by Nissa Leder
“Let the dance begin,” the fae at the top of the staircase said.
The crowd drifted to the outside of the room, creating an opening in the middle. Cade guided Scarlett inside and spun her to face him. He bowed. Scarlett wasn’t sure what to do, so she curtsied. He nodded in approval. Then he pulled her close and they danced.
Piano music bounced through the room, but Scarlett didn’t see a piano. The desire to play consumed her. How long had it been now? Too long. The song was a waltz. Scarlett’s shoulders swayed to every third beat. With closed eyes, she envisioned her hands moving across keys to Chopin’s Waltz in B Minor, her mother’s favorite. Its sad melody sang in her head, blocking out the noise around her. A memory surfaced.
“Why do you always like the sad songs?” Scarlett asked her mom.
“There’s a beauty to sadness,” her mom replied.
Scarlett’s fingers played Fur Elise. “And this isn’t beautiful?”
“In its own way. But so overplayed.” Her mom grinned. It had been a good week so far. No complaints as Scarlett watched her take her pill every morning, and, more importantly, no voices.
Scarlett jerked herself from the memory and tore her eyes open. She couldn’t deal with her grief right then, not there in front of all those people.
Cade led Scarlett across the dance floor as Raith did the same with Natalie. Scarlett tried to keep her gaze on Cade, but she couldn’t stop an occasional glance to her best friend. Why was she here? It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence that Raith needed to bring a human to the ball and he chose Natalie. Had Cade told him about her? Scarlett doubted so. Any time she saw Raith and Cade converse, a smoke trail of animosity radiated from both of them. She doubted Raith would go to Cade for anything, especially not which human to select.
The crowd watched the two couples dance. When the first song was over, they stopped. Scarlett wondered if the crowd would join now, but no one moved. Cade’s expression tightened, then Scarlett felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Hello, love,” Raith purred. “Dance with me?”
Scarlett glared at him.
“Now, now.” Raith slipped his hand around Scarlett’s lower back. “Tradition is tradition.”
Cade’s eyes met Scarlett’s. “We switch partners for one dance. Then you’re mine again.”
There it was again, the possessiveness. Raith pulled Scarlett away before she could respond.
“I’m a much better dancer than my brother. You should be thanking me.” Raith grinned as he twirled her.
“Why her?” Scarlett asked.
“Your friend, Natalie? I thought you’d be grateful. A friend in such a strange place should be a comfort.”
“This world is dangerous. She shouldn’t be here.”
“Ahh, but you’re here.”
“That’s different.”
Raith’s hand moved lower, grazing just above Scarlett’s butt. He pulled her closer. “You’re not the only one trying to escape demons.”
Did he mean that Natalie was running from something, too? She was one of the happiest people Scarlett knew. The eternal optimist, the burst of sun on a gray-skied day.
“What do you mean?”
Raith’s gaze met Scarlett’s. “That’s not my secret to tell. Just know she came here willingly.”
Scarlett glanced at her best friend. She’d been so preoccupied with her own problems, when was the last time she asked Natalie how things were going? Scarlett would have noticed if something was wrong, though. Maybe. Or had she been too busy?
“After the ball, take her home,” Scarlett said. “Please.”
“Such polite manners. I bet those big blue eyes work wonders on the human boys at home.”
“Quit patronizing me.” Scarlett’s eyebrows tightened. “I should have known you were just trying to be an ass.”
Raith removed his hand from Scarlett’s shoulder and placed it on his heart. “You wound me.” He moved his fingers up to Scarlett’s chin and lifted it so her eyes met his. “I didn’t say no. We could work out a bargain.”
Scarlett’s heart flickered. If there were a way to save Natalie, she’d do it. “What kind of a bargain?”
“A fae bargain.” Raith smirked. “If you haven’t been warned, you should never make a bargain lightly.”
“Why would you tell me that if it’s you I’m bargaining with?”
Raith shrugged. “I’m in a good mood.”
The song ended and Cade, arm linked with Natalie, headed toward them.
