“Yes, it would be.” And maybe this time we’d be actual friends, not frenemies.
Chapter 11
Dinner with Peony involved us sitting on a bench outside, in a heavily shaded area that blocked most of the evening sun, though we were still surrounded by tall stockades. Our bench was up against the building. The training yard spread out below us, decked out with targets, sandbags, and half the fae waiting their turn at the shooting range while the other half fought with wooden swords. Apparently, everyone had dinner at different times.
Fae were fast and durable, and as Kristen fought across the yard, nailing target after target, I began to hope she might survive a battle. Then she moved on to stab her partner with her fake, wooden sword before knocking him down to the grass.
Blythe nodded at me approvingly when she spotted Peony and me sitting out here and watching. She wanted the warriors to get used to me hanging around so that I could control them and keep their minds in the right place. Despite her ethereal vibe, I had to watch myself around her.
I wondered if she’d be giving daily report updates on my progress to Nathan. I hadn’t seen him anywhere all day and wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
As we ate, Peony caught me up on her time in Nocturnal Reformatory, the dungeon below Nocturnal Academy, and told me about how she and Caleb had freed the fae trapped within its walls. It was an amazing story and I couldn’t stop listening.
“I even worked with Onyx.” Peony chuckled and shook her head, looking amused at the fact that she had allied with her former nemesis.
I, on the other hand, didn’t find anything amusing about the situation. “Onyx was there?” I kept my voice hushed even though no one was nearby.
Peony nodded. “We had a common enemy.” She fell silent, then added. “It must be hard to run the Winter Court now that her father has vanished together with Petra to the wastelands. King Olwen was trying to banish the Summer princess, but ended up being dragged through the portal with her.”
“So Onyx helped to create this public relations nightmare for King Peter.” I squinted. Onyx had always been a rebel, and while that meant good things sometimes, it also meant she left chaos in her wake. A shudder ran down my spine. If this information got out, King Peter would be furious that Caleb and Peony had allied themselves with the princess of the Winter Court. “Where is Onyx now?”
“I haven’t heard from her. We’re never going to be on friendly terms. Just neutral ones.” Peony shrugged and took a sip from her water glass.
I glanced down at my hands. Peony had really changed. “I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier at the palace.”
Peony smiled. “I deserved it. I used to be a bitch.” She hesitated, then asked, “Do you think we could start over?”
I nodded. “I do. I like this new stranger.”
A grin split across her face, and she went in for a hug. I hugged her back. When she leaned back, a mischievous gleam had entered her hazel eyes. “You grilled me about Caleb. Now, it’s my turn. What’s going on with you and Nathan?”
Heat rushed into my cheeks, and I sighed. “He sees me as a student and mansplains everything to me.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know any differently? He’s a leader and is expected to mansplain things to everybody. But you need to lay down the law with him. If the two of you are going to date, even if it’s fake, you have to nip bad behavior in the bud.” Peony made a pinching motion with her fingers. “He needs to understand that he’s not in a war and you’re not going to follow his orders. That you’re equals.”
“Easier said than done, especially since the mighty commander will be the one to teach me telepathy.” I twirled the silver bracelet on my wrist, just one of the many pieces of jewelry that I had found in a wooden box in my bedroom. Despite my irritation, curiosity burned, and I sensed my chance to get some answers. “What do you know about Nathan?”
“Not much. He’s only twenty-four, but has already fought in border skirmishes with the Winter fae. He doesn’t like to talk about his personal life. He only seems close to his sister Nerissa.”
“I see.” It wasn’t much, but at least now I knew he wasn’t much older than me.” The next time he tried to pat me on the head, I’d make sure to bring that up.
As the week went on, so did our classes, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to Nathan or find out why he had become the High Commander at such a young age. Surely there were older, wiser members of his family line who could’ve taken that role. Something was off. As Blythe taught History, I learned that King Peter was hundreds of years old, and that Petra had been three hundred at the time of her disappearance. Nathan was a newborn compared to them.
