by Nissa Leder
“Sure.”
They walked silently to the dining room. The hallway and staircase to the castle’s bottom floor remained empty, the only noise a sputter of a candle hanging on the wall. Cade knew the castle staff feared his mother, but he’d hoped they’d be less afraid after he became king. That wasn’t the case, though.
Now they just feared him, too.
White porcelain plates sat inside larger golden chargers at each place along the long dining table. A floral centerpiece decorated the middle, surrounded by unlit candles. With a small amount of magic from Cade, the wickers flamed.
After he and Poppy sat, a mortal servant came and filled their glasses with water then asked what they’d like to eat. Once she’d left to have the food prepared, Cade flicked his hand and the door swung shut.
“The Fates came to visit me,” he said, carefully watching Poppy for her reaction. He wasn’t sure how much she knew about the women known for spewing off important prophecies, but as a child, he’d been taught not to always trust them.
Poppy raised an eyebrow. “What did they say?”
Cade told them of their warning. That the Summer Court was in danger if he didn’t fully become king.
“We should have killed Raith when they fled the Winter Court,” Poppy scoffed.
Part of him agreed. It was an opportunity now lost. But he hadn’t wanted to kill Raith. He’d been relieved to see that his brother was still alive until the Fates had come and made him question it. “Kaelem would have fought back.”
“He wouldn’t have hurt you. They left the Winter Queen and your mother both alive. He knows killing another ruler would be frowned upon by all the other courts.”
“But he could have hurt you.”
Poppy’s cheeks blushed. Was she embarrassed at the thought of Kaelem getting the best of her? He was an Unseelie King, uninhibited in his fae power. He’d taken Cade down in the Winter Court battle. As Summer Fae, the odds were not in their favor to defeat a mortal realm fae. Cade was reminded of Nevina’s suggestion to join forces and take on the Seelie and Unseelie courts. It was ludicrous to think they stood a chance with their hands tied behind their backs thanks to the curse placed on the seasonal Faerie courts. Yet, there were four Faerie courts and only two in the mortal realm.
“It might have been worth it, if it earned you the crown,” Poppy said, her gaze avoiding Cade’s.
“No, it wouldn’t have.”
His time with Scarlett had taught him to care for someone else, regardless of his royal station. He’d always feared getting close to anyone, afraid all they’d see him as was a prince. But his day at the beach with Scarlett had changed him.
Since she’d left the Summer Court, he’d spent most of his time with Poppy. Perhaps it was just the bond between them, but he trusted her. She was a fierce warrior, ready to sacrifice herself if it was best for the Summer Court. Cade couldn’t have picked a better second for the Battle of Heirs.
“I received an invitation to the Seelie Court for the queen’s annual ball,” Cade said. “I’d like you to accompany me.”
“Of course. I’d be honored to serve as your guard again.”
“The Seelie Queen frowns upon bringing guards. You’d be joining me as a date. But if war breaks out, I won’t turn away your many skills.” Cade chuckled.
Poppy grinned—an expression Cade rarely saw her wear. “Very well. If I must be your date to keep you safe, then I better pick out a worthy dress.”
The only time he’d ever seen Poppy in anything other than fighting gear was at the Winter Court. He wouldn’t have guessed she’d look as lovely as she did in a dress, and he wouldn’t admit it aloud, but he liked the idea of her wearing one again.
“Yes, we wouldn’t want anyone mistaking you for my guard this time.”
“No, definitely not.”
Kaelem’s offer played in Scarlett’s mind. If Ashleigh didn’t miss her old life so badly, maybe she’d be happy there in Faerie until Scarlett felt it was safe for them to return to the mortal world. Well, for Ashleigh to return. Scarlett wasn’t sure where she belonged anymore.
But taking away her memories? Scarlett couldn’t think of a worse violation. Memories were sacred. They were what made everyone who they were. Would taking them from someone change who she was as a person? And Ashleigh used the word love with her new boyfriend. Scarlett couldn’t steal that feeling from her sister.
