by Nissa Leder
Blackness enveloped Scarlett. She jerked her eyes open and took in her surroundings. The familiar silk sheets sent relief through her. She wasn’t in the nightmare world. Thank god.
But something felt wrong. That place was horrible, but she didn’t feel agony inside anymore. She felt like all her cares had been pumped from her, leaving her weightless.
She was no longer in the dress she wore to the ball. Someone must have taken it off of her, leaving her in just her slip. Scarlett turned on her side. Moonlight poured through the window, dimly lighting the room. Something gold and shiny caught Scarlett’s attention—a pocket watch. It meant something, but what?
Her eyes grew heavy. She was tired, so tired. They blinked, threatening to shut, but then the darkness would return. Scarlett stared at the watch, trying desperately to remember what it was for.
Someone had given it to her earlier—at the ball, maybe? Why was everything so fuzzy? Her arms tingled at her side. She was supposed to go somewhere at a certain time. That was it. Raith had given Scarlett the watch as they danced. She wanted something from him.
Think, Scarlett, think, she told herself.
The vision of her mother, cold on the ground, eyes blank, surfaced. No. Focus. Scarlett was supposed to meet Raith to make a bargain.
Why even bother to remember? Thinking felt too difficult—like moving hands through wet cement. It would be so much easier to fall back asleep.
No, her subconscious screamed at her. Whatever she was struggling to remember was important.
It was about the ball. Someone at the ball. Scarlett remembered meeting the Unseelie King—Kaelem—and his cocky, gorgeous face. A smile threatened to surface on Scarlett’s face, but the thought alone stole all of her energy.
Kaelem, not Cade, warned her about the ritual. And he could read her thoughts. He knew who Natalie was.
Natalie. She was here in this realm. And Raith said he’d make a bargain with Scarlett to send Natalie back if Scarlett met him at three in the morning.
Scarlett pushed herself up, her body stiff. What if she was too late? How long had she been asleep? The questions weren’t going to help so she reached for the pocket watch and opened it. Two-fifty-seven. She would have to hurry, but she could make it.
She glanced down at her slip. There was no time to change. It covered her, mostly. Enough, at least. If she had to run down there naked to save Natalie she would—whatever it took. She may have been a crappy daughter, but Scarlett refused to be a bad friend.
With no shoes, she hurried down the hallway. No one else was in sight, the whole castle likely asleep after the ball. How long had they celebrated after Scarlett had been drained?
She kept her feet light on the floor, careful not to wake anyone. She didn’t need Cade finding out about her late-night rendezvous. Her meeting Raith would not go over well, especially in so little clothing.
Then again, as much as Cade would like to believe otherwise, Scarlett was not his.
The ballroom seemed so huge from the top of the stairs now that it was empty. Scarlett looked to the balcony where she drank that vile liquid.
But wait, the ballroom was empty, no Raith to be found. She checked the watch. Three o’clock sharp. She was here right on time. If that ass lied to her…
“I can feel the wrath radiating off of you like heat from a fire.” Raith stepped out of the back-corner shadows.
“I figured you were an ass who stood me up.”
“I could never stand you up, love.”
She didn’t have time for his fake flattery. Somehow, he knew Natalie was her friend so he preyed on her weakness to lure her here. Scarlett wouldn’t be surprised if tricking her into a bargain was his plan all along.
“So, let’s bargain.” She walked down the stairs and met Raith in the middle of the room, which was lit by the moonlight shining through a huge skylight above. Scarlett hadn’t noticed it during the ball. It was too busy then—too full of fae staring at her.
Now, Raith’s eyes were the only ones watching her. “I’m glad you dressed comfortably. Wouldn’t want to be overdressed for a bargain.”
“Thanks to that stupid ritual, I was blacked out until a few minutes ago. You’re lucky I woke up in time and showed up at all.”
“No, you’re lucky,” Raith said. “You are the one who wants to save your friend.”
