by Nissa Leder
Raith chuckled. “I’m more likely the one who needs protection, but I want nothing more than to keep Sage safe. I owe her my life.”
After the queen was gone, Raith and Sage packed up the few things they’d brought. A servant stopped by with a sack of food for their journey.
“Ready?” Raith asked as he swung the door open with his magic.
Sage hovered by the bed. “I need to do one more thing. Wait here?”
“Sure,” Raith said.
He fell back onto the soft bed as Sage left the room.
Sage had planned to leave as soon as they could. Her father had left for the Seelie ball, but it wasn’t unlike him to change his mind. He’d welcomed them into the castle as guests, but Sage knew her mother was to thank for the hospitality.
If he returned feeling less gracious, Sage and Raith could find themselves in a cell in the Autumn Court prison.
But the last time Sage had left the castle she’d been in a rush, and she didn’t know the next time she’d be back. So, now was her chance to say goodbye to her sister like she should have the first time.
Sage hesitated in front of her Willow’s door. She hadn’t wavered when she followed Raith into the Winter Castle with absolutely no idea what she was running into. Yet, here she was, afraid to talk to her little sister.
With a deep breath, Sage knocked.
“Come in,” her sister said, her voice more mature than the last time Sage had heard it.
She turned the handle and slowly stepped inside. “Hi, Willow.”
Willow stared at her, uncertainty filling her gaze, as she relaxed on a chaise, reading a book. Her long strawberry-blonde waves fell to the middle of her waist. A crown of lavender sat upon her head, perfectly pairing with the lilac hue of her gown.
The trouble in her eyes vanished and she rose and ran to Sage, wrapping her in a hug. She pulled back, water pooling in her eyes. “Why?”
Relief washed through Sage.
“I’m so sorry.” She fought back tears. “I should have told you before I left, but I couldn’t handle the disappointment I would have seen in your eyes.” Sage cupped Willow’s face in her hands. “You’re so beautiful.”
Willow laughed.
Sage wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’ve missed you so much.”
She hadn’t realized until that moment just how much she’d missed Willow.
“I’m sorry I didn’t go to dinner. I was so angry at you,” she said.
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Sage took her sister’s hands into her own. “How have you been? I can’t believe you’re almost fifteen.”
“I’ve already picked out my dress for the ceremony, and mother says I can wear whatever jewelry set of hers I want.”
A grin spread across Sage’s face. Willow was made to be a princess. She was beautiful and enjoyed the luxuries royal life had to offer. But she was also kind and genuine and if the Autumn Court would allow it, would have made an amazing queen some day. Instead, the crown would pass to Ajax, who would follow in their father’s authoritarian footsteps.
“I have to go.” Sage squeezed Willow’s fingers. “But I promise I will visit sooner this time.”
The sisters hugged again.
As Sage returned to her old room to get Raith, three tears escaped, dripping down her cheeks. She wiped them away before entering. “Let’s go.”
When they were outside the Autumn gates, Raith stopped. “We don’t have to do this. We can go back to the Unseelie Court until we feel it’s safe.”
Sage slugged Raith’s arm. “Please. Don’t you dare let me be the reason you don’t get the answers you need.”
She continued into the forest.
Sage hurried a few steps ahead of Raith to hide the tears on her cheeks. He believed she was tough, and if he saw her tears, he might demand they abort their mission.
She wouldn’t let that happen.
But leaving the Autumn Court again stabbed at her chest and sent the memory of last time to her mind.
After the tribe had found her, they’d taken Sage to their camp to meet the queen. Though they didn’t bind her hands, she knew she was a prisoner. They hadn’t asked if she wanted to come along.
Her mother’s warning haunted her. The forest was dangerous. What did Sage think would happen if she left the safety of the Autumn gates? She had no knowledge of how to make it on her own. The luxury of her role as princess hadn’t prepared her for anything more than sipping tea and wearing dresses.
“Follow me,” her captor demanded.
As they stepped through an opening in the trees, a camp of tents appeared. Women, all dressed in leather tops and skirts, meandered. Two little girls ran around a tent, their long braids falling low on their backs.
In the middle of everything, a tent larger than the rest towered. Two women stood, one on each side of its entrance, holding spears.
“I found someone lurking,” the woman said, nodding toward Sage.
“I wasn’t lurking,” Sage replied.
She was met with a slap to her face.
“I didn’t permit you to speak.”
Sage’s cheek burned from the slap, but not as much as the rage inside her. Her better sense kept her from reacting. Barely. If they knew who she was…
Then they might do worse. And Sage would be kidding herself if she thought her father would come to her rescue. No, she was on her own now, and it was best not to mention anything about her past.
The guards opened the deer hide blocking the entrance.
“Go,” the woman said.
Sage listened.
A woman sat on the ground, legs crossed with her hands resting in her lap. With closed eyes, she hummed.
“My queen.” The woman who found Sage bowed.
“Tamara.” The queen’s eyes opened. “And who is this?”
Tamara looked at Sage, demanding an answer with her stare.
“I’m Sage,” she said.
Tamara slapped Sage’s cheek again. “She is a queen. You will address her as such.”
