Page 136 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
“Was that nasty fae mean to you?” she asked him.
He gave out another huff, which sounded a lot like yes.
“I think we should roast him.” This from Donnie.
Quickly, Teddy’s kitchen filled. The girls spilled in with shouts and giggles while Javier hung back by the entrance, still trying to blink sleep from his eyes.
George picked up Victoria and rested her on his lap when he sat beside Everly on the floor. Everly gave him a shy smile that I’d never seen on her before. But then again, I didn’t know they tolerated each other much until last night when Everly told Teddy she’d take a chance and believe with her. Those words sent George’s heart into a race with my own. After we finished our final song, George finally toldme about how he and Everly were mates. They’d known for close to one hundred years, and while they’d never rejected each other, they hadn’t exactly accepted their bond. All because of the duty they felt to my parents.
Royals or not, both my parents would’ve knocked them over their heads for their foolishness. While there was pride in duty, nothing sustained life like a mate’s love. My parents were the perfect example of that.
“What do you have for food?” Brenton asked, comfortable enough with Teddy to open the refrigerator without asking.
Teddy held a finger up while she took her fill of the coffee she’d poured herself.
“I think we have two or three eggs left,” Javier said when Teddy took another big gulp. “Plenty of fruits. There’s bread in the pantry too.”
I needed to go back out and hunt, not just for the creatures from my realm but also for more livestock. While there’d been plenty of sweets the day before at the market, we’d all have to go back to half rations.
“I want strawberry shortcake,” Ryenne said, rummaging through the pantry.
“Me too,” Victoria said, and the other two girls agreed.
From outside, Nalari roared so loud that it shook the walls of Teddy’s house.
“Nalari?”I asked.
When she didn’t reply, I ran outside past the porch to the clearing where Nalari liked to rest.
Nalari crouched low to the ground, fire roaring from her open mouth toward the forest in front of her.
A shot rang out. Then several more.
Sniffing the frigid air, I tried to find whoever was stupid enough to shoot my Guardian.
I heardfour heartbeats in the forest where Nalari’s fire hit. There were at least five more beyond them.
Everly, Brenton, and George ran alongside me. From the back of my mind, I heard Teddy call my name. I didn’t look back. Couldn’t look back.
While George, Brenton, and I ran into the woods, Everly turned and headed toward Nalari.
“I’ll fight alongside Nalari,” Everly shouted. With her shield in one hand and sword in the other, she stood by my Guardian’s side.
We ran into the thick woods, tall trees engulfing us on either side as I followed the closest heartbeat. The first man was hidden beneath a few layers of snow, wearing all white clothes that almost blended with the snow above him. I pulled him from his hiding spot and broke his neck before his body hit the ground again.
A few feet from where the dead man lay, another man shot from where he hid beneath the snow. He stumbled to get to his feet, and just as his mouth opened to scream, I grabbed him and snapped his neck. He fell quietly onto the soft snow.
I scented the death of the others my friends had killed.
Bullets sprayed toward us, and one hit George in the leg. He growled deep within his throat, and I stopped my attack to heal him quickly. Before I could do so, I felt the magic within him awaken and stir, as could happen in battle. The magic that had been taken from him rose and returned like a flood.
In an instant, George healed himself. When he took chase toward the cowards running and hiding deeper in the forest, Brenton and I followed. Suddenly, George stilled, turning toward Nalari and Everly.
I shifted my attention toward them. “What’s wrong?” Iground out, my own anxiety mixing with the adrenaline that fueled the fight within me.
Without a word, George ran toward them. Trusting his seer magic to speak to him, I didn’t question him further and instead pressed Brenton’s shoulder toward the remaining humans.
I spotted several running between the trees as they looked behind to see us quickly approaching. A few feet from them, Brenton leaped on one. The man pointed his gun toward Brenton, and I heard the loud bang that echoed from its chamber as Brenton killed him.
