Whims of Fae - The Complete Series

by Nissa Leder

  Cade didn’t plan on it, but he wasn’t sure why his mother cared so much. “I can always find a human to bring here. There are plenty who want to escape their world.”

  “There’s something different about Scarlett. I don’t know what it is, yet, but if she fills your magic supply like you say she does, then she’s to stay.”

  “Yes, mother.” Cade said.

  Kassandra cradled Cade’s face in between her soft hands. “You must win this battle Cade. No matter what it takes. The Summer Court cannot go to your brother.”

  Cade nodded. He would out train Raith and use Scarlett to replenish his magic until he became king. After that, he would make the rules.

  “You can go.” Kassandra shooed him with her hand.

  He stood and, with exhausted legs, walked back to his room to see Scarlett.

  But she wasn’t there.

  Raith had spent the day in his room in the castle. He folded the note in his hands as small it would go. It was a reminder of his scheduled battle practice. The soldier just couldn’t take a hint. What about Raith leaving last time did he not understand?

  As much as Raith didn’t like the idea of someone else telling him what to do, he hated the idea of his little brother beating him in battle even more. While Raith might be able to waltz into the battle untrained and humiliate Cade, he also might show up unprepared and get his ass handed to him. He knew Cade well enough to know that he would attend all of his training sessions, extra even. His little brother was anything but unpredictable, a golden boy to his core.

  With a groan, Raith headed to his training session. In the tower, Jaser swung a staff around the training room.

  “Look who decided to bless me with his presence,” Jaser said as he hung the staff on the wall. He approached Raith, who lingered in the doorway.

  Jaser towered over Raith a few inches and had a sturdy build. He looked young, but Raith couldn’t deny the fierceness he carried.

  Well, he was already there. Might as well give Jaser a chance.

  “What amazing things can you teach me?” Raith stared at Jaser, noticing a scar sliced across his right hand.

  Jaser pulled his sleeve down to hide it.

  Raith thought of his own scar, just above his left eyebrow—not as easy to conceal.

  “Lesson one: never underestimate. Anyone. Ever.” Jaser searched the weapon wall until he found a small dagger in between a bow and staff. “Or any weapon.” He flung the dagger into a chest on the other side of the room, its tip piercing the wood. “Death comes from precision, not size.”

  Jaser explained all the weapons to him, their uses and downfalls, the best time to use each. At first, Raith pretended to listen. Then he found himself enthralled by Jaser’s words. He hadn’t expected to care about the history of each weapon, but he was fascinated. He’d learned about Summer Court history as a child, but his teacher’s lessons were dry and boring. Passion radiated from Jaser as he spoke. Raith tried to act nonchalant, but Jaser smirked.

  “Summer defeated Winter with this blade here.” Jaser grabbed a bronze-headed spear from the wall.

  “It’s not even made with Summer magic,” Raith said.

  Jaser twirled the spear through the air. “Nope. The General got mad and chucked it over the Winter front line and it shot right through the Winter King. He didn’t even see it coming.”

  “Ouch.”

  No wonder the Winter Court wasn’t too fond of Summer.

  “That’ll teach a king to be in the middle of the battle. I don’t know what he was thinking.”

  “So, they just surrendered?”

  “His daughter was only fourteen. She wasn’t ready to be a Queen,” Jaser said. “Summer would have won anyway. It was only a matter of time.”

  “Moral of the story: always watch for spears,” Raith said. “Got it.”

  “That’ll do for today,” Jaser said as he hung the spear up. “Tomorrow we’ll start to practice.”

  “How’d you get stuck as my trainer?” Raith asked. Jaser was far too knowledgeable and talented to be behind the scenes as a teacher. Usually retired soldiers taught, not young, healthy ones.

  Jaser shrugged. “Captains don’t like to lose.” He smirked. “Plus, the way I see it, training you is more important than standing guard at a post that never gets attacked.”

