, who was scurrying down the hallway with a skirt full of glass beakers.

“Rose!” I called. I knew the figure well. As Queen, I had invited Rodney's younger sister, Rose, to the Palace to continue her alchemical studies in the very best libraries and laboratories in the kingdom. I knew that she loved her brother, and that her loyalty – too – was assured.

When Rose turned around, she nearly jumped out of her skin! “Your Majesty!” She clapped a hand over her mouth, erupting into floods of tears. “Why – why – I thought you were...” Her voice broke down into sobs. “It's been horrible here – nightmarish – since you've been gone. And Logan too!” She caught sight of Logan and began beaming.

“I was kidnapped!” I rushed towards Rose, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Kidnapped by the Pixies – but they couldn't kill me.”

“The Pixies!” Rose hissed. “So it is true!”

“So what's true?”

“There's a rumor been going around, that the Pixies are behind it all: all this war, all this bloodshed. That it's not Ladislaw in control at all, but Wort!” Her eyes bulged as she said the hated name.

“It's true,” I said. “I'm pretty sure.”

“But nobody knows who to trust. Anybody could be a friend, another Summer Knight – or a pixie glamoured up to look like your mother, or your brother, or your best friend – and nobody would ever know the difference! People have been disappearing, and then “coming back” - only different...”

“Pixies kidnapping fairies and taking their place.” Kian said.

“Kidnapping – or worse!” Rose cried.

“And Rodney?” I asked. “Where is he?”

Rose shook her head. “I’ve been looking for him for days. I’m afraid he must have been sent out by Ladislaw to fight in battle. Since the siege and your death, I have not seen him.”

Chapter 17

Logan, Kian, and I slipped down past the Great Hall, looking around us for any sign of Wort or his pixie knights. “There's a secret passage somewhere here,” Logan said. “I found it after the attack – when we were all trying to escape after the last pixie attack. I just...fell into the fireplace, and came out the other side”

We followed Logan to a corner of the hall, where a large stone fireplace stood magnificently over the hall. Logan crouched by the fireplace and removed a single stone. Instantly the panel at the back of the fireplace shifted, opening up the door to a narrow room. One by one we forced our bodies through the small opening, pushing the panel back into place on the other side.

“I don't think Wort or anyone else knows about this place,” said Logan. “Look – I remember knocking over that sculpture when I left – and nobody's put it upright.” The statue, of a Summer Knight, was lying on its side, blocking our path.

“So nobody's been here,” Kian nodded. “Good. Somewhere to hide while we think of a plan.”

I sighed. “How long until we can get the wolves here?”

“I could try to contact Jonah,” said Logan. “But you know it's two days of trekking from the Manor.”

“We haven't got that time...” I began pacing the hallway. “And yet we can't attack them alone! Three of us against all the Pixies?”

“I'm willing to die for my cause!” Kian drew himself up to his full height.

“Better if we live through it, though, Winter Prince,” said Logan, leaning against the wall. “Who are our allies? Who can fight with us that's here in the Summer Court?”

“We can't ask Rose,” I sighed. “She's so young, she doesn't know how to fight.”

“And Rodney's gone,” added Kian.

“The only person who could possibly help us is...no...” my voice trailed off. I didn't even want to think about the possibility; I couldn't get my hopes up, only to have them shattered again.

“Who is it?” Kian put a hand upon my shoulder. “Who could help us?”

My face turned bright red. “If we found him – I don't even know where he is...and even if we found him, I'm not sure how we'd wake him up...” I began stammering.

“Your father?” Kian touched my face. “You think he's in the castle?”

“He's got to be,” I said. “When Redleaf put that sleeping charm on him – she never would have dared move him out of the castle in case he got discovered!”

“You're right,” said Logan. “He must be here.”

“If there are secret passages,” I said, perking up. “Then they must lead somewhere, right? Somewhere that people want to hide.”

Kian furrowed his brow. “You mean...”

“We know my father can't be in any of the rooms we know about – I've been in every room in the Palace during my time as Queen. As have you, Logan!”

He gave a faint blush.

“But we haven't been here before – in these secret passages.”

“You think this passage might lead to your father?” Logan asked.

“It's the best chance we've got,” I said.

“But even if we find your father...how will we wake him?”

“I don't know,” I admitted desperately. “But we have to try. Maybe this magic I have now – this new magic...maybe it will be strong enough.” It was a vain hope, I felt, but it was all I had.

We crept down the passageway, going single file as the passage grew narrower. The way Logan had gone, during his first visit to the passage, he had been able to escape the castle altogether, but we turned in the opposite direction, heading deeper and deeper into a labyrinth of secret tunnels and passageways. There were no windows – only the faint burning of fairy candles, which glowed with magic rather than flame – but we could see the path lower before us, heading deeper and deeper down into the earth.

“We must be underground,” Logan whispered.

“I never guessed,” I said, “that all this could be in the castle...”

Suddenly, when we turned a corner, we spotted a faint glow coming from one of the rooms jutting off from the passageway.

“Look!” I called, and, putting our hands to our swords, we crept up to the room. I gasped as we came closer. “It's him!” Behind the doorway I could see the image of my father, lying high on a bed of piled furs, fast asleep and glimmering with a gentle orange glow. He looked quiet, almost peaceful, and I could see his chest rise and fall with his slow, measured breaths.

“Father!” The words escaped my lips and I rushed towards him.

Instantly I felt a shock, an enormous pulsing force of electricity, coursing through my body, filling me with pain. I screamed as I was thrown backwards, my bones hitting the wall behind me.

Kian and Logan rushed forth, helping me up. “Are you all right?” Logan took my hand. “What happened?”

I turned to Kian. “My father's in there!” I said, my voice trembling. “But the door, I can't get past it...”

“An invisible force field,” Kian muttered. “That's strong magic – strong indeed. The only person who's normally able to undo something like that is the person who cast it...”

“Like Redleaf?” Logan asked.

“But Redleaf's dead!” I leaned back against the wall. How could we be so close to my father – almost close enough to touch him – and yet so far away? I wanted to cry, to kick the wall, to scream and wail at the unfairness of it all. Had we come so far only to have to give up – to lose our last hope?

“Breena,” said Kian softly. “Your magic...”

“It won't work!” I said. “I felt it – rushing through me when I tried to enter! That force field doesn't want me there – it won't let me in.”

“You must try!”

“I can't!” I gritted my teeth.

“Listen to me, Breena,” said Kian, squeezing my hands. “You are one of the bravest, strongest women I know. You are a true Queen – and it is your right to control all the magic in this kingdom. You have your own Summer magic – you have the Winter magic granted to you by my love for you – together those two powers make you the strongest Fey in the land. If anyone can take down that wall, it's you. If the Summer Queen put up this force field – then the new Summer Queen can take it down as well.”

“But what if I can't?” My voice grew small and shaky.

“Then we'll worry about it then,” said Kian. “For now – try!”

I nodded, wiping back the sweat and tears. I stared down the door, trying to feel like the Summer Queen I was destined to be, gathering up the power of Summer within me. “By the power of the Summer Queen, I command you to open!”

Nothing happened. I pressed my hand to the doorway only to feel the same agonizing shockwaves course through me; the force field had rejected my request.

I thought of all the things I loved about Summer – the beauty of the orange groves, the bright purple bougainvillea flowers that grew up and down the sides of the buildings, the joy of the citizens of Summer the day we celebrated the vanquishing of Wort, and the peace that had been promised to us all. These were my people; this was my land. I had to take control of it, once and for all.

“By the power of the Summer Queen,” I repeated, louder this time. “I command you to open!”

The force field began glimmering, shimmering like a fog before me, glowing orange and yellow and red. It was weakening – I could feel it weakening, feel my own power meld into that of the force field, feel my magic connecting with the magic of the doorway.

I thought of my father, whom I did not know but whom I already loved, thought of my mother who had sacrificed so much to save me, thought of Kian and Logan and Shasta and Rodney and Rose, of the friends I had made, the friends and family I cared about, those people for whom I would be willing to risk my life. It was for them that I had to break down this door – for them that I had to restore my father to power – together we would fight off the Pixies; together we would be unbeatable!

“By the order of the Summer Queen,” my voice echoed through the hallways, “I command you one final time – open!”

The sparks flew apart like a million pieces of shattered glass, and I knew I had won.

I turned to Kian and Logan. “Wait here,” I said. “I need to do this on my own.” I pressed their hands.

I walked through the doorway and knelt down at my father's bedside. I could hear the light snores emitting from his body. He seemed happy, in his quiet slumber – I almost regretted making him wake up to the real world: war, chaos, fighting to be done. I wondered what happy dreams my father was dreaming. Was he dreaming of a world full of peace? I smiled. I knew my father had done many selfish things in his life – he had left Redleaf for my mother, focused more on his love affairs while Redleaf governed the kingdom. He wasn't perfect. But he was my father, and he was the king, and I had to trust him: trust that he would return triumphantly to the Summer Court and fend off the pixie invaders.

“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” I whispered.