But I didn’t have much time to think about it. Not only was Nathan absent from the Vasara Center much of the time and unable to teach me Telepathy, but Blythe kept me busy, too. In Developing Intuition, Blythe slowly but surely expanded my role in keeping the class under control, especially when they got bored with her childish lessons. By Wednesday, she extended my role into History, having me command the class to pay attention whenever attention waned. The lesson that day was about the exploits of King Peter. Blythe lectured about how King Peter had brought a period of great prosperity to the Summer lands by claiming a river in the Border lands and making a deal with some traveling Elemental fae to divert the river so that it eventually ran through his castle and then through the Summer lands.
“As the Crystal River flows through King Peter’s castle, it is charged with the magic of fertility,” Blythe said. She eyed me as she spoke, since the class was once again nodding off. “We must remember this great service to the Summer lands.”
“Don’t you agree?” I asked the class casually, as I had been instructed. The familiar pressure spread across my forehead, and I was rewarded with nods and alert faces.
Blythe had me take control slowly so that the other students didn’t realize what was happening. I tried not to look at Peony and Kristen whenever I used my mind control, as it felt wrong. Since I didn’t dare to bring up my misgivings to Blythe or even Nerissa, I had to talk Nathan again.
It was Thursday when I found an invitation in my room after classes to join Nathan for dinner. He hadn’t picked a romantic setting, but his office, for which I was grateful as it meant the media wouldn’t be snapping photos of us.
Nathan’s office didn’t have many personal touches that could give me a better idea about who the man was behind the High Commander.
Nathan motioned at my plate of kale pomegranate salad with feta cheese. “Please, eat.” We both dug in. Nathan ate his meal efficiently, not making a mess while I had nearly shot a pomegranate seed across the room. After only a few bites, he put his fork down. “Let’s get started with Telepathy. I’m going to think of something simple like a shape and you’re going to guess it.”
I chewed and swallowed the bite of salad that felt like it was lodged in my throat. Then I sat up straight and studied Nathan, waiting. Telepathy could be my chance to learn more about him.
“Okay, what shape am I holding in my mind, Virgie?” Nathan rested his elbows on his desk and folded his hands.
I closed my eyes, trying to penetrate his invisible, magical armor that prevented me from using any mentalist influence on him. I strained. “I’m not getting anything. Can’t you send the messages clearer or louder?”
“I am. I am sending you my mental image as clearly as I can.” Nathan finished his salad with a sigh, making me feel like a child who wasn’t trying hard enough. “It is imperative that you master this, Virgie.”
“Maybe I would actually hear your thoughts if you treated me like an equal and not a little girl.” I swallowed, hating that I had just admitted how much his behavior hurt me. Crossing my arms, I finished with, “You’re blocking my ability.”
A few emotions raced across Nathan’s face, and then his mouth worked like he wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m sorry, Virgie,” he finally began. “I have been commanding fae for a decade. I do not consi
der you a young girl.”
His words caught me off guard. I had expected resistance and an insistence that this was the way it had to be. Not an admission of weakness.
“Perhaps I should sharpen my social skills.” Nathan glanced off into the distance, and the rest of my hard anger softened.
Nathan had been a High Commander since he was barely old enough for high school. What kind of messed up past did he have? What sort of bizarre system did King Peter have for his closest members of the court? “Thanks. I appreciate it.” Feeling like opening up since he had, I added. “It’s all a lot of pressure, especially with the media.”
Nathan gave me such a sad look that I yearned to cross to his side and give him a hug. “I’m sorry, Virgie. This all must be a lot.” He stopped abruptly. “I’ll work on my delivery so that we can make better progress.”
“Just imagine you’re not my teacher but a friend.”
“A friend,” he said the word slowly as if he wasn’t sure what it meant. Certainly, he had friends here. He sure seemed very popular. But being revered and having someone you could fully trust were two different things. I knew that all too well.
