My Summer Girl

Chapter One

Verano

De Lunes a Lunes – Grupo Frontera

“Vex is the place.” The tail end of someone’s words trails off, stealing my attention. My ears twitch, attempting to pick up more. “Oh, I’ve heard that’s where you find all the romantic matches.”

“It’s true, I found my Ivar there,” Cylia mentions, nodding her head. The group of them corral near the pillars. It’s the planning of our Midsummer Soiree. We do it together as a community, votes happen, and it generally stays the same every year.

But this year is a bit different.

This year, I’ve felt this pull inside my chest, one to seek more. To find someone to spend it with. Don’t get me wrong, being a queen fulfills a lot of my needs in life, and Raevar—my best friend and confidant—satisfies my other wants as someone to confide in.

Yet, I want more.

I want love.

There’s a big part of me that wants a princess to hold and protect, to love on and pleasure until she cries out for me. Or maybe it’ll be a prince. One to sit at my feet as I pet him, rubbing his head with the softest gestures.

My heart hammers as my mind travels to all the possibilities. Maybe it won’t be a prince or princess after all.

Perhaps it’ll just be a monster seeking love.

Any will do. I don’t have a preference.

“If you’re looking to find the one, that’s where you’d go,” Tomás says, joining the conversation. I’m unsure of where his sentence starts since my thoughts distracted me, but mention of ‘the one’ has me fully invested. Knowing how preoccupied my mind is, I’m wondering if the choice I’m about to make will change it.

“Raevar,” I hastily call out, snapping my fingers. He’s never too far behind me, only a few paces, and whatever I hear, he also hears. If anything, he catches more.

“Mi reina,” he casually responds, lowering to my eye level. While everyone calls me “my queen” as a formality, Raevar has always said it in his mother tongue.

His scent invades my nose. Something warm, like grass after rainfall as the sun comes out. It’s refreshing and crisp, and somehow reminiscent of summer. Still, I stay looking at the people chatting while his breath heats my neck.

Raevar is more than I can ask for in a person. He’s tall, muscular, and makes me feel tinier than a sunflower on the lowest bushel of leaves. His eyes meet mine, brown and ever-present, consuming everything in their wake. There’s a fondness there that mirrors mine. I’m not sure where I’d be in life without him. Since we were kids, we’ve been inseparable. He’s my lifeline.

“I want love,” I uncharacteristically blurt out, clasping my hands while looking away from him. Embarrassment comes unnaturally to me, my cheeks heating with the admission. I’m not a shy person by any means, but the thought of a forever kind of love has my heart hammering in my chest.

He stands taller, almost stiffly, as confusion is written all over his face. Is it from me not showing an inkling of desire for others before now?

Sex, sure.

A lot of people have sex.

It’s fulfilling in a carnal way. Pleasure isn’t something I’ve stopped partaking in over the years, but it’s not a necessity. Romance on the other hand, that little fluttering feeling I’ve witnessed with my own eyes as others experienced it, is different. The true devotion of someone sharing their day with you, being there emotionally while you return the favor, and making big decisions together... I want that. Scratch that, I need it.

It wouldn’t be strange that he’d question my intentions. I’m of thirty-two summers now, without love or a mate.

“Mi reina,” he rasps, swallowing whatever thickness is straining his voice. “I apologize if I’m confused, but this is news to me. A shock, really.” His face blanches, as if I’ve told him someone has passed away. “A mate?”

His cheeks darken a shade, like he’s flushed, and I wonder what would make that appear. “Yes, Raevar. A mate. Summer love. Someone to kiss me as I run my fingers through their hair. A person I can tell about my stories and listen to theirs. One who will fight alongside me and question my overzealous ideas. A love who challenges me and cherishes me in equal parts.”

His eyelashes flutter before he closes them a moment. I eye him, wanting to know what he’s thinking. Somehow, his breathing seems stalled all while his throat bobs with another swallow.

We’ve broached many topics in the past. Immature assumptions and gossip, even. He’s helped me while on my monthly cycle and the uncertainty of my body’s changes. Raevar has taught me about sex—or rather, helped me—dabbling with guiding the partners I’ve had while I was with them. He has even walked in on me loads of times. This is nowhere near being over the top, so why is he acting all weird?

He takes a single step back, as if needing the distance from me. “Anything you ask,” he finally speaks, quiet enough for only me to hear. A few moments pass before he leans forward again, the softness of his face grazing mine.

“Vera, please tell me this isn’t one of your whims.”

Shock and heat hit me at once. My face feels warm. I turn toward him, our mouths nearly touching as I respond. He jolts back as if I’ve invaded his space. “As someone who has known me my entire life, would I be someone—”

“Yes,” he immediately interrupts and I gasp, gripping my chest, theatrically feigning offense. He’s right and lets me know it by rolling his eyes. The room quiets as he squeezes my shoulder in kind. There’s a comfort there. Warmth. He’s my best friend and isn’t scared to call me out when I’m dramatic or in the wrong.