Sage inhaled her fury. Queen? This woman was not the Autumn Court queen. The false claim brought vitriol to Sage’s tongue. She swallowed her venomous thoughts. She may have been a princess of the Autumn Court, daughter of the true Queen, but she didn’t think that mattered to whoever these women were.
“Queen,” Sage added with a clenched jaw.
Tamara raised her hand again.
“Stop,” the queen said. “Leave us.”
“Yes, my queen.” Tamara turned and immediately left.
“Sit, please,” the queen said. “I’m Vienna. Queen of the Woodland tribe. Tamara claims to have found you lurking around our camp.”
Sage sat across from Vienna. “I wasn’t trying to lurk. I didn’t know I was close to a camp.”
Vienna tilted her head to the side. “You should be more careful in the forest. Stumbling unknowingly upon a camp will get you killed.”
Was that a threat?
“I’m sorry, queen.” Sage’s mother’s face surfaced in her mind. Who did this woman think she was, using the title?
“You’re an Autumn Court fae, yes?”
Sage nodded.
“Did you get lost in the forest?”
“I was exploring.” Sage kept her posture straight.
“And where do you call home?”
“Nowhere in particular.”
“A nomad? Interesting.” Vienna closed her eyes and inhaled. “Is that by choice?”
“Yes.”
“And you’d like to continue such a lifestyle?”
“Maybe.”
“You would be required to earn your keep, but I can offer you a tent in our camp should it suit your desires.”
“To train to be a warrior?”
Vienna opened her eyes and chuckled. “Only those who earn a spot can be a Woodland warrior.”
Sage kept her face still as she took in the offer. This imposter was not the real queen of the Autumn Court,
but Sage couldn’t deny the air of regality she wore. This place was unlike anything Sage had ever seen. Women warriors. It was everything she’d ever dreamed of.
If Sage refused, she’d return to nights of fear and starvation. Was that the life she’d left the palace for?
Sage would do whatever it took to be like the queen in front of her. She’d practice until she could be a warrior, too.
Then, someday, Sage would return the slaps Tamara gave her.
Chapter Nine
Cade stared out the window, down the hill the castle sat on, and out over the ocean.
Though the Seelie Court resided in the mortal realm, it held a similar elegance to the Summer Court. The room he and Poppy would share reminded him of his room at his castle.
His castle. The fact that he was king of the Summer Court still felt odd to Cade. A small tug pulled him from his thoughts—from the bond between him and Poppy—suggesting he might not be quite as kingly as he thought he was.
He needed to deal with Raith. But, for now, he’d focus on meeting the Seelie Queen. With war coming, allies were crucial. As was getting to know potential enemies—and potential weaknesses.
Poppy sat on the bed, facing away from Cade toward the door. Her blonde hair reached the middle of her back. Normally, she wore it in a ponytail or braid, but today it was down.
During the Winter Solstice, Poppy represented Cade as a member of his guard and had her own room. Now, as his date, they would share.
It wasn’t a big deal, Cade assured himself. They were mature enough to keep things from being awkward. But the bond that lingered between them kept him acutely aware of her presence.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
Poppy stood and opened the door. A fae woman dressed in all white waited there. Cade recognized her from the Winter Court.
The woman looked at Cade. “My queen requests an audience with you.”
This wasn’t Nevina’s court. If she wanted to speak to Cade, she could come to him. He wasn’t hers to command.
“My king will visit her shortly,” Poppy replied.
The woman nodded and left.
After Poppy shut the door, she said, “We are here to make allies. If someone wants to talk to you, just go.”
“I…” Cade started.
“I felt your annoyance.” Poppy placed her hand on her hip. “As long as we’re bonded, you can’t lie to me.”
Being so open to another felt so vulnerable. The only person he’d ever shared his secrets with was his brother. That was a long time ago and the secrets were those of children. Now, his emotional state was an open book for Poppy to read.
As was hers for him.
Cade groaned. He didn’t like being treated as another court leader’s servant. Would it really have been that difficult for her to come to his room?
Poppy reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Seriously, calm down.”
Cade released his annoyance with a long breath. “I might as well get the visit over with.”
He headed to Nevina’s room. Small chandeliers hung down and lit the narrow hallway. The Winter Queen’s room was on the same floor as Cade’s, but on the opposite end. He exhaled as he knocked on the door.
The woman who had come to his room answered. “Come in.”
Nevina sat in a chair next to an empty fireplace, a servant on each side. As Winter Queen, a fire was the last thing she needed.
“Leave us.” Nevina stared at the hearth.
The three servants she’d brought all hurried out of the room.
“You seem to have recovered,” Cade said.
Nevina’s icy eyes glared at him. “I am the Winter Queen. Those who defy me will pay.”
Cade admired her ferocity, but when he’d seen her lying on the floor next to his mother, she looked anything but fierce. Those who defied her could have ended her. Cade still didn’t know why they hadn’t.
The Unseelie King wasn’t known for his mercy. Cade saw Kaelem’s sister so near death. He wouldn’t have blamed him for reacting with rage. Yet, he didn’t.
“What did you need to discuss?” Cade asked.
