Whims of Fae - The Complete Series

by Nissa Leder

  “Don’t let her get in the way of protecting the Summer Court,” Poppy said.

  “I would never.”

  Poppy lifted her eyebrows. “I don’t like the idea of angering any other court—especially not the Seelie Queen—but with the Fates predicting war, I don’t see any other choice. Scarlett is Unseelie. She might seem breakable and in need of a hero, but your people need you. She doesn’t.”

  “I know.”

  Cade wanted to be the king his people deserved. In order to best protect them, he needed more magic. The pendulum tilted too far to the mortal realm courts, leaving him vulnerable. He didn’t trust Nevina, but their common goal made her his best choice.

  As he glanced to the Seelie Queen, Laik bowed and walked away from her, straight to the drink bar.

  It was time.

  Cade pulled away from Poppy.

  She grabbed his hand and said, “Be careful,” before letting go.

  As the bartender handed Laik a glass of wine, Cade approached and ordered himself one. He checked his mental shields, fortifying them before he spoke.

  “Do you have a minute to discuss the future of our courts?” Cade took his wine.

  “Yes, of course,” Laik replied.

  “Somewhere quieter, maybe?” Cade asked. “Isn't the library close by?”

  Was that too forward? Maybe Cade shouldn’t have suggested it so quickly?

  Laik gave a confused look but agreed to speak there.

  Cade relaxed but only for a moment. As they walked across the dance floor, his stomach clenched. What if his mental shields dropped? Could Laik read minds? It was a rare gift usually given to Unseelie fae, but it wasn’t unheard of for a Seelie fae to have the ability.

  Cade avoided the gazes of the dancers, sure they would see the guilt in his eyes. He hadn’t thought luring Laik away would feel so wrong, but every step closer to the library made him question his choice. What if the Seelie Queen found out?

  “How have you been adjusting to your role as king?” Laik asked after they’d exited the ballroom. The hallway wasn’t as loud, but other fae lingered there in conversation.

  “Good so far,” Cade answered, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “It’s a lot to learn.”

  “I’m sure. You’ll be a great king.” Laik nodded. “Your father was.”

  The mention of his father sent an ache to Cade’s chest. His father would never have approved of what he was doing.

  Cade gestured for Laik to enter the library first, keeping a step behind the queen’s advisor. Once they were both inside, the door swung shut and Nevina stepped out from behind it.

  A beam of ice shot from her hands and struck Laik in the chest.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, his body frozen in place. He stared at Cade, his brows furrowed in confusion.

  A wave of shame swam through Cade.

  “We have some questions for you.” Nevina glided to Laik.

  Cade stood awkwardly, his hands dangling at his side. He wanted to get the Summer power back, but Laik had been nothing but kind to him in the few interactions they’d had. It wasn’t Laik who’d stolen the power from the Faerie courts, binding them to their respective seasons long before Cade was born. While Cade agreed they deserved to have as much power as the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, he didn’t think this was the way to get the answers they needed.

  Had Cade expected Nevina to ask nicely, saying please to get all the answers? No, Cade wasn't that naive.

  Cade looked at the floor. Anything to avoid Laik’s stare.

  “You have served the Seelie Queen longer than I've been alive.” Nevina stopped inches away from Laik. “Surely she's shared secrets with you.”

  Laik didn't respond.

  Nevina continued, “But has she shared the secret I want to know?” She traced her finger down his cheek. “Let's hope for your sake she has.”

  Nevina wouldn't dare hurt him, would she? That would bring an all-out war. The Unseelie had little love for the Seelie Court, but if the Summer and Winter Courts attacked first, Kaelem would side with Genevieve.

  It wouldn't even be a battle. They'd destroy the Faerie courts.

  Nevina held out her palm. A dagger of ice formed in her hand. She held it like a knife and poked it into Laik’s arm.

  He winced.

  “You haven't even asked him anything,” Cade said.

  Nevina pushed it in further. “I'm giving him a taste of what refusing me will bring him.” She twisted the dagger. “Now, this can be easy or it can be hard. Your queen stole our power and hid it from us. Where is it?”

