A Dance with Darkness

by Jenna Wolfhart

In an instant, I understood far too well what he’d done. He’d left me here with some arrows, thinking I’d be able to shoot like a fae if I had no other choice.

  Mouth dry, I grabbed the quiver and slowly spun on my feet to face whatever beast hovered behind me. My eyes were met with a pair of deep, deep black sunken into a face full of fur and fangs. My body began to tremble, and my heart shook so hard it felt as though it might burst through my chest.

  It was one of the creatures. It was a Redcap.

  The monsters who had killed my best friend.

  And now one would kill me, too.

  Hands trembling, I grabbed an arrow and tried to aim the bow, but my body was shaking so hard that the arrow bounced all over the place. The creature growled and edged forward, dark saliva dripping off its sharp fangs.

  “Shit,” I whispered, stumbling back. One swipe of those paws. One bite from those monstrous fangs. That was all it would take to end me. “Kael?”

  No answer. Nothing but the crackling sound of the Redcap’s claws against the rocky cliff. It leaned closer, opened wide its massive jaws, and roared. Shivers coursed across every inch of my skin, and I lifted my bow once again, desperate to find a steady aim.

  I loosed an arrow. It soared through the night air and sunk heavily into the Redcap’s left paw. Mouth opened wide, it roared and lunged toward me. I was too slow this time. Its mouth closed around my leg, its teeth slicing through my skin. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and I dropped to the ground. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. The pain was unbearable.

  I closed my eyes and sucked deep breaths in through my nose.

  I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be here.

  Wind whooshed around me, and I braced myself, waiting for the killing blow from the creature. But it didn’t come. Instead, I heard a soft clap. And then another. And then a light chuckle that came with the scent of burning leaves and damp dirt.

  When I opened my eyes, I was no longer on the cliff with the creature bearing down on me. I was back in the Academy courtyard with the recruits staring at me wide-eyed and open-mouthed. The royals stood just to my right, softly clapping and nodding while Kael, the horrible fae who had abandoned me, was nowhere to be seen.

  Rourke was suddenly there, holding a hand as he leaned over me. “Well done. You’re the first new recruit to shift. That means you’re likely mine.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “So, let me get this straight. Only Autumn and Winter fae can shift?” I sat in the infirmary bed, flipping through a book my roommate had brought for me. She’d found it in the library, the sole copy of a book we’d be covering in one of our classes next semester: The Magic of the Four Courts.

  “That’s what it says,” she said with a nod, pointing at the book. “All fae have access to certain powers and strengths, like the whole bow and arrow thing, apparently.” She cleared her throat, knowing it was still very much a sore subject for me. “But then there are specalized gifts, like shifting.”

  I wrinkled my nose and crossed my arms over the thin infirmary sheet. “Why do they call it shifting? I would have thought that term meant changing into something else. You know, like werewolves or something.”

  She let out a light laugh. “Wouldn’t that be something? Well, apparently it just means you’re shifting through space. From one location to the next.”

  “Which I did,” I said. “So, that means I’m definitely not Spring.”

  A strange feeling passed through me, a mixture of both excitement and disappointment. Knowing that I was a member of one of the two darker courts meant that the strange connection I’d felt with Finn was really nothing at all. Those moments where he passed me in the hallway and winked, there was no reason I should blush in response. He belonged to someone else. Most likely my roommate.

  I’d known that deep down inside, but having it confirmed made me feel more disappointed than I would have expected.

  I frowned. “I can’t believe I’m probably going to end up mated to the fae who was willing to leave me for dead just to prove a point.”

  She pursed her lips. “I don’t think he left you for dead, Norah. He didn’t shift back into the courtyard before you got back.”

  “Are you sure? He disappeared right in front of me. And he left me those arrows so that I had to fend for myself, knowing there was a Redcap in that cave.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think he actually left you,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “He probably shifted, like, five feet away. Close enough to step in just in case you weren’t able to manage the bow.”

  “Well, if that’s the case, then why didn’t he come back when the Redcap bit me,” I said, frown deepening. “Face it, Sophia. I’m stuck with Kael, a fae who couldn’t care less about what happens to me.”