I laid my hands upon his body, feeling my magic course through me, as powerful and dynamic as blood itself. I felt the force of Summer – hot and fertile, sticky like the beach in summertime, redolent of flowers in bloom – combine with the steely force of Winter, as cold and powerful as an arctic storm. Once more my hands began to glow orange and blue, and this glow began to spread – from my hands to my father's chest, from his chest spiraling outwards, all over his body, until he was surrounded by a stream of gold and red and blue and silver, colors that grew brighter and brighter, buzzing softly at first, and then louder and louder, until at last the magical glow seemed to explode in midair, with a sound so loud that it seemed to make the whole cavern rumble, and my father shot up with a start!

“How dare you?” He shouted. “Redleaf – what have you done?” He looked around wildly, his voice roaring with rage. He caught sight of me and stopped short, confused. “Breena, what are you doing here? What is this place?” He sprang to his feet. “Redleaf, where is she, the little traitorous...”

“Redleaf is dead,” I said quietly, and my father's expression darkened.

“I see,” he said. Even now, despite what Redleaf had done, I could see that my father still cared for her, and he did not try to hide the sadness in his eyes. “What has happened?”

“She tried to depose you,” I said. “She was assassinated by...” I decided to leave the Winter Court out of it for now. “Well, she was assassinated, and I was crowned Queen, only they think I'm dead, but I'm not – only...”

My father's jaw dropped open. “What?”

“I think I'd better start from the beginning,” I said.

I sat down on the pile of furs next to my father and told him of everything that had happened since Redleaf had taken the throne: how she had connived to start the war from the beginning, on the advice of her traitorous counselor Wort, how she had been assassinated by Shasta – who was only, I took care to point out, trying to save her beloved – how Kian had been blamed for the crime, how I had rescued him and, at last, come to terms of peace with the Winter Queen, and how – tragically – the peace treaty had been destroyed as a result of Wort's machinations.

“What a traitor!” My father scowled, looking as ferocious as a lion with his long hair flaming around his head. “I should have known that duplicitous little Wort was not to be trusted.” His expression softened. “But you, Breena!” He smiled broadly, putting his hand on my cheek. “How proud I am of you! You've been crowned but a few months, and yet you're twice the ruler I ever was.” He sighed. “I know I was imperfect – as a father and as a king. I let my feelings get in the way of governing: I let Redleaf rule in my stead, because I preferred womanizing and a life of leisure to the responsibilities of power.” He gave a bitter laugh. “You have the strength I never had, Breena,” he said. “Just like your mother.”

I couldn't help smiling.

“But now, I know,” my father continued. “It is a time of sacrifice, of war. And I too will join the fray. I will fight as King once more – not the weak, ineffectual king I was once, but a king whose daughter can be proud of him – a king who will have a lot of work to do if he wants to be as strong a ruler as his daughter.” He wrapped me in his arms. It was the first hug my father had ever properly given me, and as his warm arms encircled my shoulders I felt tears spring to my eyes. Right now, I was not a queen at all, nor a warrior. I was a girl, vulnerable and scared, whose father had finally come to tell her everything would be all right. The moment passed, of course, and my strength returned, but for one, glorious moment I felt safe, secure, protected. The responsibility was no longer mine alone to bear; the weight of the Summer Kingdom no longer rested on my shoulders alone. As I leaned my cheek on my father's shoulder, I let go a giant sigh of relief.

I was no longer alone.

“Well,” said my father. “How did you get in here? I know this part of the palace – these passageways are secret.”

I took my father by the hand and led him into the passageway where Logan and Kian were waiting. “Logan found the way,” I said.

“Well there,” said my father, looking over Kian and Logan. They were both strong, brave men, but even so they both looked more than a little afraid at the sight of my father giving them the once-over.

“So, the Winter Prince,” said my father. “Humph!” He extended a hand to Kian. “Youngman, you saved us in the woods – I remember that, and I am grateful for it. You have proven again and again your loyalty to my daughter and, if what she tells me is true, her love. Here you are, standing in the house of your enemy, risking all that you own for peace, and for the woman you love. I am an ancient fairy, Kian, and I can read what is in the hearts of young fairies like you, and I know that you are sincere. I know that you will go to the ends of the world for my daughter. I can trust you to be on her side.”

Kian nodded and took my father's hand, shaking it heartily. “Your Highness,” he whispered.

“And you!” My father turned now to Logan. “Wolf,” he said. “Although the Wolf Fey have not traditionally been the allies of Summer, you too have shown great loyalty to my daughter, and to the Summer Court. You have been a friend to her since before she entered Feyland, and your lifetime of memories, both here and in the Land Beyond the Crystal River, is sacred. I can trust you, too, to be with her.”

“Thank you,” it was Logan's turn to shake the king's hand. “Your Majesty, if you only knew how much...”

The king raised his hand and Logan was silent. “I do,” he said earnestly. “I once loved a woman so much that I was willing to cross worlds for her – heading back and forth for the love of a human woman, Breena's mother, Raine.”

Logan looked embarrassed. He knew my mother well; he'd often run into her covered in paint, in her overalls she used in the studio, with paint on her nose and her hair tied back with a ribbon. I imagined that he'd never thought about her as a fairy bride.

“I know what it is like to be willing to give up anything for love,” said my father. For a moment his face darkened, and he almost looked sad. Then he looked up again, his eyes blazing. “Time to give those Pixies a real war!”

With that the Summer King rushed down the hallway, brandishing his sword. Logan, Kian and I rushed after him, our weapons in hand.

We came across Wort in the Great Hall, still in his disguise as the Summer Knight Ladislaw. His mouth dropped open in astonishment as he caught sight of the great King Frank Foxflame returned from his slumber, with his sword flaming and orange.

“What the...”

“I know your secret, fiend!” my father roared. “Show yourself!”

The graceful fairy Ladislaw vanished, leaving in his place the toad-like Wort, whose face was a mask of terror. Two of the three attendants gasped in shock – one remained unmoved.

“That one's a pixie!” I whispered, and Logan instantly rushed to attack him.

Meanwhile, my father – in a single fell swoop, set upon the shocked Wort, and sliced through his neck, lopping off Wort's head.

“The Summer King has returned,” my father roared, his booming voice thundering through the walls of the palace, and echoing far into the recesses of the Summer lands. “And I want every pixie in this palace to leave now, or else each and every one of you will meet the same fate as this traitor here – and have your bodies fed to the dragons!”

Instantly the court seemed to come alive – Pixies were glamouring back into their normal forms, rushing towards the gate as far as their diminutive legs could carry them. Fairies were rushing towards us, one by one bowing and swearing their allegiance.

The Summer King was back.

Chapter 18

That night I had a dream, a dream so vivid that it felt as if I were not asleep at all, but rather that my whole waking life had been a dream, and this was the true reality. I dreamed first of Delano, poring over a map of Feyland in his rocky and remote castle. He had been far from pleased to hear of his brother's death, for although he had never liked the sycophantic, conniving Wort, he nevertheless felt that any attack on Wort was a personal affront to the Pixies, and a blow to any hopes he might have of gaining a foothold in the Fey court. He was sitting in his antechamber, listening to the blubbering of a terrified pixie who had escaped from the Summer Court when Foxflame had returned.

“And you ran!” he roared, his face growing ugly with rage. “How dare you...”

“Please, the Summer King returned! His magic is great – we knew we were no match for him!”

Delano scowled. “If his magic is great,” he was saying, his voice dark, “we must find other sources of our own...sources that would have been dangerous were the situation not so dire...”

“You don't mean...the Dark Hordes!” The pixie was looking terrified.

Delano nodded. “The Wolves are with us now,” he said. “After Flynn failed to protect them, they have outright turned their back on both Fey camps, and care only for pixie alliance. But we'll need more than that now. The Minotaurs, the Giants…and we must summon all the sleeping hordes.”

“Are you sure that's safe, sir?” The pixie's eyes widened, “the Dark Hordes…unpredictable and uncontrollable…so dangerous and evil…” the pixie shuddered in fright.

“Of course I know the legend of the Dark Hordes,” snapped Delano. “That's exactly what I'm counting on.” Delano looked over his map and pointed to the Great Gorge where the Dark Hordes have been driven thousands of years ago. “It’s too late. The Awakening has already began.”

I dreamed too of the Winter Queen, ensconced in her palace, hearing word of the return of the Summer King. Kian had not come home from his latest expedition, and she feared him dead. Her other child, Shasta, had vanished too – and she was left alone, unprotected in the palace. A fierce warrior, she nevertheless feared for her children. Her son had gone mad after the death of the Summer Queen Breena – she feared, despite her son's protestations, that Kian's love for Queen Breena had caused his insanity, caused him to stab her in a fit of rage – and she knew that the Summer Court now bore him a great grudge. Shasta was responsible for Redleaf's death; Kian for Breena's. Her children were prime targets of the Summer Court's rage, and those soldiers would not rest until they had seen both her children slaughtered. Beneath that implacable expression, her heart was pained. She did not trust Flynn, but he was the highest-ranking Winter Court member in the palace, and so she gave him control of her armies, praying all the while that he would not let her down. This was the war to end all wars – she could feel it. She could feel the magic within her responding to this danger.