“There must be something you want, or why even bother to make a deal with me?” Scarlett was within an arm’s length of Raith now. He was still in the same pants and boots he wore to the ball, but his jacket was off now, leaving him in the cream undershirt, the top three buttons undone.
“Clever, girl.” He smirked. “I will take Natalie back to the mortal realm if you vow to stay here until the battle is over.”
At first, Scarlett’s instincts had told her to run away from this place, fast. Then, her curiosity swelled and she decided to learn more of the realm and the fae. But after being drained during the ritual, her intuition was throwing red flags to get the hell out of there again.
“I thought humans couldn’t be held here against their will?” That’s what Cade had told her. “I’ll convince Natalie to ask to go home.”
“True, but when someone is taking away all your pain, leaving becomes difficult.”
The memory of her mother crept in and pressed against her heart. The pain she’d been running from since it happened was what brought her here in the first place. Scarlett wanted to think she was strong enough to leave now, but even if she was, she couldn’t leave Natalie here.
“I agree to stay until the battle is over and you take Natalie back and never bring her here again.” Scarlett had to be careful. Bargains were tricky. She had to cover all her bases.
“I will never bring her back, but I can’t guarantee she won’t find another way. For all the dangers we fae present, humans aren’t very good at staying away once they’ve felt it here in Faerie.”
So, if Scarlett made this deal and then Natalie was desperate to have her emotion fed from again, she could find another fae. Would that be difficult? Or were fae everywhere, eagerly waiting for a new human to prey on?
Cade had said Raith’s power laid in memories.
“Then take away her memory of this place,” Scarlett said. It was better that way. Then it would be as if she was never here and she would have never seen Scarlett. But taking away someone’s memory without her consent seemed low. But it was for Natalie’s own protection, Scarlett convinced herself.
“I could, but I’d need something else in return.”
“What?”
Raith shrugged. “How about…a kiss?”
“Just one kiss?” Was there some trick behind it? What harm could come from a kiss?
“One measly kiss and it will be as if Natalie never saw any of this.” Raith gestured to the ballroom.
“Why? Why all this trouble to make sure I don’t leave until after the battle?” Scarlett was just a mortal, and the importance, or lack thereof, of humans in this world was apparent.
“You’re making this whole battle far more interesting,” Raith said. “So, do we have a deal?”
“Deal.”
“We’ll seal it with the kiss.” Raith stepped toward Scarlett and placed his hands on her hips.
Scarlett looked up. A grin molded on his lips.
“Don’t look so miserable, love.” Raith leaned in and pulled Scarlett’s body into his.
Her chest pressed into his as his hands moved to her face.
Scarlett closed her eyes.
His tongue grazed her bottom lip before his mouth crushed into hers.
Scarlett’s instinct took over as she kissed him back. Their mouths moved feverishly as his hands roamed her body, grazing gently over her breasts and moving on to her waist.
This was pure passion, more than anything Scarlett had felt in her entire life. Her hands combed his hair.
And then he pulled back, a smirk on his face. “Well, that was…”
“Get Nat
alie home safely and make her forget it all,” Scarlett’s tone was bitter. But it wasn’t Raith that she was furious at; it was herself. It was supposed to be a quick kiss. Not whatever that was.
“As you wish.” Raith’s index finger brushed over his lips as a smirk formed on his mouth. “And Scarlett? Should you ever grow tired of my little brother, I can take your pain away better than he can.”
He disappeared before she could refuse him with some colorful words.
Scarlett wiped her mouth as she walked back up the stairs. She could still taste Raith’s mouth on hers.
And she didn’t hate it.
Chapter Eighteen
Cade’s magic buzzed through him as Poppy swung a dagger at his throat. He blocked it with his sword, twisting her dagger away from his face.
Ever since he inhaled Scarlett’s pain during the ritual, power surged through Cade. Her emotion had always been delicious, but with the added effect of the ritual, it was the most delectable thing he’d ever tasted.
