Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 50

Icelyn

(Weeks later)

"Icelyn, you have to eat." Jen waved a plate of food in front of my face, but I turned it down. I didn't feel much like breathing, let alone eating.

Every day that passed without Kohl was like dying all over again. I had been strong for my people when they needed me to rid the world of Isadora, but now I had little interest in living at all. A bright light brought my face around and away from the window I was peering out of.

"What are you doing here, beasty?" Jen put the plate down and placed both hands on her hips.

Leon wasn't a half-beast any longer, so I wasn't sure why Jen insisted on continuing to call him a beast.

"What is it you want, Leon?" I turned away from him. I could not bare to look at him. He had too many similarities that reminded me of Kohl.

"I need your help," he said low and stepped towards me.

"What could you possibly need my help with?" I scoffed at him, imagining this was some ploy of Jen's to get me up and moving.

"I need your help removing the iron weapons from my realm." He cleared his throat like he was ashamed, as he should be. This perked my attention, and I turned towards him.

"Unable to do anything with them now that your witch is dead?" I hissed at him.

"I had no intention of using them anyway. Isadora's greed was contagious. I decided long before she died that I did not desire to use them." He held out his hand to me, knowing I would not be able to turn down his request for help.

I slowly placed my hand in his, and he whisked me away to his realm. When we arrived, his hand was resting delicately on my waist. I quickly stepped out of his reach and looked up at the massive pile of iron weapons. Just seeing such a massive pile of iron weapons had me retreating a few steps. I also didn't know if I fully trusted Leon. He had been in cahoots with a witch not too long ago.

"Can't you just use your power and melt the things?" I asked as I circled the massive pile.

"I could, but that would not completely eliminate the iron."

Good point.

"I don't even know if I will remember how. I was so angry and so full of emotion and adrenaline when I was fighting Isadora. I wasn't even completely aware of what I was doing."

"I believe in you." He smiled at me, but it only caused a queasy feeling in my stomach.

I inhaled a deep breath and stepped closer to the pile. I reached both my hands towards the monstrosity. I was aggravated when my winter powers would not respond. All that came from my hands was the inky mist of Kohl's power.

"What are you doing?" Leon hissed as the mist instantly overtook the entire area.

I lowered my hands in awe of the chaos I had just caused and retreated a step. My back collided with a solid chest. I gasped and moved to rush away, thinking I had backed into Leon.

"Hello, snowflake."

I instantly froze as two strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back to the rock-solid chest. My eyes misted with tears, and my skin broke out in goose bumps at the pleasurable, deep baritone in the familiar voice.

I slowly turned around and stared up into Kohl's handsome face. My hands shook uncontrollably as I reached up to touch his face. I just knew at any second I would wake up still on the window ledge in the Night Realm, having to face the fact that, once again, I had fallen asleep and dreamt of Kohl. He cupped my hand in his as I placed it against the scruff of his cheek.

"It is you." I was sobbing now uncontrollably.

"How? I thought you were dead."

Kohl enclosed me in his embrace, and I placed my wet cheek on his chest, instantly soothed by the steady beat of his strong heart.

"I never really died. I was stuck in purgatory, unable to make my way back to you."

I lifted my face from his chest and he brushed away my tears with his thumbs. I swallowed the emotional lump that formed in my throat.

"Once my power was rejuvenated and you used it again, I could finally return to you."

"Icelyn! Where are you? Are you hurt?" Leon shouted at me somewhere on the other side of the mist.

"You can lower your mist now." I smiled up at Kohl, and my toes curled at the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Maybe later." His voice was husky with desire as he lifted me from the ground, breathing heavily as he pressed his lips to mine. I could taste our shared breath and feel the thud of our combined heartbeat as they once again beat as one.

"Icelyn!" Leon broke through the mist and interrupted our tryst.

Kohl growled against my lips, sending a crashing wave of pleasure down my spine. He nipped at my lower lip before he looked up at his brother. Leon just stood there in shock. Kohl was the first to move. He cleared his mist, but I clang to his midsection, too afraid to let go of him.

"Good to see you returned." Leon finally spoke.

Kohl nodded his head once at him in acknowledgment and then looked over at the pile of weapons. With a quick swipe of his hand, the weapons disintegrated. Once he had taken care of the iron, he looked down at me with his swirling grey eyes.

"Let's go home, snowflake. We have unfinished business to attend to."

THE END