by Nissa Leder
He was in the Autumn Court, but that was all he knew. Sunlight snuck through the gaps in the trees above, but the heavy shade and fall-like temperature kept the Autumn Court cooler than the Summer Court, and Raith was still in the t-shirt and jeans he’d borrowed from the Unseelie Court. He ran his fingers up and down his arms to stay warm.
Kaelem had offered to give him a few of his suits, but Raith had no desire to wear anything that had touched the Unseelie King’s body, washed or not. As a ganacanagh, Kaelem’s sexual appeal was potent to anyone who didn’t block it out, men and women alike.
The first time Raith had met him, he didn’t know about Kaelem’s special ability. As soon as he registered the vulgarity of his thoughts, he threw up a mental shield and his attraction toward him vanished. But the memory of the rotten taste of lusting after Kaelem, of all people, still lingered.
The Unseelie King had offered Raith refuge after the battle, but that didn’t make Raith trust him. Besides, fancy mortal suits weren’t his style.
Lack of sleep drained Raith. Daylight was the safest time in the forest. Maybe if he rested for a bit, traveling by foot wouldn’t be so bad. As Raith continued, he searched for a spot to sleep. A few fallen trees provided enough cover for Raith to lie in between them.
The ground beneath him was hard and sent a chill through him, but soon, Raith fell fast asleep.
A sniffing sound startled him. Raith’s eyes shot open. The bright forest he’d fallen asleep in had turned dark as he slept, lit only by the full moon above. Fuck. He’d only meant to nap, not sleep through the day.
He scanned the area around him. He was still alone, but he could feel the presence of something close by.
Before he could decide what to do, a giant, black wolf leaped over one of the fallen trees. Raith pushed himself to his feet as the wolf lifted its snout to the sky and howled.
It lowered its nose, rust-colored eyes staring into Raith’s.
It was no ordinary wolf; it was a shifter. Raith had heard of the shape-shifting creatures of the Autumn Court, but he’d never met one, at least not in animal form.
The wolf snarled as it stepped toward Raith. Its black fur swayed as it jumped, teeth bared.
Instinct took hold of Raith. He used his nature magic to yank one of the smaller trees from its roots and throw it at the creature. The tree collided with the wolf and it yelped.
Raith hadn’t expected a fight. He’d been walking by foot for so long then sleeping, he’d let his magic run low. The smallest tree had been the only one he felt confident lifting.
He must have hit the wolf hard enough, though. Raith could feel its pain. He breathed it in, feeding the power inside of himself.
He needed to get away. When he turned to run—the best plan he could think of—three wolves blocked his way.
Two had chocolate brown fur, the other a shiny silver coat that almost sparkled in the moonlight.
“I don’t want to fight,” Raith said. He didn’t want to fight when it was just one wolf, but now he really, really didn’t want to.
What had he been thinking, wandering through the forest alone in unknown territory? And falling asleep on the ground, knowing how exhausted he was. What kind of dumbass idea was that? Raith swallowed his panic. Freaking out would do no good. He was a Summer fae of royal blood, for fuck’s sake, with both Summer magic and nature magic. He could get away if he was smart.
The pack stood still as they watched Raith. Were they communicating with each other? Maybe they’d just let him leave. No harm done.
Raith soaked in the area around him, absorbing power from the trees.
When the silver wolf growled, Raith knew he wouldn’t just be walking away.
The chocolate wolves lunged in unison. Raith threw a murder of magic ravens at one—one of his most powerful gifts—and sent one of the biggest trees at the other. The one hit with the ravens—which had burst into dust on contact— stayed on the ground, but the other leaped out of the tree’s way.
Raith tugged at what little magic remained inside him and sent the branches of the tree at the chocolate wolf as he rolled back onto his feet. The branches twisted around its feet, holding it in place.
Three down, one to go.
The silver wolf snarled. Something told Raith the pack had saved the best for last, and, after using most of his magic for the ravens, he had used the last bit to trap the second chocolate wolf.
