A Touch of Starlight

by Jenna Wolfhart

  He leaned closer and nipped my ear. “And you want me to kiss you again.”

  Yes. Oh god, yes. I wanted nothing more.

  I nodded.

  A wicked grin spread across his face. “Good. Keep that in mind. Because as soon as this is over, you’re mine.”

  A shiver caused my entire body to tremble, and a delicious heat spread through my core. All these months later, I still hadn’t gotten some of his first words to me out of my mind. He’d told me that when a Spring fae makes love to his mate, flowers bloom all around them. He might have been lying to me. Hell, knowing Finn, he probably was. But I’d been desperate to find out if there was any truth to what he’d said.

  Now, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. As always, the timing was off. Truly, I didn’t know when we’d ever get the chance to be together again, not like that. As soon as we returned to the Academy, we’d be right back underneath Alwyn’s watchful gaze. I hated that we were forced to keep pushing our connection away.

  Finn sighed and stepped away from me, taking all his body heat along with him. “Come on, you frisky little thing. We need to go find that Redcap.”

  I didn’t even object to his comment. Mostly because it was true. I was frisky. I had been for weeks. My night with Rourke had opened my eyes to a new kind of pleasure, one I’d never felt before. My entire body yearned to experience it again, over and over again. And with more than just Rourke.

  Cheeks still flaming, I slid my hand into Finn’s and followed him down the hillside. The closer we got to the huts by the river, the more I felt the sober reality of why we were here. We were quiet. So quiet that even I didn’t hear the sound of our footsteps. Finn’s steps were light and quick, and I easily mimicked his gate. When we were only a few feet away from the huts, Finn pulled me behind a thick trunk and peered at the tiny hidden village for any signs of life.

  There was none.

  “I don’t think anyone is here,” I whispered into his ear.

  “There’s at least one,” he whispered back, reaching up to place his fingers above my eyes. Lightly, he slid the tips of them over my eyelids. Following his lead, I shut them tight. “Here is a test for you, Norah. Block out your other senses. Don’t think about them. Use your ears and only your ears. And then tell me, what do you hear?”

  With a slow exhale through my nostrils, I cocked my head and listened. At first, I couldn’t pick out whatever had caught Finn’s attention. The rush of the river drowned out everything else. But slowly, I began to notice the lighter noises. A bird chirped somewhere in the branches of the tree overhead. The wind brushed against the huts, catching a piece of fabric in its clutches, one that flapped a steady beat. And there, just beyond it, I heard something else.

  A whimper, and a moan. And then three little whispered words.

  “I killed them.”

  Chapter Six

  Finn and I found the girl huddled in the nearest hut. Her hands and face were covered in blood, and several crumpled bodies littered the ground around her. She looked as though she was maybe sixteen years old. So young, I couldn’t help but think, to have seen so much violence. She was clearly traumatized, no matter what she might have done.

  “Hello.” Finn kelt by her side and gave her a kind smile. “My name is Finn, and this is Norah. Are you hurt?”

  Her chin jerked up, as if she’d just now realized that we were here. Fear filled her sunken eyes. Her pupils were pure black, shot through with speckles of silver and red. “Get away from me.”

  “It’s okay.” Finn’s voice was gentle and soothing, like a babbling brook. “We’re not going to hurt you. We’re here to help you.”

  She didn’t respond. She merely blinked at Finn as if he were some sort of ghost.

  He pressed his lips together in a tight line. “Can you tell me who you are? Why you’re here? What happened to these females?”

  He gestured to the four bodies around her.

  “My name is Shai,” she said, her voice growing more and more high-pitched with each word. “This is my home. These are my friends. I...I killed them.”

  And then her eyes rolled back into her head as she tumbled to the ground.

  Inside the hut, Liam was treating Shai’s wounds. I stood outside with Bree, doing my best to calm her down, though nothing I said made much of a difference. She paced back and forth in front of me, her hands curled into tight little fists. Her eyes were wild and full of fear. I knew what she was thinking because I was thinking it, too. Shai was in some deep shit.