  Raith wondered what the story behind Jaser and the captain was. Sometime he’d have to ask about it. Jaser seemed likable, and Raith didn’t like a lot of people. He wasn’t ready to let his guard down yet, but he was surprised to admit he may have been wrong. Jaser didn’t seem like someone to get latched under Kassandra’s fingers. Maybe Raith could trust him—only time would tell. If he wanted to win the battle, he might have to.

  For now, Raith wanted to go back to his tree to relax.

  “See you tomorrow then.”

  Maybe training wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  After the history lesson, Raith headed through the castle entryway to his tree.

  “I just need to go outside,” he heard a female voice say. A young woman pleaded with one of the guards at the front entrance. “It isn’t a big deal.”

  A guard stood on each side of the tall iron doors of the castle. One guard kept his position, the other turned to speak with the girl.

  Raith admired her from the back. She was tall for a girl, with curves in all the right places. With her hair pulled up, her long neck was exposed.

  “No human is to leave without a fae. Queen’s orders,” the guard replied.

  The girl sighed and turned her head. He recognized her immediately—the human Cade had found. He must have convinced her to come to Faerie somehow. Not surprising—he had felt her pain when he spied on them through the window. If Cade offered to take it from her, it was no wonder she came with him.

  “There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Raith said. She would have no idea who he was, but he hoped she’d catch on and play along.

  Her sky blue eyes widened when she saw him, but she was smart enough to act like she knew him. “I was trying to tell these guards that it’s okay for me to go outside. You don’t mind, do you, dear?” She grinned and hurried to Raith.

  He locked his arm with hers. When their skin touched, a flicker of a memory flashed in his mind. She stood atop a hill, staring down onto a graveyard. Fear filled the memory, and guilt.

  It had been a long time since a memory had attacked him like that. Since he’d learned to control his gift, he only looked into minds when he wanted to. Why was this girl different?

  “We’d like to take a stroll through the courtyard,” Raith said to the guard, who stepped aside.

  Cade must not have told the guards about the girl, yet. Otherwise they’d have known she was here with him, not Raith.

  He led her outside. After the doors shut behind them, the girl pulled away.

  “Thanks for your help,” she said as she hurried down a path enclosed by rose bushes on each side.

  “Where do you plan to go?” he asked. The front gate to the castle grounds was locked. And if she somehow made it past, humans couldn’t make it far from the castle without being stopped. If they did, they’d be in even bigger trouble. The forest was no place for mortals.

  “Home.”

  “I’m not sure how much you know about the Summer Court, but you’re not going to make it home by walking.”

  The girl sighed and turned back to him.

  “You could take me home.” She smiled. A smart girl, using flirtation to wield him. Well, trying to.

  “I don’t even know your name.”

  “Scarlett.”

  “And how does a love like yourself end up here?”

  Scarlett hesitated. Raith wondered if she’d mention Cade, if she even knew who he was here or why she agreed to come with him.

  “I was tricked. Sort of. Mostly drunk.”

  At least she was honest. Some humans claimed they were forced, but the realm wouldn’t let him in unless they agreed willi
ngly. It didn’t matter if they were intoxicated or coerced, though. Any verbal agreement counted.

  Raith tasted her emotions. They had been bursting from her when he saw her in the human realm. Today, they had dulled, but pain still lingered on her skin. Cade had already fed from her, he could tell. If he guessed right, Cade had drained her completely not long ago. A void would linger after a human’s emotions had been drained. It would fill back up eventually, but it would take time. He was surprised this girl had the determination to leave. Most humans took days to replenish themselves.

  “Who brought you here?” He knew the answer, but he wanted her to answer him.

  “Okay, look, I made a mistake. I was weak, and I agreed to come here because I thought it was a good idea. It doesn’t matter who brought me, I just need to leave.”

  “Why don’t you ask whoever brought you to take you back?”

  Scarlett’s forehead creased. “I don’t think he’ll take me.”

  This girl was worried, and she should be. Cade had found a brimming source of power. A jackpot for the upcoming battle. Raith could ruin it. He could take her back, help her hide, and Cade would have to find someone else.

  “Scarlett.” Cade yelled from the doorway, a scowl on his face.