He had no weapons and no power.
The silver wolf hurled itself at Raith.
Raith tried to run, but the creature was too quick. He spun around before the wolf pinned him, his face inches from the creature’s. Drool dripped onto Raith’s forehead. Gross. With all the strength Raith could muster, he pushed the creature. As royal-born, high fae, Raith was strong. The wolf gnashed its teeth, but Raith kept his head out of its reach.
The wolf jumped off of Raith. Using his chance, Raith tried to run again, but it was what the wolf had wanted. It bit down on Raith’s ankle, sending a scream bursting from his lungs as pain shot up his leg.
The creature pinned Raith to the ground again and snapped down into Raith’s side, its teeth piercing his flesh.
A howl sang through the forest, but it was too far away to be the silver wolf’s. It was a warning, causing the silver wolf to retreat. Raith tried to push himself up, but he was too weak.
This was it. Raith was dying.
As he drifted into darkness, the last thing he heard was a wolf’s whimper.
Chapter Five
When Scarlett first awoke, she was disoriented. Darkness spread through the room. Surely it had to be morning. She felt like she’d slept for days, not waking even once in the middle of the night.
She looked around the room and found an alarm clock sitting on the bedside table next to her. Its presence struck her as odd. The Summer Court had had no electronics. But she shouldn’t have been so surprised. The Unseelie Court existed in the mortal realm, and if Scarlett had stumbled upon the castle, she might have thought it a celebrity mansion instead of a fae palace.
The clock read eight o’ clock.
It really was dark there all the time.
Scarlett stretched her arms out, resting her head on the pillow again. With no sunshine, she was tempted to go back to sleep. But Kaelem had said she could start her training today, and she didn’t want to waste any time. The sooner she mastered her powers, the sooner she could go home.
Her suite contained a bed, a sitting area with fuchsia leather couches, a slate fireplace, and a walnut desk, as well as a bathroom that was twice as large as her bedroom back home, with a large walk-in shower, deep jetted tub, and double sink.
The tub was heaven, with jets placed in all the right spots. At the Summer Court, Scarlett had felt like a fairytale princess as she’d soaked in the claw foot tub. Here she felt like a Fortune 500 CEO relaxing after a long day at work.
After she was thoroughly clean and smelled like lavender body wash from head to toe, she searched for an outfit in her closet. There was so much to choose from, but she settled on a pair of black skinny jeans, a hot pink tank top, and the silver sandals she’d worn to the Unseelie Court—as practical an outfit as she could find.
She’d learned to fight with a staff in the Summer Court, but she didn’t think her training here would be as physical. Then again, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
She’s already learned how to glamour herself—sort of, at least—and how to heal injuries. Moving things with her mind was a work in progress. She’d accidentally choked Hair Gel at the party. Before she learned how to use her powers, she needed to master how not to.
Scarlett pulled her cell phone out of the pocket of her pants from the day before. Dead. She would have to ask Kaelem for a charger—and if the cell would even work—when she saw him.
She plopped on the couch to wait for him. She couldn’t help but wonder why he’d sought her out and offered to help her now. But she’d never found out why he gave her the pill in the first
place or what exactly the pill had done. Perhaps she could coax the information from him.
She’d learned from her time in Faerie not to trust the fae, although she’d be lying to herself to say she didn’t trust Raith. But all she knew about Kaelem was that he was manipulative. If she’d felt she had another choice, she wouldn’t have come to the Unseelie Court.
By eleven o’clock, Scarlett grew impatient. She’d come here to learn, not to sit there bored out of her mind, so she ventured out of her room.
She walked down the long hallway outside of her suite to the elevator they’d come out of the night before. But instead of taking it downstairs where they’d come from, she hit the button with a four on it, the top floor.
Kaelem said his room was the penthouse, so she’d look for him there.
The elevator door opened to a small sitting room. Two black, leather chairs sat against the wall to her left with a glass table in between them. Ahead, a set of white French doors with frosted glass stood ajar.
