Betrayals of Spring (Forever Fae #2)(6)
Breathless from exertion, I lie on top of her for a moment to catch my breath. I can feel her heart beating spastically through her back while mine is pounding hard as well. It feels so good to f*ck long and hard, and with a body like hers, I could do it all day and night. I pull out leaving her breathless and moaning on the bed. She obviously doesn’t get what she wants from her lover, but I think I fully make up for it.
I stand up from the bed and move back toward the shadows on the wall.
“It’s been a pleasure, but I must be on my way,” I announce.
She turns her head to give me a satiated smile and answers seductively, “I promise not to fail you. I will follow through with our plan.”
At that, I disappear from my solid form back to my spirit form, and I decide to keep to the shadows. My presence needs to remain here for the time being, at least until the ball begins, so I can carry out my plans. Calista’s power has given me such a major boost even though she weakened me there for a while. I can travel to and from any place in the Land of the Fae in a matter of minutes, and my ability to do certain spells has been magnified. My special objects of power have been placed throughout the Court to give me access to the unwilling victims. I’m drawn to the power of the objects, so it’s easier to locate my targets. I can feel the pull to one of them, so I head in that direction, and it looks like I’m heading to the front of the palace.
This is good, I think to myself. The Summer Court should be arriving anytime, so I’ll be able to get a front row view. Excellent.
Thinking back to when I captured Calista I can’t believe how I almost screwed myself in the ass with how greedy I became with her. I wanted her power and her body in any way possible and it almost destroyed me. Not this time, though. My plan to get her sister’s power doesn’t involve me keeping her, but just retaining her power in any means possible. If I happen to keep her in my grasp, that will be a bonus, but my bed is not short of women, so I have no need to go through extra work to keep her with me. Thankfully, she hasn’t bonded with her other half and spoiled my plans. Once the bond is complete I can no longer retain the power of the Four from that certain individual. Why? I don’t know. That’s just the irony of things. Taking the power was not meant to be easy. Thanks to my superb thinking, that bond will probably never happen from what I have been seeing. My work has been quite easy this go around. I thought I would have to work a little harder to dissuade Meliantha from Kalen, but she has surprised me and banished him from her life without my having to urge her more. It’s been extremely gratifying watching them through their torment the last five years. My objects of power have come in handy and have made their way to the proper hands. Needless to say, they have no clue I have been around all this time, watching and waiting. All that’s left to do is wait for the ball tonight and hope that my plan works out accordingly; although, in the meantime, I think I might try to have a little fun.
“I can’t believe we’re going to the Winter Court. I bet it’s going to be amazing for you to get away from here for the first time in five years,” Elissa says excitedly. She pauses to look at the clothes I’m wearing and shakes her head. “You know the king and queen are not going to approve of you wearing that. I bet they won’t let you leave the palace.”
They’ll have no choice, I think to myself. I make my own decisions now. I shrug my shoulders and turn back to continue my packing. I can hear Elissa shift behind me, but then she starts to sing and jump around my room excitedly. Her blond curls bounce up and down as she dances, and I envy her carefree attitude. I remember when I used to be like that.
Elissa is my age of twenty-five and we have been close friends since birth. Her father is on the Summer Court Council, and he’s also a good friend of my parents. Elissa will be coming with me to the Solstice Ball per my request. She has also been forbidden to travel during these past five years, so I thought it was time she had a break as well.
“It’s going to feel good to get out of the palace walls and travel,” I say while looking at Elissa. “I know it will be good for you as well.” I look down at my clothes and frown. “As far as what I’m wearing, this is who I am now and nothing is going to change that.”
She stops bouncing around and looks at me with concern etching her angelic face. I happen to look down and notice that she’s wearing the amethyst necklace I gave her five years ago. It’s the necklace Kalen gave to me on that day of hell. It pains me to look at it, so I avert my eyes quickly and hope she doesn’t notice my hesitation. The memories are not something I want to remember. She walks over to me and tilts her head so she can see into my face. She has asked me repeatedly to talk to her about my feelings, but I’ve always declined. It’s no one’s business but my own, and sometimes her persistence is out right annoying. I huff in exasperation and then I pointedly meet her eyes.
“I wish you would tell me what happened to you, Meliantha. The person you are now isn’t the real you. You’re not some cold-hearted bitch from the Winter Court,” she says as she points at the window. “You don’t even garden that much anymore now that you’ve become a warrior. There used to be a spark of life inside of you that could brighten a room, and now it’s just...gone. I miss the old you so much, and I want her back.” Her eyes soften and she reaches down to take my hands. Her words are the truth, but I am who I am for a reason. She doesn’t understand that all I’m doing is protecting myself, and most of all, protecting my heart.