Whims of Fae - The Complete Series

by Nissa Leder

  When she pulled away, she dropped her hands to the wound and sent all the healing power in her to it. The bruise faded, but only slightly.

  “It’s all I can do right now.” Her shoulders slumped. What good was having magic if she couldn’t use it when she needed to?

  Raith bent down and crushed his lips into hers once more. “Go. I’ll be all right. I’ll find you after the Solstice.”

  Everything in her wanted to take his hand and leave together. The bond inside her again hushed the thoughts of her sister. Ashleigh needed her, though.

  Scarlett turned and left the room.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Raith felt the strength of the bond weaken as Scarlett walked away. She’d been lying when she said she’d agreed to come here. Something else had her here at the Winter Court.

  Raith wouldn’t kid himself into thinking he’d be much help. He hadn’t been thinking when he’d come with an injury and nearly no magic. But he now knew Scarlett was at least under the protection of the Unseelie King. No one would be stupid enough to mess with her if she’d arrived as Kaelem’s guest.

  The Winter Solstice celebration would last three days. Raith could find Scarlett after. For now, he needed to get out of the castle grounds without being discovered.

  He used a small amount of magic to glamour on a shirt, leaving the rest of himself in his natural form. The less attention he drew to himself, the better. He passed servers heading into the dining hall as he went straight to the front door.

  Raith didn’t have the strength to jump the fence surrounding the castle grounds. He’d have to go out the way he came in. He picked up his speed. As he neared the castle gate, his heart raced. Raith wasn’t sure what he’d do once he made it to the forest. Last time he’d wandered there, he’d been bitten. If he could make it to his tree in the Summer Court, he could take a door back to the mortal realm. It was the best plan he had. Even though he wanted to continue his search for answers right then, his body needed time to heal.

  He approached the gate. He’d worn a glamour when he entered and prayed the guards wouldn’t notice his changed appearance.

  The guards remained silent, but the gate swung open.

  Raith relaxed. But his relief was short lived. Someone yelled his name.

  He should have kept going. Ignored it. Pretended he wasn’t Raith.

  But no, he made a mistake and turned to see Poppy running toward him.

  Fuck.

  Raith sprinted out through the gates before the guards could close him in. He made it out, but Poppy was gaining. He ran into the woods, hoping the trees would hide him. The crunch of footsteps approached.

  “You are a brave soul, showing your face in Faerie again,” Poppy said.

  Raith hid behind a tree. He didn’t know where to go. If he moved, she’d sense him. Poppy was a skilled fighter and tracker. She’d find him eventually even if he didn’t move. He wouldn’t go down as a coward.

  He stepped out. “Hello, gorgeous.”

  Poppy turned, daggers held in front of her. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me. You should know that.”

  “Can’t a guy say something nice without expecting anything in return?”

  Poppy carefully stalked toward him—she didn’t know how low his magic ran.

  Raith inhaled the nature around him, giving him enough strength to keep his glamoured shirt up. He didn’t need Poppy knowing about his injury.

  “You forget how long I’ve known you.” She kept her daggers raised.

  “I’m not here for trouble. Just let me go and I’ll be out of your hair in a snap.”

  Confusion crossed Poppy’s face. “You were here for the mortal.”

  “Just saying hi to an old friend.”

  “The bond remains between you two.”

  Raith stepped back slowly. “Ahh, yes. Like it does between you and my brother, I’m assuming.”

  “The battle is over. It should be gone.”

  Raith searched for some advantage he could use. He noticed a tree root poking through the ground by Poppy’s feet. Raith pulled the lust he’d saved from his visit with Scarlett.

  The root twisted up and latched around Poppy’s ankle. She cursed and chucked a dagger at him.

  Raith ducked.

  She tried again, this time sticking him in the arm.

  He yanked the dagger out. Blood seeped from the wound.

  “You aren’t healing,” she said.

  Raith had used all his magic to trap her. He had nothing left to heal himself.

  “Until we meet again.” Raith jogged away.