There had to be another way. If Ashleigh would just listen to Scarlett, she’d understand reason. Scarlett wanted Ashleigh to have everything she ever dreamed of. She also wanted her safe.
Scarlett knocked on Ashleigh’s door, this time waiting to enter. She hadn’t respected Ashleigh’s pleas to leave her alone. No wonder Ashleigh’s hatred of Scarlett grew.
No answer.
Scarlett knocked again. “Ash, it’s me. Can we talk for a minute? Then I’ll leave you alone. Promise.”
Still nothing.
Scarlett should leave her be. She could try again later. But she needed to try one more time to make Ashleigh see how much Scarlett wanted to make her happy. Then she’d respect Ashleigh’s wishes and leave her alone forever if that was what she wanted.
Scarlett turned the door handle and cracked open the door. “I’m coming in.”
Darkness filled the room. She flicked on the light.
To her surprise, the room was empty. The chair by the window faced outside, but Ashleigh wasn’t in it. Scarlett checked the bathroom. Still no Ashleigh. Strange.
Ashleigh hadn’t left the room once since she’d learned the truth about Scarlett. Where would she have gone? Maybe Aria convinced her to go for a walk.
Scarlett was about to give up and try again later when a piece of paper on the bed caught her attention. She picked it up. It wasn’t Ashleigh’s handwriting.
Scarlett,
Please, please, please don’t hate me. Ashleigh begged me to help her, and I couldn’t ignore the desperation in her eyes.
I’ve taken her back to her apartment for a few days. She needed to let her boyfriend and friends know that she’s okay. After she’s had a chance to say goodbye, I’ll bring her back kicking and screaming if I have to.
In the meantime, I’ll keep her safe. Promise.
Forgive me. I owe you my life, but I couldn’t watch Ashleigh feel like a prisoner another moment longer.
Aria
The rage began in Scarlett’s fingertips, tingling her nerves as it traveled up her arms. When it hit her heart, a scream exploded from her lungs.
All the glass in the room—from the windows to the chandelier to the vase full of roses on the nightstand—shattered, clear shards scattering across the floor.
Scarlett’s body shook as her furor consumed her. Who was Aria to decide what was best for Ashleigh? Scarlett was her sister. And she had risked everything to help Kaelem rescue Aria. What kind of thanks was stealing Ashleigh?
Her fury turned to betrayal as sobs attacked Scarlett’s chest.
Someone appeared in front of her, wrapping his arms around her.
“Shhh….” Kaelem said as he hugged her. “What happened?”
Scarlett cried against Kaelem’s shoulder until her tears subsided. “Your sister took her.”
Had Kaelem known? Scarlett reached her mind toward his. In his confusion, a crack appeared. She slipped in.
Aria? Why would she take Ashleigh?
“She thought I was treating Ashleigh like a prisoner by keeping her here,” Scarlett answered.
You sneaky thing, jumping in my head like that.
Kaelem pulled back, a smile spread across his face. He wiped Scarlett’s tears from her cheeks.
Scarlett pointed to the note on the bed.
After Kaelem read it, he said, “She will protect her. Aria is the fiercest thing I know.”
“Was she fierce when the Winter Queen imprisoned her?” Scarlett snapped, immediately regretting her words.
She waited for Kaelem to snap back, but instead, he said, “N
o, she was naive then and in love.”
“If anything happens to Ash, I …”
“It won’t,” Kaelem said. “I’d love to keep you company here at the Unseelie Court while you await their return, but I’m afraid I have to go to the Seelie Court for the queen’s ball.” He groaned.
“Take me,” Scarlett said. She couldn’t sit here alone, spending the hours worried about her sister. And as much as she was mad at Aria for taking Ashleigh without consulting her first, Scarlett knew Aria was right. Ashleigh was miserable there, and if Scarlett followed them to the mortal world, Ashleigh wouldn’t get the closure she needed.
“I can’t.”
