by Nissa Leder
He should feel sorry for the girl. So much pain couldn’t be pleasant. But the more magic he had, the better he could prepare. Magic gave Cade strength. It helped him enter dreams. Helped him appear invisible and move things with his mind. With enough emotion, they could create energy into a weapon. Magic made the fae superhuman. Humans played their part. Their emotions refueled the fae. An angry man in a check-out aisle. A jealous girl at a high school dance. A grieving woman on the hillside of a cemetery. Each could feed Cade the sustenance his fae self needed. The stronger the emotion, the quicker he refueled and the more powerful his magic was.
Grief poured from Scarlett, a monsoon of pain. Gloom clouded around her as she fought the storm within. Cade couldn’t vanquish her pain forever, but he could temporarily remove it from her mind as if it didn’t exist. She’d have to deal with it again someday, but that would be her problem, not his.
Humans longed for a quick release from pain. It made them easy to lure into Faerie. Never bring humans in against their will—the rule of the Summer Court his father had put into place before Cade was born. Anyone found guilty of violating the rule would be killed. It was the highest law of the Summer Court.
There were six different fae courts, each with their own set of regulations. Four of them—one for each season—lived in Faerie. The other two wandered the mortal realm. Cade had learned about them all in his studies, but only bothered himself with Summer Court dealings. If he became king, that would have to change.
The fae weren’t immortal, but many lived for centuries. Unlike humans, the fae had the blessing of good health. No colds, no measles, no cancer. Usually. Eventually, old age would catch a fae. Or a soldier might die in battle. But if careful, fae could live a long time.
The biggest risk of death for Cade was the upcoming battle.
To win, either he or Raith must defeat one another. By death or surrender, one of them would lose. To make the battle more intense, a surrender didn’t have to be granted. It would be the champion’s decision to spare the loser’s life or to take it. With so much magic and emotion, many had killed their opponents without a second thought.
It was a danger Cade would face. What would the Summer Court become if Raith became king? The brother he knew as a child would have made a good ruler. He was protective and kind, not afraid to take the blame even if something wasn’t his fault. But that Raith didn’t exist anymore, and Cade worried what would happen to his mother if Raith got the Summer crown.
After he returned from his trip to the mortal realm, Kassandra was waiting for him outside of his bedroom.
“Mother,” Cade greeted her.
Dressed in a long crimson gown, Kassandra curtsied. The gold crown covered in emeralds on her head didn’t budge. Perfect posture, the sign of a true lady. Kassandra may have been raised outside of the castle, but her etiquette was very much that of a queen. Her days of working as a seamstress ended the moment the king took her hand to dance. She’d told Cade the story many times.
“It’s time to step up your training. I’ve found a soldier from the army who is ready to leave as captain and return to the castle—an accomplished fighter that will serve as your trainer.”
“Is a trainer necessary?” Cade asked. The magic inside him yearned for release. He’d never felt so full. Although he’d already practiced today, he was ready to go again.
Kassandra’s eyes narrowed into a glare. The look of annoyance. Cade had seen it before, usually when he snuck around the castle as a boy, getting into things he shouldn’t. “I would not have wasted my time finding this soldier if I didn’t think it was necessary.” She sighed and relaxed her forehead. “I know I ask a lot of you, my son. But I do not have royal blood, and if something happens to the king, the Heir will be given control of the realm. I fear what Raith might do if he were given this power. It’s you who should be king.”
Cade grabbed Kassandra’s hand and squeezed it. Once rough fingers were now as smooth as the satin of her dress. “I’ll win.”
“Don’t be overconfident. No one expected Kaelem to become the Unseelie King, but it’s he who now sits on the throne.”
That cocky bastard didn’t deserve to rule anyone. Then again, his siblings were arrogant jerks, too. But they were Unseelie fae, so what else would anyone expect?
“I’ve found a human who fills me with magic like I’ve never felt before,” Cade said.
“Who is this human?”
“I don’t know, but with her to feed off of, my magic will thrive.” Cade cupped his hands together. A small orb of aqua light grew inside, blazing hot in his hands.
