When I did, I took a deep breath and felt the portal disappear behind me. The gravel driveway crunched underneath my feet as I made my way to the door. For the first time in my life, I was nervous.
I knocked on the door and stood back, waiting to see if anyone answered. Angelina and Zoe weren’t there, but Piper was. I could sense her. At first, I didn’t know if I’d still have the connection to the Shadow fae, but I did.
A few seconds passed and then the door opened. Piper stared cautiously at me at first but then pursed her lips. Her dark hair was pulled up in a bun, and she had on an apron that said Blue Moon Café.
“What do you want?” she snapped.
I held up my hands. “I’m here to see you. Can I come in?”
She pushed open the screen door and stepped out. “No, you cannot. Angelina and Zoe gave strict orders on not allowing you inside.”
“I understand.”
Piper waved a hand in the air. “I don’t have much time, Kai. I have to get to work. Why are you here?”
“Our brothers are dead,” I informed her.
Piper’s eyes widened. “Dead? How?”
I looked her straight in the eyes. “I killed them.”
Fear darkened her eyes and she slowly stepped back. “Why did you do that?”
It hurt to see her afraid of me. I used to love having people be scared of me, but I didn’t like it at all with her.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Piper. If anything, I want to help you.”
She scoffed. “When have you ever wanted to help me?”
“Never,” I admitted truthfully, “but things have changed. I’m hoping you’ll let me explain.”
“Start with our brothers then,” she huffed impatiently. “Why did you kill them?”
I nodded. “They tried to kill Ella.”
Her brows furrowed. “Weren’t you trying to kill her, too?”
A laugh escaped my lips. “I was . . . at least until I fell in love with her and died to save her.”
“Whoa,” she exclaimed, holding up her hands. “I am so confused right now. First off, I didn’t know you were capable of love. And second, if you died, how are you here?”
I shrugged. “Ella brought me back. She’s the queen of the Frost Court now.”
Piper snickered. “And let me guess, you’re the king?”
When I didn’t laugh, her mouth dropped. “Seriously? How did I miss all of this?”
“I’m glad you did. There were some dark times during the past couple of weeks.” I moved closer to her. “I know you don’t trust me, but I’d like to show you something. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.” Her eyes softened, but there was still a wall up between us. It was going to take some time for her to trust me. “Please, Piper,” I murmured. “I’m not going to hurt you ever again. I want to show you the Frost Court . . . my home.”
She glanced down at her clothes. “What about work? I have to be at the café in twenty minutes.”
“Not if you come with me. I can give you a better life, Piper. The same thing goes for Angelina and Zoe.” I held out my hand and hers trembled as she contemplated touching mine.
“I must be out of my mind,” she said, clasping my hand.
Chuckling, I opened a portal to the Frost Court, and her eyes bugged out of her head when she looked through. “Oh my God. I can see the other side. It’s beautiful.”
I smiled. “It’s even better when you’re there. Come on.”