She widened her eyes, and her hands tightened around her reins. “Of course I wanted the cure to work. I didn’t want to become a Redcap, Norah. As much as I care for the others I met when I was roaming the countryside, I never once wanted to become an out-of-control beast who hunted and killed.” A pause. “Come on. You know me better than that.”
“That’s not what I meant...I know you didn’t want to become a beast, but I get the feeling that you didn’t want to return home either. I’m just wondering if there was a part of you that wished you didn’t have to be human again. That’s all.”
She turned away at that, facing forward to stare at the rolling countryside before us. “Put yourself in my place, Norah. You’re my best friend. I love you more than I can ever possibly explain. I’d go to the moon and back for you, and I know you’d do the same for me. Hell, you practically did. But…you’ve always been the special one. The beautiful one. You’re tall and lithe with your blonde hair and big green eyes. So talented. So smart. And then there’s me. I’ve always been the shadow behind your wings. My life back in New York was bland and boring, and I just wanted out of there. I wanted to see different places. See a different sky. When I came here, it was just everything. Coming to Otherworld was the adventure I’d always dreamed of, but I didn’t belong here. Not really. So, you’re right. I didn’t want to be a beast, but I didn’t want to be cured and go back to what I was either. I wanted to be Bree, but more than Bree. I wanted to be fae.”
I blinked at her, shock and sadness pouring through me. I’d never had any idea she felt like this. I’d never imagined that she could feel as if she hid in my shadows. In fact, I’d always felt like it was the other way around. She was the fierce one, the beautiful one. I was the one who never fit in.
“Bree,” I said softly. “Please don’t feel this way. Why haven’t you ever said all this to me?”
She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “Because I didn’t want you to feel like you had to dampen your glow just so I could shine.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I shook my head. “But you do shine. Brighter than anyone I’ve ever known. You think you were second best? So did I. You were Carrie Bradshaw or Rachel Green, and then I was the awkward girl in the corner who wasn’t even part of the main cast.”
Bree laughed at that, and that twinkle in her eye popped back for just a moment. “Okay, so we’re both self-conscious idiots. I guess I just wanted my adventure, Norah. I wanted to feel special and like the world was alive. That’s not what I got though.” She sighed, and that spark died out. “Instead, I just keep running into death. Autumn fae tried to use me. The Redcaps who helped me have either turned into murderous beasts or they’ve ended up dead themselves.”
I shot her a sad smile. “I’m so sorry, Bree.”
“It’s not your fault.” But it was. “On the plus side, I’m getting some sexy pointed ears like you have now.”
She brushed her long dark hair behind her dainty shoulder and pointed at the narrowing tip of her ear. Indeed, the edges had sharpened, just like mine had. How very, very strange. Bree had said that she’d wished to be fae. Had the Winter Starlight somehow heard her plea? Could it grant wishes? There was still so much about this world I didn’t understand. And there was still so much I needed to learn before I could truly help the courts.
“They look fabulous on you.” I grinned. “And if that isn’t a sign you belong in Otherworld, then I don’t know what is.”
My words were meant to make her feel better, but that strange haunted look filled her eyes again.
Back at the Academy, Alwyn was waiting for us on the front steps just outside of the double doors that led into the lobby where we’d discovered Boyd’s body. The ever-present patrol of guards must have spotted us heading down the pathway on the hillside, and they had alerted her of our arrival. A part of me kind of wished they hadn’t. I wasn’t quite sure how to handle her yet. I knew what she’d want to do: execute the killer.
Alwyn shot Bree a weighted glance, pressing her lips together, before she turned to me.
“Norah, I am glad to see you have returned to us safely. Liam tells me that you were the one who found the Redcap girl, hiding in some godforsaken hut by the Moire River. Thank you for that, and thank you for agreeing to bring her here, even though I know you wanted to avoid that outcome at all costs. Because of that, I will be giving you the gift I promised.”
“Wait a minute, Alwyn,” I said, wincing. If I were a different kind of person—a different kind of fae—I’d let Alwyn plunge headfirst into what she was about to say. I’d greedily take that information and use it before she could realize her mistake. But I wasn’t that kind of person, as irritating as that might feel sometimes. “Shai is not the Redcap you’ve been looking for.”
Irritation flickered across her sharp features. “What are you talking about? I have already spoken to Liam and Rourke. They informed me that the girl confessed to murder. Granted, I haven’t been able to confirm this myself since she is still unconscious at this time. But I trust Rourke. He is not the kind of fae to weave a lie of that magnitude.”
“You’re right. It’s not a lie,” I said. “Shai confessed, but it was for a different crime. Didn’t Rourke tell you about the four dead Redcaps we found with her?”
Alwyn pursed her lips. “I’m not certain I see your point. She had blood on her hands and on her clothes. She’d clearly killed four of her companions. When you arrived at the hut, she started to confess. Since she’d clearly just thrown a body at you several hours before, she would have known who you were and why you came to question her. She was giving you the confession she knew you came to hear.”
“Look, Alwyn,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady and calm. Sometimes, our Head Instructor really knew how to get under my skin. She often seemed more like a Summer than an Autumn, because she was stubborn as hell. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but you have to admit there’s a chance this girl did not kill Boyd. Even you’re smarter than to jump to that kind of conclusion.”
