Title: Fire & Ice
Author: Michele Barrow-Belisle
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance
Blitz Host: Lady
Amber's Tours
Adventure wasn't something Lorelei Alundra was interested in. Gifted with two other-worldly talents for singing and healing, she's always shied away from her gifts and the spotlight, preferring quiet anonymity, over attention and fame. But when she meets the enigmatic Adrius, with his dark and dangerous mystique and eyes that peer into her soul, her uneventful life becomes irrevocably altered.
Adrius turns up in every one of her classes and knows more about her than any newcomer should. Including the condition of her mother who is suffering from a mysterious illness. Accepting his offer to help leads her into a terrifying and thrilling world, where Elves are even hotter than Legolas, and Faeries...are nothing like Tinkerbell. Lose the butterfly wings and add a tattoo. The two magical beings are fire and ice opposites. One Lorelei can't help falling for, and the other she's compelled to be with.
Now she's trapped in their world, expected to prevent a war between witches and faeries, or forfeit her mother's life. Nothing is what it seems. Not her family. Not the Fey. Not even Adrius, whose feelings for her balance precariously between danger and desire.
As secrets unravel and unsettling truths are revealed, Lorelei must fight to save much more than her mother's life. One mistake could put the fate of his world - and her soul, in jeopardy.
But hey, no pressure...right.
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I’d
die for him. When all was said and done, that’s what it came down to. I would
give my life in exchange for his. Only he was immortal, blessed with eternal
life. —And I was the one who was dying. Even after everything we’d been through
I still wasn’t sure what he’d be willing to give in exchange for my life.
Climbing
out of bed, I wandered out to the courtyard, towards the south border of the Wyldewood Forest
The
message that had arrived hours earlier was as short and curt as the messenger
who’d delivered it. Golden scrawled parchment simply read ‘Meet me in the
glen bordering the south forest before daybreak.’ I’d been awake ever
since, too anxious to sleep.
I
waited for what seemed like an eternity, pacing an uneven groove in the
dew-soaked grass. It wasn’t yet daybreak and the sky was still laced with Mediterranean
hues. A soft breeze carried the fragrance of wild herbs. It caressed my skin
and the tiny hairs on my arm stood on end. I didn’t have to turn around to know
who was behind me.
Adrius.
I would recognize the electricity of his presence blindfolded. He was surreally
gorgeous. Even now as he regarded me with distant, unreadable eyes. He was
aloof; not as angry as he’d been last night, but still not himself. He had sent
for me and so of course, I came. And now here we were in the very place we’d
been when I first arrived in Mythlandria so many weeks ago. There was a
familiarity but also an unnerving strangeness. I didn’t like not knowing what
to expect. Or what he was thinking. I attempted to use the Inner eye
necklace to access his thoughts, but a seerer can see when he’s being read. And
his mind was completely closed to me, leaving me in the dark.
“Walk
with me.” He said with a fleeting gaze.
I took
a deep breath and I followed him, to what could possibly be my end. He was an
Elven knight bound to his father’s will. And right now his will equaled me
dead.
The
thickness of the forest encircled us, swallowing us in its mist. Twigs snapped
and crunched beneath our steps and occasionally his arm brushed mine, but he
made no attempt to take my hand. Given the circumstances, it was pretty insane
for me to hope that he might.
By the
time the sunrise peeked through the trees, the silence had become deafening. It
was clear I would have to be the one to break it if I wanted any answers. I
didn’t like feeling so unsure about him. I knew what the curse could do, but
I’d always felt comfortable. Safe. It was different now and I hated it.
“Where
are we going?” I asked a little breathless from the quick pace he’d been
keeping.
“Not
much further.” He looked back at me. “Are you cold?”
I was
doubly puzzled by his cryptic behavior. Wintry and detached one minute, worried
about my comfort in the next.
I
shook my head, suddenly aware I was shivering.
That
was all he said before dropping into another uncomfortable stretch of silence.
I realized he didn’t answer my question. It made me cringe to consider why.
Light
dappled through the leaves. Something in the way the beam hit the ground
reminded me of my mother. She’d always loved the play of sunlight. That was one
of the reasons our house had been designed with so many large windows. My
stomach twisted. I missed my mother. My house. My life. I had to go home...
but, he could come with me. That was the best solution. We’d be far from his
father, and Venus and the spell that bound his soul to her and his mind to his
father. Far from Zanthiel. We could pretend to be normal. Human. Finish school
and then head off to college. Together. That was the plan. It could still work.
We just had to get past this. If he could find the strength to spare my life,
we’d be halfway there.
He
glanced at me, his lips pressed in a thin line, and for a moment I wondered if
he had been listening to my thoughts. Then I remembered the chain hanging from
my neck, and the protective pendant blocking his access to my mind, tucked
safely inside my dress.
We
climbed uphill over thick coiled roots still sleeping on the forest floor,
which confirmed how early it was; the trees weren’t even awake yet. Then he
stopped so abruptly I nearly slammed into him. High above the forest below, we
stood, still enclosed by the thickness of trees.
He’ll
get over this. We can get over this. He needs some time, I told myself. The words weren’t
very convincing. I could feel something burning a hole in my chest. Panic maybe.
He
turned to face me. The air was thinner here and I shivered, but not from cold.
I felt sick and a little dizzy, like I was teetering on the edge of a
precipice, about to fall. I tried to steady my breathing. I kept telling myself
it was all going to work out. That everything would be fine. But the look on
his face made it impossible to believe that was true. I twirled a lock of hair
around my finger. His eyes followed my hand, and for a split second his gaze
softened. A half smile touched his lips; that same slightly crooked smile that
melted my heart. Only it didn’t have time to reach his eyes before it faded.
Then it was gone, as quickly as it had come leaving his emotions carefully
shielded behind expressionless eyes. They were still beautiful....they
were always beautiful, but the chill had returned. More than anything I missed
their warmth.
I
stood motionless, unable to breathe. Barely noticing the coiling mist that had
risen and was swirling knee high.
Being
alone in the forest with him used to be my favorite place to be. Now I was
chocking from the dread rising in my throat. For an agonizing length of time he
stared at me with those eyes that once lit up when he looked at me. His jaw
tightened, and his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. He shifted his
weight, and frowned. A vein in his temples pulsed. Gritting his teeth, his hand
reached for his sword. But then fell away. Raking a hand through his hair once,
he finally broke the throbbing silence.
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Michele Barrow-Belisle is an author and artist living in Southern Ontario, Canada with her super-sweet husband, brilliant son and ridiculously affectionate cat. Often told by teachers to stop dreaming and get her head out of the clouds, Michele still spends much of her time lost in make-believe worlds, populated with fascinating and occasionally terrifying characters. Her passion for fantasy extends beyond her writing into her clay figure sculpting, creating miniaturized replicas of the paranormal beings she writes about. Michele is as passionate about reading as she is about writing. When she's not reading or writing, she can be found burning off that last piece of chocolate cake in a Zumba class, or sculpting tiny desserts in polymer clay. She also loves mocha lattes and watching fireflies at twilight. Did we mention she loves chocolate?
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