  She shrugged and leaned back into the plastic chair she’d pulled up next to my bed. “I don’t think Winter fae are as unfeeling and emotionless as you think they are. Maybe he’ll end up surprising you as much as you surprised everyone when you appeared in the middle of the courtyard like that.”

  I scowled. “Unlikely.”

  “How’s the wound?” The sweet scent of sunflowers whispered in from the open doorway of the infirmary. I glanced up from my reading. I had gotten pretty engrossed in the book about the four different powers and gifts, to the point where I hadn’t realized that several hours had passed until I spotted the clock on the wall behind Liam.

  “It really freaking hurts,” I said with a half-wince, half-smile. “How long do you think it’s going to take to heal?”

  He eased into the room and shut the door behind him with a click. “Unassisted? It could take weeks.”

  “You mean, without medicine?”

  His eyes flashed as he strode across the room and pushed the chair around so that the back was facing me. Then, he perched in it, legs spread wide on either side of the plastic. “Looks like you’ve been doing some interesting reading. Have you gotten to the chapters about the Summer fae gifts?”

  “No,” I admitted. “I’ve been kind of engrossed in the parts about the Winter and the Autumn fae. I guess because...”

  “Because you think you’re one of them,” he finished for me. “And you’d be right. You’re an Autumn or a Winter. Rourke is going around telling everyone you’re his, though I’d place bets on you being Winter.”

  “What with the whole Redcap thing.”

  He nodded, shooting me a wink. “It’s a shame, really. There’s a spark in you I like, Norah. I could have seen us doing well together. In fact, I could have sworn I felt a...” He shook his head and squeezed his fingers tight around the chair. “Nevermind that. Clearly, I was wrong. The Winter Court will be lucky to have you.”

  I swallowed hard at the look in his eye. What had he been about to say? He’d felt...something. What? And he liked the spark he saw within me? Most people I’d met saw nothing in the world when they looked at me. The fact he’d seen something he liked, and a spark at that...

  I wanted to ask him to explain, but he clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

  “So, do you think I should be reading up on the strengths of the Summer fae?”

  His smile was so bright, it was almost blinding. “You’ve had a hard past few days. I’ll make it easy on you.” He leaned forward and whispered into my ear, sending a swarm of goosebumps storming down my neck. “Summer fae are known for their healing powers.”

  I pushed myself up higher on the pillows, wincing when a new blast of pain went through my leg. “Well, that would sure come in handy right about now.” A pause. “The nurse is a Summer fae, right? Why didn’t she heal me, then?”

  “Technically,” he began as he shifted closer to the bed, “we’re not to use our healing gifts unless absolutely necessary. It can drain us, you see.”

  “Drain you how?” I asked.

  He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It can make us tired and weak, particularly if the injury is serious. We then need time to recover,
which isn’t ideal when we have foes to fight or academies to run.”

  “Right.” I sighed and leaned back onto the pillows. “That makes sense.”

  He grinned and slid a hand onto the bed, resting it a mere inch from where my thighs were covered by the thin white sheet. “That said, I’m feeling inclined to help you, Norah. You’ve had a tough first week, and it’d be a shame for you to miss any of your classes. Why don’t you and I make a deal? I’ll heal your leg, and you can give me something in exchange.”

  Both his words and the tone of his voice sounded full of danger. A flashing red light blazed in my head, blinking furiously in an attempt to stop me from making a very stupid move. Liam didn’t unnerve me as much as Rourke and Kael did, and he certainly hadn’t used me as bait or abandoned me on a cliff to face a Redcap on my own.

  Yet.

  He was his own kind of dangerous. One that I should probably run far, far away from.

  But this damn leg...

  I winced at the pain.

  And then I gave Liam a nod with my breath held tight in my throat. “Alright. What do you want in return?”

  His smile widened. “Good choice.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Liam slid his hand underneath the sheet. His fingers whispered across my bare thigh, tracing lazy circles around the bandages that had been wrapped around my wound. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t even blink. Blood roared in my ears as every single part of me focused on where his skin met mine.

