by Nissa Leder
But why did he want to teach her? That was the part that had Raith bothered. Kaelem never did anything out of the generosity of his heart. It was always a game or a ploy. But this was Raith’s chance. Every inch of him longed to learn more about his mother. Kaelem played games, but he wasn’t a liar. If he said he could lead Raith on the right path, then Raith believed him.
“I’ll tell you where she is, and you’ll tell me what you know about my mother?”
“Yes.”
Raith could come back for Scarlett. She could learn what she needed from Kaelem and, eventually, Raith would find her again.
“Deal.”
Scarlett sat at her computer desk and stared at the pen sitting on her closed laptop. She imagined it rising into the air, flying toward her bed, then landing gently on its fluffy gray comforter.
Nothing happened.
Ugh.
She gave a frustrated scream. The pen flew across the room until it hit the colorful mandala tapestry pinned to the wall then dropped to the ground.
“Having problems?” a familiar voice said behind her.
Kaelem.
Scarlett twirled her chair around. Kaelem stood in front of the door, wearing lavender dress pants, a white shirt with its sleeves rolled, and a gray tie. His navy hair was waved perfectly, still long on one side, the other now shaved. The Christmas lights hanging around the room illuminated Kaelem from above, making him look almost angelic.
What perfect hair. So luscious and…
Stop. God. Not this again. Scarlett pulled her thoughts in.
“Still think I’m pretty, I see.”
“Get out of my head.”
“I will, for now, but you need to learn how to keep me out.”
“What do you want?”
Kaelem smirked. “No, ‘Hi there, thanks for the pill that saved my life?’ I’m hurt.” He placed his hands over his heart and puckered his lower lip, tilting his head downward to look up at her through his thick, dark lashes.
He was right. The pill Scarlett took had given her enough strength to heal herself then Raith. Without it, they’d have been banshee food. “Thank you. But I imagine you had your reasons.”
She wasn’t an idiot. She’d known he’d find her someday. There was no way he’d given her the pill for no reason. That wasn’t how the fae world worked, and from what Cade had told her, the Unseelie Court was the most selfish and ruthless of them all. The chances that Kaelem had helped her solely out of the goodness of his heart were slim.
“Smart girl,” Kaelem said. “I like to make things interesting, and you are quite that.” He sauntered to her bed, sat down, then lounged back against her pillows. “I have a feeling you’ve been feeling powerful lately.”
Scarlett crossed her arms in front of her chest to hide the effect seeing him in bed had on her. Dirty thoughts kept sneaking into her mind, but she kept throwing them out. What was he talking about? Oh, yeah. Her feeling powerful. “Yes.”
“You’re fae now, whether you like it or not, and you need to learn how to control your power.”
She had been practicing. She’d learned how to glamour her ears on her own. If he’d really wanted to help, he’d have come to her sooner. Why the sudden interest in her well-being? “I’m managing.”
“You wanted that pen to fly into the wall?”
“Yep.”
“It’s only going to get worse. Your magic is still growing. Your power will get stronger. You need my help.”
Scarlett wanted to argue, but she remembered the pizza incident. She hadn’t consciously tried to get the pizza to move. She’d been so angry with the guy, it just happened. Her moods were more volatile all the time. What if she wished something really bad? What if Ashleigh made her mad? Scarlett and Ashleigh had gotten along great lately, but, heaven knew, they were capable of arguing.
But Scarlett wouldn’t hurt her own sister. No. She would just need to practice controlling herself and she’d be fine. She may be full fae now, but she didn’t want to be a part of that world. Not anymore.
“No, thanks.”
Kaelem pulled a sapphire out of his pocket, nearly two inches in diameter, and set it on the bed. “If you change your mind, squeeze it and think of me really hard.” He winked, then disappeared.
Had he meant for that to sound as dirty as it did? Scarlett was sure he did. Perv.
She went to her bed and picked up the jewel. The light shining through her window caused it to sparkle. Energy radiated from it—magic of some sort.
Scarlett put the sapphire in the back of her desk drawer and slammed it shut.