She flinched, as if I’d slapped her.
Okay, so maybe that had been the wrong choice of words.
Grimacing, I tried to find another way of getting my point across. “What I mean is, don’t you think we should wait until she wakes up? Ask her what she meant by her confession? See what murder she was really admitting to?”
Alwyn’s gaze went razor sharp. “You are siding with a beastly changeling who has openly admitted to murdering at least four souls. I find many things you do baffling, Norah, but this really tops them all. This girl has clearly lost control of her beast.” A pause. “But don’t you worry, Norah. As much as I wish she could be punished, she’s lucky enough to be one of the chosen few. She will need to be confined behind bars until she reaches the Summer Solstice of her eighteenth birthday. For her safety and ours. And then she’ll be sent into the human realm along with the rest.”
I barked out a harsh laugh. “You call that lucky? So, basically, you’re going to keep her locked up in a cage for two years and then throw her back in with the humans, fully beast-like and ready to kill? Don’t you see how wrong this is?”
“Wrong or not, it’s the way of our world.” Her eyes narrowed. “The way of your world. It’s at times like these that I’m reminded that you might be Marin’s daughter, but that you’re not truly one of us. I thought you’d make a good Queen, but I was wrong, even if you are the rightful heir.”
I flinched and took a step back.
“Why look so hurt? Why look so shocked?” She laughed and stepped in so close that I could see every speck of gold in her eyes. “You don’t even want to be Queen. If you did, you wouldn’t be hiding here in an Academy meant for changelings.”
“Alwyn,” Kael said in a low growl. “I think that’s enough.”
Her glittering eyes flicked to the Winter prince behind me. “Right. Because Norah is happy enough to take her harem, but she won’t take the responsibilities that come with it.”
&
nbsp; “How are you doing?” I asked when I found Sophia in the living quarters that we shared. She was perched on a chair, a book spread open in her lap. Glancing up, she gave me a smile, one that almost looked relieved.
“Thank the forest you’re back,” she said in a whisper, eyes shining with unshed tears. “The last time you went off on a mission, all hell broke loose.”
“Tell me about it.” I eased into the chair next to hers and propped my tired feet onto the matching stool. Sighing, I sunk into the cushions and let my eyelids flutter shut. “Though a part of me kind of wishes this trip had been more like my other missions. At least then I wouldn’t have let down my oldest friend, and maybe I wouldn’t have pissed off Alwyn, though there’s no telling on that one. She’s easy to set off. Anyway. I don’t want to talk about me. How are you? I can’t imagine how you must feel right now.”
“Well.” She shut her book with a snap. “I feel a lot better knowing that you tracked down Boyd’s killer. It’s closure, you know? So, thank you for that.”
My breath stilled in my throat. How could I tell her what I thought about Shai, especially after she’d just said that? Sophia had comfort in the knowledge that Boyd’s killer was locked behind bars, bars she’d never escape from until the Summer Solstice Tithe claimed her as its next victim. But her comfort was not the truth, and I was done hiding things from my roommate.
“There are some doubts about her involvement. I think Alwyn wants to talk with her one-on-one when she finally wakes up.” A pause. “She was only conscious for a few seconds when I found her. We can’t be certain she killed Boyd.”
There. That came out well enough.
But Sophia’s face clouded over all the same. “What do you mean? Rumors are going around that she admitted to the murders.”
“She admitted to murder, but she didn’t specify who.”
“Oh.” Her face brightened once again. “That sounds like she’s the killer to me. Who else could it be?”
“All evidence certainly points that way.” My voice was dripping with doubt, but Sophia didn’t appear to notice. She wanted Shai to be the killer, and I couldn’t blame her. It would mean all of this was over, something I could tell she desperately needed.
“What will they do with her when she wakes up and confirms she’s guilty?” Sophia asked. “I don’t know how that kind of thing works here. Will there be a trial? Will she get some jail time? I know she’s in the dungeons now, but will they keep her there or send her somewhere else?”
“Do you know what? I honestly don’t know how they handle trials and imprisonment here in Otherworld. Maybe it’s worth asking Alwyn about that next time you see her.” For a moment, I’d almost said your instructor before I caught myself. Because Sophia didn’t have an instructor anymore, much less a mate, as much as I knew she yearned to meet her match.
And maybe she had. Maybe, in Boyd, she had met the one fae she was truly fated to find. And now, she would never have the chance to walk down the aisle and celebrate their love under a glowing faerie moon. She’d never wake up by his side or curl up against his chest. My heart hurt just thinking about it.
Nothing about his death felt logical, and it certainly didn’t feel right.
Maybe I really had found his killer. Perhaps Shai had gotten angry at the Hunters who had been tracking her down. Maybe she’d lost control, and she’d simply lashed out. Maybe, just maybe, things could go back to normal now.
Even though Otherworld was never normal.