“You’re one who often gets bored. When that time arises, you do drastic things in hopes of being sated.”

“I feel like you’re attacking me,” I grumble with a pout, folding my arms over my chest. A little chuckle escapes before he leans down once more. His lips brush my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. For some reason, for as long as I’ve known him, my thorns have never seen him as a threat. Even now, when he could easily hurt me. He wouldn’t, and my thorns recognize that, but they’ve never even attempted to fend him off.

Traitors.

“If this is something you truly seek... Something that’s forever and binding under our magical laws, then I’ll do it. I’ll do anything you ask without question.”

“Yet, you’re questioning me,” I sass, sighing. No one glances at us, but if they did, they’d note just our normal banter and nothing out of the ordinary. Being suave and unaffected isn’t our style. We’re young and were raised without too much guidance. They shouldn’t have given me the reins so early on if they wanted mature.

Raevar sidesteps me to kneel, facing me head on. He doesn’t back down, his gaze penetrating my own. They scan me, going from left to right as if trying to see how I’m going to react. Anyone in this kingdom would think twice about challenging me, but he’s never backed down. To him, I’m simply Verano Reyes. Not the queen of Solera.

Today, his hair is in a bun, sporting the cut sides of his head and the little scars scattered there. He’s quite fetching. Maybe he’d get too distracted seeking what I need. They’d fawn all over him and then I’d never find my mate. Something burns in the center of my chest at the thought of it.

That wouldn’t be acceptable.

“I question you only because I care. You’re not simply my friend, Vera. You’re my queen. Someone I’ve dedicated my entire life to. This person—” He pauses, holding my knees now. “—whoever they may be, needs to sacrifice it all and be worthy to rule by your side.”

The backs of my fingers glide against his cheek, then his jaw—a gesture I don’t offer to anyone but him. “I respect and love that about you. But I think it’s time to settle down.”

He shakes his head so casually, finally standing with a huff of acceptance. “So be it.” His voice deepens, the emotions heavy there. However, he doesn’t let it show for long, acting as if he’s unbothered. “Where should I start?”

“These gossipers mentioned a place named Vex.” I reluctantly stand too, motioning my head to the side. While we like goss, having others hear ours isn’t fun.

He follows me as we go into the corridor, unwatched and unmanned. “This place is apparently where half our court seems to have found people to love.”

“Half?” he questions. “That seems a little suspect, considering I’ve never heard of it. Is it an off-world realm or maybe some wild love potion?”

With nonchalance, I shrug, trying to think of what the women might’ve not said. “I’m unsure, but if they’re all having the best luck, maybe that’s how you’ll find my person.”

Raevar grimaces, scrunching his face a moment as if in pain, then clutches the pendant that resides over his chest, his knuckles changing color from the intensity. It’s a necklace, one that links him forever to me, our vow unbreakable.

“I’ll create a port-path.” The resignation in his voice isn’t the normal charming and confident Orukna I’ve known my entire life, but I don’t question it. Maybe the solstice is getting to him too.

Raevar’s magic—or rather, the Orukna’s—comes from realm shifting. They can create jumps within space, time, and any reality of their wishing. Something that’s never quite made sense to me, even if Raevar has attempted to explain it more than once.

“Very well,” I say with an exhale. “Be careful. I trust no one for this job but you.”

His gaze softens, his cheeks darkening once more before he leans in, kissing the top of my head. Lingering, he inhales deeply before breaking away. It’s familiar, comfortable, and it reminds me that my home will forever be wherever he is.

“Anything for you, mi media naranja,” he promises, leaving me with a tightness in my throat. One day, he better tell me what that means. He’s been saying that to me since we were teens. Raevar only really speaks his mother tongue when he’s angry, excited, or to his abuelita.

It’s never fully conversational outside of those moments, and when I asked him why, he said his parents never taught him. The brokenness in his speech makes him sad and ashamed.

There are days where I wish I knew the language, knew how to communicate and help his confidence grow. However, he won’t teach me, and aside from him and his abuelita, the language is sparsely spoken in my realm, lost to time.

He walks away and my eyes trace every step. To many, his massive frame is daunting, but to me, it’s all I’ve known. Realizing he’s going to be away has my stomach clenching with discomfort. In all the years we’ve known each other, we’ve only been apart on a few occasions. He’s my shadow, someone who protects me even before himself and his own family. I’m not sure what brought him to be as loyal as he is to me, but I’ll forever be grateful for his place at my side.

Hours after he left, I found myself absorbed back into planning. This time has to go perfectly. Making lists ground me, and the prep one is a mile long. This is the first solstice without my nan. Without her guidance and her exuberant efforts to keep our family and kingdom’s traditions alive.