  Raith had taken too long. Shit. Cade had found her and would take her back to his room.

  Scarlett pleaded with him one last time with her big eyes. When he didn’t respond, she groaned and stomped to Cade.

  Another opportunity was sure to present itself. Raith would just have to wait.

  He had to admit, this girl intrigued him, too.

  Chapter Ten

  Cade rushed through the front door. Scarlett and Raith stood together, too close for his liking. A trickle of fury set his brows. He exhaled, releasing the tension.

  How did Raith find Scarlett? If there was anyone he wanted to keep her from, it was him. His brother would steal her for nothing more than a laugh.

  When Cade called her name, she walked to him. Raith followed her.

  “I’ve been worried,” Cade said as he kept his anger down. Letting his irritation show would only fuel his brother.

  “You caught me.” Raith lifted his hands up. “I stumbled upon Scarlett here and thought she deserved to see more of the castle than your bedroom.”

  “A great idea, but I can take it from here.”

  Scarlett looked back and forth between the brothers. Raith stared at her, gaze lingering too long. Cade could sense his curiosity. A fae could read another fae’s mood if his mind shields weren’t in place, and right now, Raith’s were slightly lowered, allowing Cade to see his aura.

  “Very well, brother.” Raith bowed to her. “It was nice to meet you, love. I’m sure I’ll see you again.” He winked and walked through the courtyard, away from the castle.

  Cade had something that he wanted. This could be fun.

  Scarlett approached him wearily.

  “Don’t let Raith scare you.” He reached his hand out and grabbed hers. “Better stick close to me, though. He likes to ruin anything that’s mine.”

  The battle practice left Cade hungry. He tasted Scarlett, but her emotion level was still near empty. She should have stayed in her room and slept. What made her wander off?

  His mother was right. She was crucial to his training. After he’d felt her emotion, an average human would seem meager. He’d better be more careful from now on. He needed to keep Scarlett—and to himself.

  Somehow, Scarlett had fought through the fog enough to try to leave. Whenever she was around Cade, she couldn’t think clearly. Her mind had battled against his manipulation, but her way home was snatched from the grasp of her fingers. Raith was going to take her, she could feel it. He and Cade didn’t get along. That was apparent from the glare Cade gave him Raith he saw Scarlett with him. She didn’t know who he was at that point, but she hoped he would grab her and make her disappear before Cade called her. Instead, Cade took her back to her room where she’d spent the last three days.

  Eventually, she would find a way home.

  Cade entered her room. He had placed a spell on the door to keep Scarlett inside. Stupid magic. It always looked so wonderful in movies. In her life, not so much. Every time he came to the room, he drained her pain. She grew numb, until nothing mattered. He’d then kiss her and hold her close, until all she could think about were his hands on her body.

  Then he’d leave.

  No matter how determined she was to take control of the situation as she waited for his return, it always happened the same. As if someone else had hold of her whenever she was with him. She’d grow so dazed that escaping him no longer seemed important.

  Most guys didn’t leave until you slept with them. Not that Scarlett would know. She might not have been as innocent as her sister Ashleigh, but, somehow, she made it through high school without having sex. Not that people would actually believe her if she told them. Too many guys she dated told other stories, and she never cared enough to argue. She’d done plenty of other things to them, so there was no point in pretending she was an angel.

  She hungered for the touch of someone else. Of a boyfriend twisting his hands through her hair or down the curve of her hips. Finding a boyfriend was never hard. They flocked to her like magnets to metal. She was pretty, sure, but so were a lot of other girls. She had something else they didn’t. She’d dated more guys than she cared to remember. But once the butterflies disappeared and they got bored of her saying no to sex, she’d dump them. The only guy she actually liked was Teddy, and she messed that up before it even began.

  Scarlett hid under the covers, still in her nightgown. If she was stuck in this room, why bother putting on actual clothes? Cade sat on the bed next to her and pulled her blankets back. “As beautiful as you look in the nightgown, I think it’s time you change into actual clothes.”

  “What’s the point?” she asked.

