My eyes widened. “So you were loyal to Marin?”
He gave a nod. “I was. And because of my connections, I’ve heard word that the Autumn Court has something else planned, though they’re keeping things very hush hush. Only Viola knows what I look like, so I should be able to get in and out without being recognized. Today’s trip will be an attempt to find out what they have planned, and I’ll stand out much less if I have a mate by my side.”
“Something planned...” I trailed off. “You don’t mean they’re going to try to do something like they did before? Kill another Queen?”
“Well, that’s the question, isn’t it, darling?” Liam said. “If the Autumn fae are planning another assassination, the other Royals need to be warned.”
Chapter Thirteen
It was easy to tell when we moved from the free territory and into the lands of the Autumn Court. The sapling green forest morphed into a reddish brown, the sweet brilliant life of the trees fading into a tapestry of reds and golds and browns. It was beautiful in its own way, though I could tell by Liam’s grumbling that he wasn’t much of a fan.
Several hours after we’d left the Academy, we entered a small village set amongst the autumn trees. There were about ten houses in total, all made from the same dark branches that rose high into the sky. Fae bustled about, on business to and fro one building to the next. When we approached, a female glanced up from where she was gathering fallen berries, her long golden strands glistening underneath the dappled sunlight.
Her eyes were quick and intelligent, glancing first at Liam and then to me. “Her I can’t be sure of, but you’re a Summer if there ever was one. State your business.”
“I’m a half-breed,” Liam said. “Mother was Autumn and father was Summer.”
“Was?” The female arched an eyebrow.
“Both killed when the Courts split,” he replied. “This is my mate.”
She sniffed and gave a nod. “Nasty business that war, but it gave us a better way of life.”
“Aye.” Liam shifted on the horse. His back was toward me, but I had the strange sensation of knowing exactly how he looked in that moment. Smiling, slightly flirtatiously. He was turning up the charm as best he could, and by the softening look on the female’s face, it was working. “Anyway, my mate and I are just passing through on our way to Esari where we’re hoping to find a life and a home for ourselves.”
The female’s golden eyes flicked my way. “Newlyweds then, I see. Well, I guess the city is the easiest place to start a family, but it’s definitely not what it used to be.”
“Oh?” Liam asked, all casually, though I could tell his interest was more than piqued by her offhand comment. “How so?”
“Haven’t you heard? Storms. Sometimes I swear the sky will split in two.” With a sigh, she shook her head and motioned for us to pass. “Go on then. Just make sure you aren’t out and about when the lightning comes, or else it might just strike you dead.”
We reached the fae city of Esari after another couple of hours of trekking through the autumn woods. I was beginning to think it might be a bit of a reach to assume we’d be back to the Academy by Monday morning’s training session. It had taken us almost all day to arrive at our destination, and we still needed to round up the information that Liam was desperate to find.
Esari was unlike any city I’d ever seen. It rose up high on a hill, spread out behind the sprawling autumn forest. Everything was gold, from the streets to the rooftops to the large castle that loomed at the highest peak. There were at least a thousand homes. Plus, bakers and butchers and pubs. All around us, life pulsed from the hundreds of fae who roamed the cobbled streets.
“Welcome to Esari,” Liam said quietly as I awkwardly dropped from the horse and fell right onto my knees. It was the first time I’d ever ridden one of these things, which meant I didn’t know what the hell I was doing or how to get off of it without falling flat on my face. With a chuckle, Liam wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me to my feet. “Looks like I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on you than I thought.”
“I’m fine,” I said in as peppy of a voice as I could manage. Truth was, I was blown away. The Academy was one thing, but this...this was something entirely different. The city was huge, and there were so many fae. And this, I realized, was only a small part of them. There were dozens of other smaller villages within the Autumn Court alone, plus all the fae who lived in the other seasons.
How had humanity gone so long without knowing all this was here?
Liam pulled a golden cloth from the satchel he’d strapped onto the horse. “Here. Wear this. It’ll keep you from standing out too much.”
It was a golden cloak, much like the one that Rourke always wore.
“What about you?” I asked as I slid the cloak over my shoulders. “Your hair kind of gives you away, you know.”
He flashed me a grin. “I’m not trying to fit in. The easiest way to get information out of someone? Provoke them. Piss them off.”
My mouth went dry. “I feel like there should be a better option than that.”
“Trust me, Norah. I’ve done this before.”
And I didn’t doubt it.
Overhead, the sky was beginning to darken. As Liam led me through the bustling streets, he explained the different seasons of the fae. They were much like those in the human realm. Autumn was colder with crisp air and rattling leaves, the days short and the nights long. Winter, he said, was even worse, but I expected him to feel that way. He was Summer, after all. Anything but warm hazy days and short nights would seem torturous to him.
We came to a pub called the Rotting Horse, a name that did little to instil a sense of ease in me. Inside, dozens of fae were sitting at long, oak tables, but it wasn’t the kind of raucous merriment that I expected from an establishment like this. They were calmly and quietly sipping their pints, exchanging murmured conversations.
