by Nissa Leder
“Go for it, just don’t get distracted by your mommy issues again and leave Scarlett to fend for herself like last time,” Kaelem said. “I should thank you for that. You let me slip into the role of her hero quite nicely.”
“Please,” Raith sneered. “You stole her sister. That doesn’t make you the hero. It makes you the villain.”
“If being the villain gets Scarlett into my bed, well…”
Before Raith could respond, something shuffled in the trees.
Kaelem reached for his sword.
Raith grabbed his daggers.
Scarlett’s face appeared in the greenery. She pushed herself through with a large sack slung over her shoulder.
Behind her, Sage carried a bow and quiver of arrows and a sack half the size of Scarlett’s. A dark slash cut across her arm.
“We were just about to come to save you,” Raith said. “Are you okay?”
Sage raised an eyebrow. “Really? We heard you arguing from a mile away. Probably not the best way to rescue us.”
A few seconds after Sage and Scarlett appeared, Poppy and Cade followed. Both kept silent as they stepped into the clearing.
“You guys are on dinner duty. Scarlett and I did our part.” Sage dropped the bag she carried then handed Raith the bow.
Awkward silence consumed the group.
Scarlett was the one who broke it. “Here’s the deal. We’re all here for the same thing: to find some prophesied power we know nothing about with no clue how to find it. None of us can use magic here, and we have no clue what else awaits us. There’s no turning back.
“I for one think working together to find the power is the best idea. If we find it, then we can go back to being enemies. At least in the meantime, we might stay alive.”
Kaelem didn’t think he’d ever heard Scarlett say so much at once. From the shocked faces around him, he doubted anyone else had either.
“She’s right,” Raith said. “We have our differences, sure. But none of us is safe here. Maybe if one of us gets this power, we can all make it back to the other realms.”
“I’m in.” Kaelem pushed himself from the ground. Apparently, finding dinner was his duty and he was hungry.
“I just risked my life to save you bastards so I think that speaks enough for me.” Sage glanced at the cut on her arm.
Cade and Poppy looked at each other before Cade answered. “Thank you for saving us. Working together seems the be in the best interest of us all.”
Poppy groaned. “I follow my king.”
Kaelem took the bow and arrows from Raith. “Well, friends, I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. How about Cade and I find us food, and Raith and Poppy build a fire?”
Kaelem and Cade left the group to go exploring into the trees, hoping to find some game to shoot. Who knew his archery lessons would actually come in handy?
Dusk had come and the world grew darker.
“The first thing you did in a new realm was get captured. Tsk tsk.” Kaelem watched his steps carefully as he walked. Who knew what might be crawling among the underbrush?
“I said we’d be allies, not that I wanted to talk,” Cade said.
“C’mon, we haven’t had a chance to chat since you’ve become king, or, should I say, managed to somehow not become king.”
Cade stopped, turned his body, and glared. “The Summer Court is none of your business.”
“On the contrary,” Kaelem said. “The Fates predict war. It’s my responsibility as king of the Unseelie Court to know the happenings of the other courts. Alliances are forming, and I will choose my allies wisely.”
Something ran past them up ahead, ending their conversation.
Cade signaled for Kaelem to keep quiet and reached for the bow.
Kaelem handed it, along with the arrows, to him. His reunion with archery could wait.
Cade crept forward. He pushed himself through the thick trees, drew out an arrow, and took aim. Carefully, he lined up his shot, and, with a deep breath, released the arrow.
Together, Kaelem and Cade dragged the catch—which was much like a mortal deer with an orange hue to its coat—back to the fire.
Kaelem didn’t complain when Sage offered to skin it. Archery may have seemed a practical thing for him to learn as a prince, but preparing meat to be eaten was not required Unseelie training. The brownies did that for him, and Kaelem liked it that way.
Sage and Raith tugged the animal toward the light of the fire. Kaelem had no desire to watch. Instead, he followed Scarlett as she walked away from the group.