  Laik clenched his jaw. “I am not my queen. I didn’t take it.”

  Nevina yanked the dagger from his arm and plunged it into his leg. “No, but she trusts no one more than you. She wouldn't keep such crucial information to herself. Not without an heir to share it with.”

  Had Nevina lost her mind? Now the Seelie Queen wouldn't let them out of the castle—alive, at least.

  She pulled the dagger—still in Laik’s leg—down, causing him to scream.

  “Someone will hear us,” Cade insisted.

  “I sprinkled some willow tree powder at the door. No one will hear his screams.” Nevina’s face lit with satisfaction.

  Cade had heard of magic like that, but he’d never used it. It was banned in the Summer Court. Powders and potions were dark magic, used by witches, fae and human alike.

  “Don't make me ask you again.” Nevina wiggled the dagger.

  As much as Cade wanted the Summer Court to regain its power, this was wrong.

  What had he done?

  Kaelem lingered to the side of the dance floor as he sipped his wine and waited for Scarlett to return.

  He grinned as he thought of the expression she wore before pulling away from him. As much as she liked to try to make him believe she wasn’t attracted to him, her face gave her away. The lust that poured from her tasted divine. Kaelem could still feel its energy coursing through his veins. Mixed with the effects of the wine, he felt incandescent.

  As he finished another glass of wine, he searched the room. Still no sign of Scarlett. He must have really flustered her. He smirked.

  Across the ballroom, the Autumn King stood awkwardly with his hands at his sides.

  It wouldn’t hurt to perform his royal duties while he waited. Kaelem weaved through the dancing couples and approached the Autumn King.

  “Hello, Dagon,” Kaelem said with a bow.

  The Autumn King bowed back. “Hello, Kaelem. I don’t think I’ve seen you since your coronation.”

  “Has it been that long?” Kaelem stood next to Dagon and faced the dance floor. “The Autumn Court must keep you busy. Lots of leaves to rake?”

  Dagon’s expression didn’t change. “You have the same smugness your father had.”

  “So I’ve heard. I prefer to think I’m wittier than he was. And far less serious.”

  “Perhaps.” The Autumn King shrugged.

  “Seelie events are fun and all, but I’m surprised you decided to attend.”

  Dagon’s gaze remained forward as he replied. “The Autumn Court might keep to itself, but we aren’t immune to whispers.”

  “Ah, yes. The gossip of war.” Kaelem figured as much, but he hadn’t thought Dagon would admit it so freely.

  Dagon turned to Kaelem and met his stare. “And we aren’t a court to be underestimated.”

  Without blinking, Kaelem replied. “Neither are we.”

  Then he headed back across the dance floor to get another glass of wine.

  Chapter Eleven

  Scarlett hugged her knees to her chest as she kept hidden, crammed underneath a desk on the far side of the library.

  She'd come there to clear her head from the desire coursing through her as Kaelem caressed her while they danced.

  Now, she shook in fear as she listened to Laik groan in pain as Nevina tortured him. It had been ten minutes of agony, and he still hadn't told her what she wanted to know.
/>   Cade had suggested it might be dangerous, but Nevina had ignored him.

  Scarlett closed her eyes and reached out with her mind.

  If I give out her secret, she’ll never forgive me, Laik thought.

  Inside his mind, Scarlett felt another jolt of pain strike him. She pulled out and reached further. Nevina’s mental shields stood strong, but Cade’s had completely fallen.

  I'm such an idiot. Trusting Nevina? I saw what Kaelem’s sister looked like when she came from the dungeons. How could I have ignored her brutality?

  “Laik, your loyalty is admirable,” Nevina said. “But this is your last chance. The next stab is to your heart.”

  She isn't joking, Cade thought. I can't let her kill him. That's the surest way to bring my court to war. But can I stop her?

  Scarlett remembered the conversation she'd had with Laik as Kaelem and Genevieve danced. He'd asked her mundane questions about her life and seemed genuinely interested in her answers. And not just her life before she became fae, but her upbringing, as if being mortal was something to be proud of.