Poppy sliced at Cade’s stomach. His sword clinked against her dagger. She swiped her other dagger at his neck, stopping before she severed his jugular.
How was she such a good fighter? With magic blazing through him, he thought he’d have an advantage. Apparently not.
“You’re getting better, but your sword is still too slow.” Poppy retracted her blade. “You should practice with the bow and arrow.”
Cade groaned. He’d always hated the bow. “The sword might be slow, but with a bow and arrow Raith would defeat me in mere seconds.”
“Not for the battle,” Poppy snapped. “For The Hunt.”
Right, The Hunt. Cade would have the pleasure of chasing down a boar. He couldn’t contain his excitement.
As Cade shot arrows across the room at a target, missing nearly every time, Poppy gave him some tips. “The boar will be drawn to the creek, so if you find the water, follow it.”
“Got it.” Another miss, but at least this one was respectably close.
“What’s going on with this human girl you’ve brought here?” It was the first time Poppy mentioned Scarlett.
“She refills my magic.”
But it was more than that. Sure, the main benefit to Scarlett was the ecstasy of magic she filled Cade with, but something else about her soothed him. He hadn’t felt as relaxed as he did the other day when he took her to the beach behind the castle in years. Maybe ever.
Duty. It was the pressure he’d felt his whole life. He was a prince—with certain expectations heaped upon him at birth. His older brother flew through life on a careless wind, but Cade wanted his people to respect him. Most of all, he didn’t want to disappoint his mother.
“And that’s all?” Poppy asked.
Cade shrugged. He shot another arrow, this time through the target’s center. “That’s the most important part.”
A flicker of curiosity shot through Poppy’s eyes, but she didn’t ask any more questions about Scarlett. Instead, she brought up Raith. “And what’s the story behind you and your brother?”
“What story?”
“You seem...distant.”
Cade chuckled. “You’re quite the observant one.”
“He’s going to try to get into your head,” Poppy said. “During the battle.”
Raith would try. He always tried to stir Cade up. But Cade would keep his focus and show his brother just how powerful he had become.
Things weren’t always bad with Scarlett’s mom. In her lucid moments, her mom was her best friend. Someone she could go to about anything, no matter how embarrassing or taboo it was.
After Scarlett broke things off with Teddy, she was a mess. She spent the entire weekend in her bed, unable to eat or drink more than just a sip of water here and there. It was pathetic, really, because Scarlett was the one who broke up with him. But it wasn’t because Teddy wasn’t great—he was too wonderful. Scarlett was a mess when it came to guys. She didn’t want to brush her curse onto Teddy.
On Monday morning, despite feeling like a zombie as Scarlett went through the motions of getting ready for school, her mom barged into her room and told her it was a sick day for them both. She told Scarlett to put her pajamas back on and come out to the living room.
Her mom made French toast for breakfast, with strawberries and syrup and whipped cream. “Breakups require lots of sugar,” she told Scarlett. They made themselves comfortable on the couch, Scarlett wrapped up in her favorite hot pink fleece blanket, and spent the morning watching soap operas and mocking the sheer cheesiness of them.
Afterward, Scarlett’s mom asked her what had happened.
Scarlett told her she was too afraid to ruin something good, so she broke it off before anything amazing could happen.
Scarlett’s mom pulled her into a hug. “My girl, you aren’t damaged goods. Not at all. Any guy would be lucky to have you, no matter how it all turned out. You can’t worry about the future like that.”
Scarlett squeezed her mom, thankful for a normal mother-daughter moment. Despite the unpredictably of Scarlett’s mom, she loved her more than anything.
“Now, it’s chick flick time.” Her mom switched the TV to Netflix and they browsed the romantic comedy section until they agreed on a movie.
Maybe things were looking up. Her mom had been stable for a while.
Scarlett’s hope was shattered a week later when she came home and found her mom on the floor.