  He glanced back to make sure she hadn’t followed him.

  Someone jumped out from behind a tree and tripped Raith with a staff.

  Raith rolled around, crossing his arms in front of him to protect his face.

  Jaser stood above him, staff pointed at Raith’ skull. “Raith?” He kept his staff still. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

  So Cade or Poppy hadn’t shared what they must have known when their bond didn’t break.

  The whole Summer Court must think Raith was dead.

  “Hey there,” Raith said. “Surprise.”

  Jaser pulled back the staff but kept it ready to strike.

  “How are you here? Why are you here?”

  Raith slowly sat up, careful not to move too quickly and scare Jaser. When Jaser didn’t try anything, Raith stood. Wet snow dripped from the sky like tears.

  “I’m not sure why my brother didn’t kill me, but he didn’t. Somehow, we made it out.”

  “You and Scarlett.” Jaser dropped the staff to his side. “I saw her with the Unseelie King.”

  The tree root wouldn’t hold Poppy long. She’d thrown her daggers at Raith, thankfully, but she could wiggle out of it eventually. Raith needed to leave.

  “I just needed to make sure she was okay,” Raith said.

  “She’s full fae now. How?”

  “Kaelem gave her something. I don’t know exactly how it worked. He’s supposed to be helping her learn to control her powers.”

  Raith wanted to say more, but they were interrupted.

  Poppy stepped out from behind a tree. “He has to die.”

  Jaser looked back and forth—to Raith, then Poppy, then Raith again. Raith wanted to believe his friend would stand by him, but to go against the new Summer King could be a death sentence.

  More movement caught the attention of all three. Sage evanesced in front of Poppy.

  Surprise covered Poppy’s face. Then her features turned lethal and she swung a dagger at Sage’s head as a war cry exploded from her lungs.

  Sage ducked and pulled a sword out from a scabbard slung over her back, slicing it at Poppy’s stomach. With the protection of her battle armor, Sage twisted through the strikes aimed at her limbs and throat. Her sword cut through the air silently as she tried to pierce skin.

  Poppy screamed as her daggers stabbed at Sage’s neck. Her attempts failed with block after block. As her right arm struck, a kick to the stomach sent Poppy flying backward, grunting as her body collided with a tree. Poppy blinked, frozen in place just long enough for Sage to leap through the air and raise her sword above Poppy’s head.

  A wave of fear hit Raith: Poppy’s fear. He could only imagine the fury in Sage’s eyes as she held back the killing blow.

  “Don’t kill her,” he said.

  Sage flipped her sword around and swung its handle into Poppy’s skull.

  “She’ll wake up. Probably with a headache.” Sage shrugged. She kept her sword out as she looked at Jaser.

  “He’s a friend,” Raith said.

  He didn’t want to hurt Jaser. But could he trust him? He’d take the chance.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Raith said.

  Sage slipped her sword back into the scabbard. “I told you not to leave.”

  “You’ll learn quickly that Raith is a stubborn ass,” Jaser said. He looked to Raith. “Be careful.”

  Raith nodded. Befor
e he could say anything, Jaser added, “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  Sage placed her hand on Raith’s shoulder and they evanesced away.

  Scarlett was on edge the entire meal. She managed to eat most of her salad, but she only picked at the main course. She could sense both Kaelem and Cade stealing occasional glances at her.

  So far, they were the only two fae rulers there at the Winter Court, aside from the Winter Queen herself. The rest would be arriving shortly. The lunch was to honor the most dedicated of her people, or so she had said in a toast before they ate.

  Servers brought in the fourth and main course, topping off the guests’ wine and clearing out old plates. Scarlett had only seen high fae at the Winter Court so far, with no low fae or humans to speak of. She’d expected the ice all around to keep her cold, but the temperature was surprisingly pleasant.

  As Scarlett stuck her fork into a piece of meat on her plate, she felt the bond weaken. She sighed with relief. Raith must have gotten away.

  Kaelem smirked next to her. When she looked at him, he winked.

