Page 4 of Court of Winter

It wouldn’t be the first time.

“I’m fine, Vorl.” I spun slowly to face him.

My village archon’s smooth complexion always reminded me of my wheat in the spring. His cool blue eyes hid a heart of ice, and his leathery and heavily muscled black wings were so large they nearly dragged on the ground. Like all other Solis fae, he had near-white hair. In the dying light of the impending gale, it shone faintly silver.

“Why aren’t you at the council meeting?” I asked him.

He shrugged and leaned against my shed. A piece of bread was pinched in his hand, and he ate it languidly. The scent and look of it...

I bristled. “I see you let yourself into our home again. Are you enjoying the last of our bread?” I cast a quick glance over his shoulder.

Sure enough, Cailis was visible through her bedroom window. She was putting laundry away and probably had no idea Vorl had let himself in through the front door and helped himself to the last of our loaf. The large fae male, heavily blessed with magic, could move as silently as the wind.

Vorl popped the final bite of bread into his mouth, his strong jaw working through the doughy ball. “Very much so. It’s almost as delicious as you are.”

He pushed away from the shed, straightening to his full height as a pulse of magic drifted from him when he rubbed his fingers together. His magic cleansed the butter and crumbs from his palms, his skin once again clean.

A moment of envy filled me at how powerful he was, and I wanted to kick myself for it. Of all the fae in my village to be envious of, it wouldnotbe him.

“Doing some late-night gardening?” he asked, nodding behind me.

My grip tightened on my tools. “No, I was just heading back inside. The weather is going to—”

“Don’t lie to me, Lara.” His voice turned icy. Brutal. The beast within him flared in his eyes, because that was what he was. A heartless, cruel, vindictive beast of a fairy.

I flinched, and a flicker of perverse delight shone in his eyes.

Don’t show weakness. Donotshow him weakness.Squaring my shoulders, I kept my chin up. “I’m not lying.”

In a move so fast it was a blur, his hand locked around my throat, and my tools clattered to the ground just as a boom of thunder shook the land.

He spun me so fast the realm turned. A split second passed, then my back slammed into the shed as his grip on my neck tightened. The welcoming magic of my garden disappeared in an instant since we’d crossed the barrier. Icy wind bit into my cheeks as the shed’s cold planks heaved at my back. My heart thundered as I struggled to breathe.I thrashed against him, fighting as hard as I could, but it was no use.

Vorl always overpowered me.

He leaned in close until his entire hard body was flush against mine. My small breasts were squashed under his powerful chest, and the sadistic light in his eyes grew. A gag worked up my throat, but he squeezed harder, and it stayed trapped in my chest.

“Do not lie to me, sweet Ilara. You know how much it displeasures me when you do that. I know you were just about to tend to your garden. You and I both know that the weather doesn’t affect your land. Or do you think I didn’t notice?” He increased the pressure of his palm, and I clawed at his large hand more, but he didn’t budge.

“Lara?” My sister’s distant call came from the house.

In a flash, Vorl released me and widened the distance between us. I gulped in air, my throat burning as I scrambled from behind the shed just as my sister emerged from our tiny home.

“Tell no one. Or you know what happens.” That sadistic gleam glowed in his eyes again, and the heavy weight of his magic shot around me.

Warmth seared my throat, and the scent of casting magic fell over me like a heavy cloud. I knew he’d just hid the bruises he’d inflicted since Vorl’s affinity was illusions. He excelled at them above all others.

Cailis’s pace increased as she ventured across the crisp, frosty snow of our small yard. The second she saw Vorl, she stopped in her tracks, and her eyes narrowed to slits. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “I was flying by on my way to the village when I saw Lara struggling with her tools. I offered to help.”

Cailis’s gaze dropped to the tools that lay in the dirt, bending several stalks of berries. She slowly returned her attention to Vorl’s guileless expression. “If Lara needs help, I can do it.”

My sister’s fingers drummed against her thighs, and her wings flexed. She didn’t stand a chance in a fight against Vorl, but she’d go down trying.

“Vorl was just on his way, weren’t you?” I tried to say loudly, but my voice came out hoarse. I hurried back to my garden and carefully pulled my tools from the berry plant. Magic clouded around me. Familiar, warm, comforting magic pulsed from my garden’s land, and some of the tension eased from my shoulders.

Vorl cleared his throat, and I turned back to him and my sister.

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