“Are you all right?” Kaelem asked as he approached Scarlett.
She leaned against a tree, facing into the darkness of the woods. “Just worried.”
Kaelem placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be fine. With a group like ours, what could go wrong?” He chuckled at the sarcasm in his words.
Scarlett fought a grin. “We are an unusual team. But it isn’t us I’m worried about.”
Of course. Her sister. “Aria will take care of Ashleigh.”
“How do you know?” Hope coated Scarlett’s gaze like sugar.
“I visited them before we went to the Seelie Court. Aria is watching her closely and your sister seemed happy.”
It wasn’t like him to care about the mood of mortals, but when he found Ashleigh and peered into her mind to find her joyful, he almost regretted taking her. He couldn’t fully regret it, because he’d saved his sister, but that wasn’t the point. He didn’t want Scarlett to worry now.
“You saw her?” He didn’t need magic to sense Scarlett’s envy. Her face said it enough.
“I heard her in the other room as I talked to my sister.” Kaelem pulled Scarlett into an embrace. “Worry about our mission here. Your sister is getting the space she needs and you’re searching for a power to protect her.”
Scarlett rested her head on Kaelem’s chest. “Thank you for checking on her.” With a deep breath, Scarlett pulled back. “I’m going to go see if Sage needs any help.”
After Scarlett was out of sight, someone stepped out from behind a tree.
Raith approached Kaelem with a glare. “Scarlett’s been through enough. She doesn’t need any of your games.”
Kaelem covered his heart with his hands. “You wound me, Summer Prince.”
“This isn’t about me,” Raith said through gritted teeth.
“No? Then who are you to say what Scarlett needs or doesn’t need? I didn’t leave her to go search for answers about my dead mommy.”
Raith drew a dagger from his side. “I came back.”
“Only to leave again.” Kaelem realized he’d left his sword back at camp. Not smart. At all.
Raith chucked the dagger at Kaelem’s chest.
Kaelem leaped to the side, thankful his agility remained in this realm. “Now, now. What will Scarlett say if you kill me?”
“She’ll thank me. You stole her sister. She’ll never forgive that.” Raith’s hand lingered above his other dagger.
“No? She didn’t seem to hate me while we fucked at the Seelie Court.” Kaelem shrugged, satisfaction in his eyes. They hadn’t slept together, but they’d come close enough, a little pun intended.
Kaelem waited for Raith to unleash his last dagger, but instead, Raith charged at him with no weapon.
The fun began as Raith and Kaelem blocked each other’s swings until Kaelem snuck a knee to Raith’s stomach, sending him backward as he gasped.
Raith lunged at him again. He dove into Kaelem, knocking them both to the ground. As he straddled Kaelem, Raith slammed his fist into his cheek.
Blood filled his mouth. He swallowed it as pain pulsed through his face.
Raith swung again, this time aiming for Kaelem’s jaw.
Before Raith’s blow could land, Kaelem rolled over and pushed Raith from on top of him.
They both hopped to their feet.
“You’ll ruin her,” Raith said before turning and walking away.
Kaelem already
enjoyed Scarlett’s company, but Raith’s envy made the game even more interesting.
When Kaelem returned to the rest of the group, Sage was roasting the meat over the fire. They shared the meal in silence. Kaelem hadn’t expected to find a realm where their magic didn’t work, and he was thankful someone in the group had practical skills.
In the fae world, they were an unlikely group, but, for now, they were allies.
Until they weren’t.
Chapter Eighteen
Scarlett unfolded the blanket Vida had given her onto the ground next to Raith’s blanket, though he wasn’t there, yet. They’d finished dinner and sat in silence for a while before Sage suggested they get some sleep.
After Scarlett crawled into her bed for the night, she rolled onto her back and looked through an opening in the tall trees around her and into the sky as she lost herself in thought. She hadn’t been surprised that Sage had won their freedom against Vida, but she had been shocked at how helpful Vida had been after her loss.