Chapter Eight
My sleep was disturbed by vicious dreams. I was standing in the middle of a bloody field, torn green-and-black flags rippling in a harsh wintry breeze. Snow poured down from the hazy sky, clinging to my hair and my black cloak. All around me, bodies littered the ground. They wore cloaks in every shade, from red to black to green to gold. A sword was in my hand, one I’d never seen before, and daggers were strapped to my sides. In the distance, a horn sounded and four riders strode into view.
My heart beat hard. Even though I couldn’t see them through the haze of the falling snow, something about the way they sat there in the darkness made everything inside me yearn to scream and run. Their vague figures were menacing. Their bodies rippled with visible violence. There was something wrong about them.
They felt like chaos.
I opened my mouth and screamed.
I woke up in my bed at the Academy, kicking and flailing and tossing the heavy covers to the floor. My entire body was drenched in sweat, and my hands were trembling from the force of my own dream. Heart rattling, I pulled my knees to my chest and took in deep breaths through my nose.
One. Two.
I closed my eyes.
Three. Four.
The door cracked open, but I didn’t look up.
Five.
I’d had this feeling before, usually when my step-father got angry. Fear and panic.
Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
My frantic breathing steadied, and my heartbeat began to slow. The bed creaked as someone eased onto the mattress. Soft arms encircled my neck and Sophia pulled me close.
“You alright?” she whispered against my hair. “I heard you screaming.”
“I’m sorry I woke you,” I said, my voice shaky. “I’m okay. I just had a bad dream.”
“Sounds less like a dream and more like a nightmare.”
I shook the images out of my head. Blood everywhere. So many bodies. And that chaos…it felt as though it had creeped into my bones. “It was so strange, Sophia. It was the most realistic dream I’d ever had. I honestly felt like I could smell them.”
“Them?”
“Yeah, there were these four riders. I’ve never seen them before in my life, but I recognized them in the dream. They’d killed everyone, and they were coming for me next. I wish I could describe what they looked like, but it’s all starting to drift away from me now.” I shook my head and laughed at myself. “Obviously, I had way too much to eat before bed, and the food made my brain wacky.”
“I’ve had those kinds of dreams before,” Sophia said quietly. “I know it sounds insane, but I swear I had a nightmare right before Boyd’s death. I dreamt I was in the forest, and a Redcap was coming straight for me. I woke up just before it sliced its claw across my throat.” She shuddered. “Across my throat, Norah. It was like my subconscious somehow knew what was going to happen. Can you believe that? If I’d just realized what it meant, maybe I could have done something to warn him...”
I lifted my head and met her gaze. “Don’t say that. You can’t blame yourself for what happened to him. The only person at fault is the person who did it. Not you. The dream was just a coincidence.”
But was Sophia right? Was my chaos-filled nightmare some sort of strange warning? Was the magic of this world trying to tell me something? And, if so, what did it mean? Who was in danger? And could I warn them?
I hoped I never had to find out.
The next morning, I met my instructors in the library as per usual. After our little trip, I hadn’t received word that our schedule would change, so I’d showered and brushed my hair and tried to make myself as presentable as I could. Luckily, they were all there.
I strode over to the usual table and dropped into the chair next to Finn. My face flushed just seeing him. I hadn’t been able to get his seductive words out of my head, regardless of the nightmare that had plagued me, repeatedly, for the rest of the night.
Liam braced his hands on the table and peered into my eyes. “You look exhausted. Is everything okay? Do I need to heal you?”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Can you heal someone of sleep deprivation?”
He quirked his lips. “Not likely, but I can certainly try if you’re interested.”
With a wink, he slid his hand closer to where I tapped the table in a frantic beat. My finger slowed and then stopped when his skin brushed against mine. Everything else in the world dropped away. Even though my pinky barely touched his hand, Liam drove me a wild. Everything
about him burst forth that burning passion in my gut.
“Liam.” Kael’s voice held a warning. “I thought we all made an agreement not to…”
He trailed off when I pulled back my hand and turned my gaze his way. I frowned. What was he talking about?
I tapped my finger on the table again. “What agreement? I don’t remember coming to some sort of agreement.”
Kael cleared his throat. “You know. Alwyn. The rules…”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Finn leaned back his chair, kicked his feet up onto the table, and then gave me a sheepish grin. “The four of us may have agreed that we wouldn’t touch you until your training is over. None of us. We thought it would be the best for us to get through this time at the Academy without any issues from Alwyn or the other students. The Academy has the resources we need. If Alwyn sends us all away, it could really limit our ability to get you to the—”
I narrowed my eyes. “So, that’s why you didn’t want to take things further last night. It wasn’t because you thought it was the wrong time. It was because you made some dumb agreement with the others not to touch me.”
Liam shoved back his chair and stood. “Finn. What is she talking about? What happened last night?”
Kael’s glittering eyes flicked from Finn to me and back to Finn again. When he finally spoke, his voice was as cold as ice. “Yes, what did happen last night, Finn? When you followed Norah, you said you were going to calm her down. You didn’t mention that you were going to do it with your lips.”
Rourke just sat there quietly, watching the exchange with narrowed eyes.
Finn chuckled. “This is getting blown out of proportion. Norah and I had a talk. Nothing more.”
“Yeah, because of your dumb agreement,” I mumbled.
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