“Meet me here at three in the morning, and we’ll sort out the terms,” Raith said.
“You can’t hurt her in the meantime. Or take advantage.” Scarlett would do what it took to keep Natalie from being sucked into this world, but she needed to know that she would be okay until she could make the bargain with Raith.
“After the ball is over, I will keep my hands to myself. But she has to finish her duties as my date.” Raith held out an empty hand. A pocket watch appeared in his palm. “Don’t be late or I’ll assume you’ve changed your mind.”
Scarlett took the watch and stuffed it into the side of her dress underneath the cover of her arm. Raith backed away from her with a wink. “Natalie, dear, another dance?”
Natalie looked nervously at Scarlett. She must not have known that Scarlett was here. What made her agree to come in the first place? Sure, Raith was attractive. If you liked the cocky type. Did Natalie come just to see another world? Had Raith told her he was a fae prince? Or was he telling the truth when he said Natalie was fighting some demon, and, like Cade did with Scarlett, Raith took away her pain?
Scarlett grinned at Natalie. She couldn’t find the right words to say, so she kept silent. But Natalie smiled back and Scarlett’s shoulders relaxed. Neither knew why the other was there, but they were still friends. And even though Scarlett was determined to get Natalie home safely, Raith was right. Having a familiar face in the unfamiliar world was nice.
With the second dance over, the crowd joined in. The ballroom filled with dancing pairs, twirling across the dance floor in coordination like the gears of a clock.
“Come with me,” Cade said. Scarlett followed him outside of the dancing, to the edge of the room. Plates of food and pitchers of wine filled the tables covered in cream-colored linens. “I have something to attend to. Help yourself to anything while I’m gone.”
He headed back through the crowd. Scarlett was alone. At first, she stood awkwardly next to the refreshment tables like a loner at prom. She watched the couples glide across the room, smiles on their faces. Almost everyone was dancing now, at least from what Scarlett could see. Except for a tall, brown haired fae in the corner of the room who watched Scarlett. He wore a maroon jacket similar to Cade’s. Scarlett had never seen him before. Why did he seem so interested in her? Probably because she was some lowly human here to please a prince. She turned back toward the refreshment table.
Her stomach grumbled. The fruit looked delicious. The strawberries’ bright red color made Scarlett’s mouth water.
“Fae food makes human food seem bland,” an unfamiliar male voice said from behind Scarlett. She didn’t see anyone approach her. How did he get so close without her noticing?
She turned to see a tall fae, with wavy, chin length navy hair peering at her with steel eyes. His suit was more modern than the other fae here—like some Armani model.
“I’ve eaten fae food before.”
“Then how are you resisting these delectable strawberries?” The fae took one from the silver platter and bit into it slowly, eyes locked with Scarlett’s.
“If you’re trying to be sexy you’re utterly failing.” A total lie. God, what made fae so attractive? Scarlett could see herself on top of him, riding him like a…
Stop it! Focus, Scarlett. Head out of the gutter. What had gotten into her?
He smirked as he chewed the strawberry. “Can’t say I didn’t try.”
“Shouldn’t you be out there dancing?” Scarlett broke eye c
ontact with him and looked out into the crowd. Where did Raith and Natalie go? Should Scarlett try to find them?
“Worried about your friend?” The fae tossed another strawberry into his mouth.
“Excuse me?” How did he know who Natalie was?
“Your mind is an open book, darling.”
Shit. Could he read her mind?
He nodded.
“Stop it!” What an asshole, peering into her thoughts without permission.
“I’ve been called worse.”
Scarlett searched for Natalie again, wanting to look anywhere but into this fae’s eyes. Something about him brought out the dirty side of her imagination. Almost as if it was out of her control. Cade weaved through the dancing couples toward Scarlett. She sighed with relief.
“Well, hello there, Prince Cade,” the fae said. He popped a grape into his mouth. “How rude you are to leave poor Scarlett here all by her lonesome.”
“Kaelem,” Cade said in vicious tone. “Who do I blame for your presence?”
