by Nissa Leder
“Meow.” Kaelem laughed. “Can I come in for the quickest of moments?”
Scarlett considered telling him no, but he’d been the one to warn her about the feeding ritual, so she should hear him out. She moved from the doorway, letting Kaelem pass. He shut the door with his magic.
“A human in the middle of a Summer Battle of Heirs,” Kaelem said. “Life is full of surprises.”
“These may be my last moments breathing, so if you have a point, make it.” Scarlett didn’t mean to be so sharp, but nerves were settling in her stomach and she’d rather be angry than scared.
Kaelem pulled something out of his pocket and held it up—it was a small, silver pill. “I brought you a gift.”
“Poison?”
Kaelem laughed. “No, darling. This is a special Unseelie concoction. Take it and you’ll have a better chance of winning.”
“What is it?”
“Now what fun would telling you be? All you need to know is it will help you, but, with magic, there are always consequences.”
Scarlett took the pill from him. What would it do to her? She didn’t think help from Kaelem would be worth the cost.
“Thank you,” Scarlett said. “But I’ll take my chances.” She slipped it in her pocket.
“If you insist,” Kaelem said.
“Why bother helping me?” Scarlett asked.
“I have my reasons.” He shrugged. “Good luck, or as you humans say, break a leg,” Kaelem added before disappearing. Apparently, he had no issue evanescing.
A few minutes later, Raith was at her door. Then they were walking to the courtyard. When the crowd saw them, they all cheered. Being chosen as Raith’s second, even as a human, must have taken her a step up in class, because no one in the crowd scowled at her.
She and Raith took their spots on the opposite side of the announcer as Cade and Poppy. Scarlett didn’t look at either of them. Any nice feelings Scarlett had for Cade vanished the moment she was thrown into the dungeon like some criminal. She’d foolishly thought better of him. Even if she’d always known he was using her, they’d shared moments together that made her believe he had good intentions. But clearly she’d been wrong. He was selfish and would do whatever he needed to do to win the battle against his battle, no matter who he had to hurt in the process.
“You will each be evanesced somewhere random in the forest.” The announcer paused and looked at all four of them. “When a brother has won, he can evanesce himself and his second out.”
Scarlett wouldn’t go in with Raith? She’d be put somewhere else. What if Cade or Poppy found her first? She’d stand no chance against even one of them by herself. She ran her fingers over the pill in her pocket. It would help her, though she didn’t know how exactly. Or what the cost would be.
The announcer continued, “You will not be alone. Forest creatures can come and go as they please. The winner will be declared when either Raith or Cade is killed or surrenders.”
Scarlett glanced into the crowd and saw Jaser giving her a thumbs up. The announcer counted down from three. She held Jaser’s gaze as long as she could, trying to remember everything he’d taught her. The moment the announcer said “one,” Scarlett felt herself flying through the air. She landed inside a crumbling castle exposed to the light above. Overgrown branches slithered into the stone walls.
Scarlett exited the collapsing building into the middle of the forest. The staff she’d selected as her weapon choice leaned against a large tree. Not only was she at a disadvantage by being mainly human, but she didn’t know the forest like the others did.
Scarlett grabbed the staff. The orb in the middle glowed violet. She could do this. Cade and Poppy wouldn’t see her as a threat, so all she needed to do was survive until Raith or Cade won. Then she’d figure out her plan after that.
Raith was somewhere, hopefully not too far away. She didn’t know which way to find him, but when she closed her eyes, she could feel him though the bond. He was to her right somewhere.
Scarlett jogged toward the bond. A tree branch shot through the air toward her. She lunged out of its path. The roots rose from the ground and slithered toward her. Raith warned her about this. The forest would play with her mind. This wasn’t real. The roots moved swiftly. Scarlett jumped over them. A tree branch swung down. She ducked.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them, the tree was back to normal. Scarlett pushed herself from the ground and kept running toward the pull of the bond.
