Chapter 24
“Nanok,” I yelled, swirling my magic around myself to keep a barrier between me and this winter’s forsaken blizzard. “Stay close to me. You blend in too much.”
The snow had inexplicably come out of nowhere only moments ago, and it had nothing to do with me. Though the complexity and magnitude of it had me wishing it were. Nanok sprinted to my side, clinging to my hip, and I trickled my magic around him, shielding us in the same barrier.
My heart stopped. What if Sylvie had been caught in this?
She should’ve still been in the bakery, but what if something called her away?
I furiously rubbed my beard and paced in a circle, Nanok following at my side.
I promised I’d give her until sunup tomorrow, and that’s precisely what I intended to do.
The only comfort I had was that she could withstand the cold.
Hooves pounding against the ground echoed off surrounding trees, and I whirled to find Fintan scrambling toward us, his large brown eyes wide with fear. His black nose twitched, sniffing the air and scenting us, but he couldn’t see us.
“Whoa, boy, whoa,” I shouted. “Follow my voice.”
Fintan’s ears flipped forward, and he ducked his head low, edging toward us. Once his head bumped into my shoulder, he let out an excited huff, his antlers shimmying. I gave calming strokes over his head and neck, securing the barrier around him as well.
“You’re fine, Fintan,” I soothed.
With both animals huddling under my arms, we braved the winds, and all I could do was wait.
Not only for the storm I had no control over, but for the sun to set.
Sylvie would either come running to my arms or I’d be met with nothing.
It was an unsettling possibility I’d have to come to grips with.
She built a life in Arcane Cove and found a place that made her happy and accepted her after being cast out by her own people.
It was a lot to ask for her to whisk off to live as a queen in a winter wonderland castle.
Though the selfish part of me couldn’t fully understand that last part because I’d always had the amenities, the life.
At least the universe had a sense of humor.
It took me decades of ethereal life with the promise since my creation that I’d meet my mate.
When year after year passed and decades turned into centuries spanning over a thousand years, I molded this icy shield around my heart.
Whether it was to protect it or more to protect me from the overwhelming disappointment that it could never happen, I still wasn’t certain.
I thought my heart would still be guarded when I met Sylvie. That I’d be brazen and cold, if need be, to protect my kingdom at any cost. But the funny part was, when she touched me for the first time, parts of that shield melted, inviting her right the fuck in.
It started as a smirk, transmuted into a chuckle, and, before long, erupted into uncontrollable, maniacal laughter.
Nanok and Fintan turned their heads toward me simultaneously, eyeing the barrier I kept up for them, probably wondering if braving the storm was safer than being trapped in a small space with a madman.
I laughed so hard that tears pushed from the corners of my eyes, freezing once they reached my skin.
Sucking in a breath, I calmed the chuckling and sighed, rubbing my knuckles at my eyes. A few laughs still fluttered from my chest, but eventually I stopped them altogether. “Sorry, boys, I was just having a little go at the irony of all of this.”
Nanok stared at me unenthused, smacking his lips together. If he were a humanoid, I could envision his large eyes rolling profusely into his skull.
“Oh, shut up, you overgrown, furry—” I started, but froze when I felt it—the discomforting pang at the back of my head, similar to the day I met Sylvie. “No,” I breathed out, fanning my palm at the barrier to move with me as I stormed further into the woods.
“Sylvie?” I shouted into the snow.
Fintan went on alert, sniffing the air furiously around us and whimpering. I joined him, smelling for that distinguishable scent and detecting it a moment too late. No sooner had I sensed her presence than it was yanked from my gut by an enchanted, invisible rope—something took her.
“Winter’s curse, no,” I roared, grabbing my head and pacing around the two animals.
If it wasn’t enough that someone took Sylvie, it was the gut-wrenching realization that I knew precisely where she was and the risk it meant to go after her.
She was in my realm. It created a very, very short list of possible places she could be.
What was worse, given the time constraint, I couldn’t be certain where the lake portal would take me, or if I’d be able to get back.
Frowning, I turned to Nanok, who was sitting with his hind feet sticking out. His held his head low, and his ears drooped, already knowing what was about to happen. “Nanok, friend, I don’t want to risk you not having a home. I have to go after her. Can you understand that?”
Lifting his chin, Nanok closed and opened his eyes with a huff.
“Thank you, boy,” I squeezed out, ruffling Nanok’s head and ears. “I’ll take you both to the frost giant’s cave. You keep each other safe until the storm clears. That goes for you, too, Fintan.” Pointing at the stag, I waited for him to bow his head.
With my and my mate’s animal companions in tow, I led them to the icy cave, finding comfort in having a sanctuary in the blizzard.
They were both magical winter beings, but I didn’t care to test their resolve against other creatures taking advantage of the blinding snow.
After kissing Nanok’s head, praying it wasn’t the last time I’d see him, I made for the lake.
Anger fueled my steps, squinting against the flakes collecting on my lashes and ignoring the snow making my shirt damp. Once I reached the bank, I pressed my fingertips to my chest, making the clothes disappear, and slid my feet into the water.
“Leaving already?” A familiar voice croaked.
The same shorter being with the long, bushy, black beard from when I’d arrived sat on a stool on the ice, fishing.
Only this time, they sat underneath the shelter of a small tent, with something steaming and wrapped in a blanket resting on their lap.
Unlike before, they appeared unperturbed by my nudity.
“I’ll be back,” I proclaimed. “There’s something I need to take care of first.”
Diving into the water, the freezing chill coating my skin and relieving my aching bones, I let the cold power my movements.
My mate was in trouble before we’d had the chance to claim one another, to bond to each other fully.
There was only one person who wished to see us fail, and she was about to feel the true wrath of Jack Frost, the wrath of King Jakzair.
Sylvaria was my queen.