Summer of Frost
Authors: L.P. Dover
Tags: #romance, #love, #magic, #fairies, #mythology, #fae, #love triangle, #dark sorcerer, #land of the fae, #summer court, #winter court, #faerie courts, #forever fae
By L.P. Dover
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Smashwords Edition
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Summer of Frost
Copyright © 2013 by L. P. Dover
Editor: Melissa Ringsted
Cover Artist: Regina Wamba of
Mae I
Design
Formatting by
JT
Formatting
ISBN:
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Table of Contents
Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
two Courts to Four is what it will bring.
Without the Four the evil will spread,
the Land of the Fae will fall into dread.
The next generation will provide the
Four,
the maiden souls and nothing more.
The Power of Four will start with the
first,
if he gets the power, only then will you be
cursed.
The Power of Four will be drawn to the
others,
their power is strong, the power of
lovers.
The moment they become one,
only then will the change have begun.
Two Courts to Four is what needs to be,
to save the Land, so shall we see.
Tonight was the Winter Solstice Ball, and of
course, I was running late … like always. When I walked through the
huge double doors of the ballroom, the force of the exuded power
almost knocked me off my feet. I froze in my tracks, darting my
gaze around to find the reason for such power. Something wasn’t
right. Everything around me was normal; the Summer Fae were here,
and everyone was dancing around and drinking. Yet, why was my heart
pounding out of my chest? Why was the intoxicating energy trying to
pull me in another direction?
My date and lover for the time being,
Alston, had my arm tightly wrapped around his while we walked
through the crowd, acknowledging everyone as we passed. If he felt
what I was feeling he wasn’t showing it, but how could he not, it
was so strong. Alston had short, black hair and striking, blue eyes
that reminded me of our Lake of Ice. He walked with a regal gait,
so sure and confident, and always had the Winter Fae women fawning
over him. He came from a prominent family of the Winter Court, and
was also one of our warriors, even though he could’ve easily taken
a place on the council. He lost the battle when it came time for my
Guardian Ceremony, and ever since then, I think he’d secretly held
a grudge against Oren, my guardian of two years.
Peering over my shoulder, I glanced quickly
at my guardian—who was following close behind—to see if maybe he
was feeling what I was.
“Do you feel anything strange,
Oren?”
I silently asked him through our connection.
Oren narrowed his eyes and examined our
surroundings with great fervor. He replied back,
“I don’t sense
anything other than your frantic heart. I don’t think there’s a
danger in here. Do you feel threatened?”
“
No, it’s not like that,”
I said,
looking around the room.
“I don’t know how to explain it, except
it’s strong.”
“
I’ll keep a look out,”
Oren assured
me, and gave me a wink.
Giving him a quick nod, I turned my gaze
back to the crowd. Alston squeezed my arm, and whispered gruffly in
my ear, “I can’t wait to get out of here. How about we take a break
and head to your room?”
“Is that all you think about?” I hissed
impatiently, rolling my eyes. “We just got here.”
Alston shrugged, his leer emanating a
mischievous gleam. “I can’t help it. You look fucking hot in that
dress. Blue is your color, it brings out your …” he said, staring
at my breasts, but finished his sentence saying, “… your eyes.”
“Somehow, I don’t believe that.” I laughed,
smacking him in the arm.
Normally, I would be all for us leaving the
Ball, but the sensation I’d had since coming into the room had
given me pause. I was about to tell Alston what I was feeling when
my best friend’s voice spoke out from behind me, stopping me.
“What are you two whispering about?” Sarette
asked, coming to stand before us.
Looking at her was like seeing me in the
mirror. From a distance, we looked almost the same with long,
straight black hair, same height, and same features. We’d often
been mistaken as each other, but if you examined her closely, her
eyes were a majestic blue while mine are emerald green, a rarity
among my people. No one in the Winter Court had green eyes like me,
and mostly everyone thought it had to be because of the
prophecy.
I scowled playfully at Sarette, and hooked a
finger in Alston’s direction. “Your cousin wants to blow off the
Ball and have his way with me in my room, or better yet, I have my
way with him.”
Sarette shook her head, exasperated. “Isn’t
that the reason you two were late getting here in the first
place?”
I nodded. “Yes, and apparently, that isn’t
enough to satisfy him these days. Maybe I should find someone with
fewer needs.” I said it as a joke, but in a way I wanted it to
strike him where it hurt. Alston got pissed and stalked away, which
was my intention with the jab. He was fun to be around, and amazing
in bed, but he had started wanting more than I was ready to
give.
Sarette followed her cousin’s retreating
form, but glanced back at me with concern etched on her elegant
face. “What’s up with you two?”
“I don’t know,” I remarked, shrugging my
shoulders. “He’s been really clingy lately, and showing more signs
of jealousy and hostility toward Oren. They fight all the time and
it drives me insane. I guess he’s still angry he lost the battle to
be my guardian, but even so, he’s gotten really possessive … I
don’t like it.”
A smile took over Sarette’s face.
Laughing, she took my hands. “He acts that
way because he’s in love with you, Sorcha. I know you don’t want to
be tied down with someone, but he’s really taken with you. You
should let him in your heart instead of pushing him away. I
honestly think you’re trying to find reasons to push him away.
Wouldn’t it be great if we became sisters instead of just best
friends? I’ve never seen him act this crazy over someone …
ever.”
She was ecstatic when I took her cousin as a
lover. She wanted us to be a family, but if this was how his love
was, I didn’t want any part of it. I wasn’t an expert on affection,
but surely it couldn’t be smothering like that. Sarette’s gaze grew
sad, the realization dawning on her that what was about to come out
of my mouth wasn’t going to be anything reassuring. I couldn’t care
less about hurting anyone else’s feelings, but Sarette
was
like a sister to me, and if I broke things off with Alston it would
definitely disappoint her.