  “So, would you like me to heal you then?” he said in a teasing voice. “Or shall I remove my hand?”

  My breath shuddered from my lungs. “Healing, please.”

  It was all I could say, and even those words sounded strained and whispered, like the sound of the wind rattling through the trees.

  “Very well,” he murmured. He dragged his fingers from my skin and onto my bandage where he continued to caress my leg. I tensed at the expectation of pain, but none came. Instead, a soothing warmth flooded through me. It felt as though the sun had risen from behind the clouds, beating down on my skin as I soaked up the summer rays. My whole body felt alive and electric. Warm and soothed and free of pain.

  When he finally slid his hands out from under the covers, my chest was heaving. I could feel the imprint of his hand still on my skin.

  “How are you feeling now, Norah?” he asked with a lazy grin.

  “Yep.” I swallowed hard, cheeks flaming. “Pretty sure that fixed it.”

  “Good.” He winked, leaned forward, and dropped his voice to a hush. “Now, if anyone asks, I wasn’t the one who healed you. You’re going to make sure I don’t get in trouble for helping you.”

  I nodded my head vigorously and tried to find my voice. “I guess I owe you a favor or something, right? What do you want?”

  He chuckled. “I have an errand to run that requires a trip to the Autumn Court. I’d like you to accompany me, but you’ll need to pretend as though you’re my companion.”

  “Your companion?” My face drained of all feeling, except for the heat that dotted my cheeks. “You mean you want me to pretend I’m your mate? But won’t they know I’m a new recruit at the school?”

  “The fae I’m visiting do not know about my role here at the Academy, so no. There’s no reason for them to suspect you’re a recruit, nor one who is clearly not of the Summer Court.”

  “Alright, I guess I can do that,” I said with a frown. “But don’t I need to be here for my classes? I mean, I may have shifted or whatever, but I clearly need as much training as I can get.”

  “Tomorrow’s Saturday,” he said with a grin. “So, you have the day off from classes. I’ll have you back long before Monday’s training begins.”

  “Alright, I guess that’s okay, then,” I said, still frowning.

  With a brilliant smile, Liam pushed up from his chair and strode to the door before pausing to hold his fingers over his lips.

  “Now, remember. I wasn’t the one who healed you.” And then he disappeared out the door with a wink.

  As I sat there staring after him, and remembering the electric feel of his fingers caressing my skin, I couldn’t help but shudder. Liam wasn’t my mate, and he never would be. I was promised to one of the others, and going along with him on this trip was clearly not the best idea in the world.

  What the hell had I gotten myself into?

  The next morning, I snuck out of the Academy just before daylight. Liam was waiting for me in the courtyard. And he was...sitting on a horse, one with sleek green-gray skin that rippled as it stomped its hoof on the dewy grass.

  I slowed to a stop in front of them and frowned up at Liam’s bonfire eyes. “You didn’t tell me there was going to be horse-riding involved.” A pause as I scanned the horse, noting the green-gray color. Dread pooled in my stomach. “Is this one of those pookas?”

  He tipped back his head and laughed before giving his horse’s neck a soft pat. “Sapling here is about as far from a pooka as she can get. Trust me. When you’ve seen one up close, you’ll be able to spot the difference.”

  I decided not to tell him I had seen one up close, though in its weird goblin-like form. These fae sure were fond of keeping secrets from each other, of sneaking around, and of breaking the rules. Doing things unknown, things they knew the others wouldn’t approve of. Rourke clearly hadn’t filled the others in on how he’d used me as bait, probably because it had been a pretty asshole thing to do.

  Though come to think of it...every single one of them would probably do it, too. A thought that didn’t leave me feeling much better about our secret trip to visit the Autumn Court.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “So, then where’s my horse? You don’t expect me to walk the whole way while you get to take it easy.”

  He flashed me a grin. “You’re on this one with me, darling. Mates would never take a ride on their own.”