Now, Scarlett admired the night sky above her. The stars were so bright here in yet another new realm. How had she lived so long without knowing there was so much more to life than what humans thought?
Footsteps approached, and Raith lay down next to her.
She’d sensed his worry as she’d gone with Sage to rescue Cade and Poppy and his relief when she’d returned. Even without the bond, she felt she knew him. They shared a connection she couldn’t explain.
“How is your sister?” he asked.
She rolled toward him. “I don’t know. She hates me now. Aria has promised to protect her in the mortal world, so hopefully, she’s at least safe.”
“Aria is tough. She’ll take care of her.”
Raith knew Aria? Scarlett knew so little about his life before her time in the Summer Court. She knew so little about so much.
“What if we don’t make it back?” Scarlet hadn’t wanted to think so negatively, but she couldn’t help it. Not now that they were trapped in some new realm with no magic, denying the possibility would be stupid.
After Scarlett had gained her fae magic, sometimes she wished it would go away. When she’d been unable to control it, it seemed more burden than gift. But now, after it had saved her in the Winter Court, she felt naked without it.
And here she was, searching for more magic.
“We will.” Raith reached for Scarlett’s hand. “I’ve missed you.”
“Me too.” She smiled. “I hope someday everything will calm down and my life will feel normal again.”
“Has your life ever felt normal?”
Scarlett thought back to her mom’s struggle with mental illness. Then her suicide. Then Scarlett’s time at the Summer Court. “Now that you mention it, no. It’s a good dream but probably not in the cards for me.”
“Never say never.” Raith took back his hand and rolled into his back.
Scarlett considered reaching for him again but decided against it. After her trip to the Seelie court with Kaelem, she needed space to herself. There was so much on the line. Any guy drama would only needlessly complicate things.
Instead, Scarlett rolled onto her side and curled up to keep warm.
Sage and Poppy were the next to set up their beds for the night while Cade and Kaelem took the first watch of the night.
With no idea of what lurked in the trees around them, Scarlett doubted she’d get any good sleep. But she was tired and would try.
They had no idea how far away the power was or even what it was. But Scarlett kept hope they’d find it before anyone else did.
After spending half the night awake waiting for something to jump out of the bushes and half the night asleep on the hard ground, exhaustion weighed Cade down.
His heavy eyes wanted nothing more than to shut. Even walking had become tiring. He imagined this was what humans felt like most of the time. Awful.
Now on the move again, he and Poppy kept side-to-side. The air remained as thick as it had the day before, but Cade’s body was slowly adjusting. Rain drizzled in the air, blanketing his skin like a thin layer of glitter. The mist on the trees around them enhanced the vividness of their green colors.
Cade watched for movement in the forest around them. But outsiders weren’t his only worry. He didn’t trust the others, despite being rescued. He wouldn’t put it past the Unseelie King to free him only to kill him himself.
Raith had little love for Cade, and, after Cade left him to die in the Faerie forest, he couldn’t quite blame him.
He didn’t know much about Sage, but she appeared loyal to Raith. Were they lovers? Cade didn’t think so, but Sage was strong, fierce, and beautiful. Much like Poppy.
Cade stared at Poppy. Now in black fighting leathers, she looked more herself than in the dress she wore at the Seelie Court. He’d been surprised at how well she pulled off the formal look, but it was nice to see her back to her old self.
Her long, blonde hair was braided and fell to the middle of her back.
She glanced at him from the side of her eye. “What are you looking at?”
Cade shrugged. “You look good. I mean, it’s nice to see you back in your usual attire.”
“Are you saying I looked bad in a dress?”
“No, quite the opposite, actually.” Cade blushed. He hadn’t meant to sound so flirty. “But you look more like you now.”
Poppy’s mouth slightly curved. “Thanks.”
