by Nissa Leder
“This is Peony. She will find you a dress and help you bathe.”
Peony curtsied to Cade as he left. Her long silver hair was pulled into a bun. “Come,” she said and then went through a door in the corner of the room.
Scarlett shivered when she got out of the bed. She rubbed her arms as she followed Peony into the largest bathroom she’d ever seen. Marble covered the floors. The claw foot tub underneath the stained-glass window could fit three of Scarlett into it. Peony turned on the bath water. She left the water running and stood next to Scarlett. She held out her hand. “Your nightgown, Miss.”
Now, Scarlett really felt like a princess with someone to run her bath water and take her clothing from her. Scarlett pulled the nighty over her head and handed it to Peony. Her nakedness made her modest, but Peony didn’t pay any attention. Scarlett waited until the bathtub was half full and then stepped inside. The hot water warmed her as she sank into it. She relaxed as the tub filled, then Peony helped her wash her hair and back. It was a strange combination of awkward and wondrous. As Peony rinsed the soap off of her shoulders, Scarlett asked, “You’re a human, right?”
“Yes, Miss.” She poured water on her neck.
“And you help Cade?”
“I belong to Miss Kassandra.”
“Cade’s mom?”
“Yes.”
Belong. A strange word to use. Peony didn’t work for her. She belonged to her. Like a slave? Scarlett wanted to ask more, but she didn’t want to offend Peony. What did Cade want from Scarlett?
After she finished the bath, Peony wrapped her in a plush towel. “I’ll be right back, Miss.”
While Scarlett waited, she looked at her reflection in a mirror on the wall. Her long hair waved from its wetness. The water had washed away her makeup. The bags that had been under her eyes had halved in size since yesterday thanks to the full night of sleep. Her skin appeared brighter than normal, and, her irises seemed to have the slightest purple tone. Peony returned and helped Scarlett into a floor length mauve dress. Sparkles covered the bust. Scarlett sucked in as Peony tightened the corset.
The bottom of the dress brushed the floor as Scarlett walked back to the bedroom. Peony gestured for Scarlett to sit on the bed, and then she put a pair of gray heels on Scarlett’s feet.
“How long have you been here?” Scarlett asked.
“With Miss Kassandra?”
“Here in this realm.”
“For three years.”
Peony moved on to Scarlett’s hair. She brushed out all of the tangles. “I’m not crazy, like I’m sure you’re thinking,” Peony said. “My old life wasn’t worth living. Miss Kassandra takes my pain from me, and I serve her in return.”
What could be so bad that being a servant was the better option? If Cade would take away all Scarlett’s pain, would she do whatever he asked? She hoped not.
And what exactly did he expect of her?
Scarlett thought of her mother. She wished more than anything to have her back again. That wasn’t possible, though, and she couldn’t even think of her mom without a tightening in her chest. If Cade could take that away, Scarlett wasn’t sure she could say no.
Great, the stab in her chest was back.
Once Scarlett’s hair was twisted into a bun, Peony dabbed some makeup on her face. Soon after, Cade was back to escort Scarlett to meet Kassandra. As soon as he stepped in the room, her pain dulled.
“You look lovely,” Cade said as he locked his elbow with Scarlett’s.
They walked arm in arm down the hall. Scarlett admired the pictures that hung on the wall. Most were portraits of beautiful beings, but some were of trees and rivers and other landscapes. After climbing a staircase, they went down another hallway and arrived at Kassandra’s room.
A man with a sword at his belt stood outside the door.
“We’re here to see my mother,” Cade said.
The man stepped aside and let them enter. This room was even larger than the room Scarlett had been in. On the far side, a large window covered over half the wall, from the floor to the tall ceiling. A woman, who Scarlett guessed must be Kassandra, lounged on a chaise in front of it.
“Dearest son,” she said in a smooth voice as she stood. “Who have you here?” Kassandra wore a metallic dress that was neither gold nor silver, but a shade in between. The bust pushed up her breasts, which were framed in a square neckline and puff sleeves. A gold crown sat atop her head.