This would be the end of days.

***********

I woke up to hear a sharp knock.

“Come in,” I murmured, shaking my head out of sleep.

Kian marched in. “Breena!” He rushed to me, taking me in his arms. “I've just heard from one of my messengers – I'm afraid the situation is dire.”

“But my father kicked the Pixies out – he'll be able to convince your mother to sign another treaty now!”

“It's not so simple,” Kian said gravely. “Your father's awakening hasn't pleased everyone in Feyland. The Pixies have been reported to summon the Dark Hordes.”

I remembered my dream. “The Dark Hordes?”

“They're some of the strongest, most evil creatures in Feyland. Once, very long ago, the Pixies and Fey were forced to work together – that's how dangerous they were – in order to send the creatures into a magical slumber. Minotaurs, Giants, banshees, all sorts of creatures that once plagued Feyland. Delano has apparently woken them up!”

“What?”

“It's dangerous – for him as well as for us. These creatures are unpredictable. Delano can want only one thing: total destruction of Summer and Winter alike. Meanwhile, the wolves have sided with the Pixies...and,” he sighed. “My mother has reportedly allied with them.”

“What?” My eyes grew wide. “But why?”

“She believes...” he sighed. “She believes it is the only way to protect me. And Shasta.” He gave a bitter laugh. “I guess love really does make fairies mad. If my mother cared for me less, perhaps she would see what a mad decision this is! She trusted you, Breena, but she doesn't trust your father – especially as she thinks you're dead. She thinks the Summer King will seek revenge for the death of his wife and daughter. I've tried to communicate with her telepathically, to tell her where I am, but I can't reach her.”

“We're outnumbered,” I said. “We can fight against the Winter Court, but not against the Pixies and Winter fairies and the wolves all put together – not to mention these Dark Hordes.”

“They expect me...” Kian sighed. “They expect me to fight. To fight at my mother's side. But I cannot attack the kingdom of the woman I love.”

“This can't be happening!” After we'd come so far, how could it all come to war so easily? My father's love for my mother had caused Redleaf's jealousy, and thus caused this war. Now the Winter Queen's love for her children would perpetuate it. “How can you choose sides?”

“What would you have me do?” Kian looked pained. “I love you so much – I love this palace, too, because you love it. I cannot bear to destroy it, or to hurt you. I cannot bear to fight any longer. I will not fight!”

I took his hand. “But you can't let your mother and Winter Knights get hurt either.”

“As a private citizen,” he said. “I can protect them and them alone. But as a Winter Prince, my duty is to fight with my men. It is a duty I can no longer bear. I have been up all night, thinking. And I have decided. You are my love, my life. And I can no longer deny that. Peace will not come from denying our feelings – war has only come from letting our feelings run mad, by repressing them so much that they turn us mad. Peace will come from choosing peace, and nothing more. And I choose peace, Breena. I choose you.”

“And your birthright?”

“I would rather be a lowly knight than a prince who has to fight against you!” Kian held me tight, kissing my forehead. “Losing you made me realize that if I had to make a choice, I would stand with you. I am not a traitor to my people. But I will not be a traitor to my heart. If I step down as Prince, I am no longer obliged to choose between my people and my love.”

I couldn't believe it. Kian had always been the Winter Prince – so strong, so sure of his power. To be willing to give all that up for me – it was the ultimate sacrifice, and his devotion filled me with love. I kissed him softly, trying with all my strength to share that love, to communicate it to him without words, to let my fairy magic flow into his.

“I can't ask this of you, Kian.”

“It is done,” he said. “I would never lift up my sword against one of your men. I cannot do it!”

“I love you so much...” I sighed. “It hurts.”

“I think that's what love is,” said Kian. “It's why we fairies are so afraid of it. But I'm tired of being afraid. I will face this love for what it is – come what may. I will be by your side, always.”

Another knock came at the door, and before I could answer Logan strode in, accompanied by my Father.

“I see I've caught you at a bad time,” Logan looked down to disguise his jealousy. “I'm afraid I must bid you farewell, Breena – I must return to my people. I must prepare the wolves for battle. After Wort's death, they will need more protection – Balthazar survived, somehow, and he's back to take the lead among the wolves...”

“It's not just the wolves,” said Kian. “Delano's summoned the Dark Hordes! He intends to offer his help to the Winter Court, but I believe he means to betray them”

“No!” my father's face darkened. “Then this is worse than I thought...” He looked quizzically at Kian. “Will you be returning to fight, young man?”

“I wouldn't be telling you this if I were,” said Kian, rising. “I told you I would protect Breena with my life, your Majesty, and I meant that. I cannot do that honorably as a Winter Prince. And so I have given up my title. This morning, when I was alone in my room, I took my sword and with it I shattered my crown, giving up my powers as the crowned Winter Prince. The title will go to Shasta now – wherever she is. He looked my father in the eye. “I love your daughter too much,” he said. “My duty is to her.”

My father raised an eyebrow. “But could you raise your own sword against your own, son? Fight for Summer? Because it will come to that.”

Kian sighed. “Yes,” he said finally. “If it means protecting Breena – from Summer or Winter Fey, from Minotaur or pixie, I will fight. I will not attack, sir. I will not serve on the front lines, and willingly slaughter my own people. But I will stand by Breena in battle, and fight any who threaten her.”

“You are a brave lad,” said Foxflame. He patted Kian on the shoulder. “I welcome your allegiance. But you must know that this is a losing battle. Their forces are much stronger.”

“Then I will fight harder!” Kian responded.

Logan cleared his throat. “I must go,” he said. “There isn't time.” He went over to Kian, shaking his hand. “You take care of her,” he said. He turned to me, and in his eyes I could see the strength of his longing, his love and regret. Even with my love for Kian strong in my heart, I could not help but feel wistful at the sight of Logan giving up on his dream – the dream I could not fulfill.

I followed Logan into the hallway. “Wait!” I said. I took his hand. “Please be safe,” I said. “Take care. I want you coming back to me in one piece, okay?” I let him envelop me in a tight, strong hug.

“Breena,” whispered Logan, stroking my hair. “Breena, don't make this harder. I have to go...it's just as well. I can no longer stand in the way of your happiness, your love. I want to be happy for you and Kian, and I know he has made the ultimate sacrifice for you. I can no longer interfere. I can no longer compete.”

I couldn't resist – I couldn't bear his pain. “Please don't think that!” the words burst out of me. “I've always loved you, too...”

I wasn't sure what I meant. I knew I loved Kian, totally and completely, but I knew too that my feelings for Logan would never be entirely simple.

“Then it's not all in vain,” said Logan. “If you have an ounce of love for me in you, I'll remember that. It will give me strength in battle. It will keep me safe. And now you must keep safe too.”

He pulled me in for one final kiss – a kiss as warm and tender as it was brief, a single burst of Logan's passion. I did not have the heart to push him away; I knew too that deep down I didn't want to. Whatever my feelings for Logan were, they were strong – just as strong, in their own way, as my feelings for Kian.

“That's for you to remember me by,” he said. “It'll give me something to think about in battle.”

And with that, he vanished.

Chapter 19

I stood staring down the hallway for a while after Logan had gone. My heart was sick with worry for him. I knew Kian would be near me in battle – near enough for us to protect each other – but Logan would be leading his wolves into a losing battle – alone. How could I have let this happen?

“Daughter,” my father came up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “It is too late for talk, too late for reason. There is no way out of it, I am afraid. This time, we must prepare for war. It is no longer safe for you here. I can ask Kian to escort you back home to your mother, to the Land Beyond the Crystal River. I cannot risk my own daughter's life in this manner...”

I shook my head “I am the Summer Queen,” I said. “The power of the fairy magic has already entered my body. I cannot afford to leave my people behind. Besides,” I gave my father a reassuring smile. “I'm immortal now. What's the worst that can happen?”

“All fey are immortal,” said my father. “Our immortality makes us able to survive natural death, but we can be killed. There are still dangers. Your immortality comes from love, however, and that I’m not sure of, but I want you safe.”

“These are my people too, Father,” I said. “I'll never leave them.”

“Very well,” my father nodded. “Brave girl. Then I will do what I can to summon our allies. Perhaps there is hope for us yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that I spent much of my time as king traveling, leaving Redleaf to govern. In that time, I did many foolish things – but I also made many friends, many allies. I got to know the sea-green mermaids of the Western seas. I befriended the Honorable Kelpies, a race of kelpie that has sworn to kill only when necessary. I knew the griffins of Fir Forest and the phoenixes up in hidden caves. I loved to travel – and all these friends I have been loyal to in my years. They will aid us – I am sure of it. I will send messengers to all our allies – and to our vassals in the Autumn territories. Now about that alchemist girl, Rose! I want to speak to her.”

We summoned Rose, who arrived blushing and curtsying. “Your Majesty!” she said to me, bowing deeply. She turned to my father. “Your Majesty!” She said again, louder, this time. “I'm sorry, sir, which one am I supposed to...”