“What?” Scarlett was good enough to force into being a date to the Winter Solstice but now that she actually wanted to go with him, he wouldn’t take her?
Reading her thoughts, he replied, “I’d love nothing more than to have a companion join me, but you’re part Seelie and the queen will sense it, and she’ll wonder why you’re with the Unseelie King.”
Scarlett’s body slumped. She couldn’t sit here alone. She’d go mad. “There’s no way to hide my Seelie nature?”
Kaelem tilted his head to his side.
Scarlett tried to read his thoughts, but his mental shield was too strong.
“You won’t like it,” he said.
“I won’t like staying here by myself, either.”
“If you feed on my emotion, it will mask your Seelie aura. But you’ll have to be constantly full of my magic or she’ll know.”
That wasn’t so bad.
“The only emotion I can keep consistently strong enough to suffice will be lust.” His stare met hers and she could feel his desire. “The best chance will be if you’re full of your own lust as well.”
Raith’s face popped into Scarlett’s mind. The bond between them remained, but he was far away in Faerie searching for answers about his mother, weakening their connection.
They’d agreed in so many words they were each free to do what they wanted. And they’d never even committed to each other to begin with. Being fae differed from being human. With emotions much higher for fae, monogamy wasn’t as prevalent as it was in the mortal world.
And although Scarlett understood Raith’s need to learn more about his mother, he’d left her again. They were on separate paths, and if their paths reunited again, then so be it. She wouldn’t wait around for some guy to bring her happiness.
She was no damsel in distress tied to some prince. Her life was hers to live, her choices hers to make.
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Scarlett said.
A smirk appeared on Kaelem’s face as his silver eyes bore into hers. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”
Desire radiated through Kaelem’s body as Scarlett agreed to the terms of attending the Seelie ball with him, certain parts more excited than others.
His ganacanagh nature made him hornier than most fae, which by nature thrived on lust as it was, and he’d wanted Scarlett for a while now. But he’d grown to respect her more than any other female fae not related to him and forced himself to respect her boundaries. He owed her after everything he’d done to entice her to help him save Aria, and, even when he’d given her the chance to abandon him, she’d chosen to stay.
But she’d agreed on what needed to be done to mask her Seelie nature, and Kaelem could only be so much of a gentleman before his ganacanagh nature won out.
More than anything, they couldn’t risk the Seelie Queen discovering Scarlett’s mix of fae nature. The Seelie Court fae were elitists, forbidden from mating with fae from other courts and most of all, from mating with humans. However, Scarlett had come into existence because someone had broken both of those rules.
Kaelem had heard the stories of what happened to those who broke the Seelie law. The Unseelie Court was known as the dark court, but the Seelie Queen, despite the calm demeanor she wore like a costume, was the most ruthless fae ruler Kaelem knew. She was the eldest, too, now over three centuries old, inheriting the Seelie Court after her father died when she was nearly a hundred.
Refusing Scarlett altogether would have been the smartest thing. The risk was high. If they didn’t keep Scarlett’s magic full of Kaelem’s emotion, the cost could be deadly. But as Kaelem’s date, fae policy would prevent the Seelie Queen from attacking Scarlett even if she wanted to. At least in public, that was.
And the chance to do whatever necessary with Scarlett tempted Kaelem too much to turn down.
Perhaps the trip to the Seelie Court wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Five
Sage’s room hadn’t changed since she’d left her life at the Autumn Court. She hadn’t gotten around to decorating it during the few days she’d stayed there, and it remained mostly bare. A cream-colored comforter covered the bed, wrinkling beneath Sage’s body as she fell backward.
“You okay?” Raith asked, hovering awkwardly next to the bed.
“Just remembering when I decided to leave here.”
Sage’s new room was twice the size of her old one, yet she felt nothing but claustrophobia inside it, the walls holding her like a cage. Her old room had been decorated from top to bottom with bright colors—a sharp contrast to the earthy tones of the rest of the castle. This room was plain.