She wouldn’t need to use it.
She hoped.
Chapter Three
Raith found himself back in the Faerie forest. Kaelem had let him use a door that led to its center, so here Raith was, by himself, surrounded by trees on every side.
He inhaled the pine scent around him. A jolt flickered through his veins, his nature gift activated. He’d never been this far into the forest. The energy here pulsed through him even more than it had near the Summer Court.
When Raith had told Kaelem where to find Scarlett, Kaelem told him to go to the Autumn Court for answers.
“Your mother wasn’t full Summer fae,” Kaelem had said. “Autumn blood ran through her veins. She wasn’t raised inside the Summer Castle.”
When Raith asked what else he knew, he’d replied, “I said I’d tell you what I knew, not everything I knew. If you look, you’ll find the answers you seek.”
Raith could have punched him. He’d given Kaelem Scarlett’s exact location by letting him into his memories, and Kaelem gave him a popcorn trail to follow. Ass.
But it was more than Raith knew before, though he suspected he somehow had Autumn blood. How else would he have gotten power from nature?
He was surprised to learn his mother wasn’t raised in the Summer Castle. Royalty almost always found their mates from the noble families at court. It made sense, though. When Raith had seen into his father’s memories, his mother had saved him in the forest. Most high fae at court didn’t spend their time in the forest. The majority feared it. But his mother had been so comfortable in the memory.
Kaelem knew more that he wasn’t telling Raith, which meant there was more to discover.
So Raith would find his way to the Autumn Court.
He stood in a large circular opening in the trees. Three large rocks sat in the middle. The blue Faerie sky hovered above. It was the center of Faerie, the circle not belonging to any of the courts. Raith closed his eyes and felt the magic around him. In front of him, he felt Spring roses and Summer sand. Behind him, Winter ice and Autumn leaves.
He knew the way he must go.
When Scarlett got the text from Natalie inviting her to a party, she wasn’t going to go. But the thoughts of Kaelem’s offer weighed heavily on her mind and she needed to think about anything else, so she slipped on a pair of skinny jeans, a plum tank top, and some cute silver sandals, and left her house.
On the drive, she remembered the last time she’d gone to Natalie’s—the day Cade took her to Faerie. The day her life changed forever. She’d been weak then, too consumed by grief to think clearly. A fly easily lured into a spider’s web to be slowly devoured. Not anymore. Now, not only did she have magic swimming through her veins, but she’d learned to stand on her own two feet—she no longer waited for a prince to rescue her from her tower of pity.
Since her return to the mortal realm, Scarlett had gotten coffee with Natalie, who didn’t remember her visit to the land of the fae. Raith had kept his word. But this was the first party Scarlett was attending since she’d been back.
Scarlett could hear laughter from inside the house as she sat in the car. All the noises had overwhelmed her at first, but she’d learned to separate them and block them out when she wanted.
Her stomach fluttered when she heard Teddy’s voice. She hadn’t seen him since the last party when he was busy with some other girl. Would he notice any
change in her? Doubtful. When they were dating, they’d curled up together in a sleeping bag in his backyard to look at the stars. He’d run his fingers across her cheeks and sworn he’d remember how beautiful she was forever.
Then she broke his heart.
Scarlett took a deep breath and got out of her car, heading straight to the door and entering without knocking.
“Scarlett!” Natalie yelled from across the room. “My bestie!” She pushed past everyone in her way, a glass of red wine in her hand.
Natalie’s formerly long locks now only reached to her shoulder. She looked cute, as always, in a high-waisted denim skirt paired with a flowy red tank. Her perfect eye-makeup and impeccably plucked eyebrows accentuated her big, chocolate eyes.
“New hair?” Scarlett asked.
“Yes!” Natalie twirled around swaying her dark waves. “Do you love it?”
“So chic.” Scarlett hugged her, towering over Natalie by nearly a half foot. “Thanks for the invite.”
“Of course! I missed you while you were visiting your grandma’s friend.”
