Page 120 of A Court of Fire and Frost

Elva quirks an eyebrow, and I say quickly, “No. She’s a Fae.”

“A Fae,” Lucinda repeats, her voice positively entranced. She doesn’t need to know she’s a Winter Fae quite yet.“She sounds absolutely beautiful. When will you bring her home so she can meet her new mother-in-law? I have some herbs to give her so you can finally give me grand-younglings. Honeymooning in the ice isn’t great for the ovaries, you know—”

I roll my eyes. I’ve described literally nothing about my bride. I look at Elva, who can clearly hear my mother droning on. I’m confused because instead of anger, I find Elva smiling on the point of tears.

“Can I talk to her?”My mother repeats, and I blink. Elva nods enthusiastically.

“Yeah, Mom. Sure, here she is.”

Elva tentatively takes the phone. “Hello?” She says and then grins as my mother showers her with compliments and embarrassing stories.

My cheeks heat, but the look on Elva’s face stops me dead in my tracks. She’s had no one care about her like the way Lucinda can, even as petty as she is sometimes.

It hits me all at once. She is a product of her fears, of her traumas. It hurts to realize. I don’t want to gain sympathy for the female who I felt raised me poorly, but it comes. Everything she did was born out of hope that I would get exactly what I have gotten.

I’ve changed a lot. Maybe she can too… Maybe she has, and I haven’t even noticed.

For once, I hope my mom doesn’t stop talking.

Elva leaves the room, and I hear the words, “Oh, that’s nothing, one time—”

Chapter46

Darling

ELVA

Iam going to take the throne.

My words echo in my ears as I lift the painted china teacup to my lips, sipping the herbaceous black tea while studying the group that has gathered around me. I hadn’t planned them or even discussed them with Nathan before they came out of my mouth.

Gods. I didn’t even ask him how he feels about it.

I am not good at this whole marriage business.

I might not even be a good queen. All I know is that I’ve been haunted by nightmares ever since I got away from Veronica and her goons, and I would do anything to help save my people from experiencing horrors like the ones I’ve gone through.

Shivers run down my spine as I recall the way the iron shackles felt clamped around my wrists, the painful searing as they burned away my ability to use magic, and the way the drugs ran through my system every day. Gods. I may never forget it, but I don’t want to let those memories run my life. I came out the other end of my ordeal stronger, and maybe, just maybe, the Winter Court can too.

Maybe.

And that’s why, now that I’ve opened my big mouth, we are sitting in a tight room at the back of the Bed and Breakfast, staring at members of the resistance. Calitha had led us to this space a few minutes ago, the Tea Room, she had called it, before handing us teacups that came from humans. They’re small and dainty, and the flowers. Gods. They are so old-fashioned, but something about them is sweet.

Nathan and I are sitting on a small flowery settee, facing a roaring fire. His tight grip on my thigh is the only outward sign of his discomfort with the situation. His teacup is balanced on his thigh, and he hasn’t moved it since we sat down.

The overwhelming emotion in my heart is happiness. I still can't believe this is real, and I keep tugging on the bond to check that he's still there.

He is.

“I will always be here for you,” he said repeatedly as we learned about each other in a completely new way.

The promise echoes in my mind, making me hum with happiness. It’s a welcome distraction from the situation we are currently in.

The heat from the tea burns as it goes down my throat, warming me from the inside out. It gives me something to focus on as I assess the members of the so-called resistance.

Words are far and few between, the clinking of the china filling in the silence as everyone watches each other.

Besides our hosts, there are two burly humans with multiple weapons hanging off them. They are standing sentinel at the door, their faces grim as they watch us intently.

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