  “I’m sorry, Bree,” I said for the hundredth time. “She confessed to killing those four fae in that hut. She looked…wild and frantic. We need to take her back to the Academy, not just to keep her from hurting others but for her own safety. There’s no telling what could happen to her out here when she’s in that kind of state.”

  “You promised me,” she said, cheeks flaming.

  “And I’m going to keep that promise. Nothing bad will happen to her.”

  “Even though she admitted to killing those fae in there?” She gestured to the door of the hut. “And even though she may have killed those two Hunters?”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help her.”

  The door of the hut creaked open, and Liam strode outside with Shai’s limp form in his arms. Bree rushed to them immediately, her eyes wild with confusion, pain, and fear. Shai looked terrible. Liam had somehow managed to clean all the blood from her skin, but her clothes were still clogged with a deep crimson that would never wash out. Her face was pale. Her cheeks were hollow. She looked like a member of the walking dead.

  “I don’t understand,” Bree said as a tear slid down her cheek. “She was fine the last time I saw her. She was still in control of the beast, and she wasn’t so pale and skinny. What happened to her?”

  “The venom can take hold quickly at times,” Kael said quietly. “She was likely fighting as hard as she could against it. And then when she finally gave up, it flooded into her mind.”

  “But why would she give up?” Bree whispered, though it wasn’t a question meant for anyone to answer. None of us could possibly know what had been the final nail in Shai’s coffin. Only she could answer that, if she ever came back into herself long enough to understand the question. So, Bree merely sighed and glanced back at the hut. “What about the bodies you found inside? Are they Spring fae Hunters?”

  A strange expression flickered across Liam’s face. “No. They were Redcaps. All females. They looked a bit older than Shai. And I’m fairly sure they were human, not fae. Infected ones who found their way into Otherworld no doubt.”

  Shock and horror flickered across Bree’s face and she stormed into the hut before I could put out a hand to stop her. Sighing, I closed my eyes and moved after her, but Liam held me back. He shook his head.

  “Give her a minute. I have a feeling she knew them. They’re all wearing the same kind of clothes.” He picked at the matching dark ensemble that Shai was wearing. “I noticed there was a stack of this material inside. They’ve likely all been living here for awhile. Bree may have encountered them when she first arrived in Otherworld.”

  My heart clenched. Poor Bree. “So, Shai killed everyone inside, most likely when the beast took over her mind. That’s different to the other deaths. As far as I can see, there’s no connection between this and what happened to the Hunters.” A pause. “We don’t need to take her back to Alwyn, do we? There’s no telling what she’ll to do Shai.”

  “I’m afraid it isn’t that simple, Norah.” Kael let out a heavy sigh. “The truth is, we can’t leave her out here like this. First of all, she’s a changeling, which means she must be protected at all costs. Second, if she’s this far along in the transformation, she’ll only end up losing control again. Most likely tonight. After sunset. Someone needs to ride ahead and take her to the Academy. She’ll be safe down in the dungeons. And she won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”

  I winced. The dungeons. I’d spent a brief period of time down ther
e when I’d been locked away by the Autumn fae. It wasn’t anywhere I’d like to see again, and Shai shouldn’t have to see it either. It didn’t seem like the best place in the world for a confused and angry girl who didn’t understand what was happening to her.

  “She killed two people, Norah,” Liam said. “I know you want to help her, and I know you don’t want to upset Bree. But we can’t just let her roam free. Not when she’s like this. She’s not even meant to be out here. If she got herself killed, then what would we do? She wouldn’t be alive for us to return her to the human realm during Summer Solstice. The entire Tithe would go up in flames.”

  He had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. The Dark Fae would lose their minds if Otherworld didn’t send the yearly quota of homegrown Redcaps back out into the streets of the human realm.

  “Okay,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at the hut Bree had entered. “We’ll take Shai back. On one condition. You have to promise me that you won’t let Alwyn do anything rash.”