  Thanks for letting me go.

  He dipped his chin.

  You’re still an invasive ass.

  Scarlett chuckled under her breath. She wanted to hate him. He’d done the unforgivable by stealing her sister. But she still trusted him, at least enough to feel safe as his guest.

  It might have just been a game to Kaelem, but he’d helped her survive. Without the pill he’d given her, she’d have died. Before that, he’d been the one to warn her of the ritual she’d face at the Blessing. And he’d come to offer his help training her to learn to control her magic.

  She didn’t know why he’d done those things, but gratitude swirled with the anger she felt toward him.

  Scarlett would have to sort out her feelings later. For now, she needed to focus on helping Kaelem and getting herself and her sister out of this mess.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When had Kaelem become so soft? Scarlett was there as his guest, which did not include pining after a fallen Summer prince.

  Her emotions and mind were an open book—something she really needed to work on—and he couldn’t help but pity her desperation. Guilt crept in. He couldn’t erase the expression on her face when she’d seen her sister in the mirror. It had seemed like a good idea to Kaelem at the time—the perfect way to guarantee her loyalty.

  Kaelem brushed the feelings aside. He had to focus on the mission. He could worry about feeling sorry for Scarlett later. As king, he’d learned to ignore remorse. Regret only lead to weakness, and as king, any sign of vulnerability could be used against him. Indifference made a strong ruler and he had no intention of being anything less.

  After the meal was over, Nevina excused the guests to their rooms for a while. Except for Kaelem, who she requested meet her in the throne room for a private conversation.

  “Why the grim face?” Nevina sat on her throne of ice, legs crossed and elbows resting on the arms of the throne.

  The chill of the ice enhanced her powers even if magic hid its cold temperature from guests. That was why Winter Court fae were strongest in their own court, as was the case for all the courts in Faerie. Kaelem, on the other hand, gained a slight increase in power during the night, but he had plenty of magic coursing through him no matter the time or place.

  The same was so for the Seelie Queen, sadly, and that was why the two mortal realm courts had never attacked one another. Neither had the upper hand. But if what the Fates said was true, that could change.

  Kaelem kept his composure as he stared at Nevina. Everything in him wanted to attack the bitch. But that would break court-to-court regulations. He would have thought stealing a fellow ruler’s sister would have broken some rules, but since Nevina tricked his sister into breaking Winter Court law; she was a prisoner fair and square.

  Kaelem would break her out regardless of the consequences. But attacking Nevina in the open would only get his sister killed, so, Kaelem would play her games. For now.

  “I am here as you asked.” Kaelem’s features remained still.

  “I did not ask for you to bring a companion.” Nevina tapped her finger on the throne.

  “And you didn’t ask me not to.” Kaelem held back a grin. He knew Scarlett’s presence would bother the Ice Queen, an extra burst of satisfaction to his plan.

  “True.” Her dark eyes peered into his. “But I may have been in a more merciful mood had you come alone.”

  “If only I’d have known.” Kaelem hated her with every bit of his being. He was glad he brought Scarlett if for nothing more than to anger Nevina. He hoped Scarlett’s power would provide useful in other manners, but for the sense of the Winter Queen’s envy alone, Scarlett had served her purpose.

  “Come closer, King of Darkness.”

  It was a common name of the Unseelie King, belonging to Kaelem’s father and his father before him, back as far as the Unseelie Court existed. He wanted to tell Nevina to shove it, one of Kaelem’s favorite mortal terms. But he’d come to play nice.

  He stepped closer as Nevina lifted her hand toward him. When he gripped her fingers, images attacked.

  A prisoner, thin with midnight blue hair cropped short, sat in the corner, behind bars of ice.

  His sister, Aria. Kaelem tried to pull away but he couldn’t. His body temperature dropped under Nevina’s grasp.

  “Now, now,” the Ice Queen said as she peered into the cell. “You should be grateful I haven’t killed you. Yet.”

  Aria lifted her chin and glared at Nevina. “Fuck you.”