“Your mother,” Kaelem said. “She invited all the courts’ monarchs, as tradition dictates.”
“I’m surprised you fit us into your busy schedule.” Cade pulled Scarlett close to his side, his arm lingering around her waist.
“And miss a brotherly duel? This time, I’ll get to be a spectator. A pleasant change.”
“Well, thank you for the interest, but Scarlett and I will be going back to the dance floor now.”
“Ahh, yes, enjoy some dancing before the feeding.”
Cade stiffened next to Scarlett.
“Does poor Scarlett not know what she signed up for? And you summer fae think you’re nice to the mortals.” Kaelem shook his head side to side.
“What feeding?” Scarlett asked.
“It’s a ritual to open the challenge ceremony,” Kaelem said. “The two brothers must feed off of the energy of the same sacrifice while she relives her darkest memory. But don’t worry, dear Scarlett. It’s only one of the dates. Some courts have the girls fight and loser is stuck with the honor. Others roll a die.”
Why wouldn’t Cade have warned Scarlett? Then again, what did she expect? She was his after all, or so he’d said over and over again. A mere hen led into a world of foxes, now wondering why they fought over her for breakfast.
“Oh, how rude of me,” Kaelem said. “Sometimes it’s a princess battling, not a prince, and she brings a male mortal as her date. Unless she’s a lesbian, of course. Love is love.”
“Come on, Scarlett.” Cade looped their arms. “Let’s dance.” He pulled her away.
Scarlett looked back at Kaelem, both annoyed and thankful he warned her. He winked before Scarlett disappeared into the crowd.
Chapter Sixteen
Neither Scarlett or Cade spoke as he led her in a dance. The piano music was nothing more than a muffle in Scarlett’s ear as she thought about the mess she’d gotten herself into. All because she was too weak to face her pain. Life with her mom hadn’t raised her to be so delicate, but even the thought of her mother brought a clench to Scarlett’s stomach. She felt the tenseness disappear.
“I want you to be happy,” Cade said.
Of course he was feeding from her emotion. That’s why he brought her here, after all. Scarlett didn’t respond.
“Don’t let Kaelem get to you. He’s an ass.” Cade’s hand kept Scarlett’s body close to his. “I didn’t tell you about the ritual because I didn’t want you to worry. It isn’t so bad.”
She saw the lie in his eyes and swore she felt guilt under his surface. “Who is he?”
“Kaelem? The newest king of the Unseelie Court. The power has gone to his head.”
“You two have a history?”
Cade shrugged. “He’s a year older than Raith, so we saw each other at occasional cross-court functions growing up. He’s always been a cocky bastard, the Unseelie crown is just the icing on the cake.”
The fae who announced everyone walked back up the stairs to a balcony overlooking the ballroom. “Attention everyone. It is now time for the opening ritual to begin.”
Scarlett searched the room for Natalie and found her and Raith near the stairs. Natalie was laughing about something. Cade directed Scarlett toward them. Each couple walked up the stairs to the announcer.
“We begin the opening ritual of the Battle of Heirs. One human will be used, and as the oldest participant, Raith decides how to select the human.”
“Rock paper scissors?” Raith replied.
“I’ll do it,” Scarlett blurted. She’d already known it should be her, and the words slipped out of her mouth before she could talk herself out of it. If it weren’t for her, Natalie wouldn’t be here. She was sure of it.
The announcer looked to Raith, who quickly said, “Or that.”
Scarlett pulled her arm away from Cade’s. He glanced at her, eyebrows creased. If that was worry on his face, Scarlett didn’t see the point. He knew she could be the one chosen for whatever this ritual was.
“Very well.” The announcer pulled a small vial of black liquid from his pocket. He popped off the lid. “Drink this.”
Scarlett gripped the vial with her thumb and index finger and lifted it in front of her face. Energy buzzed from it. Who knew what it would do to her? But if she wouldn’t drink it, then Natalie would have to. Before she could change her mind, Scarlett poured it down her throat.
The liquid was thick like tar but tasted like grape juice with a hint of mint. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. As it slid down her esophagus, it grew warmer.