“Members of Viola’s Court often come here.” Liam leaned forward and whispered the words into my ear, and shivers coursed along my skin. He noticed my trembling, and he must have taken it to mean that I was cold. Because somehow, his arms were suddenly around me. He pulled me close to his chest. His body was so warm, like a radiator that had been left on for hours. Trembling, I had the strange urge to curl up against him and breathe in the scent of fire and rain. Here we were, in strange and potentially dangerous territory, and yet I’d never felt safer than I had in this moment. As if nothing in the world could go wrong, not when Liam’s arms were wrapped around me.
“All better now, darling?” There was an undercurrent of amusement in his voice, and it snapped me out of my strange reverie.
I pulled myself out of his arms, stumbled back, and hurriedly began to straighten my cloak. There was nothing wrong with it, of course, but I was suddenly in desperate need of something to do with my hands. Anything to distract me from Liam’s smirk.
“The cloak will do, thanks. You don’t need to paw at me to keep me warm.”
His lips quirked. “I wasn’t pawing at you. Don’t believe me? I’m happy to give you a true demonstration of what pawing means.”
My entire face flamed, which succeeded in doing two things. First, I wasn’t cold anymore. Second, Liam could see just how much his words had gotten to me.
“Like I said.” Liam winked. “Keep on blushing, my beautiful bride.”
“I’m not blushing,” I said through gritted teeth.
Liam ignored me. Instead of responding, he opened the door and ushered me inside the bar. Dim lights were strung up across the ceiling, and candlelight flickered on every table. A soft music whispered out from invisible speakers. It was an eerie type of folk music mixed in with a clanging piano that sounded out of tune. I tried my best not to wrinkle my nose. I definitely wasn’t a fan.
“Care to sit?” Liam pulled out a chair for me at the nearest table, pretending as if he were some sort of gentleman, but I knew the truth. He was anything but.
Still, I f
ollowed his lead and settled onto the chair. It was hard and somewhat spiky.
“Now, what would you like to drink, darling?” he asked with a wink, speaking loud enough for his words to drift toward the tables around us.
I leaned forward and dropped my voice to a whisper. “Vodka tonic?”
I mean, it was the only drink name I knew.
He let out a low chuckle. “I’m afraid that’s not an option. Don’t worry. I’ll find you something you like. Now, why don’t you drop back your hood and make yourself comfortable while I grab us a couple of drinks?”
I frowned, but I kept up my end of the bargain and obeyed, pushing the hood back from my face.
“Good girl,” he murmured. “Don’t want to hide that pretty face of yours, now do we?”
In spite of every desire otherwise, my stupid face blushed again.
As soon as he was gone, I began to look around the room. I didn’t get very far though because another fae male took Liam’s seat within seconds. With a sharp gasp, I scooted back in my chair. This fae was...well, he reminded me a lot of Rourke, only...somehow, this one was even more unsettling.
In fact, I’d take it past unsettling and go for flat-out creepy.
His lips were a strange orangey-red, split into an eerie grin that showed off two rows of very pointed teeth. Was he a different kind of fae? None of the Autumn fae I’d met at the Academy so far looked anything like this. His eyes were even a reddish hue, the color of old, dried blood.
I shivered when he leaned forward and traced a long, sharp nail across the surface of the table. “Why would a pretty little thing like you be here with a Summer fae?”
“He’s a half-breed,” I blurted out, though I wasn’t entirely sure that was the truth. It was what Liam had told several fae along the way here, but I was pretty sure it was a tall tale designed to make the Autumn fae accept his presence in their Court.
“Even worse,” he sneered. “Surely you would be better off with a pure Autumn fae such as myself.”
“I ah...” Desperately, I cast my eyes around for any sign of Liam. He was at the bar, lifting two glasses of orangey liquid into his hands. Relief poured through me. As soon as he got back to my side, he could tell this fae to leave me alone.
But when he returned to the table, he did no such thing. Instead, he slammed the drinks down onto the table, and the sound of splintering wood echoed through the bar. The murmured conversations fell into a quiet hush, and every head in the bar turned our way.
I swallowed hard, nervously twisting my hands in my lap. This wasn’t going well. And I had a feeling it was about to get a lot worse.
“Why are you in my seat?” Liam bellowed, his voice a boom against the wooden walls. “Are you hitting on my mate?”
The Autumn fae folded his long, thin hands into his lap and looked up at Liam with a chilly smile. “Your mate informed me you’re a half-breed. I was merely suggesting that she might be in a better position if she turned her romantic interests elsewhere.”
“So, you were hitting on her.” Liam leaned down and snarled into the fae’s face, his face blotchy with a brilliant red. “You. Were. Hitting. On. My. Mate!”
The Autumn fae didn’t even flinch. He merely tsked and rolled his eyes. “Honestly, the Summer temper tantrums are so tiresome.”
Liam leaned forward, bracing his fists on the table, which shook underneath the force of him. “You think this is a Summer temper tantrum? Trust me, it gets a hell of a lot worse than this. Now, get away from my mate or you’ll see what the true force of my anger can do.”
“Liam,” I said in a harsh whisper, the heat on my cheeks deepening, Though, this time, it wasn’t because his words were making my heart and body do weird things. It was because he was starting to scare me a little, not to mention the Autumn fae who was trying to stake some weird claim on me.