It was the excuse she told everyone except Ashleigh, who wouldn’t have believed her. With her mom and grandma both gone, Scarlett had no other family but Ashleigh. But her grandma had a friend that would bring her cookies whenever she visited, so Scarlett figured it made for a good enough story.
No one wanted to ask too much after someone’s mom killed herself. Who knew such a tragedy could make lying easier?
“And what about you?” Natalie leaned back as she held Scarlett’s hands. “You look hot!”
Teddy approached slowly, a small grin on his face. “Hey.” His hazel eyes were a shade lighter than his sister’s.
Scarlett’s heart raced. Breaking up with him had been hard, but losing him as a friend had killed her. Maybe they could get their friendship back someday. “Hi.”
Natalie looked between them with a smirk. “Teddy, get Scarlett a drink.”
“Yes, master,” he joked, turning to Scarlett. “What would the lady like?”
“Surprise me,” Scarlett said.
She tried to block out the emotion swirling around her. So many people—so many drunk people—so near overwhelmed her as their lust, rage, and jealousy filled the room. But she couldn’t ignore the happiness trickling from Teddy as he turned and headed to the kitchen.
Natalie locked her arm with Scarlett’s and pulled her to the couch. After they sat, she said, “Whatever happened to that hot guy that came to the last party with you?”
Shit. Scarlett had forgotten Cade had met Natalie in the mortal realm. Raith must not have erased that memory. “Nothing really.”
“Oh, come on. He was gorgeous. Almost as gorgeous as you.”
Scarlett blushed, not at Natalie’s compliment, but of the memory of her and Cade together in Faerie. She’d drawn the line before sleeping together, but they’d done other things.
“We had fun, but it wasn’t serious.” It was as close to the truth as Scarlett was willing to go, but she didn’t want to lie to Natalie. She’d already done the unthinkable by asking Raith to take away Natalie’s memory of her time in Faerie. But it seemed the only option. It was a dangerous world, and one Scarlett wanted to keep her friends away from.
But what about now? She wasn’t mortal anymore. Not one bit. Scarlett had felt the change in herself the moment she swallowed the pill Kaelem had given her, but it took time for all the changes to set in. Maybe she wasn’t done with them yet. Only time would tell.
She wondered how it was possible that she was part fae in the first place. Had her mom shared the gift, plagued by otherworldly creatures instead of hallucinations? Or was it her father, who she’d never met, who had passed on the fae genes to Scarlett? She may never know.
But what sat in the pit of her stomach like spoiled fruit rotting inside her was a bigger question: where did she belong now?
Was her presence endangering everyone there? Would she be strong enough to leave the mortal world behind if it meant protecting those she loved?
“Earth to Scarlett.” Natalie’s voice snapped Scarlett back to reality.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming.”
“Thinking of Cade?” Natalie wiggled her eyebrows. “He was good in bed, huh?”
“Things didn’t go that far.”
“Wait, are you still a virgin?” Natalie scooted toward Scarlett.
“Well, no.” Crap. Scarlett wanted to lie but didn’t.
“Who?”
“Cade’s brother.” God, it sounded awful. It was awful, really. Scarlett never planned to sleep with Raith. It just happened.
But she didn’t regret it.
“Dang, Scar. You dirty girl,” Natalie teased.
Scarlett knew she wasn’t actually judging her. Natalie was the more experienced friend, by far.
“Alcohol, as ordered.” Teddy approached them, wine cooler held out. “What are you two giggling about?”
“Nothing,” Scarlett said, too quickly. She caught Natalie’s look from the corner of her eye. “Nothing interesting, anyway.”
Teddy stared at her but didn’t respond.
“Thank you.” Scarlett took the drink and smiled. Had he heard what she’d just told Natalie?
Scarlett reached out to his emotion. Curiosity buzzed, no anger or jealousy. He’d have surely felt one or the other if he'd heard. Right? Scarlett relaxed. She didn’t want him to know about Cade or Raith.
She hated when Kaelem pried into her mind. Was reading Teddy’s emotion any different? Most of the time she couldn’t help it, but at that moment, she had purposefully searched for it.