  I wasn’t usually the type to have a dirty mind, but there was something so suggestive in the way he said his words. My cheeks boiled under his heated gaze, and I cleared my throat, desperately casting my eyes around for anything at all to look at that wasn’t him.

  With a chuckle, he held out his hand. “You’re so easily flustered. Keep it up. The Autumn Court won’t have any trouble believing in our coupling if you keep blushing like that.”

  I narrowed my eyes as I took his hand. “I’m not blushing.”

  “Then, why are your cheeks so gloriously red? They practically match my hair.”

  He pulled me up onto the horse as if I didn’t weigh a pound. My legs slid in behind his, a perfect fit. Timidly, I wrapped my arms around his waist, tensing when I could feel the hard planes of his stomach through his thin shirt.

  “It’s just warm out here,” I finally said, realizing I hadn’t replied. “It’s summer. You know, the hottest season of the year? Maybe I even have a sunburn.”

  I didn’t have a sunburn.

  “And you like the warmth?” he asked as the horse took off across the courtyard lawn in a prancing trot.

  “Of course,” I said. “Who doesn’t? Long, warm nights. Lazy days. Swims that make your muscles ache.” My heart panged at my words. So much of that reminded me of Bree and our trips to the beach. “Though I guess summer isn’t like that here.”

  “Oh, summer is very much like that here,” he said. “There’s a small river down the hill behind the Academy. You can go there for a swim anytime you’d like. We train you hard, but we like you to have time off, too.”

  “Really?” I peered over his shoulder to see him turning the horse onto a hard-packed dirt road that led away from the eastern side of the Academy. “What about all the dangerous creatures that we’re supposed to be watching out for?”

  “Well, those are easy enough to avoid. Don’t go swimming at night.” His body stiffened. “And get your swimming in while you can. It will be perpetual Winter when you head to your assigned Court in a few years. Not much sunshine there. Just lots of snow.”


  “Perpetual Winter,” I repeated. “You mean, there will be no Summer, no Spring, and no Autumn? But...does that mean the Academy is located in the Summer Court?”

  “The Academy is located on free territory, which means it doesn’t belong to any one Court. That means it gets to experience all of the fae seasons,” he said. “It’s the best kind of situation for training changelings. Even though you’ll only belong to one Court, it’s good for you to experience what each of them are like, though there are some who would disagree with that.”

  “Like who?” I couldn’t help but ask. So far, the whole Court system had felt like a bit of a mystery, but Liam seemed pretty talkative today. Might as well use that to try and wrangle as much information out of him as I could.

  “The Autumn Court, for one,” he muttered, his body tensing underneath my arms once again. “They’re all about full separation. They don’t like the Winter Court, and they truly hate the Summer and Spring fae.”

  “Then, why do you want to visit them?”

  A beat passed. “I suppose I should explain our mission, but you need to promise me that you won’t say a word about this to anyone else.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Why does that sound like Finn, Rourke, and Kael don’t know about this?”

  “Because they don’t,” he said, jerking his chin over his shoulder. “Look, I know you’re destined to end up as Kael’s mate, but you aren’t his yet. Can you do this one thing for me and not tell a soul about it? If one day you feel as though you do need to tell Kael, fine. But just not now. Not yet. Okay?”

  My heart pounded in my chest, and I swallowed hard. This sounded serious. Yesterday, it had all felt like some kind of joke. Like he’d been playing around in order to get me to agree to do something meaningless and fun. Something more likely to embarrass me than to get me killed.

  Now, I wasn’t so sure.

  “Alright, I’ll keep it to myself,” I said after taking a deep breath. “But just so you know, you’re kind of freaking me out here.”

  “Maybe you should be freaked out.” Another pause, and then a deep breath. “Before I became an instructor at the Academy, I was a fighter in the army for the Queen. And no, before you ask, it wasn’t for the Summer Queen. It was for Marin, the Queen of all Fae, the one who was assassinated by Viola, the new Queen of Autumn. They kept me prisoner for several years until they decided that I was no longer a threat, only releasing me if I agreed to become an instructor at the Academy.”