  “We won’t,” Rourke said, stepping up beside us with a grave look in his eye. “I’ve known Alwyn for years. Even if it pisses her off, she’ll at least listen to me on this. We’ll make sure nothing happens to Shai while you and the others catch up.”

  I furrowed my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

  Rourke and Liam exchanged a glance. “There’s no telling what will happen when twilight comes. Shai will likely change into a beast, and it’ll be impossible to control her then. We need to get her somewhere safe before dark. As it is, we’d have to ride flat out to get back in time. If we go back at the same pace we came, we won’t be able to make it.”

  I puffed up my chest and narrowed my eyes. “Then, we’ll all ride flat out to get back. You can’t just leave us behind like that.”

  “Bree won’t be able to keep up,” Rourke said in a low voice. “She’s not experienced on a horse. She doesn’t have the same stamina we do. Even though she still has the beast’s blood running through her veins, she’s human. I assumed you wouldn’t want to make her ride back by herself, and I don’t want the two of you out here alone without extra weapons just in case you run into some Wilde Fae. Kael and Finn will keep you company.”

  And that was that. I didn’t have much of an argument against it.

  Kael, Liam, and I sat up beside the fire while Bree caught up on sleep. Rourke had been right. She was mentally and physically exhausted. She’d barely been able to make it halfway back to the Academy, let alone all the way. Shai’s fate and the death of the four Redcaps inside the hut—who she’d known, after all—weighed heavy on her mind and on her heart.

  “Look on the bright side,” Finn said, warming his hands against the crackling fire. “You solved the mystery. Alwyn will give you the final nail in the coffin for your step-father. Your human mother will be free.”

  I blew out a heavy sigh and dropped my head in my hands. If only he was right.

  “I don’t think I solved any mystery at all, Finn. As far as I can tell, Shai had nothing to do with Boyd’s death. Those kills were purposeful and targeted. The Redcaps in that hut? Well, you saw…”

  It had been messy, to say the least. And it didn’t look planned. There were no notes. Their throats hadn’t been ripped out. Nothing about the crimes was similar at all.

  “Alwyn might not see it that way,” Kael said as he sharpened his blade against a large stone. “She wants someone to be guilty, and she’d happily force Shai to fit whatever mold she has in mind.”

  “Not on my watch.” With that, I stood and strode away from the warmth of the fire. Right now, I needed some time away from thoughts of Shai and Redcaps and murdered instructors. Something about it all didn’t feel right to me. It was as if a small worm had wiggled its way into my neck, squirming there until I figured out where it was. There was something off. Something I couldn’t yet see. And the more we talked about it, the less clear it seemed.

  I stopped my pacing when I realized that I’d strode deep into the forest. Through the thick branches, I could still see our fire flickering away, casting a luminous orange glow against Kael’s face.

  Kael’s face and only Kael’s. He was alone.

  “You look like you need some cheering up.” Finn stepped out from the shadows, crossed his arms, and leaned against the nearest tree. His usual sparkle was gone from his eyes, and he didn’t even smile. Instead, he regarded me carefully, like I was a wild animal that might bolt if he made the wrong move.

  “I’ve got a lot on my mind,” I simply replied.

  “Indeed.” He jerked his chin toward where Bree slept fitfully on the rough ground. “It’s something I’ve always liked about you since the moment I first laid eyes on your sweet face. You always try to do the right thing, even if the right thing is obscured behind a layer of thick clouds.”

  A moment passed before I answered. “Don’t we all try to do the right thing?”

  He let out a low chuckle. “No, Norah. We don’t. Some are powered by greed. Some are powered by pure selfishness. And others are powered by the desire to do anything for the ones they love. The ones who are more helpless than they are. I’d say you fall into the latter category, which makes things difficult for you sometimes. What do you do when the thing that might save one loved one will hurt another? You can help Bree. Or you can help your mother.”

  “And you?” I asked as my heart began to hammer in my chest. “What drives you?”

  “Some might say that I’m driven by nothing more than my pure enjoyment and entertainment. Some might say I’m driven by what feels best in the current moment.” He shifted closer, bringing with him the sweet scent of spring.