  She'd been surprised by his curiosity, but he’d met her when she was part-mortal. How often did someone transition as she had?

  He'd been kind. Scarlett couldn't let him die. If she and Cade attacked Nevina together, could they stop her?

  She had to try.

  Scarlett shifted her body as quietly as she could. If she were to attack, surprise would be her best weapon. Maybe, if luck was on her side, she could strike while Nevina was off guard and take her down. Cade would know about her presence then, and her only chance was that the remorse she’d heard in his head was enough to keep him from fighting her. She might be both Seelie and Unseelie, but her inexperience still showed.

  She slowly peeked around the desk, praying the darkness would keep her hidden. She couldn’t attack Nevina if she didn’t see where she was.

  “The queen keeps it stored in the gemstone of the necklace she wears around her neck,” Laik said tiredly, his body unmoving.

  Nevina huffed, pulling the icicle jutting from her hand back inside herself. “Figures.”

  “We can’t attack the Seelie Queen,” Cade said. “Not here in her own court.”

  The panic Scarlett heard in his thoughts was evident on his face. His wide eyes stared at Laik, whose chin hung forward into his chest.

  “No, we can’t,” Nevina said. “Not yet, at least.”

  “What do we do with him?”

  “We’ll leave him here. First, he’ll drink this, and he’ll forget this ever happened.” Nevina held a small vial to Laik’s mouth. He pressed his lips firmly together. “That, or I kill him. The choice is his.”

  “I’ll drink it,” Laik whispered.

  “Good,” Nevina purred.

  The Winter Queen’s conceited tone made Scarlett want to gouge out her eyes. She’d stick her nails in and push them until Nevina passed out from pain, only to wake to a world as dark as her heart. The Winter Queen would be as ugly on the outside as she was on the inside.

  Scarlett inhaled a deep breath. She needed to calm down. If her emotion got the better of her, she might give away her hiding spot. It wasn’t a good time to shatter any glass or knock over a bookshelf with anger.

  Nevina lifted the vial back to his mouth and poured it inside.

  A few seconds after Laik had gulped the liquid, he passed out. His frozen body fell to the ground with a thud.

  Nevina laughed. “Doesn’t look so strong now, does he?”

  As Scarlett saw the glee on the Winter Queen’s face, she snuck back into Cade’s mind.

  How does this make her happy? Cade thought. If I confess to the Seelie Queen, will she forgive me? No. She won’t. There’s no way. If she finds out, I’m dead.

  “We aren’t just going to leave him here?” Cade asked. What if someone saw me come in here with him and finds him like this? That’s why Nevina had me bring him.

  “Should we take him to the Seelie Queen like this?” Nevina asked, irritation coating her voice thick like tar. “This is why I come up with the plans and not you.” She huffed. “There’s a side exit. We’ll leave and head back to the ball and dance together like we’ve been there the whole time. Can I trust you to lead, or will I need to do that, too?”

  “I…” Cade started.

  Nevina didn’t wait for him to finish his reply. “Let’s go.”

  Hurriedly, Scarlett shifted back underneath the desk. She held her breath as they walked by.

  After she heard the door shut behind them, Scarlett waited until they had time to get far away. Then she rushed to Laik.

  He lay passed out on the floor. Scarlett touched his arms, which were freezing. Using her healing magic, Scarlett warmed him up.

  The blue in his lips disappeared as he regained color in his cheeks. After she’d warmed him, Scarlett focused her magic on the stab wounds.

  Should Scarlett tell him what happened? The Seelie Queen would not be happy at those who did this to her advisor—who now knew where the power they wanted was hidden.

  Scarlett couldn’t care less about Nevina, but what about Cade? She heard his thoughts. He disapproved of Nevina’s methods, but he’d willingly agreed to help her. He was such a puppet. First to his mother, now Nevina.

  Would he ever stand up and make his own decisions?

  If Scarlett told Genevieve, what would she do to him?

  Scarlett didn’t know and she didn’t want to find out. She hadn’t forgiven Cade for what he’d done, but she wouldn’t be the one to get him killed. He would find a way to do that for himself if he kept trusting the wrong people.

