Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 16

Icelyn

At the moment, sleep was like a drug, one that I didn't want to quit. I had finally cooled back down to my normal temperature. My sheets were soft, a calm, cool breeze blew over my bare limbs, and I clung to something warm yet firm.

I breathed in deep, and the familiar scent of night and spices assailed my senses. Kohl! My eyes fluttered open, and I was astounded to wake up with him in my bed and me clinging tightly to his shirtless, chiseled chest.

"Don't move too quickly," he warned, but it was too late. I had already jerked upright and was now being punished by an ear-ringing headache.

"What happened?" I gripped my temples, willing the headache to subside. I had overindulged once in fae wine, but this was nothing like that hangover.

"Kaah got you with her venomous barbs," Kohl explained as he ran his fingers gently across my side.

His touch felt like an electrical shock that went straight to my heart. I pulled away from him, walked behind the changing screen, lifted my nightdress, and inspected my side. Three very light pink lines that were only a shade or two darker than the rest of my skin. In a few hours, I knew there would be nothing there at all.

"I don't know why you are being so shy, Snowflake. I saw much more than that last night."

My cheeks heated, recalling that he had indeed seen everything. I peeked around the screen and saw him reclining lazily against the headboard with a smug grin.

"Good morning!" Jen walked through the door and glanced around. Upon seeing Kohl stretched across my bed, she moved to leave.

"No, no!" I yelled at her as I pulled my clothes on.

"The King was just leaving..." I frowned at Kohl to get my point across, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"As you wish, Snowflake." He stood and walked his sexy, lithe body across the room, stopping at the door.

"Oh, and you are excused from training today. I want you fully healed before you return to the field. Get Jen to show you around the kingdom today instead." He made a move to leave.

"I am fully capable of training today," I argued.

"As I said, you will not be training today. Try me, and I will lock you in this room." He smiled again, turning my insides to jelly, and walked away without another word.

"Lock me up, but only if you are in here with me!" Jen yelled after him, and my face went crimson red.

"Jen, for the love of sprites, get in here and shut up! What if he hears you?" I snatched her into the room and closed the door.

"Oh, he heard me. He knows I got a thing for him." Jen laughed, pushed me to a chair, and helped get the tangles out of my hair.

Part of me wanted to laugh at her, but a small jealous part was not too pleased with what she was insinuating, but I knew she was only kidding, or at least I hoped she was.

"Besides, I'm not the one who spent the night with tall, dark, and handsome. You are. Care to give me details?" She braided my hair while looking eagerly over my shoulder.

"There is nothing to tell. I was half delirious with a fever all night. I don't even remember much." I shrugged my shoulders.

"A pity, really, he could have felt you up, and you missed it!"

"What?" I gripped my chest in horror. He could have very well taken advantage of the situation. He was the unseelie king of the Night Realm.

"Oh, get it together; I'm only joking. Kohl would never do anything like that. He's a dreamboat and a gentleman. Besides, you are his snowflake..." Jen batted her eyes in her annoying sort of way. Making fun of the name that Kohl insisted on calling me.

"Will you stop!?"

She slapped me on the shoulder mockingly and handed me my boots. Once entirely dressed, we walked out of the room.

"So where are we going?"

"To find some trouble to get into." Jen smiled as we walked into the courtyard.

"Why am I not surprised?"

We walked for a while until we ended up at a large market. The sights, smells, and creatures there had me reeling with excitement and wonder. I found myself drawn into this new world. It was so different from my own, yet I wanted to know more about it.

"These are nightshade berries." Jen pointed out a basket full of blackberries. "They are poisonous to eat, but if used correctly, they actually make a decent pain killer."

I stored that information away just in case I ran across them in the woods and got hungry; they were a no.

The day in the marketplace with Jen as my tour guide had been fantastic. We sampled various foods and ware I had never seen or tried before.

"The castle is back that way," I told Jen as she started down a path.

"I know, but I want to show you the star lake before heading back. You have never seen anything so beautiful as this lake at night."

I paused at the edge of the woods. I recalled being told by several faes that going into the Night Realm woods at nightfall was not a good idea, but what the heck? It would only take a little while, and we still had about an hour before it was completely dark...

About two hours later, we were still wandering around the forest, and Jen kept turning us around.

"It's ok, we are not lost..." Jen reassured me.

"I'm just not exactly sure where we are." She paused again and changed direction AGAIN.

"That is the definition of lost," I growled at her.

"Well, if you think you can do any better, you lead," Jen huffed.

I am usually good with my bearings, but we were so deep in the woods that I could not see the sky to tell what direction we were going in. Thankfully, several fluorescent plants were glowing, so we were not walking around in complete darkness.

I looked around, but everything looked exactly the same. "We could be going deeper and deeper into the forest. I say we stay here and wait for first light to try again."

"You mean we have to spend the night out here!" Jen gasped.

"I don't see any other option." I sat down on the ground and leaned back against the trunk of a huge tree.

"Do you have any idea what kind of creatures are in these woods this time of night!?" Jen was near breaking point, and if I were a defenseless human, I guess I would also be upset.

"Which is why I said coming here in the first place was a bad idea." I reminded her as I motioned for her to sit next to me. She finally huffs and sits down beside me.

We both perked up when we heard twigs snapping.

"Oh shit." Jen bit her nails as whoever or whatever stalked closer.

"Shhh, maybe it's someone who is looking for us." I slowly stood with my back to the tree, facing the direction of the footsteps.

"Yeah, looking to eat us!"

I formed an ice blade in my hand, just in case.

"Oh good, use that. Maybe whatever it is can pick its teeth with that once it has devoured us."

"Jen, be quiet! I can't gauge how far away they are from us with you running your mouth!"

"Well, hello there." The voice was hoarse and raspy, and had the hair on the back of my neck standing on ends.