Summer of Frost

Prologue

PROLOGUE

SORCHA

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 f*****g 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.

Squeezing her hands, I gave her a small smile. “He may love me, Sarette, but I just don’t think I can take anymore,” I whispered to her. “If he wants to back off a bit and just have fun with me that’s fine, but I just don’t see him doing that.” Immediately, and out of nowhere, I could sense a strong presence behind my back. Sarette’s eyes went wide at the same moment I tensed and stood frozen. I cringed, thinking it was probably Alston and he had heard every word I’d said.

My heart began its erratic beating again, and when I slowly turned around to face Alston, I was astounded to see that it wasn’t him standing there, but someone else. The man before me was not only lethal and sexy, but he happened to be the Summer Court prince, Drake. His bright, red hair reminded me of the sun on a hot summer day, or better yet, the fire of the dragon inside of him. However, I didn’t let his charm sway me. His smoky, gray eyes bore into mine, and when he noticed I didn’t melt under his gaze, he tilted his lip up in an arrogant smirk, clearly amused. Cocky bastard.

“Good evening, Princess Sorcha. I don’t think we’ve actually been formally introduced,” he expressed regally, bowing slightly. “I’m Drake.”

“I know who you are,” I replied blandly. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He beamed. “Good things, I hope.”

“Not really,” I teased dryly.

Indeed, I’d heard many things about him. He was an arrogant a*s that liked to show off his skills anytime he could, not to mention he probably had a million Summer Fae women lined up to enjoy him in his bed. I didn’t know that for certain, but I could only imagine. His life was very secret when it came to women, so needless to say, it drew many speculations. He was ridiculously good looking, and the longer he was in front of me the more I felt a pull to fall into his arms. What the hell was wrong with me?

Laughing, he tilted his head and held out his hand. “How about we dance, and you can tell me all about what you heard. I guarantee most of it isn’t true.”

I glared at his hand, and then back up to his face, contemplating if I should accept. Before I could take his hand, Alston pushed his way between us, anger emanating off of him in strong waves. “How about you find someone else? Sorcha is with me. I’m sure you’ll find another Winter Fae that would be happy to cool your bed.”

For a second, I stood there frozen and speechless. In a way, I wanted to see what Drake would do, but I also didn’t want to see them fight. It would cause unwanted problems that we didn’t need. Slow, and with determination, Drake took a step closer to Alston, standing almost nose to nose with him. “So … she’s with you, huh?”

“That’s right,” Alston growled.

A wolfish grin spread across Drake’s face. He raked his heated gaze down my body quickly, before laying his deadly gray eyes back on Alston. “Keep telling yourself that,” he retorted.

Alston clenched his fists, ready to strike, when Drake gracefully backed up and bowed his head slightly at me, never swaying his eyes from mine. “Maybe next time, Princess Sorcha,” he murmured, his voice low and seductive.

Out of all my years of always having a smart a*s comeback or something witty to throw out, that moment was one of the times I couldn’t form words. Alston snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me close, and for that second in time I didn’t care. Nothing existed except me and Drake as he backed up slowly, both of our gazes never wavering from each other’s. He winked at me before leaving the ballroom, and once he was out of sight, everything immediately returned to normal. My heart beat regularly while everyone came back into focus, and that meant Alston and Sarette’s angry glares.

I knew then that everything was going to change after that night. Drake had captured my attention, and I was determined to find out more.