I didn’t know why Liam was reacting like this. I wasn’t actually his mate. And both of us knew I never would be. So, why was he getting so pissed off that another fae was talking to me? Especially since we’d come here to get information.
The Autumn fae pushed back his chair and stood, crossing his arms over his golden-cloaked chest. All around us, the entire bar did the same. Dozens of Autumn fae stood from their tables, the room a hush that was louder than the murmur of voices from before.
“I think it’s time you leave. Your mate is welcome here, but you are not.” The Autumn fae rested his hand on the ornate, golden hilt of a sword that he’d somehow kept hidden until this moment.
I swallowed hard, my heartbeat flickering a frantic beat. Eyes wide, I glanced from the Autumn fae to Liam’s fiery eyes. Both men looked on the verge of a violent fight, though they were so different in how they held themselves. Liam was visibly angry, his fists trembling with his passionate emotions, as if he were two seconds away from pummelling the fae with all the strength of his body. The Autumn fae, on the other hand, was still, quiet, calm, like a dangerous predator ready to pounce on its prey.
“In Otherworld,” Liam began in a low, dangerous voice, “we do not attempt to steal another male’s mate. It’s devious and cruel. But I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised, should I? You’re soulless assassins. Failing ones, at that. When was the last time you managed to get a worthwhile kill?”
My eyes slightly widened at his words, though I kept the rest of my face blank. I understood what he was doing now. Provoking them. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes at myself. I couldn’t believe I’d thought he was actually angry that another fae male was talking to me. Of course he wouldn’t be jealous. What an idiotic thing for me to think.
He didn’t like me. There was no real connection between us. Just meaningless flirty banter that would go away just as soon as he confirmed who his Manhattan mate was.
Come on, Norah. Get a grip.
The stillness of the room deepened, and the Autumn fae’s eyes flickered with a strange, eerie darkness that hadn’t been present before. “Perhaps the reason you believe we’re unsuccessful in our assassinations is because you never hear of them, being a Summer half-breed and all.”
Liam leaned forward just the slightest of breaths and dropped his voice even lower. “Oh, I hear about them alright. And I know what you’ve got planned against the other Courts. But you’ll fail. You lot always do.”
The Autumn fae let out a low chuckle, a sound that sent a storm of goosebumps over my entire body. “Doubt us, if you like, but you won’t be mocking us when your entire stifling season has been replaced by the cool breezes of Autumn.”
I jerked back in my seat, shocked by his words. And it had the unfortunate side effect of drawing the fae male’s attention—as well as the rest of the fae in the bar—away from Liam and right at me.
“You look as though you don’t approve,” he sneered, his fangs flashing against the dim overhead lights. After a moment, he waved dismissively. “Your time with this Summer half-breed has made you weak, and I have no time for soft little things.” He shifted his attention back to Liam. “Now, take your mate and get out of here, or we will put our swords to your necks, starting with hers.”
Chapter Fourteen
Outside of the bar, Liam was silent as we bustled our way through the city streets and back toward where we’d dropped of his horse. His shoulders were tight, and the skin underneath his jaw rippled with tension. He didn’t have to say a word for me to understand what he was feeling.
On the one hand, we’d gotten the information we’d come to get, but it had turned out to be far worse than Liam must have been expecting. The Autumn Court was planning something, alright, and it sounded as though they wanted to take down the entirety of the Summer Court.
I half-expected the fae from the bar to follow close behind us, waiting until the right moment to slide their swords into our backs. But, somehow, we managed to reach the stables safely. We were back on our horse before the clock struck midnight, though the heavy storm-clouds overhead crackled with fierce and dangerous lightning. Any moment now, th
e clouds would open up, and rain would pour down on our heads.
When we were finally outside the city boundary, Liam pulled on the reigns to slow the horse’s trot. He cast a glance over his shoulder, his entire face a grim knot of worry and anger.
“Here’s a good training exercise for you, Norah,” he said in a quiet, dangerous voice. “What did you make of that?”
“It sounded like the attack they have planned will target the Summer Court Royals,” I said without letting a beat pass. “Like maybe they want to merge your Court with theirs?”
“Close,” he said after a moment. “But it sounded like more than that. Notice what they said about the seasons.”
“About the stifling heat turning into a cool breeze?” I asked with a frown. “I thought he was just being dramatic.”
“If only that were the case, Norah.” Liam stiffened and shook his head. “Autumn fae are not dramatic. If one says that the seasons will change, then that is likely precisely what he meant.”
A crack split the sky, and torrents of rain slashed sideways onto the dirt-packed ground. Liam flicked the reigns, and the horse began to trot again, but the increased pace did little to outrun the rain. It splattered my face and my hands, soaking into the golden cloak I still wore, the material clinging to my shivering body.
After several moments of this, Liam stopped the horse in one of the small villages we’d passed through on the way. Every single inch of me was drenched and frozen, so much so that I could no longer feel my toes in the thin leather boots I’d been dumb enough to wear. The rain had even soaked through that, sneaking in to turn my socks into a soggy mess.
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