“We need to get going, Kit. Kian, will you tell the others?”
“Leave it to me. You two enjoy yourselves. Fates knows, we need something to be happy about right now.”
“No kidding,” Thorn muttered.
“Thank you.” I gripped Kian’s hand and pressed another kiss to his lips before turning and walking into Thorn’s open arms.
“Hang tight,” he murmured in my ear before he phased us out of the room, the wind carrying us to the fae portal.
Westeppedintotheice palace, and a gasp rattled out of me.
“Since Birch is going to be the king, we decided to hold the ceremony here. With Adele being the Fire Kingdom’s Queen and announcing their betrothal as a union of the two kingdoms, we had to showcase fire fae magic here too,” Thorn murmured, his warm breath tickling my ear.
My eyes widened as I took in the ballroom. It was still made of ice, but flames licked up the walls in a beautiful rhythm. Fire fae wore a vibrant red, while the ice fae wore royal blue—each fae representing their kingdoms and weaving together beautifully as they mingled.
The atmosphere was both tense and comforting. It was as if the fae didn't know how to act but were at peace with the war being over.
“It’ll take a while for our people to acclimate to the joining of our kingdoms, but they’re prepared to make that happen,” he told me, and I realized he’d been reading my mind.
Silly, invasive fae.
“You like it when I’m invasive, though, don’t you, Kit?” His lips spread into a suggestive smirk, and my face heated as my thoughts correlated with what he’d said. “Thought so.”
I couldn’t help but think of Thorn inside of me when he used that terminology, and there was no part of me that didn’t want him inside of me at this very second.
“Wren! You’re here!”Frayla bounced toward us through the crowd. “Thorn said he was going to get you after the announcement but tookforever,” she whined, looping her arm through mine and tugging me away.
I glanced back at Thorn, who chuckled as longing shot down the bond. “Take care of my mate and bring her back after yourgirl time.”
She rolled her eyes. “I only need her for like twenty minutes, then I'll bring your precious mate back to you. But you need to learn to share! She’s my cousin now too.”
“I do enough of that as it is.” He huffed with a playful grin. “I’ll see if Birch needs anything in the meantime, but, Frayla… If one hair on her head is harmed—”
“That won't happen.” Frayla snapped, narrowing her gaze.
I hadn’t spent enough time in the Ice Kingdom. I wanted to get to know Thorn’s family and people better, and now was the time to do it. Frayla had been so welcoming, and she made me feel safe—my instincts regarded her as family just as they did Trixie.
“Enjoy, then.” He flashed a teasing smile to me and lifted a finger.
A blast of ice magic rolled over my skin, cooling me down and settling my nerves.
“Girl time?” I quirked a brow, turning to the eccentric ice fae.
She giggled, pulling me toward a table with some refreshments. “Yes, well. Thorn is Birch’s brother, so he has a duty to be part of the ceremony. I insisted that I wanted to spend some time with you as he prepared with him. After all, we are family now, and you and I never get a chance to chat.”
I smiled as warmth flooded down Thorn’s bond. Glancing back, I noticed him disappear through the large doors that we had entered through during the Winter Festival. “Thank you. I look forward to getting to know you as well.”
“I've heard about you for years so I feel like I already know you. Now, stop being formal with me. Thorn used to tell me how badly that bothered him. Always kept your guard up around him since he was a fae and all that. Every time you’d let your walls down, he’d come back ecstatic, only to be depressed the next day when they were back up.” She handed me a glass of what looked to be shredded blue ice with a straw.
“I didn’t mean to. I actually formed a lot of feelings for him when I was a teenager, but I was just scared. I shouldn’t have been, though. I mean, he’s my mate.” I grabbed the glass, and my fingers tingled from the cold as I brought the straw to my lips and sipped it.“Mmm, blueberries.”
It tasted like Thorn, and I loved it.
A giggle spilled from Frayla. “Liking that a little too much?”
I nodded, sipping away. “It tastes delicious. I wonder why Thorn has never given me any of this before?”
“Probably because it’s blueberry juice with fae rum,” she mused, sipping on her own cup.