Cade felt the pull of the bond with Poppy. He sprinted toward it until they nearly ran into each other.
“Found you,” Cade said.
“Obviously.” Poppy put her hand on her hip. “What’s the plan?”
“Let’s split up. The sooner we can find Raith and kill him, the sooner we can be done with this.”
“What about Scarlett?”
“We’ll deal with her when the time comes. She’s of no real threat.”
“If she gets in the way?”
Cade paused. “Do what you must.”
He didn’t like the idea of killing a human. Scarlett hadn’t asked to be tangled in this web of the Summer Court. Cade had brought her into it all. But it was what it was, and he wouldn’t let his sympathy stop him from winning the battle. He was so close. If he killed her, it would be for the better good of his people.
Cade jogged back the direction he came from and Poppy headed straight into the forest. Something growled at Cade from behind a tree, but when Cade snarled, the creature shut up.
Now and again a tree would shift, the forest trying to break into his mind. But with his mental shields so strong, it couldn’t get through. Something rustled behind a tree.
He could feel her fear.
“There’s no point hiding, I know you’re there.”
Scarlett stepped out from the cover of the tree trunk with a staff raised in front of her. Her expression was cold as her eyes glared at him.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Cade said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“No, you just want to kill Raith,” Scarlett said.
“It must be done.”
Scarlett hovered close to the tree. “And I’m what, collateral damage?”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. You had me thrown into the fucking dungeon.” Scarlett’s tone was full of venom. The emotion she exuded made her stronger than she’d been since he’d found her in the cemetery. The pain remained, but it was hidden behind her rage.
“I just needed to stay focused,” Cade said. His mother knew that Scarlett had gotten under his skin. Cade needed some distance so he could concentrate on preparing for the battle. “After the battle, I can be myself again. I can protect you.”
“It doesn’t work like that. You can’t blame this on the battle. Whatever you’re willing to do to become ruler is who you’ll be as king. There’s no difference.”
That wasn’t true. He would do what he needed to do to win and then he could be the king the Summer Court needed.
The orb in the middle of Scarlett’s staff caught Cade’s attention. It shined purple. But that wasn’t possible. It would only glow if the wielder were fae.
Or part fae.
No. It couldn’t be. Scarlett glanced at the glowing orb and back to Cade.
“What did Raith do to you?” Cade asked. He’d heard of ways for human to become fae, but they were complicated, dangerous, and dark.
“Raith did nothing,” Scarlett snapped. “Except treat me like an equal, unlike you. You knew I was weak. I was just a fox in your trap.”
Fury bubbled inside Cade. “Was I so bad for wanting to help some petty human escape her mortal worries? I brought you to a castle. I didn’t treat you like a servant.”
“Then I got tossed into a cell.” Scarlett clenched her jaw.
“How is that glowing?” Cade gestured to the orb.
“I don’t really know,” Scarlett said. “Things have been differe
nt for me ever since I came to Faerie.”
Could Cade have missed the fact that Scarlett wasn’t entirely human? Her emotion tasted better than any mortal’s he’d had before. Was it because she wasn’t fully mortal?
If she was part fae, what other powers did she possess? He couldn’t risk her getting in the way of him winning this battle. His mother was right. He was too attached. The only way to end it would be to end her.
Cade felt the Summer energy building in his palm. Before he could change his mind, he hurled it at Scarlett.
Her eyes widened as she twirled the staff and hit the magic back at Cade. He wasn’t expecting it to fly toward him. As he lunged out of the way, it hit his shoulder, burning a hole through his jacket.
Scarlett’s footsteps echoed as he grabbed his wound.
With his daggers strapped to his back, Raith hurried toward the bond with Scarlett. She couldn’t hold her own against either Cade or Poppy, and Raith was the genius who got her into this mess.
Her blood would be on his hands.
