A Kingdom of Frost and Fear (The Four Kingdoms, #2)

by Whitney Dean

“Hello, Morana.”

exCUSE ME!!!!!!

“I’m here,” he began, standing and closing the space between us, “because you, you infuriating little witch, have completely unraveled me.” He ran a hand through his hair as rain pelted down on us. “I am here because I am so wildly in love with you that I am willing to risk my own life to make sure you don’t do something idiotic like jump off a fucking cliff, Raven.”

I mean….. okay daddy….. but Imma still jump 💁‍♀️

I would hand over my crown and title if it meant being her jester because I was a fool for her.

“Dominance seeps out of you. I noticed it the night we met. I am not easy to control, but I followed you without a second thought.”

“That’s because your confidence had me under a spell. You didn’t question yourself; you didn’t hesitate.

“You may think it’s only because of your abilities that people listen to you, that they’re frightened by you, but it's not. It’s your very presence.”

“It’s always been Raven. You just didn’t know it yet.”

Who’s cutting 🧅

“We will always burn together.”

“You should never be anything but that. Wildly unhinged with nothing but that.” “Wildly unhinged,” he repeated, a smile spreading across his cheeks. I nodded with a smile of my own. “You make me wildly unhinged.”

“I’m sorry, Zeke, I’m so sorry.” He tried to quiet me. “I’m not your responsibility. My brokenness isn’t yours to fix. You have an entire life here—” “You are my life,” he interrupted. “Everything about you—the cracks, the crevices, the darkness, the past, the present, when you wake up, where you fall asleep, the sounds you make….” I tried to smile through my tears. “Your flirting, and your filthy mouth.” I started to laugh, wiping tears away from my cheeks with the back of my hand. “It is all mine, Raven. There is not one piece of your shattered heart that I do not want. I carry it with me. We’re both broken, Raven. And we’re both healing one another.” “Then let me help you,” I pleaded, “tell me how to help you.”

I wasn’t sure what was unfolding, but my head was laid in Jeanine’s lap after she climbed behind me.

She loves you boo

“I shouldn’t be with you. I need to let you go.”

Tf you should

“This new form of hers doesn’t have memories. That’s why she feels so empty when it takes her. It doesn’t know what love is, nor does it know who we are. If Raven is upset with me, that’s the only memory it’s able to make of me.”

Can Morana take Cade because honestly they deserve each other

Jeanine had already left me and was on the ground, holding my fragile little witch in her arms and crying her name.

Jeanine and Raven are 🥹

Jeanine fell on top of us, wrapping her arms around Raven’s waist as she tried to catch her breath, her eyes searching the room to reconcile what just happened.

“And you’re going to learn how to control it,” Jeanine said, rubbing her back. “It’s in you now. We’re going to help you, Raven. And then it’ll just be another thing you can scare people with.”

👻

“Please marry me, Raven. We’re tangled and twisted, but I need you to marry me. If you don’t want to, I’ll understand, but I’ll keep asking. I’ve been trying to stay out of it; I haven’t wanted to push you—” She put her fingers against my lips. “Yes.” “Yes?” I repeated with her fingers still against my lips. She nodded, laughing through her tears. “It’s always been yes. I just needed to know that it’s what you wanted.” “Raven.” I fell into her, wrapping my arms around her body and kissing her repeatedly. “I’ve wanted nothing else since I met you.”

Freaking FINALLY!

“Please forgive me. I didn’t mean any of what I said, not a word.” She shrugged. “I’ll talk it over with Jeanine and let you know.”

😂😂😂

Raven had already guzzled hers down. I was starting to believe it was the only reason she wanted to come to dinner. I needed to ensure she had bottles— no, cases— for when she traveled back to Seolia. If there were any bottles left on the planet after she was done here.

Same sis

“I feel there is a lot more to Raven’s story that you’re not telling me.” “When Celestina died, I found it difficult to mourn. I loved her like a sister, but I had the most unsettling feeling that she was lingering.” He turned away from me and stared out the window again. “Magic is as much of a mystery to me as it is to you, but Raven’s story is far from over. I don’t know why; I don’t know what to expect with her, but I’ve always been waiting.” It was Jeanine who asked, “Waiting for what?” “That’s the question, isn’t it?” John turned his attention to me then, with nothing but seriousness in his expression. “But I can tell you this: Raven is the key to something. But what she’s meant to unlock, I’m not sure we will be ready.”

TELL ME EVERYTHING JOHN YOU LITTLE TURD

“We need to see her face,” one man grunted. “The princess is missing.” I wrinkled my nose. Why were they so desperate to find me? Mira told me that this was my kingdom, too. If I were truly free to walk around alone, why were soldiers hellbent on making sure I was found? I didn’t need to be babysat. I was the Queen of Seolia. I answered to no one. “Does Zeke know you were sent out here?” “Mira’s orders,” the other man argued, tapping my knee again. I sat up quickly and threw my hood down, shoving his hand off. “I’m a fucking blonde, you prick. Keep your hands to yourselves. Last I checked, Jeanine is on Mira’s court, which would make both of you beneath her. I know your small dicks are threatened by that but remember it next time you decide to argue with her, or I’ll make sure your heads roll.”