“Hello?” Scarlett said.
No answer.
She walked to the doors and tried again. More silence.
Scarlett pushed one open and peeked in. A large projector screen lined the wall across from her, a large white sectional facing it. She continued into the room. Empty. Another set of French doors led her to the bedroom.
This time she barged in without warning and found Kaelem, sprawled naked, face down across a gray-wash wooden four-poster bed. His body rested on the plum comforter beneath him.
“Oh my god,” Scarlett said.
She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. And not because he had a nice ass, which he so did, but something else had taken hold.
Kaelem didn’t startle at her entrance. He groaned, looked at the clock on his nightstand, and groaned again. “It’s not even noon.”
Scarlett told herself to think. She’d come there for a reason, not to stare at the roundness of his perfect…
Stop. Training. That was it.
“I thought we were training today,” Scarlett managed to get out.
Kaelem rolled around and stood up, half asleep and blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light, the entire front of his body on display. “Today, yes. I said nothing about morning.”
Scarlett could go to him. He was so close. A few steps and she could reach him. She could take off her shirt on the way. No, he could take it off of her when she got there.
Ugh. No.
Scarlett reached inside her mind. She pulled up at an imaginary wall, blocking out a part of her brain she had no control over. Something pushed against the barrier, but for now, she could think clearly again. She raised her gaze to his face.
“Look at my pupil, learning already.” Kaelem continued testing her.
The push against her mental shield screamed at her, but she kept the shield up. “I came here to learn. Not waste my time.”
“So eager,” Kaelem said. “You’ll need to learn the Unseelie Court runs on a different schedule than the nine-to-five mortal world, but, since I was already so rudely awakened, we can start now.”
“You can get dressed first.” Somehow, Scarlett had managed to clear her head, but his seductive gift was much stronger without clothes, and she didn’t want to risk what might happen if her mental shields fell.
“And what would be the fun in that?” Kaelem chuckled, running a finger through the long side of his hair. “I’m going to shower first. You’re more than welcome to join.”
“No thanks.”
“Your loss.” He smirked and walked away.
Scarlett couldn’t help but glance one more time before he disappeared through the bathroom door.
Scarlett waited for Kaelem in the dining room. A brownie offered her a cup of coffee, which she hesitantly accepted. Unlike the day before, this brownie met her eyes with what she thought was a smile. As she took the mug from him, she said, “Thank you.”
The brownie nodded and replied, “You’re welcome, miss.” Then it turned and left the room.
When Kaelem joined her an hour later, he insisted they eat breakfast before her training began. Scarlett’s stomach grumbled on cue so, reluctantly, she agreed. Three brownies served them food, all avoiding Kaelem’s gaze but curiously glancing at Scarlett. After they both ate strawberry crepes, Kaelem told Scarlett to follow him.
Finally. Maybe if Scarlett focused hard enough, she could go home in a few days. In the meantime, she didn’t want Ashleigh to worry. She reminded herself to ask Kaelem about a charger.
“A charger wouldn’t do you much good,” Kaelem said. “There’s no cell service here.”
He was in her mind again. Great.
“If you don’t want me in your head, learn to kick me out.”
I thought I was here for you to teach me, Scarlett thought.
“I’ll teach you about your fae gifts. It’s up to you to learn to keep me out of your head. I find it fascinating to know your every thought, especially when they’re about the roundness of my perfect…”
Scarlett interrupted. “Fine.”
She felt for the shield she’d put up to keep the dirty thoughts from forcing their way into her mind. It was still there. Why was he still able to read her mind?
“My mind reading and ganacanagh gifts are separate.”
Fabulous.
“Now, now, darling,” Kaelem said. “Chin up. Your ability to put up even one mental wall already is remarkable.”
Scarlett wanted to believe that was true. But her body felt so foreign to her these days, the word remarkable was the last one she’d use to describe it.