Scarlett curtsied. Or tried to curtsy, at least. She’d never had to be so proper before. Hopefully curtsying was normal here. Kassandra returned the curtsy with one herself. Scarlett relaxed.
Cade released his arm from hers and stepped away. “Scarlett, meet my mother, the Summer Queen.”
The Summer Queen? It made sense—Scarlett was in a castle after all. But to meet some inhuman queen took Scarlett’s breath.
Kassandra was lovely, with flawless peach skin. Her sea-green eyes were stunning, but cold. A shudder tingled Scarlett’s spine. As beautiful as the queen was, she looked dangerous.
Kassandra approached. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Why yes, she is potent.”
Potent? What did that mean? Kassandra ran the back of her fingers across Scarlett’s cheeks, sending a shiver down her arms. Normal people didn’t touch other people like they were pets, and right now Scarlett felt more like a dog than a person. Peony was a human and she was a servant. Something told Scarlett that humans weren’t on the top of the food chain in Faerie.
“Such lovely skin.” Kassandra twined her fingers through a strand of Scarlett’s hair that had escaped from the bun. “And what dark hair.”
Scarlett clenched her jaw, her teeth grazing the tip of her tongue. The tang of iron grazed her taste buds.
When Kassandra moved back to the chaise, Cade returned to Scarlett’s side.
“She will be quite well for you, son.”
Cade nodded and guided Scarlett back out of the room.
Whatever just happened, she needed to be careful.
Chapter Eight
Scarlett had met a fae queen and she wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or petrified. The way Kassandra had spoken of her like she wasn’t even there sent a her to her stomach. And she’d pet her.
Anytime fear or dread surfaced in Scarlett’s mind, it slipped away before she could think too much into it.
“I told you my mother would approve,” Cade said as he sat on the bed that would now be Scarlett’s.
“What did she have to approve of?” Scarlett asked.
Cade gestured for her to sit next to him, and so she did. He rested his hand on her knee. He flicked his other hand and the door swung shut. “My mother is protective of me. You don’t need to worry.”
Before she could reply, Cade’s hands moved to her face. He gripped her cheeks gently and pulled her mouth to his.
Scarlett pulled away. “This place seems…” She wasn’t sure what to say without making things worse. “Different. Maybe you should take me home.”
Cade sighed. “I didn’t want to do this, but…”
The pain in her chest hit her like a horse’s hoof to her heart. Visions of her mother lying on the ground, the color drained from her face, played through her mind. The metallic smell of blood filling the room. The fight they had when Scarlett snuck into the house past curfew the weekend before her mom died. The disappointment in her mom’s eyes.
It was too much. She needed it to stop. Scarlett grasped her stomach as she tried not to puke. She thought it hurt before, but that was nothing. These memories were a poison to her blood, spreading through her veins and making her sicker than she’d ever felt before. Her head spun. Her heart pulsed. Every muscle in her body ached. She couldn’t live like this.
“Make it stop,” Scarlett screamed. The memories loosened their grip. She looked into Cade’s eyes and saw no remorse. She sensed the danger she’d put herself in by coming to this place with him, but it was a mistake she couldn’t undo. He touched her lips with his finge
r. Her brain grew numb.
“You’ll like it here. Promise. Just give it time.” Cade’s hand grazed Scarlett’s thigh.
His lips met hers. A tingle spread through her face. Whatever had just upset her seemed light-years away. Scarlett reached around Cade’s back and pulled herself closer to him. The desire to be close to him overwhelmed her. She’d craved the touch of someone before, but never like this. This wasn’t normal. Or human. It was something else. Something dangerous.
Scarlett was Cade’s for the taking.
When your mom hears voices, you grow up fast, or that was the case for Scarlett. Maybe if she’d had a dad there to help it would have been different. But it was just Scarlett, Ashleigh, and their mom.