“For the time being,” my father said, “we are both Your Majesties. A father ruling alongside his daughter is unprecedented, I suppose, but Breena has done many unprecedented things in her time in Feyland. Now Rose…”

“Yes?” she said brightly.

“That potion you've been working on, to expose glamouring Pixies? I want you to modify it, to make it something that will not only reveal Pixies, but also revert them to their natural state. In the heat of battle we haven't got time to see what color our enemy is bleeding. I know great fear provokes a natural turning-back – perhaps you could channel fear? The last thing we need is to start fighting among our own men if the Pixies glamour and infiltrate our camp.”

“I'll do that,” said Rose, “I'll get all us alchemists together – we'll do what we can!”

“And Rose?” I added. “I have another idea. We may not have the numbers of the Pixies – but we're a lot cleverer than they are. What if you made another potion – one that would cause a mist to rile up and obscure our numbers? You could make it look like there were a lot more of us – that might be enough to put some fear into those Pixies!”

Kian entered the hallway. “I can sense it,” he said softly. “They're closer.”

I turned to Kian, allowing him to take me in his arms. “I want to see them,” I said. “Can you take me to see the enemy?”

“The enemy,” Kian's voice was dark. “You mean my mother, yes. I will take you.”

He led me by the hand to one of the palace balconies, and then wrapped his arms around me, letting his majestic wings burst forth from his armor. I felt him lifting me higher and higher, until at last we were floating above Feyland. He flew me not more than five miles from the palace walls, and there I gasped at what I saw. Proceeding towards the Summer gates was the largest crowd I had ever seen – silver-clad Winter fairies marching in a straight line, howling wolves nipping and snarling at the sidelines, the Pixies shimmering with their evil greenish-golden glow, muttering among themselves. I saw too creatures I had never seen before, creatures that sent my heart pounding with fear: there were Giants, not like ones I’ve seen, but dark with red eyes, easily three or four times the size of a man, and horned red-eyed bulls with monstrous teeth, and wailing women, floating above ground, their voices screeching unearthly wails.

“Banshees,” Kian whispered. “Part of the Dark Hordes.” He sighed. “So it is true. My mother is so desperate to save me that she is willing to join forces with Feyland's most dangerous creatures. But they will turn on her! I know it – even if she manages to survive the Summer Knights, those creatures are not trustworthy. They don't care who they kill as long as they're killing. When they're done with the Summer fairies, they'll start with her.”

“Can't we warn her? Fly down...”

“Too dangerous,” said Kian. “We'll never get close – if the banshees spot us, they'll fly after us and devour us in a heartbeat. She'll never even see us. Shasta will have to protect her now.”

I remembered my dream, and my heart started pounding once more. “Kian, I don't think Shasta's there.”

“What?” He nearly dropped me as his wings flapped with surprise.

“I had this dream last night – like a vision. I dreamed that Shasta was gone too. And if Rose says Rodney's gone, maybe...”

“He's gone with Shasta.” Kian let a fairy curse loose from his lips, and sped us back to the palace. “Then Shasta is in danger too – if she isn't in the court, this battle will take her and Rodney both by surprise. And whether it's Summer or Winter Fey that find her, she'll be in danger – either as an enemy or a blood traitor like me.” He scowled.

“You're not a traitor!” I put a hand on Kian's shoulder, but he jerked away.

“What have I done?” He began pacing up and down the balcony. “Left behind my sister, my mother – left them to be devoured by the Dark Hordes?”

“Kian, no....”

“I love you!” His voice was full of rage and his eyes were full of tears. “Do not doubt that I love you, Breena – but I have turned my back on those I love as well. I cannot stand by and let my sister be slaughtered, nor my mother. And yet I have given up my birthright.”

“Listen to me,” I took Kian's hand. “You don't have to fight against me. But you don't have to fight for me, either. I can take care of myself here. I want you to go – find Shasta and Rodney, find your mother, focus on protecting them, getting them out of there.”

“But what about you?” Kian turned his broken, blue eyes towards me, glassy with pain.

“I'll be fine!” I smiled bravely, though I knew I was feeling anything but. “Do you know where Shasta might be – if she ran off?”

“I have an idea,” said Kian.

“Then go to them. Worry about us later. You have chosen to give up your crown – and that was a brave sacrifice. But I won't ask you to give up your family, too!”

“Noble Breena,” Kian took me in his arms, kissing me as if he would never let go. “I owe you the world. I wish I could give you everything...”

He squeezed my hands once more, and with that he spread his wings once more, and began his flight over Feyland, first gently flying me back to the balcony. With a last kiss, he flew off.

I could feel my body shaking. I wanted to cry, to let loose with floods of tears, but I would not allow myself to succumb to such weakness. Not now, when so many lives were at stake. Still, as Kian's shadow grew smaller and smaller on the horizon, I felt my lips begin to tremble...

“Your Majesty!” It was Rose. “I've come up with the potions you asked for. And another one, too. It will disguise your fairy smell – letting you do some glamouring. The Pixies think they can trick us; well, let's trick them right back!” She handed me a vial; I took it gratefully. “We'll get them,” she said – her voice shaky and nervous.

“Kian's gone to find Rodney,” I said, patting her shoulder. “He thinks that he's safe – that he's with Shasta. He's gone to warn them.”

Rose gave a half-hearted smile. “Wherever they are,” she said. “It's probably safer than here.”

I took Rose's hand. “I know you're scared,” I said. “But it's time to be brave. It's time for us all to be brave. Can you do that?”

Rose gave a little nod.

“The Summer King has returned,” I said. “He has called upon our allies. We will defeat them, Rose, have no fear. We will win this thing!” I fingered the vial she had brought me. “With your help, Rose. With your magic.”

Rose smiled and ran off.

I hurried back to my bedchamber, changing quickly into the fairy armor in my wardrobe. I grabbed hold of my sword. This was it, I thought. The first round of combat couldn't be more than a few hours off. I needed to gather up my strength.

My father entered. “Where do you think you're going?”

“I have to go!” I said. “The first round of fighting.”

He shook his head. “I need you here, Breena,” he said. “We need to form a strategy. If we go running, charging without thought at our enemies, we will be slaughtered. Even with our allies, they have the advantage of numbers. We must think carefully, plan our moves. We must be strong – but we must also be clever. Right now your brains are more important than your sword. Use your strengths, Breena.”

I took his hand. “You know,” I said. “I bet Mom would be really proud of you right now.”

Foxflame turned pink beneath his ginger beard.

“Come, daughter,” he said, taking me to the window. We could now see the Pixies charging on the horizon, their swords drawn. But then, coming from the north, I spotted another group of warriors.

“Look!” I cried, “It's Logan!” There he was, in his noble wolf form, rushing down the mountainside, followed by more werewolves than I had ever seen before – a pack of hundreds all moving their strong, taught muscles in unison. “He's here!”

The wolves joined the Summer Knights at the castle gates. Behind them, we could spy a host of creatures – dragons, unicorns, kelpies, all making their way to the palace. The rivers were gurgling and bubbling – it was only when I looked closer that I realized that the streams were full of mermaids, armed with bows and arrows.

“They've come,” my father whispered.

Then, in a single motion – as loud and sudden as a thunderclap, the Pixies were moving forward and so were the Summer Knights, and with a roaring shout the bloodshed began.

The war had begun.

Chapter 20

We watched as swords began to clash and arrows began to fly, watched as dragons reared up and breathed fire at the icy Winter Knights, and the rogue wolves snapped at the heels of the unicorns. The mermaids were letting loose their arrows, and the banshees' wailing echoed in my ears. It had started – the very thing we had tried so hard to prevent – a war that would rain down upon all of Feyland.

I heard a voice in my head.

Breena!

Kian? Are you safe?

I've found them – Shasta and Rodney. But it's too late...they've joined the battle. Rodney's sworn an oath to my mother, taken on the garb of a Winter knight, in order help Shasta. He's afraid for her – afraid your father would want revenge...

Didn't you tell them? That it was all a trick – the Pixies...

I told them. I told my mother. But it's too late! She realizes now that she's been tricked – it was all a trap. Now that the Pixies have breached the palace gate they've turned on her – she can't get to the other Winter Knights to warn them, to stop the fighting! We're fighting off the Pixies, the wolves...chaos everywhere...we're trapped.

He stopped mid-sentence, his voice fading to nothingness. So the Pixies had betrayed the Winter Queen, just as we had anticipated! And we were too late to stop it.

I turned to my father. “The Pixies have betrayed Winter. The only way we have a chance is to find a way to convince the Winter fey that we are their allies, not their enemies. If Winter and Summer fight the Pixies together we might have a chance.” But I knew I could not stay to see the thing done. Kian was in danger, immediate danger, and it was my duty to save him. He was my intended; I could not let anything happen to him, or to the Winter Queen. “I need to fight!” I said. “I'm sorry – I have to go...”

“But Breena...”