“Summer energy.” Kassandra’s eyes gleamed.
Cade nodded. It wasn’t much—yet. But he was confident by the time the battle began, it would be a fierce weapon.
“Most don’t gain that gift until years into adulthood.” Kassandra’s mouth shifted into a smirk. “Bring the girl here.”
Chapter Four
Scarlett wandered around town after Cade had scared her away from the hilltop. Zigzagging down blocks. Swinging in the park. Anything to pass time. She was in no hurry to get home. Would she and Ashleigh be okay? Would they just shake off their fight? Forget it happened? Or were they headed down a path that would tear them further apart than they already were?
She wanted to not care. It wasn’t as if not speaking to her sister would kill her. But it hurt, and she felt more alone than ever. Perhaps that made her weak. But she didn’t want to be alone. Was that so wrong?
She’d spent so much of her life with her mother, having time to herself felt foreign. Whenever she’d found time to get away, her mind still worried about her mom. Now, with Ashleigh not speaking to her, she had no one.
Growing up, sometimes she’d wished she had more time to herself. Being the younger sister quickly became bothersome. Teachers expected her to shine as brightly as Ashleigh had in their classes. They learned soon enough that she wasn’t her sister. In fact, they were nearly opposite in so many ways. Ashleigh could sit at a desk for hours, attentively listening to every thing the teacher said as she took meticulous notes. Scarlett’s mind wandered after the first five minutes.
She’d dream of far away lands where unicorns and princes existed. Places where the square root of ten thousand didn’t matter. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be good like her sister, but it was so much harder for her. Even when she intended to go home and do her homework, life all too often got in the way. When her mother would be having a breakdown, chemistry seemed far less important.
She made the choices she thought were best, and now she’d been granted her wish; she was alone.
Sweat dribbled from her forehead—the summer warmth in full effect, its thickness pressing into her. Her dry mouth begged for a drink of water, but she ignored it. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been gone, but eventually her stomach grumbled and reminded Scarlett that she hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. Most of the time, she didn’t even notice her hunger. Her thoughts were always elsewhere now. But the reality that she was human and needed food to survive caught up to her every so often. Scarlett checked her pocket for money, hoping to go to Paula’s Cafe to get some chicken and fries. She didn’t want to go back to her house and would avoid it as long as she could. But there was no money in her jeans, so home it was.
The sun dropped slowly in the eastern sky. Scarlett had been gone all day. It didn’t feel like that long. Time had changed for Scarlett since her mom died. Some moments seemed to last forever, while others flew faster than a shooting star.
When she came through the front door, Ashleigh was curled on the couch watching TV.
“Hi,” Scarlett said. She could be the bigger person.
“Hi.” Ashleigh’s gaze didn’t budge.
“We okay?”
“Yep.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
Ashleigh’s head snapped toward Scarlett. “Happy?”
“What can I do to make this better?” Scarlett
and Ashleigh had never been close. But they were all the family each other had anymore. Scarlett didn’t want to be alone.
“I’m going back to school tomorrow.”
“You don’t start for another month.”
“Katie found an apartment for us but we have to start paying on it this month.” Ashleigh shrugged. “So, I’m gonna head back and help her set it up.”
“Fine.” Scarlett couldn’t believe Ashleigh would just leave. She’d already left Scarlett to handle everything the last two years while their mom was still alive. Why not just make Scarlett deal with everything else?
“You’ve always wanted your own space.” Ashleigh grabbed the remote and switched the channel to an America’s Next Top Model rerun. “Now you’ll have it.”
“Awesome.” Scarlett fought back the tears pooling behind her eyes. If Ashleigh didn’t need her, she didn’t need Ashleigh. Having a sister was overrated.
The piano in the corner of the room caught Scarlett’s attention. A thick layer of dust covered it, dulling the brightness of the sage green paint underneath. She and her mom had painted it when Scarlett was in middle school. Its original wood had faded and wasn’t worth saving and Scarlett wanted to make it her own, so she and her mom went to the store and bought a quart of paint—in whatever color Scarlett wanted—and borrowed a sander from the neighbor. Together, they gave the old piano a new life.