Scarlett learned to pack her own lunches for school at six years old, asked her friends’ moms for rides to and from softball practice after school, and even taught herself to drive.
And, maybe because she took care of herself all too often, she craved attention from guys. Or maybe she just liked how they seemed drawn to her—her bright eyes and flirty grin.
She’d tease them as they ogled her. For once in her life, she was in control of something. They would go only as far as she felt comfortable—never all the way. She wasn’t a prude, her virginity not on some pedestal, but whenever she got close to crossing the line, she pulled back. None of the guys actually knew her. They thought she was pretty, sure, but until she dated Teddy, none of her boyfriends actually cared much about her.
She always had the control, until one night when a guy decided her consent wasn’t important. She was trapped underneath him in his beat-up Chevy truck when someone pulled him off her and told her to leave.
She listened, running four blocks back to Natalie’s, indebted to a stranger.
But now, under Cade’s influence, her virtue was the last thing on her mind.
Chapter Nine
Cade left Scarlett’s room with a smirk on his face. Magic buzzed though him. Scarlett’s pain was feast enough, but the lust she radiated filled him even more. He had to use it wisely, though. For his own desires, he wanted to devour her fully, but her hunger for him would last longer if they took things slowly. Kisses would have to do for now.
She was his to command. Mortals—so driven by emotion—were easy prey. With the right technique, he could control her. Her will would bend to him and she wouldn’t even know it. With the Summer Court law, humans had to enter Faerie willingly, but once they were there, there was no regulation from using his fae gifts to keep them.
Scarlett would do as he wished for as long as Cade needed her. Once he won the battle, he could be kinder. Until then, he would do what he must.
It was time for Cade’s first official training session. He’d been preparing over the last couple of months by himself, but once the battle was declared, each competitor was assigned a mentor to train him.
Cade entered the training tower and went into the battle room where his father had met him and Raith. A girl dressed in a brown fighting suit, with a long blonde ponytail that fell to the middle of her back, looked out the window and onto the courtyard. The open window allowed a breeze to sweep through the room.
“You’re late,” she said as she turned, her silver eyes glaring at him.
“You’re a girl,” Cade said. He was expecting some burly, fae warrior to be waiting for him, not some scrawny blonde girl.
“A woman, to be correct.” She approached him. “Got a problem with it?”
She was a pretty girl, at least. She might not be so bad, he thought, until she slugged him in the stomach.
He bucked over as he held his gut, his breath stolen.
Her eyes narrowed. “I am the top graduate from last year’s battle class, and I don’t appreciate you ogling me.”
Cade straightened up. “Fine.”
“I’m Poppy,” she said. “And I know you’re Cade. Nice to meet you. Blah, blah.”
No one had ever been so direct toward him. He wasn’t sure if he was offended or impressed.
“Pick a weapon,” she said.
He wanted to storm out of the room to prove no one told him what to do, but he swallowed his annoyance. After he became king, he wouldn’t listen to anyone he didn’t want to listen to. Until then, he’d begrudgingly follow the girl’s orders.
Cade browsed the weapon wall and grabbed a sword. He loved the feeling of the weight in his hands.
“Typical.” Poppy grabbed an iron staff. “The sword is a classic, and, when used right, powerful. Now, let’s face each other and practice.”
At least she didn’t waste any time.
Cade swung the sword at her throat. Maybe that would shut her up. Her staff met the sword and pushed it back toward him. As he veered it back at her, she twirled her staff above her head and around his body, and then hit the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground.
“It’s also heavy and clunky, and, if you don’t control it properly, a liability.”
This Poppy was going to drive him crazy before he even made it to the battle. She reached her hand out to help him up, but he ignored it and pushed himself from the ground.
“You can be as mad as you want, but don’t think your brother’s trainer isn’t teaching him all of this, too.”
“Since when do they allow girls into Battle School?”
“Since the General had a daughter.”