“We spoke about our common goal during the Winter Solstice.” Nevina’s back straightened in her chair. “After the attack at my palace, now more than ever, it’s important we have full power.”
Cade didn’t disagree. The Faerie courts deserved to have as much magic as the mortal realm courts. He just wasn’t sure they stood a chance at taking it back.
“I have a plan, but I need to know if you will stand with or against me. I see the way you look at that girl of Kaelem’s.”
“I knew her when she was mortal,” Cade snapped. “She is not my priority. My people are.”
Nevina dipped her chin. “Good.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
A grin formed on Nevina’s mouth. “You don’t. And I don’t know I can trust you. But we share a common goal, and, for now, we are stronger as a team.”
Cade wished he had another choice. He didn’t trust Nevina at all. If it suited her needs—or if it simply didn’t affect her at all—she’d throw him to the wolves at the first chance. Cade wanted to believe as King of the Summer Court he was her equal, but he wasn’t that foolish. Not only was he not officially Summer King, but even if he were, he was too new to stand equally with Nevina.
Pretending to trust her was the best choice. For now.
“Very well. What’s your plan?” Cade kept his voice even.
“The Seelie Queen has never married. Neither have I, so no judgment from me, but I know how lonely such a life can be.”
“And?”
“And so I started thinking, there must be someone she trusts. We fae rulers visit each other’s courts and attend each other’s events even though none of us consider ourselves friends. Everyone but the Seelie Queen. She’s above us all.” Bitterness filled Nevina’s voice.
“She’s far older than any of us. Older than most of us combined, actually,” Cade said.
“True, I don’t blame her. But she never ignores an invitation completely. Instead, she sends her advisor to represent the Seelie Court.” Nevina moved her folded hands and rested them on the chair’s arms. “He is her most trusted ally. I believe he will know where our bound power is hidden.”
Would the Seelie Queen really trust her advisor that much? If Cade had to choose someone to share a secret with, it would be Poppy. Perhaps Nevina was right.
“I have your word to help?” Nevina asked.
Cade’s uncertainty hadn’t vanished, but he would trust Nevina for now. “Yes.”
“Good. Be prepared tonight. Once the advisor has left his queen’s side, lure him away from the dance floor. Bring him into the library down the hall from the ballroom,” Nevina said. “And don’t let your once-mortal friend know anything. We can’t risk the Unseelie King finding out.”
What did Nevina have planned? She wouldn’t do anything drastic here in the Summer Court, would she?
Cade agreed to keep the conversation to himself then headed back to his room. In a few hours, the Seelie celebration would begin.
He’d be ready.
The Seelie Court was opposite of the Unseelie Court in many ways, but both had the largest closets Scarlett had ever seen.
She sifted through the assortment of dresses. All were long, but their necklines and colors varied. A Seelie servant had come earlier to take Scarlett’s measurements and returned with a rack full of options and a box of accessories.
After much consideration, Scarlett selected a magenta dress with a sparkly, opaque rounded neckline. As she hung it on a hook on the wall, she heard Kaelem enter.
“You might want to wait before you put that on,” he said.
“Why?” Scarlett turned to see Kaelem completely naked.
She jerked her gaze away before his ganacanagh gift took hold. She’d gotten better at blocking it out, but it grew harder any time lust attacked her.
; “I look that bad, huh?” he asked.
“Hideous.” Scarlett smirked.
“What a shame.” He approached her and reached his hand out, trailing his fingers up her arm.
A shiver swam through Scarlett. “We don’t want to be late.”
His finger curved around her shoulder and traced her collarbone. “What we don’t want is the Seelie Queen to know what you are.”
Scarlett’s heart thumped in her chest. She knew he was right. She’d agreed to do what it took to hide her Seelie nature. But she knew the danger.
Kaelem’s finger moved down her breast and circled her nipple. “Don’t fight it, darling.”
She inhaled, hoping to keep control of herself. As a human, controlling her desire had been hard. Now, she wondered if it was her fae nature that made her crave sexual attention. But now, as a fae, the lust inside her took a new hold, making any rational thoughts disappear like the sun at nighttime.
A switch inside Scarlett flicked. She turned to Kaelem and pushed her lips into his. As their mouths crashed together, desire washed over her. Any restraint she had vanished as his ganacanagh grip took hold.
But that wasn’t the only thing pulling her into him. Another connection existed. Its grip wasn’t as tight as the bond with Raith, but something drew her to Kaelem.
It didn’t matter what it was, at that moment, she was his for the taking.
Kaelem wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her lower back.
Her palms settled on his chest as his tongue found hers.
As their tongues explored, Kaelem lifted Scarlett’s shirt over her head. His fingers unclasped her bra and tore it off her chest.
His mouth devoured her breast as his hands gripped her ass.
Scarlett moaned as a tingle spread through her. She glanced down, Kaelem’s lust on full display.
As his fingers latched onto the waistband of her skirt, Scarlett heard a faint knock.
“Someone’s here,” she said with heavy breath.
“They’ll leave.” Kaelem kissed her stomach.
Another knock. Kaelem groaned but pulled away.
Scarlett, not as naked as Kaelem, slipped her shirt back on, exited the closet, and answered the bedroom door.