They entered a large sitting room with an entire wall of sliding doors that opened to a rectangular pool. The room was lit, but outside, darkness still enveloped the sky. Scarlett didn’t remember seeing this room yesterday.
“This is where we’re training?” Scarlett knew he was in her head and she didn’t have to actually speak aloud, but she was determined to pretend her mind was hers only.
“Yep.”
“I already know how to swim.”
“We aren’t going swimming. Yet.” Kaelem sat on a lime green sectional.
“I know how to sit, too.” Scarlett sighed. It wasn’t like she had a choice. She plopped down next to him. “What exactly are you going to teach me?”
“So, you chose the mysterious Summer Prince. Can’t say I’m too surprised. Raith is the sexier brother.”
It was none of Kaelem’s business who Scarlett chose or didn’t choose. She didn’t have time to waste. Why was he stalling?
“How was he in bed?” Kaelem crossed his right ankle over his left knee and leaned back in the couch.
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve caught a few flickers of the two of you…together. I’m just curious how Raith is in the sack.”
“None of your fucking business.”
This was stupid. Why had she thought Kaelem would actually help her? Giving her the pill had been some demented game to him, and, while she was thankful it helped her save Raith, who got them out of Faerie, she would just have to learn how to control her power by herself.
One by one, the pool lights exploded in the pool, sending cracking noises echoing through the room. The glass chandelier in the middle of the room shattered, its pieces sprinkling to the ground like snow.
“The first step is to learn to contain your magic when you’re mad,” Kaelem said.
She’d done that?
“I didn’t mean to…” She wasn’t sure what to say. She was still annoyed at his invasiveness, but she’d just destroyed all the lights around her. Scarlett considered apologizing but bit her tongue. He’d pissed her off on purpose. Ass.
“Your power is driven by emotion—both the emotion of others and your own. You shouldn’t use your own emotion to refuel yourself unless you’re desperate. It’s dangerous and unpredictable.” He gestured to the broken chandelier.
What if she’d been with Ashleigh? What if she hurt her own sister? She could
never forgive herself. That’s why she’d agreed to his little game in the first place. Scarlett inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself.
“How do I keep myself from using my own anger?” Her rage mixed with fear, causing her fingers to shake. She didn’t want this. The power inside her pulsed. Why couldn’t she give it back and be human again?
Scarlett didn’t want to be fae.
“You need to master refueling yourself with other means, like the emotion of others. Like a starving animal, you’re most dangerous when you’re hungry,” Kaelem said. “Only instead of raw meat, you crave other things.”
“Like emotion.”
Kaelem nodded. “Reach out and feel for my emotional aura.”
She’d felt the emotions of others when she was in Faerie and last night at the party, but they hadn’t been on purpose, except just that once with Teddy.
She could do this.
Scarlett breathed in and mentally reached around her. A line drifted from Kaelem, red in aura. Scarlett breathed it in: lust. It hit her strong, sending a shiver down her back.
The magic in her salivated as she greedily absorbed it. More and more, the red power filled her.
Something else filled her, too: desire. Every inch of her body longed to be touched, to feel the sensation of skin on skin.
Scarlett’s gaze found Kaelem. With slightly squinted eyes and a raised chin, he watched her. She might not be able to read his mind, but his hunger for her was obvious. She felt for the shield that blocked his ganacanagh gift. Still up. But desire coursed through her.
Kaelem exhaled. “Now, bring me one of the books on the bookshelf.” He gestured across the room to a glossy white bookshelf built into the wall.
Scarlett rolled her eyes at the mundane order, but moved to rise anyway.
“No,” he said. “Use your magic.”
Oh, right. Scarlett chose a book with a lavender spine. She pictured it lifting. It did. She guided the book through the air, right into Kaelem’s lap.
He grinned. “Very good.”
Power coursed through Scarlett, from her toes to her fingers and everywhere in between. It felt marvelous—a high like none she’d ever felt. Giddiness tickled her. She noticed the fireplace next to the bookshelf. Heat rose inside her. The fireplace lit.