The General’s daughter? Cade’s father had made his best friend the general when he became king. He was infamous for killing the Winter King and earning the Summer Court victory in the recent war. Cade didn’t know he’d had any children.
“Let’s try again,” Cade said. He didn’t like losing. Surely, she’d just been lucky. But he was ready for her now.
The second time, he lasted on his feet for a few minutes before Poppy knocked him down. She was too damn quick. How did someone so small have so much strength?
“Better already,” she said.
He bit his tongue.
The longer they practiced, the dryer his mouth became.
Poppy had barely worked up a sweat.
“You have to push past the fatigue.” She swung the staff into his stomach.
“I’m trying.” He lunged at her, slicing his sword at her throat.
She hopped out of the way and brought her staff into his back.
After an hour of Cade getting knocked down over and over, she declared practice over.
“Hang in there, prince. You’ll get it.”
Losing was bad enough, but getting his ass kicked by a girl made it worse. What if the kingdom found out he couldn’t even overpower a puny blonde? How would they trust him to rule the kingdom?
If he didn’t beat Raith, he wouldn’t have to worry about it. But this had been combat practice. He hadn’t used any of his Summer energy. He’d like to see Poppy have beaten him if he had.
As Cade left training, a scroll tied with red ribbon appeared in front of him. He opened the note. Come see me was scribbled in cursive, signed by the queen. He groaned. He was tired and sweaty and needed to rinse off. He was a prince, not a servant to be summoned whenever his mother wished.
Despite his annoyance, he went to find her.
He wasn’t sure where she’d be at this time of day, but he headed to the parlor. Sure enough, Kassandra sat at the pearl colored, grand piano.
“Music has never been my calling,” she said as she twisted around on the bench. “My sister stole all that talent in the family.”
“My trainer is a girl,” Cade said. Surely, his mother would be able to fix it.
Kassandra laughed. “Of course, Cade. I am the one who assigned her.”
“You assigned a girl to prepare me for the battle?”
Kassandra rose from the bench and waltzed to the couch placed underneath the room’s large window. “I’ll pretend to ignore the disgust in your voice. Don’t forget your mother is also a girl.”
“You’re a wonderful woman, mother.” Cade bowed to her. “I just assumed
that someone with more experience would be better suited to train me.”
“Poppy was in the top of her graduating class. She isn’t as big as the other warriors, but she’s smart. How else could she take down men twice her size?” Kassandra crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knee. “Your father is ill. He’s hung on such a very long time, but I don’t know that he will last much past the battle. I believe he wants you to be his successor, so he’s holding on until you can win.”
Cade doubted it. Father had always had a soft spot for Raith. As a child, Cade was sure that his father favored Raith over himself. It wouldn’t surprise Cade if his father died the day before the battle blessing, the official commencement of the Right of Heir, so Raith would be king forever and Cade would have no chance to challenge him for the crown. Unless Raith was killed, in which case, the crown would pass to Cade, with or without their father’s blessing.
Kassandra continued. “Things will be changing soon, my son. And Poppy will be a huge ally to our cause, so play nice.”
Cade didn’t know they had a cause. And what type of change was she talking about? “Change?”
“Don’t worry about that, yet. You just focus on winning the battle.” Kassandra patted the empty spot next to her. “Come sit.”
It was unusual for his mother to be talkative. Cade joined her on the couch. His legs had already begun to ache from the training session.
Kassandra dismissed the guards and asked them to shut the door.
“How is Scarlett doing here?” Kassandra spoke quietly.
“Fine.” Why all the secrecy? Scarlett was just a human. Her emotion was delicious—sure—but she was nothing that out of the ordinary.
“And you’re still gaining your fae energy?”
Cade hadn’t tried to produce it lately, but when he focused, a teal orb grew in his hands, filling his palms. It was twice the size as the last time he’d generated it.
Kassandra grinned. “Wonderful. The more power you bring to the battle, the better. We have waited a long time for this. Keep focused, and don’t let the girl go home.”
