Read Online Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep - Free Book Online Page A

I focused on that sensation, letting it drown out everything else, all the bad things that had happened today, and all the bad ones that might come to be tomorrow.
    “Don’t worry, pumpkin,” she said in a distant voice. “Everything will work out in the end. You’ll see.”
    Her eyes were empty and glassy, like she was looking at something only she could see. She was having one of her psychic visions, and I felt this force stir in the air around her—something old, patient, knowing, and watchful. I stayed where I was, still and quiet, and held her hand.
    “Things will be difficult for a while, but they’ll eventually get better,” she murmured. “You’ll see.”
    That force tightened around both of us for a moment, almost like arms pulling us close for a comforting hug, before it abruptly faded away altogether. Grandma blinked, her eyes cleared, and she was herself once more.
    Nyx jumped up, batting at the silver coins dangling from her scarves, and Grandma laughed and stooped down to pet the wolf pup. She didn’t say anything about what she’d seen, and I didn’t ask. It was difficult for Grandma to have reliable visions about family or friends in the first place, since her feelings for someone could influence what she saw. So she rarely told me about the glimpses she got of my future, claiming that she didn’t want me to make important decisions based on something that might or might not happen. I understood that Grandma wanted me to take my own path in life, but sometimes a little hint about all the Bad, Bad Things that were on the horizon would have been nice.
    Grandma walked over to my desk and picked up a metal tin shaped like a giant chocolate chip cookie. “How about something to eat?” she asked. “I’d just finished making some oatmeal raisin cookies for you when Metis called.”
    Grandma Frost loved to bake, and she was always making some sweet, delicious treat for me to bring back to the academy and share with my friends.
    “I also stopped and got you a sandwich,” she added.
    She pointed to a white paper bag on my desk, and I knew she was talking about the Pork Pit, one of my favorite restaurants. But I didn’t feel like eating anything tonight, not even cookies.
    Still, I made myself smile at her. “Maybe later.”
    Grandma stayed with me the rest of the evening, while I called Daphne and filled her in. I called Logan too, but he didn’t answer his phone. He was probably still arguing with his dad, so I left him a voice mail, saying that I was going to bed and that I’d see him tomorrow morning at weapons training.
    Finally, just before the ten o’clock curfew, Grandma got to her feet and said that she’d better go before the dorms locked down for the night. I was on the floor playing with Nyx, and I gathered the wolf pup up in my arms once more and got to my feet. A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye at what I had to do now.
    “I think you should take Nyx home with you,” I said in a sad voice. “I don’t want the Protectorate to find her here and take her away.”
    “Yes, do please send the fuzzball away,” Vic said in a snarky tone. “All that fur is terrible on my allergies. Terrible, I tell you!”
    The sword sniffed as if to prove his point, but I could see the gleam of a tear in his eye. In his own way, he loved Nyx just as much as I did.
    Grandma nodded. “That’s probably for the best, pumpkin. There’s a lot going on right now. Better not to take the chance.”
    I passed Nyx over to Grandma Frost. She tucked the Fenrir wolf pup inside her coat so Nyx would stay warm on the walk across campus to her car. I petted Nyx a final time, whispering that I’d come see her just as soon as I could. I hugged Grandma tight, and they left.
    My room seemed so quiet, so still, so terribly empty , without them, especially without Nyx bounding from corner to corner, sniffing, growling, and exploring the room like she hadn’t been living here all her short life. I’d never