  “Is that any way to speak to a queen?”

  “You’re not my queen.”

  The bars spread as Nevina stepped into the cell. An ice dagger shot out of her hand, stabbing Aria in the shoulder.

  Aria screamed.

  Another one hit her in the leg and one more into the flesh of her bare foot.

  Nevina continued toward Aria, a smirk on her face. “You have no power here, princess. The sooner you learn that, the easier it will be for you.”

  With teeth clenched, Aria spat at Nevina’s feet.

  Rage exploded from the Ice Queen. She gripped Aria’s arm tightly and sent a jolt of ice through her.

  Aria’s already pale skin turned blue as she was frozen in place.

  “No,” Kaelem’s plea echoed through the throne room.

  Nevina pulled her hand back. “I feel another visit to the prisoner is in order.”

  “I am here at your request,” Kaelem said. “But don’t test me, Winter Queen. Your power is nothing compared to mine.”

  “If anything should happen to me,” her eyes met his again, “my guards have explicit instructions to end poor Aria’s existence by means of being frozen and shattered. Quite a morbid end, wouldn’t you say?”

  Kaelem regained control of himself. “And if anything should happen to her, I’ll have no reason not to shatter your mind.”

  Before he did something he regretted, Kaelem left the room.

  It was a game of power, and Kaelem swore he’d be the one to come out on top.

  When he was younger, Kaelem had a knack for angering his father. His father’s hot buttons were easy to find and Kaelem pressed every one.

  Where Kaelem fit the definition of problem child, his sister was everything their father wanted.

  “You could at least try to appease father now and again,” Aria said as they practiced sword fighting in the training building made of glass.

  Two chandeliers hung down to light the room from the darkness outside. Stained concrete made the floor beneath their feet.

  “And what would be the fun in that?” Kaelem twisted his body and held his sword out. “You are perfect enough for the both of us.”

  Aria lunged at Kaelem.

  He blocked her attack and made one of his own.

  They exchanged hits, neither trying too hard.

  “You’ll be king someday, brother.”

  Kaelem sighed, dropping his sword to
his side. “Not until father dies.”

  “You’re twenty. Father just wants to see you take some responsibility.”

  He was two years older than Aria. If she had been the oldest sibling, she would have been the first heir to the throne. The Unseelie Court didn’t care about gender.

  “Tarek will challenge me once he’s of age.” Kaelem tossed his sparring sword to the side.

  His younger brother wanted to be king more than anything. He followed their father around, sucking up to him any chance he had.

  “You can’t let him win,” Aria said.

  Kaelem nodded. She was right. Tarek was cruel. Kaelem pretended he didn’t care about becoming king, but it was a lie. He liked the idea of ruling for the power it would bring.

  Aria, on the other hand, genuinely cared for the people. All the people. He’d seen her laughing with goblins and giving gifts to brownies.

  “You’d be the best ruler of us all,” Kaelem said.

  None of it mattered, then. As long as their dad lived, he would rule the Unseelie Court.

  Someday, though, unless his younger brother beat him in battle, Kaelem would become king and, with his sister to help him, maybe he’d be a good ruler for the people.

  Cade watched Scarlett linger outside the door to the Winter Queen’s throne room. He should continue to his room, but he didn’t. He wanted to speak with the queen privately once the Unseelie King left.

  Since Cade had to wait anyway, he approached Scarlett.

  “Hello,” he said. He should have come up with something better to start the conversation, but he wasn’t sure what else to say. He’d wanted to talk to her at dinner, but every time he tried to speak, his tongue grew heavy.

  “Hi.” Scarlett avoided his gaze.

  “I’m sorry…for nearly killing you. I thought I had.” Shame spread through Cade. He hadn’t come to apologize, but he couldn’t hold the words in.

  “I survived.” Scarlet crossed her arms in front of her chest as she stared at the closed throne room door.

  “And my brother?”

  She snapped her gaze to him. Anger emanated from her. “Are you sorry you killed him?”