The Ice Twins - Nikki Jefford Page 0,33

help on the battlefront, but perhaps I could still visit. I missed my mom and dad. They were always leaving. Always gone. I think they thought Ren was keeping me company, but he’d constantly bowed out of dinner to perform his evening observations. I’d lost track of the number of food baskets I’d packed for him so he’d have a home-cooked meal while he took notes and measurements in the forests and fields of Pinemist. Meanwhile, I sat at home, eating by my lonesome.

Tears leaked from the corner of my eyes. I rubbed them away, finished my breakfast, and washed my bowl, spoon, mug, and cook pan.

When I stepped outside, the skies were light gray, sunlight trying to break through from the other side. The grass still glistened with raindrops. A riot of flowers bloomed from barrels and pots along the outer wall of my cottage.

I took a moment to look at my home with appreciation.

I understood how fortunate I was. My mom and dad had grown up in the ramshackle area of Pinemist and never moved away from those southern huts, which were made mostly of mud and crammed in together as though they were all part of a maze to escape as soon as the nearest exit was located.

I still remembered the pride on their faces after Meadowbrook Elementary hired me and I procured a loan on a cottage. Dad helped me build my picket fence and window boxes. He beamed with joy anytime he helped me with a home project.

I think he still thought of me as his youthful daughter. I saw the difference in how Fraya’s parents treated her since she’d become a mated mother.

I was ready to start my own family. I had been for some time.

A sad sigh escaped my lips.

Yet another reason I needed to distance myself from the twins. Children had to be the last thing on their minds. Reed and Ronin were barely out of their teenage years. They could travel the worlds. They were freaking Fae princes back in Faerie. Females were probably lining up at the castle gates for a chance with them.

My stomach twisted into frayed knots that chafed at my heart when I thought of either of the twins with other females.

I was the one they sought, but for all I knew, I was just a conquest. Even as I told myself this, I didn’t believe it for one cold second. What I did know was that I could get over males like Ren Norric, but an Elmray was another matter. Lark was the worst heartbreak I’d ever experienced—and we’d never had any kind of romantic relationship. Even finding out that he was gay didn’t entirely stanch the ache in my heart. It didn’t matter what gender he was attracted to. I had loved him.

I didn’t want to admit strong feelings for Reed and Ronin. I couldn’t handle any more heartbreak in the Elmray department.

Were the twins still in the mortal realm? Were they upset that I’d left early?

Gah! I had to stop thinking about them. The final touches for the reunion ball would give me something to focus on, but only for three days.

When I arrived outside Daisywhirl Hall, I was dismayed to see old classmates milling around, covering their mouths, shaking their heads, and frowning as though someone had died. With each step closer, my heart thudded in my chest.

Spotting Aimer, my best helper, walking out the door, I sprinted over. “What’s going on?”

Aimer blinked. “Oh, you’re back. Wild animals broke in. When I came by this morning, I noticed broken windows and the door wide open. We’ve been trying to salvage anything we could, but there’s too much damage.”

I sucked in a horrified breath. “What? How?”

Aimer grimaced. “Don’t know, but it’s a disaster. All our work was destroyed.”

I rushed past Aimer into Daisywhirl Hall, gasping at the destruction I saw inside. Table settings and centerpieces littered the floor. Plaster mushrooms had been crushed underfoot. My ivy swings had been ripped from the ceilings. All of our decorative trees were knocked over, smashing lanterns in their tumble. Rainwater had splattered the tables and downed decorations nearest the broken windows, smearing paint and warping papier-mâché décor.

Nonie crouched over the ground, searching through the rubble for plaster mushrooms that had survived the carnage. She held her skirt out, setting slightly broken bits into her dress. Ren, of all elves, was there too, standing near the windows, looking from the shattered openings to the puddles on the floor.

Ren