Page 90 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
Listening to my two friends laugh, I grabbed them a glass of water each and one for myself and made them drink before they went back to their mimosas.
“One hangover and you swear off drinking,” Ryenne griped.
I rolled my eyes at her. “I’m drinking, just not getting drunk.”
“At least Everly’s fun,” she said.
“Fun now, until another hangover hits.” I balked at the memory of my last hangover.
“Apparently, we got really drunk the night all this snow happened,” Ryenne explained to Everly. “We don’t remember any of it, but we woke up with the worst headache. I couldn’t even move my head without wanting to cry in pain.”
Again, Everly paled. She drew her brows down and pressed her lips into a thin line. “You don’t remember anything?” she asked, her voice small.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you get that drunk,” I told her.
With a nod, she spun her glass again.
Something was up with her. Maybe it was like she’d said and she’d never had female friends before. Or maybewhatever was going on with George bothered her. Or maybe it was something I would never hear about.
But I could be her friend. Try to ease whatever was on her mind.
“So”—I waggled my brows at her—“tell us about George,” I sang out again.
Her lips spread into a breathtaking smile as she pushed a strand of her silver hair back. “I like him,” she said shyly. “I’ve liked him forever or”—she shook her head—“not forever. It feels like forever, but we’ve only known each other for two and a half months, right?”
I understood that. Sometimes, it felt like I’d known Elias forever too.
“But I don’t want to like him.” She drew her brows together.
“How come?” I asked.
She shook her head again, a look of devastation crossing her features. “We both agreed nothing could come of us. He has his duty to the king and queen. He’s protecting our world and can’t be distracted. Even if . . . Do you believe in soul-bound mates?”
Her question caught me off guard. While Ryenne snorted, I considered it. I had to at least think about it when Everly looked so crestfallen yet hopeful.
I wasn’t sure, though.
The idea of two souls bound together by fate was beautiful, but it also made me feel like the choice to like someone wasn’t ours but up to destiny. I wanted a choice in who I liked and who liked me.
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “What would it mean to have someone as your soul mate?”
“His soul would recognize yours,” she answered, tappingher fingers on the table. “Like two pieces in a puzzle that fit so perfectly, there’s no space for anyone else.”
It was an incredible thought. An incredible dream. For two people to fit, to belong. But still . . .
“What if you don’t want the person who destiny says is your soul mate?” I wondered.
Her expression fell, and for a beat, pain flashed deep behind her eyes. “You reject him.”
I rubbed my palm over my chest, which ached for some inexplicable reason. “Do you think George is your soul mate?”
She lowered her eyes to the table but didn’t say anything.
Silence stretched between us. There was so much she didn’t want to tell us. So much left unsaid.
I wanted to comfort her and reassure her things would work out. Tell her what Mom used to tell me—how nothing was ever the end until we were six feet in the ground. And until that moment, there was still hope.
But I wasn’t sure she wanted hope. She seemed resolute in their decision. And I could somewhat relate to that. The fear of falling more for someone—a fae, no less—who could depart our “realm” as suddenly as he’d appeared. She might feel bonded to him but be unsure if he’d want her for the rest of her life too. But it made me want to know more about Elias’s parents, the king and queen George served so valiantly.
