Page 14

Dayton

I ’m hot. I’m too bloody hot.

And I fucking love the heat. But this fire is coming from the inside, and I don’t know how to snuff it out.

Kicking, I toss my sheets off and gaze out the window. Pale pink light shines in. It’s just past dawn then, a time when no sane fae should be awake, unless ending a night of celebration.

Groaning, I clutch at my chest. I cannot be ill, for I’ve seen a healer twice, with no cause for concern. Yet still, I feel like I’m on fire from daybreak until dusk.

Observing the rising sun, I am reminded of one fae who will be up and on duty. And for once, I could use his help.

I can’t take this anymore. I’m in desperate need of relief, even if it means venturing into the place I hate most.

Quickly, I dress and leave my room.

“Damocles!” I call out, storming into his chambers. My brother looks up from his desk, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Take me to Castletree. Now.”

He frowns. “What’s going on?”

“I need to get to Winter.” There’s confusion in his eyes, but he doesn’t argue.

Within moments, we’re traversing through the door that connects Soltide Keep with Castletree, the ancient gateway between the realms. The grand staircase glimmers and a few of the staff stare down at us, curious about the situation.

Damocles shuts the door leading to Summer, then I twist the handle until the symbol above shows a snowflake. My breath comes in short, desperate gasps. “Open it. Please.”

He does so, and we’re greeted by a cool blast of air. The open door now reveals the halls of Keep Wolfhelm. Polished stone floors are adorned with thick rugs. I shiver but step through without hesitation, Damocles close behind.

My mind reels. I’m willingly in Winter, my least favorite of the realms—if you don’t count the Below. I hate this place—the biting wind, the endless cold, the people even colder.

And speaking of cool, we round a corner to see the Prince of Ice himself.

Keldarion.

The man is a mountain of white. Taller than Damocles, his silvery hair falls past his waist. He wears a heavy fur cloak over tight leathers. His piercing blue eyes narrow as he sees us approach.

“What business do you have here?” Keldarion asks.

“This is my youngest brother’s idea,” Damocles says, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear there was amusement in his voice. Too bad my brother is incapable of such emotion.

Kel raises a brow at me but stays silent. Perhaps because he feels like I’m not even worthy speaking to or because he doesn’t remember my name, I can’t be sure.

Regardless, there’s no point sidestepping what I need from him. “Take me to the coldest place you know, Keldarion. I need it. Now .”

Keldarion glances at Damocles. “Is your brother mad?”

Damocles sighs, rubbing his temples. “Yes, but I like to humor Dayton’s wild impulses from time to time. It keeps him from doing something even more ridiculous.”

“At least I’m being ridiculous under your watch!” I snarl, the heat inside me flaring. “Now, Prince Keldarion, please, take me somewhere colder, because even your dick-shriveling keep isn’t icy enough for me!”

Keldarion smirks. “Very well. Follow me.”

We trek through the freezing halls and then out beyond the giant wall that surrounds Keep Wolfhelm. Damocles accepted the Winter Prince’s offer of a cloak, but I refused. Gooseflesh covers my arms, and my teeth chatter.

But I’m still burning.

Outside of Frostfang, there’s nothing but ice and snow as far as I can see.

The only thing of interest is towering Mount Rhuvenmark, a long-dormant volcano.

Keldarion leads us to a forest on the western side of the city.

Eventually, we reach a vast lake, the surface so clear it looks like glass, reflecting the pine trees and tall, twisting mountains.

Winter folk huddle over small circular holes, their rods dangling in the water.

“I don’t know if this is the coldest,” Keldarion says, judgment and confusion in his tone. “But at least it’s within walking distance.”

The air here is frigid, biting into my flesh with every breath.

“It’s perfect,” I say, slapping his back, which earns me an annoyed grunt.

Without a second thought, I strip off my shirt and stand before one of the abandoned holes. The water is so dark, it appears almost black. It’s so unlike the clear turquoise ocean of Summer where you can see for miles beneath the waves, the coral sparkling pink, orange, and yellow.

I clench my hand over my burning heart and then lower myself into the water. The cold is shocking, a sharp, painful contrast to the fire that’s been consuming me. I submerge myself, ducking under the surface.

Distantly, I hear the murmuring voices of my brother and Kel above. But I can’t rise yet, not when it’s still simmering within me.

An image flashes in my vision, auburn hair spread over my silken sheets, our bodies intertwined, his teeth biting into my shoulder as we move together.

I sink deeper.

Forge my own path.

That is not my future.

Another flash, this image right in front of me, so close I think there’s someone there. A young woman falling, hands reaching for the surface, brown hair a tangle around her face. She’s beautiful. She’s drowning. I reach toward her, but she disappears in a hazy mist.

My heart feels on fire now.

Deeper. I push myself to the chilliest depths of this lake.

I stay there, letting the cold seep into every part of me, numbing the burning sensation that has tormented me for months. Finally, I feel the fire beside my heart begin to fade, replaced by a calming, divine frost.

As I emerge from the water, shivering but relieved, I look up at Keldarion and Damocles. “Thanks,” I say through chattering teeth.

Keldarion shakes his head, a bemused expression on his face. “You, Dayton, are a mystery.”

Damocles wraps a fur cloak around my shoulders, his eyes filled with a mix of concern and exasperation. “Let’s get you back to the Summer Realm before you freeze to death.”

“Thank you, Dammy,” I say.

He stares at me, his blue eyes a mirror of my own. “You know I would do anything for you, little brother, even if I do not understand it.”

“I know,” I say. “And I’d do anything for you.”