Scarlett hadn’t touched it since she found her mom. She hadn’t played it or even cleaned it. She’d dusted every other inch of the house, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything to the piano.
Staying home and sulking wouldn’t make her feel any better. The walls around and empty feeling seemed claustrophobic. She needed to distract herself or she’d spend the entire night crying.
Scarlett would take her fate into her own hands.
She grabbed her purse and the keys to her mom’s car and stormed back out the door.
She looked around the block. Had Cade followed her home? She didn’t see him, thank god. The last thing she wanted to deal with was some supernatural freak of a creature. Or worse, a hallucination. Scarlett got into the car and drove to Natalie’s. She blared the car radio to drown out the anger seething from her. Even though she didn’t know the words, the thumping of the bass distracted her. At least she still had her best friend. Natalie lived across town. The benefit to living in a place so small was that you could get from one side to the other in a few minutes. Scarlett kept looking in her rearview mirror. Would Cade follow her? Did he drive? Scarlett doubted it, which made her even more nervous.
When she turned onto Natalie’s block, she saw the group of cars parked in front. Scarlett recognized a few. Peter’s Honda. Bailey’s mom’s van. Teddy’s old Camaro. Teddy. He must be home for summer break. Scarlett’s pulse jumped. She had barely talked to Teddy since Christmas time—the day she broke up with him. She remembered the shock in his eyes when she said it was over. He was the one good guy she dated and she blew it. No shock there.
Scarlett parked a few houses down. She used to just walk into Natalie’s. They’d been friends since the first day of kindergarten. Practically sisters. Things got a bit awkward when Scarlett started seeing Teddy. He was Natalie’s brother and she wasn’t happy when Scarlett suddenly ended it with no explanation, but a week later, when Scarlett found her mom’s body, Natalie acted like nothing with Teddy had happened. Scarlett and Natalie, best friends again.
At first, when Natalie invited her to hang out, Scarlett did. They went to at least a party every weekend where Scarlett drank her pain away. A temporary fix, but a small respite was better than nothing. The last few months, Scarlett kept to herself. During the week, she’d focused on school. On the weekends, she’d lost herself in a Netflix binge; any reality was better than hers.
It took Scarlett a minute to get the courage, but finally, she knocked on the door.
Natalie opened it with a beer bottle in her hand. “Oh my god, Scarlett. Are you okay?” She pulled Scarlett into a hug, seeming thinner than the last time Scarlett had hugged her. “Come in.”
The front door opened into the living room. It was a small house, but the open floor plan made it seem bigger than it actually was. The room reeked of beer. A few people sat on the sectional. A few others, including Teddy, stood in the kitchen, his arm wrapped around a girl in a short, black skirt and heels. Her jet-black hair hit the middle of her back. Teddy laughed at something she whispered. His eyes crinkled like they always did when he smiled. He hadn’t noticed Scarlett, yet.
“I’m okay,” Scarlett said as she looked back to Natalie. “I can come back later. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“No, stay.” Natalie grabbed Scarlett’s hand and pulled her into the living room. “Look who came to join us.” Natalie smiled. Still her outgoing self, though the bags under her eyes made her look tired. “I think this calls for a drinking game.”
Teddy’s grin disappeared when he saw Scarlett. She stared into his eyes. How could she say she was sorry with just a look? Natalie handed Scarlett a beer. It had been over three months since Scarlett had drunk—the last time she went to a party at Bailey’s. Teddy was there with the school skank, who’d had her eyes on him since freshman year. Scarlett drank. A lot. So much, she spent all night in the bathroom, where Teddy found her and held her hair as she became one with the toilet. He didn’t talk to Scarlett then, but he was there for her like he promised he always would be.
Breaking up with him was the right thing to do. He deserved better than Scarlett.
She gulped half the beer her first drink. It tasted as bad as it used to, but she knew too well how it felt after she drank enough.
Everyone gathered in the living room and played a game. Scarlett finished her first beer and started another, the buzz tingling her skin.