He’d never cared to be king, but he’d always had too much pride to just give Cade the crown. But now that his father was actually gone, something in him had changed. He didn’t know if Cade would be a good king, not under the influence of Kassandra. Throwing Scarlett into the dungeon had the queen’s name written all over it, and the fact that Cade would just let it happen—well, that said plenty.
An arrow sailed past Raith’s head. He tumbled behind the cover of a tree. “Well, I know my younger brother didn’t choose a bow and arrow as his weapon.”
“Hiding, are you? What kind of potential king hides behind a tree like a coward?”
“A pragmatic one,” Raith said. “Where’s all this hostility coming from? I thought we were friends.”
“You leave your friends to fend for themselves in a bar full of drunk assholes?”
Yeah, Raith knew that decision would come back to bite him. He and Poppy had spent some time together a couple of years ago. She had left her training session in a particularly bad mood and nearly ran Raith over. He suggested they get out of Faerie and have a little fun, and, to his surprise, she agreed.
“I couldn’t exactly turn down the Unseelie King’s invitation.” Raith peeked around the tree. An arrow flew at his face.
“None of it matters now. What matters is I’m obligated to try and kill you. Nothing personal.”
Raith pulled his daggers out and stepped out from the cover of the tree. Poppy slung another arrow at him. He blocked it with his dagger.
“I thought you were supposed to be the best in the army. Or do people just say that because they’re scared of your daddy?”
Poppy snarled and shot another arrow. It missed Raith’s shoulder by less than an inch. Raith glanced at Poppy again. She stood a few feet in front of a large tree. He hid behind another tree and closed his eyes, inhaling the energy of the forest around him. He pictured the tree branches swooping down and pulling Poppy into the tree trunk.
“What in the hell?” Poppy yelled.
Raith stepped from behind the tree and toward Poppy. “Don’t bother fighting it. It isn’t the forest’s mind magic.”
“How’d you do this?” She struggled but didn’t budge.
“My little secret.” Poppy’s bow had fallen to the ground next to her. Raith picked it up. “Guess you’ll have to kill me another time.”
“Don’t leave me like this,” Poppy yelled.
Raith ignored her. He blew her a kiss and sprinted away until he found Scarlett hidden up in a tree.
“Finally,” she said as she hopped down. “Cade might be close. I ran into him earlier and sent one of those energy balls back at him.”
“I’m sorry I got you into all of this.”
And he meant it. He never thought that much about the fragility of human life until now. Or that he’d actually care about the treatment of a human. The anger that radiated through him when he heard they locked Scarlett up had surprised him.
“My older brother apologizing to a human?” Cade stepped into the clearing. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“I always knew you were a momma’s boy, but I didn’t think you were completely whipped.” Raith stood in front of Scarlett and whispered. “Go hide. I can handle my little brother.”
“No,” Scarlett said. “I’m part of this, too, whether I like it or not.”
Raith sauntered toward Cade with his daggers raised; Scarlett stayed a few feet behind him. Cade held his sword in front of him, pointed at Raith’s chest. Raith made the first move. He lunged at Cade, swooping his daggers through the air, which were met with the cling of Cade’s sword. The two swapped swing for swing, always blocked by the other. Raith needed to get under his brother’s skin.
“Even human girls like me better than they like you,” Raith said.
Cade swung his sword at Raith’s heart. Raith’s daggers crossed and blocked it.
“Ah, but Scarlett’s not totally human,” Cade said. “She’s a mutt of some sort.”
“Such hostility in your words, brother.” Raith sauntered around Cade. “But I’m glad to know any feelings you had for her are long gone. It won’t bother you that I slept with her, then.”
Rage boomed from Cade. Normally high fae kept their emotions to themselves, so for Raith to feel Cade’s anger so strongly must mean he let his shields down. Good.
If Raith could distract Cade, he could use his nature magic to take him off guard. He just needed to find the right moment.
He waited too long. As Raith considered his next move, a blast of Summer energy shot from Cade’s left hand, hitting Raith square in the heart.