We love this side of Raven 😂

Jeanine cackled in front of me, reaching around to slap my thigh. “It’s no wonder Zeke is so godsdamned obsessed with you.”

Cus Jeanine is too… but also me too

I cringed, running a hand through my tangled mess of hair. “Jeanine, I don’t know if I can do this. Your relationship with him was so intimate, and you know where things are, where to go. And I just… I just got him, and I already feel insecure. I want to help, but I can’t go anywhere you two… because I don’t know him like you, and that’s hard for me.” She came to me and put her hands on my cheeks. “Raven, I need you to listen to me. Nothing happened between us here. Zeke hasn’t returned here in over a year. And I have a feeling you are overestimating how often anything happened between us. I can explain all this to you, but I need you to trust me.” When silver lined my eyes, she shook her head. “You have nothing to be insecure about, but if we stay here where her soldiers can see us, you will be risking all of us, especially him. We either need to go upstairs, or we need to leave.” “Upstairs,” I answered quickly.

FINALLY Jeanine is breaking down the barriers

“If magic ever has a stronger presence here, your bond will become more apparent. It might be until then that she feels it.”

“But touch Raven again, and we will have a different conversation.” He dipped his chin in a nod but grinned. “Spoken like a true mate. I assure you I will stay far away from your witch.”

Go to his realm! I need a visit to this magical land!

I would burn worlds for this man.

It was like flames and stars colliding, forever burning together in the universe. We would always be ignited.

“You are my sin incarnate, and I am your death.”

You know you might be too obsessed with a person when they even look appealing to you as a spawn of evil.

😂

“stop apologizing for the actions of other people.” Eight simple words and something changed in Raven’s posture as she sat up a little straighter.

Did anyone else need to hear this today? Cus dr dean just brought her therapy pad for the session today. 😂

“My heart rests in you.”

“I thought you said your castle is our castle,” Zeke mocked.

Zeke is such an ass 😂

“He’s going to be so upset….” Alice said, “Then, maybe he’s not the person you thought he was. You do not need to respect his reactions if he cannot respect your decisions.”

Fu$& Cade 👎👎👎

“Just love him, Raven,” Alice said before drawing a shaky breath. “That’s all I want as his mother. Love his stubbornness, his sorrow, love him when he seems impossible to love because there will be times when you feel like he is.”

Big emphasis on stubbornness 😂

“To Zeke and Raven Audovera,”

Heck of a last name there

“Light is easy to love, easier to trust and simplistic,” he whispered against my hair, “but we fell in love under dark skies, and mine was pitch black before I met you.” He kissed my temple, moving his hand across the sky. “The night you came into my life, Raven, I started seeing the light. Slowly, the black lightened enough for something else to shine through.”

“Okay,” she said, “I promised to stop choking you. From now on, I will meet here with the door open or in the dining hall.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Can I kiss you now?” She shook her head before she sauntered away. “No.” My jaw fell open as I followed her back into the bedroom. “Why the fuck not?” “Because you irritate me,” she answered simply. “You irritate me,” I chided back.

Jeanine rushed to me first, grabbing my hands and tugging them. “You’ve got this. We will be right around the mountainside if you need us, but I know you can do it.” Pecking me on the lips, she pulled me into a tight hug. I couldn’t imagine my life without her now. Coming so far in our friendship in such a short amount of time would always be something I was proud of.

I’m proud of them too 🥹🥹

“Just because he’s your twin flame doesn’t mean you have to be together. We can try again, Raven. Things can go back to normal.” I shook my head. “No, Cade. I am not with him solely because we’re twin flames. And there is no normal between us. You kept secrets about my life from me, Cade. I can’t just….” “You can, Raven. You can forgive me. We can be together….” “No!” I shouted. “We are not going to be together! I have made my choice, Cade, and it’s him. It has always been him. You let me down, Cade. You lied to me about being the one to save me in the spring.” His lips parted, and he blinked. “I know it was Zeke,” I continued, “but you took credit for it. And then, you left me in Reales—you promised to always be there for me, but you left me there. You left me there to learn about River alone…” “I don’t need another one of your fucking sob stories, Raven. All I’ve done for years is listen to you whine about not knowing who you are, being so alone, all your fucking identity issues….” I felt sick. This was someone I had confided in most of my life, and now, he was making me feel embarrassed by everything I had shared with him. “And you knew,” I cracked, trying to push down the welling in my throat. “You could’ve told me who I was and given me the chance to explore where I came from….” “You were mine,” he barked. “Did you ever wonder why no one seemed to want to court you? Because I wouldn’t fucking let them. Your friend, Edmund? He tried. He wanted to visit, but I burned hi...

Can we off Cade yet? He is giving SA vibes

I watched him walk away from me, and I stood still for a moment more, my eyes flickering between the three of them: my family, my protectors. He noticed me staring with shimmering eyes and smiled. I mouthed to him that I loved him, and he returned it. Turning away, I threw one last glance over my shoulder. This was what happiness felt like.