“Take care,” I whispered, squeezing my father's hand before rushing from the room. I ran to the stables, where I found Coral, my loyal old horse, with whom I had once had so many adventures, still tied up. I leaped atop her, kicking my heels into her side. “Onwards, Coral!” I shouted. Coral broke into a gallop – the fastest mount in Feyland, they'd said – and I flew into the battle. I could see Logan in the distance, fighting with his wolves on the ridges of one of the mountain. He looked up – his face contorting with shock as he caught sight of me and Coral – and then he turned his attention back to battle. I rode on. “Giddy up!” I shouted at the horse. We rode around the end of the battle, avoiding jumping into the fray directly.

Logan was still fighting, and then I caught sight of his opponent: it was Balthazar, wounded from my attack but still strong, opening his large mouth to snarl with rows of razor sharp teeth.

“Breena!” Logan shouted, “What are you doing here?”

As Logan turned to me, Balthazar struck, his claws sinking into Logan's neck, drawing forth a spray of red blood.

“No!” I grabbed a dagger from my belt and threw it straight at Balthazar. It hit him in the shoulders, glowing orange as it did so, and the large black wolf froze and fell to the ground, shaking from the poison in the dagger.

“Breena...” Logan crawled towards me, his hands and face caked with mud. I dismounted my horse and rushed towards him.

I pressed my hands to the wound, healing it shut with a flash of golden light. “Don't make me do that again,” I said, only half-joking, sighing with relief as I realized that he was out of danger.

“Now go!” Logan shouted. I ran back to my horse and mounted her once more, riding through the battlefield, dodging and feinting blows and arrows as I went.

At last I caught sight of Kian and his mother, with Shasta and Rodney alongside them. They were all fighting off a hoard of Pixies, a hoard led by a very familiar, very unwelcome face.

“Delano,” I spat, charging straight at him.

He dodged me and drew his sword. I knew I could never kill him from atop Coral; we'd have to fight hand to hand. I sprang from my horse, giving Coral a firm thwack on her hind leg to make her run – there was no reason to put horses in danger – and brandished my sword.

Delano looked surprised. “We really shouldn't be fighting, dear one,” he whispered. “In fact, I rather think you ought to be on my side.”

“How dare you?” I roared, running into the fray. “How dare you start this war – threaten me, threaten everyone I hold dear?”

Delano shrugged. “The Summer King may be back, but it's his daughter that concerns me now. To think, you could have prevented all this; if you'd only married me like I asked. I could have ruled Feyland without any of this silly bloodshed. But no! You had to be stubborn! This is on you, Breena!”

“No, Delano, it's on you!”

“If your whore of a mother hadn't lured your father away from the throne, the war would never have started! If you hadn't been born, Redleaf would never have been jealous and angry enough to let it happen. And now, your love for Kian pulled him away from his family – where he could have warned them, stopped the war...see, Breena! You brought love into Feyland. You brought this dangerous, delectable power into the world. And now you can't stop it. Emotion, rage, anger everywhere. Isn't it delicious? And it's all your fault!”

“No!”

“Your strength,” said Delano. “The strength to control your feelings – the strength to love – I want it. I want to harness it. With you by my side, we could harness love-magic, and with it rule Feyland forever!”

“Never,” I gritted my teeth, clashing my sword against Delano's all the while. “Not a chance.” I sliced my sword in the air, cutting off a piece of Delano's cloak but missing my target.

“There is a chance,” Delano said lightly, springing aside. “But only if I eliminate the competition first.”

He rushed over to Kian, raising his sword.

“Kian,” I shouted. “Behind you!”

Kian turned around, blocking Delano's sword just in time. But before he could strike in retaliation, Delano had vanished and reappeared behind the Winter Queen, wrapping his hands around her neck.

It was an unwise move. In a flash the Queen was surrounded by a glowing blue light, a light that threw Delano back with a yelp of pain.

“Attack!” Delano cried, wincing, and the other Pixies rushed forward. With them was a creature I had seen only at a distance – an enormous red-eyed black bull with fangs bared, rushing towards me with its horns sharpened and spiked. A minotaur, rushing straight at me, faster than I could possibly run.

“No!” I heard Kian's voice, and then a body was pushing in front of me, keeping me safe, taking the full brunt force of the minotaur’s sharp horns seconds before the great beast would strike me.

It took me a moment to recognize Kian, impaled upon the minotaur's twin horns, twin wounds gushing silver blood from all over his body. The minotaur’s horns had gone straight through his front and out his back, raising him up into the air.

I screamed the most horrifying scream, unable to believe my eyes. Kian’s face was in shocked as he stared at me, his eyes connecting with mine, full of love and agonizing pain.

A strong sudden voice flew into my mind. Kian’s. I love you Bree. Always and forever.

Then his eyes were glassy as he slumped back, still locked in place by the curved horns.

I wanted to cry “No!” and to rush over to Kian, but the Minotaur turned its red blazing eyes toward me, steam flowing out of its nose. White-hot rage rushed through me. My mind went black, and I was conscious only of my body rushing toward the beast, raising my sword, lifting it high to my side and striking the minotaur's head from its body in a single blow.

The Winter Queen, too, her face filled with that same pain, that same rage, was rushing indiscriminately from one pixie to the next, letting her anger guide her sword as she severed seven heads from seven bodies.

Only Delano was left, until – with a look of fear in his eyes – he vanished once again.

“Kian!” The Winter Queen rushed to her son, pulling his body from the fallen head of the minotaur. “Kian! My son!”

“But he's immortal,” I heard myself saying, tears flowing down my cheeks. “He can't die! He can’t!” Yet his eyes were blank; his face was whiter than ivory. I pressed my hands to the wounds but no sparks emerged.

“It's too late,” whispered the Queen. “He is holding on with all his strength, but the wound is too deep to heal.”

I picked up Kian’s hand in mine, holding it tight, wanting to hold the rest of him close to me. “I love you, Kian. Please do not leave me. Please hold on. Live.”

She too had turned the color of chalk. She bent down to press her lips to his forehead. “Kian my son. What have I done? With this war…a mother only wishes to keep their children safe, but this…” Her voice broke off.

“Kian,” tears were flowing freely now. “There has to be something I can do! There has to be some way to save him!”

The Winter Queen looked up. “Your forehead.”

My hand went instinctively to the gash in my forehead – I didn't even remember getting it, but I could feel the sticky blood pooling around the wound.

“You're bleeding silver. How?”

“Kian...” I almost choked on the name. “When he proposed – he gave me this snowflake pendant...he said it would make me immortal.”

The Queen let loose a long, pained wail. “No!” she cried. “Oh, that fool! That fool! I should never have let him love you.”

“I don't understand.”

“That was his immortality he gave away, child. He gave it up for you!” The Winter Queen wailed once more, pressing her lips to her son's icy forehead. She too tried to heal the wound, but it was in vain, as we both knew it would be. Her blue sparks closed his wounds, but he was still as death, his eyes closed.

“He said....he said he was immortal anyways since he was a full fairy and that this snowflake had the power to give me immortality!” I stammered.

“Fool!” The Winter Queen cried out, her anger directed at nobody in particular, but rather at the whole world that had let her down, that had robbed her of her son. “Fool!”

“Wait,” I cried, “this immortality – it belongs to him. I could give it back…then he’ll live, right? Return from the brink of death like I did?”

The Queen sighed. “There is a legend,” she said. “Of a mountain. A mountain where fairies were first granted immortality by a mysterious creature. The first immortal fairy received this gift – and no fairy since has been able to find it. Many scale the Mountain of Callum, but none have found the creature – and few have returned at all. Perhaps this will restore Kian. You must hurry. Kian’s life force is ebbing away…”

“Where is this mountain?”

“Go East towards the dawn,” The Queen's eyes were full of tears. “Then keep going...”

“I don't understand.”

“The mountain ascends up to one of the twin suns of Feyland – the Summer Sun. They say those that reach its peak will walk on the rays themselves.” She composed herself. “They say you are special, Breena. Let's see how special. Can you find this place – a place no other fairies have found? Will your powers bring you there?”

“I'll try!” I took Kian in my arms – a heavy, limp weight. Moments ago, this body had been the man I loved. I would do whatever it took to bring him back again. “But the battle.”

The Winter Queen said quickly. “As the Queen of Winter, I promise you Winter will aid Summer against the Pixies and the Dark Hordes of Feyland. Without this alliance, Feyland as we know it, will be destroyed!”

I nodded. “Queen to Queen, I trust your word. For the love of Kian, I must.”

I whistled, looking for Coral, the fastest horse in Feyland, but she did not come.

The Winter Queen whistled, and took my hand. “Another way for me to help you…there is a horse, my trusted beloved horse, Snowdrift, the one I rode into battle on. She is fast and strong. She will take you where you need to go.” Out in the forest, a large white horse ran out, galloping quickly over to us.

I had no time to protest. I mounted the horse, laying Kian over the saddle, and kicked my heels. The horse ran like the wind in a few gallops and then before I can blink, we were lifting up off the ground.

Down below, the Winter Queen raised her hand in a gesture of goodwill, then turned to head back to her knights. With a fierce neigh, the horse spread its wings and began to fly – fly high above Feyland. The Winter Queen had given me a Pegasus, a mythical horse with wings. For a second, I thought back to Gregory, Oregon and back to my mother Raine, who had painted a Pegasus years ago, whose image hung in my bedroom at home. Was this the same Pegasus that Raine had painted?