“I need to find Mikey before he gets so drunk he passes out,” Natalie said. “Keep Scarlett company, will you?” She hopped up and bounced away, wine glass now empty.
“She must have inherited all the bossy genes,” Teddy said as he sat next to Scarlett. “But I can think of worse things than sitting next to you.”
“Like running sprints?” Scarlett shifted her body toward Teddy.
“That's a tough one,” Teddy joked.
Scarlett hit his leg playfully. “Shut up.”
“I always did enjoy puking after Coach made us run for missing free throws at basketball practice.”
“Green is your color.”
Scarlett missed this. So much. Teddy was playful and flirty, kind and thoughtful. All Scarlett had ever wanted. She stared at his familiar face, the creases next to his eyes from squinting when he laughed and the freckles sprinkled across his nose that appeared whenever he spent a lot of time in the sun.
Teddy’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Scarlett. “Did you do something new with your makeup? You look different.”
Heat rose on Scarlett’s cheeks. He'd noticed she’d changed.
“I tried a new look,” she lied, guilt settling in her stomach.
“It looks good.”
Her cheeks flamed hotter. “Thanks.”
“I miss this,” Teddy said. “You’ve always been one of my best friends.”
“Same here.”
Cheering erupted across the room. A guy hollered, “Teddy, you’re up, man.”
“Up for some beer pong?” Teddy asked her as he stood.
“Sure.”
Teddy grabbed Scarlett’s hand and helped her up.
She followed him to the dining room table, praying her glamour stayed in place as everyone stared at her.
“We’ve got a lady at the table,” one of their opponents said. “Maybe she can help you break our five-game winning streak.”
“Doubtful,” the other said. He glared at Scarlett. He looked like an ass, with a cold stare and too much hair gel.
“Guess we’ll have to see,” Teddy said.
Hair Gel threw the first shot, sinking it into the front cup. He smirked as satisfaction burst from him. His partner missed, throwing too long.
Scarlett breathed in the emotion around her, from the happiness of Hair Gel to the nervousness of a guy in the corner asking
for a girl’s number. Scarlett’s power lit inside her.
Teddy sunk his first shot in the cup in the middle of the triangle.
Scarlett high-fived him. She had always been decent at beer pong, but now she had a new advantage. She tossed the ball lightly and willed it into the front cup. It landed with a small splash.
“Drink up,” Scarlett said. “Balls back.”
Since they’d both made their cups, they each got another shot. This time, Teddy missed, but Scarlett’s throw landed in the back corner.
Anger radiated from Hair Gel. His partner didn’t seem to care too much as Scarlett and Teddy kicked their asses, but Hair Gel grew livid.
“You haven’t missed,” he spat at Scarlett after she made the last cup, earning her and Teddy the win.
“Guess I’m just that good.”
Teddy held both hands high over his head. Scarlett jumped up and slapped them, their signature high five when they used to play pong together.
“Bitch,” Hair Gel said.
“Excuse me?” Teddy, irritated, turned toward him. “Apologize.”
“Make me.”
Scarlett tried to take Teddy’s hand to stop him, but he got away before she could grab it.
Within a second, Teddy was in Hair Gel’s face. “I never knew you to be such a sore loser.”
“There’s no way she’s really that good.”
“Apologize.” Teddy towered over Hair Gel by three inches.
But Hair Gel didn’t care.
Their fury seeped into Scarlett as she watched them, unsure what to do. They stared at each other until Hair Gel kneed Teddy in the groin.
Teddy buckled over and dropped to the ground.
Wrath consumed Scarlett, a spark of rage electrifying her nerves. Her heartbeat raced in her chest as she glared ahead.
Hair Gel reached for his neck as he fought for air. Everyone watching the scene take place murmured. Hair Gel’s eyes bulged out as he struggled to breathe.
Scarlett watched, revenge swimming through her. Her fingers shook and she was unable to break her vengeful stare.
When a girl ran to Hair Gel, panicked, Scarlett snapped out of her trance.