Now it’s only me. My parents are gone, I’ve never had siblings, and to continue this line and this custom we’ve created, we need to pass it down.

Only a Reyes knows how to make it perfect. I’m the last descendant and hope.

Exhaustion meets me as my hands shake. After hours, I’ve finally finished chopping wood. “To lose some pleasures,” I begin, reciting the words I was taught as a child. A prayer of sorts, even if I see it as more of a promise.

“—is to give back, and cherish Solera, and prosper within Her embrace,” Mira states, finishing the saying as I kneel next to the wood I’ve sacrificed for our solstice. After every offering my realm gives, I give back love and reverence.

Wood, no matter how fickle to some, is an offering from Solera, to nourish its people. I’m connected to this plane of existence as much as these trees. They sustain us and in return, I give back. It’s our give and take and our shared respect that keeps us alive.

Mira isn’t from here. She’s like a living volcano with bright orange hair that looks more like fire than hair. Sometimes, I wonder how she doesn’t melt the ground around her or catch me on fire. Her skin is like a constant flow of lava and rock working together. She’s as strong as Solera is vast, but didn’t grow up here and isn’t sure what her origin is. One day we’ll figure it out. I’ve even tried finding her people to no avail. While not as close to me as Raevar, she’s one of my most trusted people. For years, she’s been at my side. When I need to be realigned, she’s who I go to.

Her lupine eyes twinkle as she grabs my axe. Her hair is buzzed on the sizes. Like Raevar, she has scars on her head that she displays. Almost like to honor the origin of them.

“The way you connect here is unreal,” she states, no question but a mild observation.

If I dig my nails into the soil, I’ll feel the connection to every living thing. I’d feel their breaths, hear their contented sighs, and the warmth they’ve always presented to me.

“This realm is a part of me.”

She nods while oiling my axe’s blade. Her movements are fluid, purposeful, and the way she respects the blade has me smiling. Not many appreciate metalwork, let alone when it can be replicated easily.

“It’s cool. I still think you put too much into this solstice thing, though.”

Momentarily, anger bubbles inside me. It lessens as I sigh, but resides there nonetheless. Not everyone is raised with traditions that are passed down. They might think they’re inconsequential, even if they aren’t to me. “It’s tradition.”

“I get that,” she stoically responds, but her eyes tell me that even with her own story, she’ll never understand what it means to be tied to an entire kingdom that both feeds off of you as everyone does it.

We’re forever tied.

I can never leave this place, even if the want arises.

If I died, I’d become one with Solera. My ancestral home would be in shambles because I’ve never shared my magic or given anyone else the knowledge of how to repeat this life cycle.

Solerians, true and born from dirt, like my family, don’t die often—nor easily. If not for the sickness that took about eighty percent of our population a century ago, we’d be fine. Thriving, even: my cousins, aunties, and uncles, they’d be here. My parents would’ve had another child or two if so, but they had to beg for me, made sacrifices, and were given me just to be taken in return.

What we take, we must give back.

But that’s not the entire case; the sickness brought infertility to our people the summer I was born. Almost like taking my parents wasn’t enough of a sacrifice.

We haven’t had a pollination since. While conceiving still occurs, it’s rare and doesn’t always result in birth. We’re in a losing battle; our deaths outnumber our births, and while the trees and realm can’t tell me why we haven’t had our yearly fertility spores like we used to, it troubles me.

Will we exist in another century at this rate? While my aging is decreased by the connection to Solera, everyone here has a time table.

I’ve done all I can, giving back to Mother Solera, giving back the seeds and love for nutrition. There’s still a rot; one we can’t quite pinpoint.

“Verano?” Mira waves a hand in front of me, attempting to garner my attention. Annoyed, I grab it lightly and shove it away.

“Solstice is important, and until it’s perfect and the poll—”

“It’s not your job to sustain everything,” she aptly complains, her eyebrows turned up in a worried way. “Pollination didn’t disappear because of you. It’s not your fault.”

“Yet it hasn’t happened since my entrance into this realm, and until it’s back, nothing will ever be right.”

Mira shakes her head in disappointment while wiping the excess oil off the axe with her sleeve. “You’ll never be happy if you focus only on what is duty and what you can give back. You need happiness.”

“I have happiness,” I weakly argue. Though it’s futile, because the existence of happiness is so far gone that I’m not even sure if I know the definition any longer. Mira isn’t wrong and like Raevar, I can trust her to be honest with me, even if it isn’t what I want to hear.

She offers a hand while her eyes eat me alive with barely hidden disappointment. Grabbing her hands, I rise, and then I busy myself, needing to finish all the preparations.

Being happy can come at a later date, after Raevar has found my mate. Then maybe I can seek something good.

Until then, I’ve got commitments, and no one, not even Mira, will stop me from making this event perfect. And maybe I’ll be able to bring the pollination back. I’m not sure how, but I’ll do it.