Chapter Nineteen
A week after the opening ceremony, Raith sat on the edge of his bed in the castle and pulled his boots on. With everyone coming to witness The Hunt, he had decided to spend the night inside the castle instead of in his tree. He didn’t understand why so many people cared to come to this event. It wasn’t as if they could see The Hunt itself. He and Cade would be in the dark forest, searching for a fucking boar. What better way to have two brothers duke it out than to have them hunt for dinner? Seriously, who decided that?
No point in complaining now. Raith made his way to the courtyard. The king and queen sat on the outdoor thrones that had been moved there for the occasion. The same fae that had introduced everyone at the ball stood next to Kassandra. Raith walked up to them, bowed to the king and queen, and waited next to the other fae. A few minutes later, Cade showed up, hand-in-hand with Scarlett, who wore a dazed expression on her face. His brother must have just fed on her.
Raith hadn’t seen Scarlett since they’d made the bargain—when they sealed it with that kiss. Its intensity surprised Raith. He could sense that he and Scarlett shared a strong chemistry and had made the kiss part of the deal just to mess with her head. But the sparks between them exploded when their lips met. It made him even more curious about the human, something that could become dangerous.
Another flash of her memory hit him when their lips had met. A woman lay dead on the floor, blood splattered at her sides. It was horrific and Raith pushed it away, then got lost in the passion between them. But in that short moment, the pain he experienced felt like being carved alive with the dullest of blades, excruciating and never-ending. It was Scarlett’s pain, and now he understood why it had been so easy for Cade to lure her to Faerie.
He did as she wished. He returned Natalie to her home, her memories of Faerie wiped. Even though fixing her pain wasn’t part of the deal, Raith felt for the girl. Her silly human vanity was making her miserable. A boyfriend had told her to lose weight, and that tiny seed had sprouted into an entire garden of self-doubt. Raith didn’t like messing with memories—it usually brought guilt, as if he were meddling in things he shouldn’t. But he saw Natalie’s vibrant self when her pain had been dulled from his feeding, so he erased the fat comment, too.
Scarlett’s eyes met his.
He winked, and he swore she held back a smile.
“Welcome,” the announcer spoke. “We are ready to begin.”
The crowd quieted, their gazes shifting to Raith and Cade.
The fae continued. “We are here to witness The Hunt. Bot
h brothers will be fighting to be the one to spear the beast. But to make things more interesting, each will take a serum that blocks his mental shields against the forest.”
Well, shit. How did Raith not know that part? From the wide-eyed look on Cade’s face, he must have been surprised, too.
The announcer took out two vials of liquid, the same size as what Scarlett took at the ball. But this liquid was emerald. He handed them to Raith and Cade.
“After you take the liquid, you will be evanesced into a cordoned off section of the forest. The only creatures allowed inside are you two and the beast. Neither of you may leave until the beast is speared. You will each be given a spear and a bow with magically refilling arrows as well as a horse.”
How hard could it be? Raith lifted his vial into the air. “Cheers, brother.”
He gulped down the liquid, which tingled as it went down. It tasted like a pinecone. Raith gagged.
He heard the announcer wish him good luck before he vanished and appeared inside the forest. Raith had been in the dark forest many times, but never this far in. The trees remained still around him, not even a bird on their branches. He heard a rustle behind him. Raith flipped around, arms raised in front of him. A black horse was tied to a tree. Its black mane shined. Raith recognized him. It was Theo, his favorite horse from the stables. It had been, what, three years since Raith had last ridden? He’d been so busy practicing with weapons and his battle magic he didn’t think of tuning up his horseback riding skills.
“Hi, Theo.” Raith patted Theo’s neck. “Good boy.
Propped against a tree were a spear and a bow and arrow, just as the announcer had promised. Raith slung the bow over his shoulder and fastened the spear in front of Theo’s saddle. Raith stuck his foot in the stirrup and grabbed onto the saddle horn then pulled himself up. He grasped the rains and gave Theo a gentle kick, and they were off.
He’d missed this, the feeling of the breeze as they galloped. Now, all he needed to do was find the boar, shoot it, and be done.