She’d slipped out of her dress from her council initiation ceremony and let her braided hair loose. It was an honor—or so her mother tried to drill into her brain. At first, Sage thought if she heard how great being part of the council was she’d eventually grow fond of her new position.
It hadn’t happened yet, and she doubted it would.
Because there was nothing exciting about being a figurehead of female power for a court trying to paint a picture of equality. She’d been raised inside the castle and saw it for what it truly was. Her father was the leader, and Sage was convinced he purposefully ignored any advice or ideas her mother gave simply because he could.
Sage now had a throne to sit on with only one job: look pretty.
Bile rose in her throat at the thought of her new life. Ugh.
She stepped to the window and looked out into the forest. Past the castle grounds, it spread as far as her eye could see. Autumn fae were one with nature, and, although nature weaved itself into the castle, Sage had never felt as full of magic inside its walls as she had the time she’d snuck into the forest two years ago, which had earned her a long, fierce lecture from her mother.
“It’s dangerous out there,” the queen told thirteen-year-old Sage. “As a princess, there are many who would harm you.”
Sage rolled her eyes at the memory. She hadn’t gone far, but the magic that lived in each and every tree and plant enlivened her. So much better than the stuffiness of the castle.
Now, two years had passed and she craved the feeling of the forest.
What was keeping her there, stuck in a life she didn’t want?
Nothing.
She didn’t want to be a princess. Dangerous or not, the few minutes in the forest felt more like home than the home she’d grown up in.
No matter how many times she’d heard how blessed she was, Sage felt nothing but imprisoned.
No more. It didn’t need to be that way.
In a moment of decisiveness, Sage chose her destiny.
She would leave.
After packing up a few belongings and a couple of changes of clothing—outfits she’d had the castle seamstresses make for her to practice riding in, though her mother discouraged it—Sage snuck through her window, climbed down a lattice overgrown with ivy on the side of the castle, and ran to freedom. As a royal Autumn fae, the hedges that surrounded the castle as protection bent to her will, parting just enough for her to slip by.
Once outside, she hesitated. She didn’t care what her father thought. If anything, any anger that resulted from her running away made her smile. But leaving her mother and her younger sister—especially with no goodbye—sent shame to Sage’s core.
They deserved better.<
br />
But if Sage turned around, she might change her mind. Seeing the look in her mother’s eyes if she told her she’d rather roam the forest alone than spend another night in the castle would break Sage’s will.
There was no turning back. With a heavy breath, Sage continued into the trees.
The first few days away from the comforts of the castle proved harder than Sage had predicted. Howls throughout the night kept her awake as she curled into the branches of trees, hidden from the ground below.
Not once as fear coursed through Sage did she regret her decision. The uncertainty of her new life invigorated her soul.
The sleepless nights took their toll on her body and mind, as did the lack of food. With her energy swiftly dwindling away, a new desperation took root. She’d never gone hungry a day in her life, but now her stomach grumbled with ravenous hunger.
War cries echoed around her. Her pace grew slower and slower as she walked aimlessly through the forest, utterly lost.
She froze, panic swimming through her veins like ice.
From the trees above, a woman dressed in a leather skirt and cropped top dropped with a sword raised at Sage’s throat.
“Who are you?” the woman demanded, eyeing Sage from head to toe.
“Sage,” was all she could mutter.
Whoever this woman was, Sage wanted to be just like her. From the fierceness in her stance to the passion in her eyes, Sage now knew what she’d always dreamed to be.
Sage finished telling Raith about the first nights after she chose to leave the Autumn Court. It was an odd feeling to share the story with him. She hadn’t told anyone about that time of her life.
She’d never told a soul who she really was. Although she’d ignored her mother’s advice to remain within the safety of the castle grounds, she’d heard her warning: a princess outside a castle was a dangerous thing to be.
When she stepped into the forest that day, she’d left her old identity behind and formed a new one, freer and more carefree than she’d ever imagined.
