Page 4 of Frosty and the Reaper

It was a life that demanded much and gave little in return.

A gilded cage that trapped its inhabitants in a cycle of duty and expectation.

However, the power and prestige could become addictive. Nobel status turned some individuals into spoiled, entitled brats with no moral compass. Their very existence bred envy and bitterness, and being in line for the throne meant there was always someone waiting to take their place, by force if necessary.

Since internal politics within the royal family were a source of constant tension, alliances were easily formed and broken. Trust was a rare commodity, and the threat of betrayal was always present. The truth was that a royal household was not just a family.

It was a complex web of power dynamics and hidden agendas.

Kami had always assumed being part of the royal family of the Winter Palace was going to be the death of her. Fortunately, she’d never had to worry about being taken out by one of her siblings. They weren’t backstabbing, murderous assholes like a few of the princes from the Summer or Spring Kingdoms.

She and Crispin had always supported Jackie as the next in line for the throne, and in return, their older sister tried to protect them from their monster parents.

Honestly, Kami had never really understood why Queen Bianca Frost had allowed her to live when her very existence seemed to offend her. Hell, she was surprised the bitch hadn’t drowned her back when she was a baby. Either that or never give birth to her in the first place.

For as long as she could remember, the queen had taken great pleasure in finding various ways to torture her. Of course, it was all done under the guise of training her to be a good ruler, but that was simply an excuse. The queen had wanted to beat all of the kindness and compassion out of her in order to make her as cruel as she was. Then, the queen planned to replace Jackie with Kami as the next ruler.

There was no way she would ever agree to that, though.

For years, Kami had known there was something dark within her that set her apart from her sister and brother. She had sensed an ominous presence within herself that wasn’t something she could easily explain or describe. Nevertheless,it was always there, lurking in the background, influencing her thoughts and actions in subtle ways.

With her innate leadership qualities, Jackie exuded a fierce sense of loyalty and reliability. She had dedicated her life to being a just and benevolent queen, always striving to uphold the values of their kingdom. People admired her for her unwavering commitment and her ability to make tough decisions with grace and wisdom.

Crispin possessed an extraordinary depth of compassion. His empathetic nature and gentle demeanor made him an exceptional healer who could soothe both physical and emotional wounds with remarkable ease. He had a unique ability to connect with people on a profound level, understanding their pain and offering comfort and solace.

The darkness lurking within Kami set her apart from her siblings. She had always joked that she made a terrible princess, but there was some truth to that statement. Unlike her sister and brother, who seemed to possess an innate ability to care deeply for others, Kami struggled to understand their selflessness. Living a life of service to others took a special kind of person, and she clearly wasn’t one of them.

She loved her siblings and her friends dearly and would do just about anything for them, but when it came to the rest of the world, she was sort of apathetic. Sure, she could do it, but it wasn’t her calling in life. That was the reality she had accepted long ago, which made it all the more frustrating when her mother had encouraged her to fight for the throne.

A position she had no desire to claim.

It wasn’t until Kami had recently discovered that Queen Bianca wasn’t actually her mother that it had all started to make sense to her. The mother she had loathed for her entire life had actually turned out to be a psychotic celestial goddess indisguise. Jackie and Micah had been forced to kill her in order to save themselves from her insane schemes.

The real Queen Bianca Frost had been shoved in a coffin and used as a magical power source to sustain the realm created by the crazy Goddess of Illusions. No one knew the goddess had been masquerading as the fae queen for years until she was caught, and the damage she’d caused was immense.

As the new Queen and King of the Winter Kingdom, most of the aftermath was left to Jackie and Micah to handle. Kami knew they had been waiting for her to fall apart, but the truth was, she wasn’t exactly torn up by the revelations of her birth. Actually, the only thing that really upset her was that she hadn’t gotten a chance to kill her psycho birth mother herself.

Now that the crazy goddess was dead, Kami had to deal with the fact she was a demi-goddess with untapped powers. Previously, her birth mother had done something to lock down most of her abilities. But now that she was gone, Kami’s true powers had been unleashed.

As part of her magical upgrade, she was also the new reluctant owner of the Realm of Illusions. That was something she had to figure out what to do with. She’d been hoping it would sort of just disappear without a power source, but it was now stable enough to remain in existence.

She wasn’t sure she was comfortable owning a realm of her own. In fact, she found the idea kind of creepy. So far, the only good thing about owning the damn place was that she had been able to help free the reapers who had been trapped there.

But look where that had gotten her…in a big, fat pile of trouble.

Like the old adage stated, no good deed goes unpunished.

She huffed out an impatient breath as she braced her hands on her hips. Thinking about the freed reapers made her temper flare to life again.

Where the hell had her mate gone?

To be fair, the guy had been asleep for a really long time. Maybe he needed a bathroom break, or perhaps he was hungry. Thinking about food made her own stomach growl. Damn it. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten, and now, she was starving.

As far as service went, being a captive sucked.

Done waiting, she decided to break out of the pretty prison to search for some food and her mate. Either one would satisfy her at this point. She knew there had to be a way out. Now, she just had to figure out where it was.

Chapter Two