  Laik’s body twitched. His eyes opened, his gaze meeting Scarlett’s.

  “I…” Scarlett began, but she didn’t know what to say so, instead, she darted out of the room and back to Kaelem.

  He’d be the only one who stood a chance of protecting her if Laik told the Seelie Queen who was there when he woke up with no memory.

  Chapter Twelve

  Couples twirled around the ballroom, just as they had when Scarlett had left it.

  “She returns.” Kaelem smirked as Scarlett approached him.

  Should she tell him what she just saw?

  If Laik told the Seelie Queen Scarlett was there when he awoke, Kaelem could protect her better if he knew the situation ahead of time. But would he want her to tell the Seelie Queen what she saw?

  Why was Scarlett so set on protecting Cade? She should want him to suffer after everything he’d done. But he’d surprised her at the Winter Court.

  Part of her understood why Cade had helped Nevina. He wanted his people to have all their power. Having it stolen from them as the mortal realm courts had done seemed unfair. But taking Laik like that and letting Nevina torture him was not okay. It was something Kassandra would do. Scarlett had hoped Cade would realize his mother wasn’t the best role model, and, albeit slowly, maybe he was learning.

  She didn’t want to be the reason something happened to Cade, no matter what had happened between them. Even if she couldn’t forgive him and wished for revenge, if something happened to him, Kassandra would become the Summer Court Queen again, and that was the last thing Scarlett wanted.

  “I just needed a minute.” Scarlett smiled. “Did I miss much?”

  “I drank three glasses of wine while you were away.”

  “I best catch up.” Scarlett went to the bar and got another glass of wine.

  She should stay sober. If the Seelie Queen attacked her, the better her state of mind, the better chance she had to defend herself.

  But getting drunk sounded so much more fun. And it wasn’t like Scarlett would stand a chance against Genevieve anyway. She might as well enjoy what might be her last moments.

  Scarlett chugged the first glass the bartender gave her and handed it back. “Refill.”

  Kaelem watched her. As he opened his mouth to speak, Scarlett covered it with her hand.

  “Are we not here to have fun?” she asked. />
  He nodded, mouth still covered.

  “Then the more wine, the better.” Scarlett pulled her hand back and started on the next glass of wine.

  The sounds of Laik’s screams echoed in her mind. Such anguish. And Scarlett had just sat there and listened. God. How worthless was she?

  She took Kaelem’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

  In one hand, she held her half empty glass of wine. With the other, she grazed Kaelem’s cheek. His skin was so flawless. She tucked the long side of his navy hair behind his ear then ran her fingers over the shaved side.

  “You are handsome.” Scarlett giggled. Her fingers moved to his lips. So smooth.

  Kaelem wrapped his hand around Scarlett’s back and pulled her into him. “I knew you couldn’t resist my charm forever.”

  Scarlett let him lead her to the music. It was a slow song with a strong piano melody. She leaned her head on his chest and inhaled his vanilla-oak scent.

  If these were her last few moments, she could think of worse things to be doing.

  She shouldn’t want him, not after what he’d done to Ashleigh. But he’d been the only one there for her since she’d turn fae. He’d taught her to control her magic and given her a place to stay when she had nowhere else to go.

  At that moment, she knew she couldn’t hate him.

  Three glasses of wine and a few dances later, Scarlett’s entire body tingled. The music of the orchestra drifted through her veins like a feather through air. The melody of a flute blended with the song of the piano like cinnamon mixed with sugar, so sweet inside Scarlett’s head.

  Kaelem grinned as his hands grazed her lower back.

  The buzz of the alcohol twined with the hum of desire swimming through Scarlett.

  She felt more alive than she ever had.

  As the guests fizzled out, Kaelem linked his hand with hers and they returned to their room. Once inside, he guided her to the bed, where he pulled her on top of him as his lips found hers.

  She unbuttoned his shirt as her breathing grew heavy.

  Her mouth pressed into his chest, drawing a moan from his lips.