Court of Nightmares and Ruin

Chapter 18

I was giddy with excitement. Finally!

Kohl pushed away from the tree and circled me. Despite the warm air, my skin broke out in goosebumps. Kohl motioned to a nearby bucket full of water.

"Freeze the water," he commanded. Really? That was too easy, but I don't argue.

I stepped towards the bucket, but Kohl's hand gripped my elbow and pulled me back. "Without touching it."

I looked from him to the bucket. Every time I froze something, It had been with physical contact. The only time I had frozen something without touching it was the night Jen was almost... I shuttered as the awful night replayed in my mind.

"Is there a problem?" Kohl taunted me.

I concentrated on the bucket of water, but nothing happened. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I was concentrating so hard, but try as I might, the water was still liquid.

"I can't do it. I have to touch the surface if you want me to freeze it," I whined.

"On the battlefield, do you intend to walk up to an enemy, tap them on the shoulder and ask them to hold still while you freeze them?" Kohl lifted an eyebrow.

He had a point, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't know how to do it. After standing there for a few more minutes with nothing happening, Kohl spoke up again.

"Your powers are connected to your emotions. Do I need to make you angry for you to succeed?"

"Your breathing makes me angry." I huffed, taking my frustration out on him.

He surprised me by grabbing both of my forearms and pulling me close.

"Close your eyes," he instructed, and I obeyed.

He released one of my arms but held me close with the other. I startled as one of his fingers touched my neck and slowly started gliding down my throat.

"Keep your eyes closed," he warned, and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

His intrusive finger continued down my throat, skirted my collarbone, and dipped between my breast, stopping above my heart.

"What do you feel?" His breath was warm against my cheek.

My body felt like it would ignite at any moment.

"Warmth. Desire," I answered honestly.

"Good, now reach past that."

I searched deep, never forgetting that his finger remained over my heart. I concentrated hard and could finally push aside everything, even Kohl, which was a significant feat, as tempting as he was. There it was. Deep within my emotions was a tether linking me to my powers. I grabbed onto it. My eyes opened immediately, and Kohl smiled and turned me back toward the bucket.

"Freeze the water," he asked again.

Still holding onto my powers tether, I reached my palm towards the bucket, demanding my powers to obey. The water in the bucket froze instantly. I squealed with delight and flung myself into Kohl's arms. He caught me and squeezed me tight.

His eyes were intense and threatened to swallow me whole. He edged towards me, and I stood on tiptoes to meet him. When our lips came together, it was like a bolt of electricity running through my body. Something inside of me snapped into place. Deep down, I knew I belonged to him, and he belonged to me. Kohl's tongue pushed past the seam of my lips, and I tasted him for the first time. Now that I had a taste, I wanted more.

"Good job, Snowflake." He pulled away and whispered against my lips. My heart fluttered uncontrollably, being in his arms, and my eyes started venturing back to his lips.

"Now impress me." He released me, and I admit I was not happy about it.

"Enclose us in a wall." He hooked his thumb in the waist of his pants, and I reheated all over again.

"I think you are expecting too much of me."

"And I think you do not expect enough of yourself."

I turned away from him and concentrated so he could not see the blush I felt spreading across my face.

I called to the water in the ground, demanding that it rise. The ground began to shake, and a circular ice wall instantly surrounded us. My mouth dropped open as I walked over to one side of the wall and placed my palm against the smooth, cold surface in disbelief.

"Thank you," I said honestly and turned back towards him.

"Don't thank me. This is all you. I just helped you realize what you are capable of. It will take a lot of work, but now that you know how to control your powers, you will have to train hard to stay on top of them."

I walked back towards him with my heart on my sleeve. I reached up and touched his cheek, the subtle on his face lightly scratching my palm.

"Why do I feel like this when I am around you? Why does my heart beat in sync with yours?" I had been dying to ask him that ever since I first laid eyes on him, and now with us completely alone, surrounded by my wall of ice, I felt brave enough to ask.

He exhaled and pulled my hand away from his face. A seriousness overtook his features that had me holding my breath.

"You are my true mate, the one that was molded and made just for me." He took a step back, which I found strange at this particular moment.

Shouldn't he be trying to get closer after such an admission? Deep down, I am not surprised. Something about him had called to me ever since I first saw him. Everything about him pleased me: his smell, features, taste, and, most importantly, his heart.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" I asked, stepping towards him as he took another step back.

"There was no need..." I stopped moving, and my heart stopped beating.

"You...You intend to deny me?" I swallowed the emotions rising in my throat.

"I already have, Icelyn. I will never acknowledge you as my true mate or the Night Realm queen. I can't... If I do, everyone will know I have a weakness, and I cannot allow that."

"You can't mean that..."

I was on the verge of begging, which was far beneath me, but in this instant, I felt as if my heart would shatter, and he was the only thing that could hold it together.

"That's why I didn't tell you. It's pointless. You will be happy. We will remain by each other's sides until our dying day but as nothing more than lovers."

"You mean your whore?" I snarled as a tear slipped down my cheek.

"Call it what you will, but I have made peace with it. I suggest you do the same."

He disappeared from my sight, and I fell to my knees. I felt like he had reached into my chest, pulled my heart out, and crushed it beneath his boot.