I looked down and gasped. The Summer and Winter Fey appeared to be fighting together. My heart leaped for a second, the Winter Queen had kept her word. But my heart grew heavy again as I saw far along the horizon hundreds, perhaps thousands of Pixies marching to join the fray.

Kian had once said that he thought his mother did not love him, that she believed love to be a weakness, that she would sacrifice him for the good of the kingdom. Now, as I carried Kian across the sky, I knew that it wasn't true. The Winter Queen had loved her son – enough to ally with the Pixies, enough to lie to get me away to the Mountains of Callum. She had loved him as strongly as I did.

Yet she'd never gotten a chance to tell him.

It was too late to return. I leaned my face into the wind and rode East, as commanded, towards the dawn.

Chapter 21

It was late. The stars twinkled overhead, set like diamonds in the black sky. I had left the Pegasus at the bottom of the mountain, and at sunset I had begun to make my way up the narrow path, worn down by footsteps. Kian weighed down on my back, and my shoulders ached and agonized with the tension. But I could not slow down. I could not stop. I had to keep going. I had to save Kian.

I had been climbing for hours now. My feet had blistered and bruised; my hands had grown callused. I had ascended the path and found myself in a place where there was no path, only the tangle of reeds and vines. I heard noises – the howling of wolves, the groaning of ogres – but there was no creature in sight. There was only me, and the mountain was filled with my loneliness.

At last it felt that I could not go on, that I was sure to give way. My feet were screaming out for release, and my shoulders were bent low beneath the weight of Kian's body. My eyes filled with tears. I couldn't fail Kian like this – I couldn't give up! Not after we'd suffered so much together, not after we'd fought so hard for this.

Please, I whispered. I love him. Help me – I love him.

As I collapsed to my knees, I caught sight of a tiny, glowing ball of light immediately before my eyes. At first I thought it was a hallucination, like a mirage in an oasis, but it grew closer to me, brighter and brighter until it touched my nose with a shimmer that tickled me, eliciting an involuntary laugh.

The light dipped further away, now – a playful sort of motion that I knew meant only one thing. Follow me.

The light gave me strength. It gave me courage. With a groan, I heaved Kian back onto my shoulders, and forced myself to my feet. There, in the tangled darkness, I followed the light, which darted about before my eyes. There was hope, I thought to myself. Somebody else knew I was here.

The light led me through the night, up by pools and waterfalls, through woods and then through hot and humid jungles until at last, as the dawn rose in the east, I found my feet at the top of the mountain. It was as the Winter Queen had said – the mountain so high it seemed to reach into the heights of the Summer Sun itself. The mountain came to a rocky point, and on that point there was an orb – barely the size of an antique glob – from which was glimmering an impossibly bright light, a light that stretched around me in all directions. We were in the heart of the sun, and everything was golden; everything was alive.

“Breena,” I caught sight of a woman standing by the orb. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, a graceful woman – she could have been any age, for though her skin was fair and unmarked by wrinkles her hair was white, and her eyes impossibly wise – with translucent skin, surrounded by a white sheen. “I have heard of you. No fairies dare to find this place – but you were able to find it. What have you come for, my child?”

“I've come to heal him!” I laid down Kian's body before her. “My love, Kian.”

“Love,” the woman smiled. “That must be it. I knew there was something special about you...”

“Kian gave me this,” I showed her the snowflake pendant. “And in doing so he gave me his immortality. But I didn't know! I didn't want it! Now I want to give it back – I need to give it back, or else Kian...” I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't let myself say the words.

She took the pendant. “This is worthless,” she said, and before I could stop her she tossed it aside, letting it shatter on the rocks below.

“Wait, no!”

She gave me an enigmatic smile. “If your love Kian transmitted his immortality to you, he did not do it with a pendant. A great magic like that of death and life cannot be confined in such petty objects. It was his love for you, and nothing more, which allowed him to give up his immortality. The pendant was only a symbol of that love – a reminder. The true love is in your heart.”

“I don't understand,” I said.

“Kian loved you so much he was willing to give up his life, his immortality for you. This caused you to become immortal. If you wish to give it back to him, you must do the same thing.”

“But I do love Kian!”

“Enough to give up your life for him?” The woman raised an eyebrow sharply, and I knew what she wanted. I knew what must be done. My life for Kian's life. A fair trade. Giving back to him what he had given to me.

“The laws of magic are not always easy,” she said. “But they are always fair.” She looked at me. “But your heart has not always been undisturbed. There has been another.”

“Logan...” I whispered.

“Kian's heart and love were pure. But your heart is torn, divided. If you wish to restore your love, you must make the ultimate choice.”

As I looked down at Kian's face, still beautiful even in death, I knew that the choice had already been made. I cared for Logan, as I always would, but my feelings for Kian were greater still. What I felt for Logan was attraction; what I felt for Kian was true love. It was Kian I would die for. I had always loved him. I had always been part of him, and he had always been a part of me. My whole life I had dreamed about him, my fairy prince, my intended. I had painted portraits of his face before I even met him. I could communicate with him telepathically, my soul with his.

I only regretted that we would never share the life we had dreamed of.

“Yes,” I said at last. “I am willing.”

“Then it shall be done,” said the woman, coming closer.

“Only...” I took a deep breath. “Tell him – when he wakes up. Tell him not to forget about peace. Tell him he must live on – to make sure Feyland survives with us.” I took one final look at Kian's body, so smooth and still. I took a hesitant breath and said, trying to keep my emotions steady, “Tell him that I will always love him, had always loved him. And please do not be sad when I am gone. He will be a great king one day, and the love he had for me will aid him, not hinder him.” I pressed my lips to his forehead. “Goodbye, my love,” I said.

“Come,” said the woman. She led me to the edge of the mountain, where a precipice jutted out. I looked down and for a moment, terror gripped me, as I saw the great heights to the bottom – the endless drop from the center of the sun to the depths of the earth. I had always been afraid of heights – now I will die from it. I closed my eyes, said a prayer, and looked up again. “I am ready,” I said.

“Very well.” The woman laid her hands upon my head, and instantly I felt the full force of her magic rush through me – a magic greater and more powerful than any I had ever known, filled with the primal force of the ancient ways, the magic older than that of Fey or pixie, older than Feyland itself the great magic that was at the root of all things. A cloud of white surrounded me.

I felt a sudden jerk backwards and I opened my eyes. The white glow had disappeared and I was alone, my back arched, falling backwards, my body plunging faster and faster down the mountainside, into the abyss.

Epilogue

I could feel myself falling, and my lips and tongue grew numb with terror – but the terror faded. I felt rather as if I were slipping into a dream, into a peaceful mist, where the troubles of war could no longer reach me. I was safe. I was secure. I was free. I thought of my mother, painting in her overalls, and of my father sleeping on his pile of furs, of Shasta and Rodney, who had loved each other so much they were willing to die – or to kill. I thought of Logan, and his last, sad kiss, and of the love I could not give him, and of Kian, who held my love in the palm of his hands.

I closed my eyes. I wanted that image of Kian, pure and perfect; to be the last thing I saw when I hit the ground.

And then I stopped moving. I felt my body rage against gravity, rage against the certainty of its own death. I felt a pain erupt from my back, and then I wasn't falling anymore. I was moving upwards – higher and higher until I was high above the very sun itself.

What was happening to me?

And then I saw, reflected on the mountainside, two great, broad shadows on either side of my body, moving back and forth in perfect rhythm with my heartbeats.

Wings.

***********************************

Breena, Kian, and Logan’s story continues in

Book 5 of The Frost Series

Midnight Frost

Fall 2011

Sneak Preview of the New Dystopian Series

DESIRE

Book 1

kailin gow

Prologue

Perfection. That was how best to described the day. Blue skies with the hint of lilac and buttercream, fat fluffy white clouds gliding by added to the beautiful day. It was the perfect way to end a sunny school day. With my hand nestled warmly in Liam’s, I walked at his side, my face tilted up to the sun, my nostrils breathing in the fresh air that smelled like Spring lavenders and fresh linen. The fragrant air made me think of Spring formals, garden parties, and outdoor barbeques. The day could not be more enjoyable if it’d been planned that way. If I had not grown up anywhere else besides the state of Arcadia, I would have thought this was the way it always was everywhere.

School had gone well, tests and exams had been passed with flying colors and the birds seemed to be singing perfectly. Like every day in Arcadia.

As we approached Nellie’s Diner, I caught a glimpse of myself in a store window and was pleased with the reflection I saw. My long blonde hair cascaded down my back, freshly brushed and tidy. The lustrous locks fluttered in the breeze in a way that always made Liam smile, and it all added a bounce to my step.

That morning I’d chosen to wear my pale green smock dress, the one that he always complimented me on.

“That dress sure does make those hazel eyes of yours pop,” he’d always say.