Chapter Thirty-One
Cade watched his brother fall to the ground. A gaping hole in Raith’s vest burned through to his skin. Raith was knocked out cold, his body limp on the ground. Cade held his sword above Raith.
“Stop.” Scarlett ran at Cade with her staff in her hands.
“Leave, Scarlett. This is none of your concern.”
He couldn’t believe that she would sleep with Raith after she turned him down. Cade was the one who had tried to help her. Raith must have done something to her—erased her memories or manipulated them—to change her feelings toward Cade.
When she reached Cade, she swung her staff at him. He blocked it easily with his sword. She couldn’t do anything to hurt him, at least not physically. “You fucked him?”
Scarlett’s face dropped. “I… we… got lost in a moment.”
Cade’s anger resurfaced. “You were supposed to be mine.”
He wasn’t good enough for her but his brother was?
Scarlett’s brows narrowed as she clenched her jaw. She twirled her staff above her head and brought it down toward Cade’s legs. “I belong to no one.”
He jumped over the staff and sliced his sword at Scarlett’s head. She blocked it with her staff. His sword pushed against it and shoved Scarlett back. She fell to the ground.
“You don’t understand,” Cade said. “My people need me. Raith cannot become king.”
Scarlett stood. “He’d be a far better king than you ever would.”
Without thinking, Cade threw a ball of energy at Scarlett, hitting her in the stomach and sending her flying back into a tree, her body sprawled unnaturally on the forest floor.
He’d killed her.
Cade looked at his brother, still unconscious. He was a high fae. He’d heal, but the blow to his chest had been strong. Cade had never had such strong Summer energy than in that moment. He raised the sword above Raith’s chest. Scarlett’s words from earlier replayed in his head. Whatever you’re willing to do to become ruler is who you’ll be as king. There’s no difference.
Would his first act as king be to kill his own brother? He’d already shed the blood of a mortal, because even if Scarlett had some fae blood in her, she was also human.
Raith had saved Cade from the waves as children. A life debt that Cade still owed his brother coursed through Cad
e’s veins. If he killed him, he’d betray his honor.
It was almost nighttime. The animals would be out soon. He’d let them finish Raith off—one less kill on his soul—and by not killing Raith himself, his debt would be paid.
Cade walked away from Raith’s body, the pulsing of the life debt gone.
He was king now.
Cade followed the bond to find Poppy trapped against a tree. He helped her out as she cursed Raith. When he told her he’d killed both Raith and Scarlett, Poppy shut up, surprise on her face.
She bowed to him.
He hadn’t actually killed Raith, but he’d be dead soon enough. No one needed to know the truth. It would be his secret. Cade grabbed Poppy’s hand and evanesced them back to the crowd.
The elation on his mother’s face was the first thing he saw. She grabbed the sides of her dress and curtsied to her son. The crowd followed, the male fae bowing and females curtsying. He returned a bow to them all.
He would be a good king to his people.
Chapter Thirty-Two
It was almost dark as Scarlett awoke. Her body ached from head to toe as if she’d been run over by a tank. She could barely move. With night so close, she knew if she didn’t get up soon, she’d be eaten by something—or worse. An eerie silence swept through the forest. The banshee’s face appeared in her thoughts.
Scarlett remembered the pill Kaelem had given her. She reached into her pocket—it was still there. She hadn’t planned to take it. There would be a price to pay. But if she didn’t, she’d pay the ultimate price: death.
Maybe dying was the best option. She’d finally be free from her grief. But she’d never see her sister again, never make it to her mother’s grave. It could end here. Not like this.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Scarlett tossed the pill into her mouth and chewed. It was fruitier than she expected. Delicious, actually. As she swallowed it, her nerves tingled. Within a minute, she could push herself up. Another minute passed and she felt back to normal. Then she felt different. Stronger. Even her vision seemed sharper.