The announcer took the vial from her.
Cade and Raith each grabbed one of her hands.
The warmth grew hotter until Scarlett’s insides burned. Her vision blurred. The world around her blackened. There was no sound or smell or feeling of any sort. Just darkness.
Then everything changed.
She was walking up to her house, alcohol on her breath. The party had been fun, and, to her relief, Teddy wasn’t there. She’d missed him like crazy, but if she had to see him at a party with another girl again, she’d lose it.
Wait, Scarlett knew this moment. No, no, no. She tried to pull away from Cade and Raith—to make it stop. She couldn’t relive this. Not like this. This felt too real. She’d had nightmares of it nearly every night, but they were different. This was as if her life was a movie and she was replaying the scene. The remote wasn’t hers to control.
The night was dark, cloud cover blanketing the moon above. Scarlett fumbled for her keys in her purse, but her front door was cracked. Sweet. She pushed the door open quietly, careful not to wake her mom.
She didn’t want to see this again.
Something smelled off—metallic. Scarlett switched the living room light on and her world shattered. Her mom was sprawled out in the middle of the room, long slits crawling up her wrists like snakes, lying in a pool of blood.
No. No, no, no.
Scarlett dropped her purse and rushed to her mom. She dropped to the ground, blood seeping into her clothes. Her fingers touched her mom’s neck, searching desperately for a pulse. Nothing.
No.
Her mom’s eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Scarlett crawled to her purse, leaving a trail of blood behind her. She searched frantically for her phone and dialed 9-1-1.
When the paramedic told Scarlett her mom was gone, Scarlett’s legs buckled as she fell to her knees.
The bomb inside Scarlett exploded. She couldn’t feel her body anymore. The following hours blurred together. She didn’t know anything except that her mom wasn’t here anymore.
And, for a brief moment, a small part of Scarlett felt relieved.
She’d been avoiding that feeling since the moment it had hit her, desperate to forget she could have ever thought something so abhorrent. She was a horrible, horrible person. The worst. What kind of daughter feels alleviation when her mother kills herself?
The memory, if that was what it was, faded away and the ballroom appe
ared again. The pain inside Scarlett pulsated through her. She couldn’t handle it. The nausea inside her grew.
Chapter Seventeen
Raith felt the misery inside Scarlett vibrate through her and into him through their latched hands. He knew Cade would be feeling it, too.
Something inside Raith changed. His power buzzed inside, threatening to burst right there. He continued to absorb the emotion Scarlett spewed. He had seen the vision that played through her mind—her darkest memory. He could feel her love for her mother and her heartbreak with her mother’s last breath—and her guilt. He, too, knew the anguish of being motherless. But the feeling of betrayal that hit Scarlett when relief struck her was foreign to Raith. He’d missed his mother with every fiber of his being since the moment she’d died.
The power continued pouring into Raith until Scarlett collapsed. Both he and Cade kept their grip on her hands and gently lowered her to the ground.
The announcer spoke. “And so begins the Summer Court Battle of Heir.”
The crowd cheered.
“What’s wrong with her?” Raith asked the announcer.
“She’s been drained. She’ll recover.” Could he sound any more apathetic? Scarlett’s skin was nearly as pale as snow. The announcer could at least pretend to feel bad for the mortal.
“Don’t worry about her,” Cade said. “You have your own date.”
Raith found Natalie a few feet away, gaping at her friend on the floor. He glanced back at Scarlett. Cade was right, Scarlett was his. For now. And Raith needed to keep Scarlett’s friend calm.
“What did you do?” Natalie asked Raith as he approached her.
“The liquid she drank caused her to relive her darkest memory,” Raith told her. “And then when she felt the pain, we took the pain from her like I’ve done for you.”
Natalie bit her lip. “Is she going to be all right?”
Raith nodded. “Cade will take care of her. She’s too valuable for him to do otherwise. Come now, let’s get out of here.”
They would go back to his room, he’d give her some fae wine, and she’d fall asleep. Then he would see if Scarlett cared enough to save her.
