Page 90 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“You are back! Thank Goddess,” Erin sighs.
I jolt upwards as I feel a sudden wave of nausea hit me again. “Sick,” I breathe out.
Erin helps me up and hurries with me to her bathroom, where I empty my stomach in a bowl. I want her to leave me alone, feeling my body wince at having someone watch me in such a vulnerable state, but she stays with me.
“It’s my fault,” she whispers. “I’m sorry, Azadeh.”
I have no idea what she is talking about.
“Are you feeling better?”
I nod, feeling a bit wobbly. “I apologize,” I whisper.
“Come, I have a tea for you; it will help,” she says, leading me back to the living room. The scent of the herbs is gone, and fresh air comes through from the open windows.
She wraps me in a thick blanket, warming me up again, and hands me a cup of tea. For a split second I feel like throwing up again, but it settles fast, her medicine doing its miracles.
“What...” I take a shaky breath. “Erin… I saw Favian… and the woman in white…”
“I didn’t expect you to work it out that fast,” she explains. “Or, I would have taught you how to return. You can’t go that deep in on your first try.”
“I found Favian,” I utter, barely registering what she says. “It means I can reach out to his mind.”
“Yes.” Erin looks at me earnestly. “But, did you listen to me? You need to know how to return!”
“I… yes… Erin, I understand,” I agree, yet I can’t help the sudden feeling of hope filling me. “It’s just, I didn’t expect it to work so well.”
“Neither did I,” she admits. “As a human, it’s unbelievably amazing what you were able to do today,” she pauses. “But then, you are the gifted princess, after all.”
“Do you know what my gifts are about?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t. But… all I can say is that ever since you came to the kingdom, the harvests have been better. We have a lot of sunny days and fewer snowstorms.”
“But this can be a coincidence,” I say.
She smiles. “It could be, but it could also be due to you.”
“Will you teach me how to put up my walls and how to pull myself out of someone’s mind again?” I ask her.
“Yes, but I want you to take a break until tomorrow. Go and meet the triplet princes and let them show you around. Enjoy your time here.”
thirty
The Crystal Forest
*ENDELLION*
The moment I lay eyes on Azadeh, I notice how drained and tired she looks, and have to battle my wolf not to rip Erin’s head off for having over-exhausted her. Erin seems to notice my death glare, because she turns to me with a gentle smile. “She is well, Prince Endellion,” she says. “I just didn’t expect her to be that talented.”
For a split second, Caspian and I think she is making fun of Aza, and I can feel my wolf’s anger seeping through, but then I see the sincerity in Erin’s eyes and how joyful Aza looks.
“I managed to make a connection,” she explains to me. “To Favian! That’s good, isn’t it?” she asks, looking at me hopefully.
My brothers react fast and insist it’s fantastic, but she keeps looking at me, and something in my heart tugs and swells at the way she is looking at me, wanting my opinion. A possessive feeling washes over me and wants me to pull her into my arms and never let her go again.
I want her to be mine!
Realizing she is still waiting for an answer, I swallow down my confusing feelings and smile. “I think it’s amazing,” I assure her. “Though I’m not surprised. I think there is something about you… a hidden power. You aren’t said to be the gifted princess for nothing.”