Nathan glanced at the wooden clock on the wall. “I don’t want to keep you too long. Tomorrow is the Harvest Ball. And if we appear tired, the media will speculate that we’re in over our heads or worse, they’ll start rumors that we’ve caught an illness. If it’s all right with you, let’s return to telepathy another day.”
I nodded, appreciating the effort he was already making, not to decide for me. “That sounds good. Good night, Nathan.” I rose from my chair, not waiting for him to offer to walk me to my room. The chivalry would only be for the press. In private, I wanted Nathan to learn to treat me like a fae who stood on her own two feet, not a female that needed his protection.
Pierre and Amanda descended on me before the Harvest Ball, grilling me on political answers and dressing me in a pink and white gown with a large skirt and sparkling, rose-colored slippers that looked like they belonged in a fairy tale. My eyelashes were done to fit in a fashion magazine, and fairy dust glitter highlighted my cheekbones. Romance was still very much the vibe.
The Pegasi-drawn carriage awaited me just beyond the open gates. But this time, it wasn’t Amanda I’d be flying with. Dressed in a green and gold suit that highlighted his muscular and tall frame, Nathan opened the carriage door for me. “Ready?”
“Yes.” Even though I was nervous about social protocol, I was excited to be back in the air and see more of the Summer Castle. Nathan slid into the carriage himself, his thigh touching mine, and sending tingles of heat through me.
“Take us to the Summer Palace,” he told the Pegasi who obliged. We took off, and the Summer lands grew smaller and smaller below. The sun was setting behind the cliffs and the waterfalls that surrounded the palace cast a pinkish light on everything as we descended, creating an ethereal look. All my frustrations and bad feelings from the past week dissipated. How had I gotten so lucky? Only weeks ago, I had been in a dark world surrounded by black stone and shutters that kept the sun out. Now, I had landed in a paradise where magical trees and Pegasi were my mode of transportation and where I was free to focus on my mental abilities rather than my body.
“I didn’t forget the full castle tour I promised you,” Nathan said as the Pegasi pulled to a stop. He had stayed silent during our journey, allowing me to take in the landscape and get lost in my thoughts. “We’ll do that as soon as we’re able to escape the media.”
“I appreciate that, but do you really think they’ll let us slip away?”
“We’ll see. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.” Nathan winked at me, and I chuckled. I liked this playful side of him, and I appreciated that he was trying. From what I understood, this was the first time he had to treat someone as an equal except for possibly Nerissa. In his role as the High Commander, he either gave orders or received them. From what I had gleaned so far, his position didn’t leave much room or time for friends and family.
We landed in the center courtyard beside the Crystal River. Nathan opened the carriage and held out his hand for me. The courtyard was packed with fae on both sides of the water. They parted for us as we slowly walked down the main courtyard. There were so many fae here tonight for the ball, it felt like the whole kingdom had come, which was probably true. In between the nobles with the golden and white wings, there were plant fae with pale green wings, as well as lower level fae and lots of guards with bronze and brown wings. Laughter and chatter filled the shifting air. Light flashed as the reporters took our photos and a few cheers sounded. Hope rose in my chest. Maybe I had said all the right things, and the media would portray me kindly.
Nathan linked his hand with mine and waved. I waved too, searching for Caleb and Peony in the crowd. They had been invited to the ball as well, though Kristen and the other Vasara students hadn’t been. The public wasn’t ready for them according to Amanda.
“Brother!” Nerissa appeared from the crowd, glowing and smiling, and wrapped one arm around Nathan to the flashes of more magic. They hugged, with the High Commander patting her on the back, and his face softening. This wasn’t just for the cameras. They both seemed to hold a lot of affection and respect for each other.