A few minutes later, Cade slowed his pace. Poppy did, too. After they’d fallen out of hearing distance, Cade asked, “Do you think this is all a trap?”
“I’ve been contemplating the same thing,” Poppy said. “My first instinct was yes, of course, they’re tricking us, but from what I’ve picked up, it was Scarlett’s idea. I don’t like the girl, but she doesn’t seem the conniving type.”
No, she didn’t. But that didn’t mean Kaelem or Raith didn’t have a plan of his own to backstab them. Scarlett might have grown up mortal, but the rest of them were all pure fae. Cade couldn’t predict their true intentions, but what choice did he have but to trust them?
They knew nothing about this realm and had no magic. The portal that brought them here had vanished. Without the prophesized power the Fates spoke of, they may never make it back to Faerie. No one knew where Cade had gone, and if he didn’t return, his mother would become Summer Queen again.
If Kassandra was in charge again, Cade knew she’d join forces with Nevina. Nothing would prevent her from allowing the Summer Court to kidnap humans and bring them to Faerie to feed off of. He’d told his mother he’d consider the idea, but, truthfully, he didn’t need to give it any thought. He would never allow it.
Ahead, something caused everyone to stall. Cade and Poppy caught up with the group.
“Footprints.” Sage pointed to the ground. “These are huge.”
Cade looked at the ground. The footprints had to be at least twice the size of his own.
“I’ll go ahead and scout,” Sage said. “Anyone else care to join? It’s safer to travel in pairs now.”
“I’ll go,” Poppy said.
Cade snapped his gaze to her. She was going to leave him alone?
“You all wait here.” Sage continued ahead, Poppy right behind her.
The remaining four stood awkwardly in silence until Raith spoke.
He looked at Cade. “Did you know?”
What was he talking about? “Know what?”
“About our mothers.” Raith watched Cade, waiting for his answer.
Cade had no idea what he was talking about. “They were both married to our father?”
“They were sisters.”
Shock rose on Cade’s face. “No, that’s not possible.”
“No? Why not?”
“Because…” Cade couldn’t think of anything that made it inconceivable, but he didn’t know anything about his mother’s family. He’d never thought to ask. “How?”
“Your mother killed mine to steal her crown.” Raith’
s face filled with fury. He believed what he was saying.
But Cade’s mother wouldn’t do that. Surely, there had to be a misunderstanding.
As hard as Cade tried to convince himself that a mistake had been made and Raith was simply misinformed, he couldn’t shake the doubt that his mother was, in fact, capable of almost anything to get what she wanted.
“I didn’t know,” Cade said.
Raith’s features softened. “Now you do.”
Sage kept her footsteps silent as she walked next to Poppy. They carefully maneuvered through the trees as they followed the trail of big footprints.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” Sage whispered.
“For what?” Poppy asked.
“Saving your captured asses.”
Poppy rolled her eyes. “We would have figured something out.”
“Mmhmm.” Sage laughed. “Sure.” When Poppy didn’t reply, Sage added, “You’re not still mad about me getting the best of you back in the Winter Court are you?”
Poppy stopped. “Please. Like I’d give you that much thought.”
Sage knew it bothered Poppy because it would have bothered her. She was all about girl power but that didn’t mean she liked getting bested, and she and Poppy shared a similar fierceness. Sage didn’t have to like Poppy to appreciate her tenacity.
As they followed the path of footprints, the trees grew closer together. The smell of smoke lingered in the air.
Poppy held her index finger over her mouth and pointed to the right with her free hand. Sage glanced that direction and saw the rope dangling from the tree. A trap. They must be getting close.
Rain drizzled down as Sage followed Poppy around the trap. They hid behind a tree as they peeked around to see the group of three giants sitting on large rocks around a burned out fire.
If they all went around this area, they should be able to avoid them. There were only three giants to six of them, and if they had their magic Sage wouldn’t worry at all, but it was best to play it safe.
Sage glanced at Poppy and tipped her chin.