Ashleigh was right. Scarlett was a screw up. Why should she bother changing now? She was here with people who understood her. Might as well enjoy herself. Scarlett pressed the beer to her lips and chugged.
With his fae senses, Cade could find Scarlett as long as she didn’t get too far away. If she stayed within a few miles, he could evanesce to her. When a fae fed on someone, a link was formed. Cade closed his eyes and reached for Scarlett’s aura. Once he connected to it, his body became energy that moved through the air swiftly until it found its destination.
Cade had followed Scarlett to a small house at the edge of the human town. The house looked like every other house on the block. Single story. Tan in color. Worn out roof. Nothing spectacular. But this house was fuller than the others. He could feel the alcohol buzzing inside.
Wearing an invisible glamour, Cade went around the house and through a gate. A German Shepherd growled at him from the back porch. Cade hissed and the dog whimpered. Humans bragged themselves the superior species, but they had the dullest senses. Cade opened the blinds of the sliding door with his magic and peeked inside. Past the empty kitchen, a group sat around a sectional with beers in their hands. Scarlett held a beer in one hand and with the other, tapped a finger on her thigh, her gaze pointed downward.
Cade inhaled her nervousness.
An idea came to him. Summer fae usually dressed more formal than the average human. Especially a prince like Cade. Normally he didn’t use glamour for clothing. It was a hassle. Actually wearing clothes was easier and didn’t require any magic. But showing up in the suit he was wearing would look too suspicious, so for tonight, glamour it was. He shifted his suit into jeans and a Pink Floyd t-shirt he’d seen before—a human enough outfit.
Cade evanesced back to the front and knocked on the door.
“Guys, shhh,” a voice said. “Hide the beer.”
Cade chuckled. Humans and their laws. The Summer fae didn’t drink beer, but they had their own kind of wine. All the fae enjoyed it, even the children. It fueled their powers. Made them happy. And it didn’t have the bad habit of causing belligerent fighting like human alcohol. All that human emotion fired up Cade’s magic, so h
e wasn’t complaining.
A short girl opened the door. “Can I help you?” Her blood shot eyes blinked at him. She kept her mouth shut, likely hiding the beer on her breath. If Cade were a cop, she had bigger problems to worry about. The whole house reeked.
“I’m Scarlett’s friend.” Cade smiled. He put his hands in his jean pockets. A nervous habit humans seemed to have. “Is she here?”
The girl eyed Cade from top to bottom and back to the top. His beauty always awed humans. Especially the girls. Insecurity radiated from her, which surprised Cade. She was pretty enough for a human. “Scarlett. Someone’s here for you.” The girl reached out her hand. “I’m Natalie.”
Cade ignored her. He felt Scarlett as she approached. The pain in her chest mixed with the alcohol in her veins. Jealousy also coursed through her. An emotional mess. But a beautiful one. He’d been so consumed by her pain earlier, he hadn’t actually look at her. Her brunette waves hit the middle of her back. Freckles covered the top of her nose across her pale skin. When she saw Cade, her blue eyes doubled in size.
“Who’s he?” Natalie asked.
“Cade,” Scarlett replied. She kept looking at him then back to Natalie. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to check on you. See how you were feeling.”
“I’m fine.”
Natalie elbowed Scarlett in her side. “Invite him in.” She winked.
Scarlett bit her lip. “Would you like to join us?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
When Cade walked in with Scarlett, envy boomed from a guy on the couch. Natalie introduced everyone. Jealous guy was named Teddy. He had his arm around a girl whose hand rode dangerously high up his leg. Cade placed his hand on Scarlett’s lower back as he followed her through the living room. Anger radiated from Teddy. Cade winked at him and inhaled his fury. Humans were so easy.
Cade toyed with him even more by placing his own hand on Scarlett’s lap after they sat down. Scarlett gazed at Teddy and then brushed her fingers with Cade’s. She was drunk and flirty, and, even without his fae gifts, Cade knew she wanted to make Teddy jealous. He whispered into her ear. “You’re beautiful.”