Always told I was a pretty girl, I never really believed it until Liam and I began dating in high school. At his side I felt beautiful. Was it his striking features that enhanced my sense of beauty or was it simply the look of adoration I saw in his eyes every time he looked at me that made me feel so beautiful?

“How’d you do on your math test?” he asked.

Though I’d always managed to get good grades, I never failed to get nervous and edgy when test time came around. “I think it went well,” I said, smiling at him and adoring him all the more for the concern he always showed for me and my studies.

“I think I pretty much aced that History exam this morning,” he said with pride.

He was so handsome, his fair curls so angelic. It never failed to amaze me how sweet, kind and generous he could be. A guy as handsome as Liam could easily break a thousand hearts, yet he was thoughtful and considerate in the way he treated every woman he met, and he was particularly attentive, loving and caring with me.

“Maybe my Life’s Plan should have been to become a history professor,” he added as he opened the door to the diner, his bright blue eyes twinkling with laughter and amusement.

I shared his hope and promise, and questioned what my own Life’s Plan would be. With my eighteenth birthday quickly approaching, I would know all too soon. It was as though I had been waiting all my life to find out what my Life Plan would be. All of us under the age of eighteen waited with anxiety and anticipation to find out what our Life’s Plan held: our profession, who we would marry, where we would live, and how many children we would have. It would all be written in our Life’s Plan.

“Kama! Liam,” Sarah called from across the crowded diner.  “Hey, you love birds, over here.”

I couldn’t count the number of eyes that watched us as we made our way to our table. We’d been voted the best-looking couple in school for two years, and some even said we were the most attractive couple in town. Some claimed I had pale violet highlights that shined in the bright summer sun, though I can’t say I ever really noticed them myself. Some even hinted at the added degree of elegant glamour my recently fashioned bangs gave me. Others were envious of what they call my porcelain skin.

It was all flattering, but it was also incredibly embarrassing. I felt scrutinized and watched all the time. Added to this was the expectation that Liam and I would soon marry. The thought both pleased and pressured me. I’d known Liam since I could remember, but the pressure to marry was sometimes difficult to swallow. I wanted to do this on my own terms, not by everyone’s expectations.

“After you.” Liam gestured to the booth.

“Have you been waiting long?” I asked Sarah as I slid in.

“Just long enough to down one of these.” She held up a tall, long glass of soda then turned to Liam. “You know, I was thinking, next week we could do the party down by the lake if the weather holds up.”

“I’m famished. Have you ordered yet?”

“Two mini burgers with coleslaw and a mammoth burger with fries for Liam.”

“Thanks,” Liam said, obviously anticipating the great meal to come.

“So, what do you think? Sarah asked him.

“I had thought about that, too. Streamers on the trees, flowers everywhere, and maybe even a live band?  Or we could do something elegant and classy at my place.  The grounds are beautiful this time of year with everything in bloom.”

“I think she would really love that.”

“I just love how you guys go about planning my birthday party as if I wasn’t even there.”

“It’s as close to a surprise party as we can get. You always guess what we’re up to anyway.” Sarah pointed her straw at me for emphasis.

“But the night of my birthday is the same as the Arcades last game of the season.”

“That’s if they make it to the finals.” Liam seemed unconcerned with the turn out of the evening.

“They always make it,” Sarah added.

“Even if they do, everybody’s going to want to come celebrate Kama’s birthday.”

It was just like Liam to be so optimistic. I suddenly thought of the secret wedding plans I’d conjured up for us.  As annoying as the pressure to marry could sometimes be, the thought that marrying Liam might not be in my Life’s Plan often scared me to death.

“That’s pushing it a bit, don’t you think?” I knew I was popular at school, but for the student body to skip the Arcades’ victory party for my eighteenth birthday wasn’t likely to happen.

“Look,” Sarah said with finality. “The game is at two, will probably end before five, everyone will celebrate ‘til seven and then they can all slide on over to our party for eight. Voila. It’s all settled and everyone is happy.”

I tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but I felt every sense in my body awaken to something I’d never felt before. It was electric, almost painful. Was this what closing in on my eighteenth birthday felt like?

No, it was more than just that. I stared out the window, looking for the source of my sudden distraction. The feeling intensified until the conversation between Sarah and Liam was completely blotted out and all that existed was that odd sensation.

“Kama, did you hear what I said?”

I pulled my gaze away with difficulty and concentrated on Sarah who wove a lilac colored sheet of paper at me

I knew what it meant and instantly felt that jolt of envy. Having turned eighteen a few weeks back, she’d finally received her Life’s Plan.

“I finally got word from the Committee. Can you believe it? I hold in my hand my Life’s Plan.”

“And you managed to hold that bit of information back this long?” I said, teasing her.

“I love you and want this birthday to be special for you, but now that everything is practically settled, we can talk about moi.”

“So, what does the future hold for toi?”

Before she could answer, the waitress arrived with our order.

“Everything looks delicious as usual. Thank you,” Sarah said with a quick, polite but dismissive smile. She was eager to tell us about her Life’s Plan and it showed.

Beaming with pride, she pulled out her electronic pad, inserted the small chip she’d received from the Committee and turned the screen to Liam and me.

Ignoring the plate of hot food before me, I read through the introduction, though I basically knew it all.  She came from the affluent Diamond Suburbs, was the only child to Mick and Fay Murray who both happened to work on the very Committee she’d just received notice from.

“Okay, so you guys already know that part,” Sarah said as she guided the page further down. “Here’s the interesting part.”

I smiled as I envisioned the life that had been plotted out for her. She was to attend Arcadia University where she would meet her future husband in the Elite Society. Both would go on to work for the Committee and live in the Diamond Suburb.

“Oh, Sarah. I’m so excited for you.” I finally picked up my little burger and sank my teeth into it.

“I knew you’d be. This is exactly what I wanted.  Exactly what I was hoping for.”

“Do you know how lucky you are to receive a Life’s Plan that is just as you wanted it?”

“I know. I never would have thought.”

I turned to Liam who’d sat silently through the exchange, his mammoth burger almost half gone. A wistful smile warmed his face as he looked at me. That look of love that came so often still warmed me just as much as it did on our very first date. He slid his hand around my waist and pulled me closer and I knew where his mind had wandered to; his own Life’s Plan.

He was set to marry a girl he’d known all his life. It could hardly be anyone else but me. Everyone agreed we were the perfect match. He would someday take his dad’s place as Governor of Arcadia, but would start at the Committee. He, too, was slated to live in the luxurious suburb of Diamond.

How many times had he told me his Life’s Plan had to include me? Countless. And every time he did, my heart raced a little faster. Life would indeed be perfect; a beautiful home in an exclusive neighborhood, a loving and gorgeous husband, and my best friend living nearby. What more could I hope for?

I couldn’t resist leaning into him for a warm snuggle. He wrapped his arms around me, kissed my forehead and chuckled in that soft way he had when he knew I was feeling amorous.

“Cool it, you guys,” Sarah snapped. “I’m still here, in case you hadn’t noticed. Besides, this is my Life’s Plan we’re happy about, remember? You’ll have your chance in a few weeks, Kama.”

Yes, I wanted to scream. And I hoped I wouldn’t have to wait long. While some people waited weeks, as Sarah had, many got their Life’s Plan within days of their eighteenth. No doubt mine would greatly resemble Sarah’s and Liam’s. We were basically cut from the same cloth, even if our childhoods were slightly different, and our destinies were bound to include one another.

The sensation returned again, drawing my attention away from the table and pulling me out of the diner like a magnet. I looked out the window, looking for the source of my distraction.

Across the street, simply standing there, tall, dark and strangely out of place, was a young man of such intensity, the hair on my arms rose. He was like no other man I’d ever seen, confident, sure and so attractive in his gloom. His fashion sense was from another world, or at the very least from another town.

While the occasional blue jean was seen here and there, most young men of Arcadia wore stylish and elegant slacks. But this intruder dared to wear not only jeans, but black jeans that seemed to have seen their share of battle. Instead of a shirt, he wore a dark leather tunic that added to his mystique and aura of danger.

I was drawn to him in a way I’d never thought possible. It was magnetic. I felt my heart quicken and my pulse race. He was like a warrior straight out of those romantic fantasy novels I’d heard about. Extremely handsome, a bit exotic with his tan skin and jet-black hair. But his sapphire eyes held mine in a gaze that spoke lifetimes.

Kama, the desired one.

My fork stopped midway to my mouth. I froze as the strange and dark voice entered my mind. I glanced at Sarah. Happily chomping on her burger, she had not heard a thing.

Glancing sidelong at Liam, I could see he had not heard anything either.

I have found you, yet again…

What? Me?  Who are you? What is this? Where was that voice coming from?

Him.

I forced the coleslaw into my mouth before the others noticed my sudden odd behavior, but I almost choked on it. When I finally managed to swallow it down, I turned to Liam.

“I think I just saw Tula across the street,” I said as I laid down my fork and prepared to rise. “I owe her two dollars, so I’ll run out to give it back to her.”

He stood, and while he looked completely perplexed by my sudden need to leave the diner, he said nothing.

