Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 8

Kohl

I grabbed Ruffin's arm before he could plunge the knife into Icelyn's heart and transported us to the highest tower of the Winter Court's castle. The anger bubbling within me nearly consumed me. At this point, I doubt very seriously that Ruffin would live much longer. I considered shattering his brain right then, but he was too close to Icelyn, and I did not want him to jerk and hit her.

In a puff of black mist, we both landed on the rooftop. Ruffin scurried as far away from me as possible. He teetered on the edge as I stalked toward him.

"This is a misunderstanding." He cowered before me on bended knees and begged like the mongrel he was.

I knew Icelyn's life was in danger, but I didn't know from who. That was why I had stuck around. I was unwilling to leave her unguarded until she was safely in my realm.

"Yes, because it is easy to misunderstand you coming into her room with a knife."

He is dangerously close to death, and from the way he is cowering, he knows it too. I waited to hear his explanation, but he changed tactics instead.

"If you kill me, you will start a war with the Winter Realm. Everyone will know it was you."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it as I prowled closer to him. "It is laughable that you actually think I care. You trespassed on my property, and now you will face the consequences."

I put my booted foot to his chest and shoved. I watch in satisfaction as he tilts over the edge and plummets to the ground.

"I wonder if wolves land on their feet like cats?"

I causally scratched the stubble on my chin as I peered over the edge. Ruffin's body hit the ground below with a gratifying splat.

"Guess not."

I quickly return to Icelyn's side, happy she is still in a deep slumber. Her beautiful face scrunched, and she whimpered in her sleep.

"Let's see what is bothering you, little Snowflake."

I pushed past her mind's barrier, careful not to cause any pain. I can be gentle when I want to be. She is entrapped in a nightmare too awful for words.

"This will never do, Snowflake."

I vanquished the terrors in her mind and slowly started to weave a dream much more befitting the mate of the Night Realm.

***

Icelyn

I am running as fast as I can, but it is still not fast enough to stop the war party that is hot on my tail. Everyone has turned against me, even my own people. Somehow they have found the ability to use iron weapons.

Ruffin catches up with me first; I am no match on foot for his wolf. He backs me into a tree. I call upon my magic to protect me, but for some reason, it's gone. Ruffin quickly shifts back into his fae form and strikes me with an iron dagger. I bring my arms up to protect myself, but the blade slices into my forearm.

I cry in pain as the open wound bubbles and ooze a black liquid. Slowly the black poison of the blade starts to travel up my arm.

"Once it reaches your heart, you are done for."

Ruffin leans back and laughs victoriously. I want to yell at him and ask him why he is doing this to me, but I can barely think through the pain of the poison seeping through my veins.

Suddenly, a black mist appeared, consuming my brother and every other fae chasing me. Once the mist dies down, I see the king of the Night Realm before me. He smiles at me and crouches before me, taking my injured arm in his hands.

I freeze as he leans down and gently kisses the wound. Almost instantly, the spreading poisons recede until it exits my body, and the gash closes. I stare at it in awe. There is nothing there, not even a scar.

Relief fills my entire body. The king of the Night Realm saved me. He doesn't move and doesn't leave me. Slowly he starts to trail kisses up my bare arm, leaving a trail of goose pimples in his wake.

I'm not sure why I allow him to touch me so intimately. Maybe it's because he saved my life, or perhaps because my body is yelling for him not to stop. He continues up my arm, along my shoulder, up the sensitive part of my neck until he pulls back and hovers mere inches from my lips.

"Icelyn. It's nearly midday. I cannot believe you slept so long. Your escorts are waiting for you in the courtyard."

My eyes fluttered open, my heart pounding as the intense, wildly sexy dream vanished as Ellie shook me. Part of me was glad she disturbed my dream. The other part was agitated because I wanted to know what kissing the unseelie rouge of the Night Realm was like. That realization had me scrambling from my bed.

"It's midday?" I asked, confused, as Ellie shoved a cup of hot tea and bread at me.

My stomach did summersaults, and I pushed the bread away. I was too nervous to eat, but I accepted the tea. It may help calm my nerves. I quickly pulled on the dress that Grimhilde must have set out for me to wear and ran my fingers through my hair.

Ellie shoved all my bags at a waiting male fae, and he turned and walked out of the room. I summoned all my courage and followed him into the courtyard.

There, two creatures awaited me. I stopped and stared; never had I seen fae that resembled them. They were a strange combination of a bat and a man. Everything about them screamed warrior. They were shaped like a man but had massive black wings that dragged the ground, and their skin was a sickly grey color. One of them turned my way, and I saw his batlike ears twitch toward me. They both had shades over their eyes, and I wonder if they are blind by how they acted.

"Are you ready?" The larger of the two asked and approached me.

"Do I have a choice?" I said in a voice that sounded much more confident than I really was.

At my response, they both walked towards me, one grabbed my bags, and the other scooped me in his arms. My first response was shock, but that quickly faded away to anger. Quicker than I knew what I had done, I pressed my palms into his chest, and ice left my hands and etched a path up his chest. He dropped me instantly and brushed at the ice.

My backside hit the ground hard, and I was swallowed by my dress's ruffles of pink lace.

"I will not be treated like mere baggage. I am the princess of the Winter Realm. I will ride on Nero, my pegasus, or I will not go at all," I answered angrily and stood as elegantly as possible as I fought the mass of the dress, threatening to throw me back to the ground.

The bat creature reached out and steadied me as I wobbled. Once stable, he released me and looked back at the other fae.

"Let her ride her winged beast if it gets her to shut up. Kohl didn't specify how we were to deliver her."

I looked like a catfish as my mouth opened wide in astonishment. Never had anyone dared to speak to me like that, and did he just call his king by his given name? Disrespect apparently ran rampant in the Night Realm. Disgusted and tired of the ordeal, I summoned Nero with a shrill whistle. He swooped in and landed by my side.

With great difficulty, I managed to haul myself and the ridiculous dress onto his back. Once seated, I looked back at my escorts.

"Now we can leave."

"Whatever you say, princess." One of them said sarcastically with a mocking bow. They took to the sky before I had a chance to retaliate.

"This is going to be a living hell," I told Nero as I lightly tapped his sides and urged him to follow my so-called escorts to my doom.