  I swallowed hard, dropping my gaze to where his hand hovered less than an inch from my waist. “And is that true? Are you driven only by what you think will feel good?”

  A long, silent moment passed between us before a wicked smile lit his lips. “That’s certainly one thing that drives me, yes. But it’s not the only thing, Norah. Surely you of all people can see that in me.”

  My heart pounded hard. In reality, nothing about his words should get me flustered. We were just having a conversation, chatting about nothing that had to do with the tension I felt bouncing between us. But Finn, as always, had chosen his words carefully, putting enough suggestive tension in them to make my cheeks flame. He knew exactly how to get under my skin, and he relished in it.

  “Maybe I’m driven by that, too,” I whispered as I dug my fingers into the bark of the nearest tree. With a deep breath, I shifted just a whisper closer to him. “Maybe I like to imagine how it would be to give in to what I think feels good, too.”

  “Is that so?” He took a step closer and trailed a hot finger down my cheek. I shuddered against his touch, sparks lighting up every inch of me that was left yearning for more of his caress. “If that is truly the case, then perhaps we should find out just how much you like to feel pleasure.”

  Oh my god. Had he really just said those words aloud?

  “The kind of pleasure that would cause flowers to bloom all around us, even if we’re in the middle of Autumn?”

  The words popped from my mouth before I could stop them. And Finn was relishing in it.

  He dropped back his head to laugh. “I see my words made an impression on you all those months ago. Tell me, Norah. Have you been wondering what that might be like? Have you been wishing you could experience it yourself? It’s quite the event. Or so I’m told.”

  My eyebrows shot to the top of my forehead. “Or so you’re told? So, you haven’t experienced it. You did make it up. All this time, I thought it sounded crazy, but I just kept thinking…I can’t believe I was so gullible.”

  Disappointment shuddered through me, even though that was ridiculous. I’d really wanted Finn’s joke to be the truth. I’d really wanted to spread out on the grass with a male I loved, to feel his lips on mine, for the flowers to sprout all around us as we showed each other exactly how much we cared.

  “I did
n’t make it up,” he simply said with a wink. “It’s the truth. All I said was that I’d never experienced it myself. There are certain acts you have to engage in for it to happen, you know.”

  “Wait…” Realization dawned in my head. “So, you’ve never…?”

  “No,” he said with a slight smile. “I’ve waited for the right female. I’ve waited for the right time. Which is why, as much as it pains me to say, I won’t be pushing you down on the grass and taking you as mine right here and now. Not when there’s so much pain in your eyes. Not when your thoughts are weighing so heavy on your mind. I won’t be an escape from your problems, Norah. But, trust me, I count down the days to when I can truly call you mine.”

  Chapter Seven

  At dawn, we climbed onto our horses and made the final leg of the journey back to the academy grounds. Bree rode behind me, her brilliant blue eyes turned down in sadness. Even her shoulders, usually swept back in a show of defiance at the world, were slumped forward. Otherworld hadn’t been kind to Sophia, and it hadn’t been kind to Bree either. And yet, she hadn’t once said she wanted to leave…

  I dropped back to ride beside her, letting Finn and Kael go ahead down the path, putting some distance between us. Bree and I needed to talk, but I didn’t want to put her on the spot in front of the others. Plus, she needed me right now. I’d never seen her look so forlorn, not even when she’d been days away from fully transforming into a beast of the night.

  “Bree,” I said quietly, almost too softly for her to hear over the thud of hooves on the dirt-packed ground. “Can I ask you something? You can say no, of course. If you don’t want to talk right now, I understand.”

  “Go ahead,” she said with a strained smile. “You know you can always ask me anything. No matter what, I never want to keep any secrets from you.”

  A light wind rustled my hair as I tried to find the right way to phrase my question. In the end, I decided straight and to-the-point best approach. “When you took the cure, did you really want it to work? Were you…I don’t know, almost wishing it wouldn’t take hold?”