I hurried out and headed in the direction of the mysterious man with raven hair. Breathless before I even began to run across the street, I felt an urgent need to meet this man. But I could see before hitting the curb that he’d already disappeared.

My disappointment surprised me, as if I’d missed something important, something that could change my life. My heart felt heavy as I looked up and down the street. There wasn’t even a trace of him until I arrived at the very spot I’d seen him.

A perfect deep purple orchid. It had to come from him. No orchid of such color grew in Arcadia. It was the only proof I was not completely going nuts. He had been here. I had seen him. This mysterious man with the burning blue eyes was here and knew my name. Who was he?

Chapter 1

There was something rather self-indulgent about passing out invitations to my own birthday party, so I let Sarah do most of the talking and handing out as we strolled through the school halls. She was great at getting people together and she had a way of making any event seem grand.

“Here you go, Heidi. This is a special invitation to Kama’s eighteenth birthday. Liam was nice enough to allow us to throw this great bash at his house, that’s right, the Governor’s Manor. We sure do hope you can be there.”

I’d known Heidi since the third grade and while we weren’t close friends, I did enjoy her quiet and reserved company.

“Hey, isn’t that the gang from your old neighborhood?” Sarah said as we moved on.

At the far end of the hall, I saw Jocelyn and Matthew.They’d both lived in the Ruby District their whole lives.

With all of our parents working in industries other than the Committee, we had a lot in common and it brought us closer.

However, as Sarah reached out to hand them their invitation, I could’ve sworn they both cringed. Was the thought of attending my birthday bash so unappealing?

“I’ll see if I can make it,” Jocelyn said.

I immediately knew it meant she’d do anything to ensure she had something else to do.

“Me, too,” Matthew added. He carelessly shoved the invitation into his pocket.

Part of me wanted to question their lack of interest, but I also didn’t want to dwell on it. I was in a good mood, it was a beautiful day and my birthday was just around the corner. I turned to follow Sarah to the cafeteria, putting them out of my mind.

“There’s Liam,” Sarah shouted as we entered the cafeteria. “I’ll go grab a slice of pizza and come meet you guys.”

I stood there for a moment, taking in all of Liam – his blond hair, smooth skin, earnest green eyes, full lips, and his tall muscular physique. Physically, he was beautiful, but everything else about him made me love him more. He’d already taken his seat at the table reserved for the children of Committee workers. I glanced sidelong at the students who watched me make my way to the table I didn’t yet officially belong to. If not for Sarah and Liam, I wouldn’t be allowed there.

“How are you doing, Kama?” Liam rose to give me a quick kiss. “I got you the minestrone soup and turkey sandwich.”

Ever since he’d taken to getting my lunch every day, he never erred. He had a way of knowing what I wanted every day. “Perfect, just like always.” He was perfect, just as always, and every girl in school knew it.

Most of the senior class was in love with him, and those who didn’t love him, envied him.  He had everything -  looks, wealth and a personality to warm the coldest heart.

It was amazing how, out of all the pretty, pretty girls he could have chosen, he’d chosen me, and I was forever grateful for his love and affection.

“You spoil me, Liam Seer,” I whispered as I came up close and raked my fingers through his mass of golden curls. How was it possible for a guy to be so devilishly handsome and so positively angelic at the same time? To think he was to one day be Governor of Arcadia, the most powerful person in our state. It was in his Life’s Plan.

“Your smile, warm kisses and your eternal love are all I ask in return.” His eyes filled with love and he grinned a silly grin. “I’ve missed you.”

Taking my seat, I smiled and glared at him. “Liam, you saw me yesterday.”

“Yeah, but you ran out on me so fast. I thought you would come back in but you just left.”

“I know,” I said, looking for a solid explanation. “My head must be in the clouds these days, what with my birthday, Life’s Plan and all that. I’m really sorry.”

“I thought you would at least call afterwards.”

“You're right. I really should have. I can’t apologize enough.”

“You said you owed Tula money, but I didn’t see her outside when you ran out. Are you sure she was really there?”

I heard a hint of suspicion in his question and didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t possibly tell him of the mysterious man who called to me from across the street, who entered my mind with his thoughts and who disappeared, leaving behind an orchid. Nor could I tell him of how the entire episode left me feeling.

My heart had raced the whole way home. I’d been completely unaware of my surroundings as I strolled down Main Street, and had only managed to find my way home on auto-pilot. My mind had been filled with the image of his face and the strong sense of… of what? Attraction? Desire?

I hated keeping this from Liam. We’d been best friends for so long and had shared so many secrets, it felt unnatural, a betrayal, not to tell him. The only secret he’d ever kept from me over the years was his growing love. By the time he finally asked me out two years earlier, he’d been harboring strong emotions for three whole years.

He was quiet for a long moment. His hand reached for his sandwich, but his gaze was focused somewhere in the distance. I watched his Adam’s apple rise and fall a few times before he finally turned to look me in the eye.

“I’ve known you for ages, Kama. I know you inside and out. You didn’t go out there to see Tula. You’re careful with your money and you never borrow money from anyone. So what did you go out there for? What did you see?”

I kissed him, partly to reassure him of my love for him, partly to buy me a moment of time to find a suitable answer. My lips lingered over his and I felt him relax. “I’m going to be turning eighteen in a few days. I’ve been a wreck as I try to imagine what my Life’s Plan could be. I’m scared. What if it’s not what I desire? What if I’m one of those who don’t get the plan they want? What if you’re not in it?”

“You have nothing to worry about.”

“Listening to Sarah and her perfect plan, just the way she wanted it… I was happy for her, I really was, but it made me realize just how devastated I’ll be if my plan doesn’t turn out to be what I desire.”

“Kama, you’re worrying over nothing.”

“You don’t know that. Nobody does.” I looked at the steam that rose from my bowl of soup. “I just couldn’t stand being in there hearing about Sarah’s plan another minute. I know it sounds selfish, but I am worried, Liam.”

“Look at me,” he said as he took a firm grip of my jaw and turned me to face him. “I’ll do all that I can to make sure you get exactly what you want. After all, what you want is what I want.”

“I know you have a certain degree of power, Liam.  But even with the Governor as your father, you can’t dictate to the Committee what they chose and for whom.  It’s a lot bigger than that. They’ve studied and tested and studied again to make sure they give everyone the perfect plan for them. You can maybe make a suggestion or two, but you can’t change the course of their plans.”

“There are always exceptions, and you and I are one of them. Our plans have to include one another. Everyone says so. If that Committee doesn’t have me in your Life’s Plan, the whole city will be on their back.” He chuckled in that reassuring, boyish way he had, then looked at me, his eyes set in a dead serious stare. “Besides, I love you, and nobody can change that.”

“I love you, too, Liam.” I couldn’t help but grin. He was so adorable and he had a way of always making everything bright. Forgetting all about my lunch, I leaned in to kiss him, my lips forceful and possessive over his.

He returned the kiss, quickly becoming passionate and heated. I had to pull back before we were thrown out of the cafeteria for indecency.

“Come over tonight, Kama,” he said, his voice suddenly throaty and deep. “Come home with me tonight. I need to spend some time with you, alone.”

I hushed his lips with the tip of my finger. “You know we can’t, Liam… not until we’re…”

His face hardened, not with anger but with hunger and concern. “What if you're right?”

“Right about what?”

“Your Life’s Plan… What if I’m not a part of it?”

“You just told me not to worry…”

“I know what I said, but what if I’m wrong. What if the Committee decides we can’t be together? The day you turn eighteen they won’t allow us to see each other anymore. I can’t bear the thought. I want to be with you all the time, Kama… all the time. I’m already going nuts spending my nights without you. The thought of never holding you in my arms…”

“Okay,” I whispered as though fearing the Committee was already watching us. “You know I can’t turn you down.”

His smile cracked his face in a way that made me love him all the more. As luscious and dreamy as he was when he was dead serious, he was heavenly and irresistible when he smiled. I’d gladly give him the world.

“I’ll pass by to pick you up after dinner.”

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in for a passionate embrace. His lips were hot over mine and as he slipped his tongue in to taste me, I felt a jolt of pleasure soar through my body. The anticipation for the night to come, grew.

“Liam,” I muttered through his lips. “Everyone is gaping.”

“I don’t care,” he said, pulling me closer. “I don’t care.”

From Bestselling Author Kailin Gow comes

DESIRE

A Dystopian world where everyone’s future is planned out for them at age 18…whether it is what a person desires or not. Kama is about to turn 18 and she thinks her Life’s Plan will turn out like her boyfriend’s and friend’s – as they desired. But when she glimpse a young man who can communicate with her with his thoughts and knows her name…a young man with burning blue eyes and raven hair, who is dressed like no other in her world, she is left to question her Life’s Plan and her destiny.

Visit:  http://www.desiretheseries.com

Releases

March 24, 2011

From Bestselling Author Kailin Gow comes

SHATTERED

(Desire #2)

Visit:  http://www.desiretheseries.com

Releases

Fall 2011

From Bestselling Author Kailin Gow comes

Beautiful Beings

Coming Soon!

Fall 2011

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