The Ice Twins - Nikki Jefford Page 0,36

her into an ice sculpture. Pulling off a halfway decent reunion ball would be vindication enough for me so long as I saw smiles on the faces of my classmates during the dance.

“I should get back to Daisywhirl Hall and finish cleaning up,” I said.

“We’ll handle cleanup,” Ronin said.

“We’ll handle everything,” Reed intoned in a low rumble that vibrated through me.

I didn’t stop to think of what accepting their offer might mean for me later. I trusted the twins. And I needed their help. No one else was willing to back me up. Somehow, I knew the males wouldn’t let me down. I could always count on them; even when I tried to turn them away, they would be there for me. I only wished I could repay their devotion without messing everything up between our families.

That afternoon, I returned to Daisywhirl Hall after making myself a light lunch I could barely get down my throat. The twins had insisted I give them at least an hour to get organized—whatever that meant.

My eyes bugged open when I entered the hall. More than a dozen muscular males dressed in green-and-gold livery moved around the room clearing away debris. In fact, there was hardly any mess left to be seen.

Ronin sat on the edge of a table, swinging his legs as he watched over the males. Such a prince. A square package wrapped in shiny blue paper and a silver bow rested beside his hip. When he saw me, he grinned and jumped down, leaving the pretty box behind. “Hey, Zelie.” He lifted his hand as he strode up to me.

“Hi, Ronin. What’s all this?” I looked around at the fancy cleanup crew.

“These guys? We asked our uncle to spare fifteen of his royal guards for a matter of extreme importance.”

“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed. “I can’t believe you guys did that.” I spun around, gaping at the Fae guards making swift work of clearing what would have taken me days to tackle on my own.

Reed swaggered over with a lazy grin. “We requested thirty guards, but our uncle is a bleached prick who loathes fulfilling requests.”

“Next time, we should ask for sixty guards so that he gives us thirty,” Ronin mused.

“Worth a try,” Reed answered.

“Fifteen is more than enough. You two are incredible!” If we’d been alone, I would have hugged them.

Apparently, it didn’t matter. My compliment made their eyes light up at exactly the same moment.

“This is nothing,” Reed said. “Wait until you see the new theme.”

“And décor,” Ronin added. “Your classmates are going to be wowed beyond words.”

“Wait a minute. What new theme?” I looked from one twin to the next, but no words escaped their secretive smiles. “I need to know so I can get a jump on decorations,” I pressed.

Reed lifted his chest. “You already put in enough work, Zelie. You deserve a night of enchantment as much as the rest of your classmates.”

“She deserves it more,” Ronin said under his breath.

“Allow us to surprise you. Let us give you a night to remember.” Reed’s sexy smile suggested more than dancing.

With the crisis seemingly averted, I felt the familiar slick of desire seeping between my thighs. I swallowed. “I suppose this means you’re attending as my dates.”

Reed glanced at Ronin and smiled before returning his attention to me. “We have one question for you, Zelie.”

Ronin jogged to the table he’d been seated on when I first walked in and retrieved the beautifully wrapped package. “Open it,” he whispered as he handed it to me.

I willed my hands not to shake as I carefully pulled the bow off the shiny blue paper. It reflected the sunlight now streaming in through the windows. The glass had been swept away, but the panes still needed replacing. With the afternoon warming up, the fresh air felt nice inside the hall.

I peeled off the paper delicately, setting the wrappings on the seat of a nearby chair to save for future art projects.

I was left holding a pretty light blue box. I removed the lid and sucked in a breath at the sight of a diamond-and-sapphire tiara. When I lifted it out of the box, the jewels caught the light. The surrounding walls shimmered as sunlight shot through the sparkling tiara.

“Zelie, will you—” Reed started.

“Be our ice princess?” Ronin finished.

Early on the evening of the reunion ball, Fraya and Melody showed up to help me get dressed for the grand affair.

True to their word, the twins had taken care of everything—even going