A fae servant with a tray that held goblets of a sweet-smelling, magenta-colored liquid floated up to us. We each took one, and I wished the servant would stay, blocking us from the reporters and allowing us this bubble of breathable air. But, of course, that was impossible. Instead, we pressed forward, with Nerissa introducing me to the court. There were so many names and faces, it was impossible to remember them all. Thankfully, the questions of the court were much easier. Most simply asked me whether I enjoyed the Summer Court. It was easy to tell them what they wanted to hear given the beautiful golden leaf decorations everywhere, and the mass of happy fae dancing.
I sipped my elixir, enjoying the pomegranate taste. It was alcohol free as all drinks had been so far at the Summer Court. Given how disgusted the media and King Peter had been with my father for becoming a drunk, I got the impression that the Summer Court was not too keen on any type of mind-altering substances from the human world.
When our goblets were empty, and Nerissa was satisfied with all the people she had introduced me to, Nathan pulled me toward the dancing fae.
“We need to give the media at least one dance before we can leave the courtyard.”
I chuckled. “You sure know how to ask a girl if she wants to dance.” Seeing the regret on his face, I quickly added, “I was joking.”
He sighed. “No, you’re right. This doesn’t come natural to me.”
What did apparently come natural to him was the slow waltz, or maybe he had a lot of practice. Since I’d been taught all the ballroom dances when living with the vampires, I too felt confident and was able to relax and even admire the gowns of the fae who twirled past me. Jewels, silk, and gossamer flowed everywhere. So much money concentrated in such a small place. It was intoxicating, yet it also felt wrong and underscored my outsider status.
When the harpist struck the last chord, Nathan breathed into my ear, “Ready to fly?”
Chapter 12
Before I could reply, Nathan’s grip around my waist and hand tightened, and his golden wings spread wide, working, shifting the air. The ground vanished below, and I gasped. Others stopped speaking and gasped as well as we rose. I grasped Nathan’s suit as he fluttered us over the Crystal River that cut the main courtyard in two. More magic flashed behind us as we left the hungry media behind. The sense of weightlessness made me dizzy. We landed on our feet in a new crowd of fae who parted and stared at the spectacle. Nathan offered them a professional nod and waved as the media on the other side of the river scrambled, trying to find a way around, feet thudding against the cobblestone.
“We can fly?” I asked, and immediately felt silly. Why had it never occurred to me to use my wings? Probably because I had been neck-deep in my mentalist studies.
“We sure can.” Nathan’s face contorted as if he remembered something painful.
“What is it?”
“The king wanted you to focus on your mentalist abilities so that’s why no one has taught you how to fly.”
“I see.” Was that the king’s greediness driving him or did he not want fae who were both physically and mentally strong unless he could be a hundred percent sure of their loyalty? I had a bad feeling it was the latter.
“We must hurry up if you want to see the castle. Official business starts soon.” Nathan landed us in an inner courtyard.
I glanced around nervously. “Will the media follow us?”
Nathan shook his head. “Flying is considered a bit rude at events such as this, and the media will not risk incurring King Peter’s wrath.”
“Isn’t it bad that we flew?” Why had Nathan broken the rules for me? He didn’t seem like the type.
“Since the royal family hasn’t arrived yet, it’s fine. Plus, I couldn’t go back on my promise. That wouldn’t be right.”
I giggled. “Aren’t you worried about what the media will write tomorrow, or do you not care?”
Nathan’s face snapped back into an impenetrable mask. “They will not touch the High Commander. I am too close to the royal family.”
“There’s a rebel in you,” I said playfully as he led me through the small crowd and toward an archway near the back of the courtyard. My breath hitched. We were about to make a break for it, which was exciting, but— “What about me? What if the media say we snuck off to, you know…” I didn’t say the word sex or jump into bed. That would’ve been fine in the vampire world, but the fae were much less direct. “We all know the woman always gets the blame.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened. “It will be a ridiculous and disgusting accusation, especially with the ball happening throughout the palace and fae being everywhere. Also, I’m not known to frolic with lovers.”
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