  After he drained her, she would lie on the bed, numb, for a few hours. But soon enough, her pain would return and so would her mind. She’d remember that she was stuck here, and that somehow she needed to get home. But when his lips were on hers, home was the last thing on her mind.

  “I’m sorry I’ve kept you up here. Faerie is a dangerous place for humans.” Cade rested his hand on hers. “I’ll take you out and show you our world. I promise. First, though, we need to get you ready.” Cade grinned. Scarlett couldn’t deny he was beautiful. Inhumanly beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. Scarlett had let not-so-beautiful boys do all kinds of things to her. How was she going to resist Cade?

  Peony returned to help Scarlett get ready. Apparently, Scarlett was to be Cade’s date to a feast. He had been bringing her food to the room, but she’d only eaten half of it. It was her way of protesting being stuck, but all it did was leave her hungry. What she did eat was delicious. Warm turkey, or what tasted like turkey, with gravy and purple potatoes. Scarlett wondered what there would be to eat at a royal feast.

  After a bath, Peony brushed Scarlett’s hair and painted her face with make-up. Unlike last time when she used neutral colors, this time Peony applied a teal shadow to her eyelids. She lined them with dark liner, then brushed mascara on her eyelashes. After some blush and lip gloss, Scarlett’s makeup was done. Next was her dress.

  “As Cade’s human, all eyes will be on you,” Peony said as she pulled a dress out of a garment bag. “The royal designer created this just for you.”

  The pale pink fabric shimmered from the light of the chandelier. The dress hugged Scarlett’s bust, hips, and thighs and flared out at the bottom. The neckline dipped into a deep V and flaunted her cleavage. She felt like a walking mermaid. She sat on the bed while Peony curled her hair into long waves. The curling iron she used looked like Scarlett’s back home, except there was no cord attached to it.

  “Doesn’t it need power?” Scarlett asked.

  “It’s powered with magic.”

  Oh, of course it was. Duh. What else would she expect? After Scarlett’s
hair was curled, Peony twisted a strand on each side and pinned them back. “Perfect.”

  Scarlett looked at herself in the mirror. She had thought she’d looked good when she went to senior prom. Now, she actually looked like a princess. “Isn’t it a little weird Cade is bringing a human to this feast?”

  Peony fluffed her hair with her fingers. “Yes, normally humans aren’t as publicly paraded.”

  “Oh, and this feast, it’s a big deal?”

  “Cade and his brother Raith will be battling for the right to the throne at the end of the summer. This feast is the first event of the tradition.”

  “How do you know all this?” Scarlett didn’t want to seem rude, but Peony was a human, too, and she seemed to know so much.

  “I listen. You should, too.”

  Cade returned dressed in a gray suit with gold and maroon accents embroidered on the chest. He held silver fabric in his hand, which he handed to Scarlett. “To keep you warm.”

  She unfolded it to reveal a long, silky cape. She swung it over her shoulders. Cade buttoned the front for her. He latched his arm with hers and escorted her out of his room. They walked down the hall and to a wide set of stairs, which led down and opened into a large banquet room filled with long tables. Scarlett peered across the room, which was surrounded by balconies filled with tables that looked down upon them. A thousand eyes stared at Scarlett as she walked next to Cade. Kassandra sat at the head of the table next to a man wearing a crown. The king. Cade hadn’t mentioned his father, but whatever Scarlett was expecting, it wasn’t an old man with gray hair that sat upon his shoulders. The king’s eyes drooped as he looked at Scarlett.

  “Father,” Cade said as he pulled out a chair for her. “This is Scarlett.” He removed Scarlett’s cape and laid it over her chair.

  “A human?” the king said. He stared at her with a tilted head. She held her breath. What if he disapproved? “Welcome, Miss Scarlett. It’s a pleasure to have you.”

  Scarlett sat down. Gold glassware had been placed in front of her. Chatter flowed through the room. Their table spread from one end of the room to the other, in between a similar table on each side. Above, guests looked down at them. “There are so many people here,” Scarlett whispered to Cade.