“If there is, Magnus wouldn’t be able to help us,” Liam said in a gruff voice. “Besides, that’s not what’s important right now. We didn’t come back here to return to teaching. We came back to warn you about what’s coming. The Spring Court plans to launch an attack on the Winter fae. Now, the Summer Hunters have gone north, hoping to rile up the Winters about it all.”
Alwyn pursed her lips and sat back in her chair. “It was only a matter of time. After what the Autumns did, I knew it wouldn’t take long for another Court to take a shot. They’re all going to vie for the crown. Marin’s crown.”
“Rourke and I plan to take Finn—and Kael if he’s willing—to discuss peace with the Spring fae. If we don’t do something to try and stop this war, I worry what will happy to these lands.”
Alwyn pursed her lips and nodded. “If the Spring advance and the Winter advance, they will end up fighting here. In the free territory.”
“The Academy could get caught in the crosshairs.”
Alwyn braced her hands on her desk. “I’ll come with you. We’ll cancel classes and have second and third year instructors join the guard rotation. Liam, you go grab Finn. We’ll need him. Best bring Rourke as well. A Winter viewpoint might be the very thing they need to hear. Liam, you go tell the second and third year instructors what we’re planning. They can have an assembly with the students once we’ve left.”
That left me. The secret Greater Fae changeling who would only get in the way. I knew what Alwyn would say before she said it. I was to stay here, of course, while the real leaders went to take care of things. I’d cower and hide. If the fight came to us, I’d run. This was how I knew I could never be the rallying fae that Rourke and Liam imagined I could be. If not even those who new me best—like Alwyn—believed I had the strength to join them on a mission, then why would anyone want to stand united behind me?
They wouldn’t. This realm needed a Queen. Not a changeling who did nothing but hide in the safety of her Academy.
“Norah,” Alwyn finally said. “I need you to get the horses prepared. We’ll need six. You’re coming with us.”
“Well, if it isn’t my bride-to-be.” Finn’s lighthearted drawl drifted into the stables from where he lazily leaned against a wooden post. He gave me a grin, and then a salute. “I heard about what you did. I have to say I’m impressed, though not the slightest bit surprised.”
I blushed and smoothed down the horse’s mane I would be riding. “Did you miss me?”
“Oh yes. I missed you like I’d miss my own lungs.” He sauntered into the stable, propping one hand on the wall behind me. With a oomph, I twisted toward him, caught off guard by how close he was. Those sparkling green eyes peered into mine, searching for something I wasn’t sure he would find.
“You know, I never truly know when you’re exaggerating,” I said in almost a whisper.
He winked. “Good. Life isn’t fun unless you’re kept on your toes, right?”
I didn’t know why that made me blush, but it did.
“Are you going to come with us?” I asked in a vain attempt to steer the conversation away from my toes and his lungs and to distract myself from the fact his lips had somehow gotten so close that I could practically taste them.
His expression sobered, though just a little. “Of course. It isn’t like my Court to turn to violence as an option. I need to go and understand what’s going on. Not that I can guarantee they’ll listen to me. In fact, they probably won’t. But they might listen to Alwyn. They might listen to you.”
Again with all the misplaced faith. “I would think they’re much more likely to listen to one of their own than someone like me.”
“Someone like me? And what would someone like me be like, eh, Norah?” That wicked grin spread across his face again, and he leaned even closer. I stumbled back, my legs knocking against the trough we kept filled with water for all the horses. The collision caused my balance to falter, and I windmilled my arms to keep myself upright.
But it was no use. I fell backwards, water splashing all around me as my butt collapsed into the trough. Cold seeped into my skin; the smell of stale water filled my nose. I grunted and blinked up at Finn. He had tipped back his head, his booming laughter bouncing off the stable walls.
“Gee, thanks,” I muttered, shooting daggers with my eyes. “I’m glad you think my misfortune is so hilarious.”
“Oh, Norah.” He leaned down and held out a hand. “It’s not your misfortune I’m laughing about. It’s just that no matter how breathtaking you are, in so very many different ways, you will always be that girl who gets flustered when she sees me.”
When my eyes narrowed even more, his laughter boomed once again. That was it. Two could play at this game. I slipped my hand into his, and I yanked with all the strength in my bones.
Finn’s eyes went wide as he tumbled forward. He fell into the trough with a splash. New waves of water soared into my face, but I didn’t care. I was too busy laughing to even notice. Finn twisted to face me, danger and delight flashing in his sparkling green eyes.
“Oh, you’ve had it now, you naughty little thing.” He grabbed my wrists and twisted them behind my back, trapping them there while he pressed his slick body up against mine.
All the breath flew from my lungs. My heart thudded hard against my ribcage, and a strange sensation slithered through my gut. His breath was hot on my lips as he leaned in close. Rivulets of water streamed down his golden face. Every cell inside my body froze.
“Looks like I’ve got you now,” Finn murmured.
I swallowed hard. “You win.”
Finn climbed out of the trough and grabbed my waist. He lifted me out of the water, sliding his hands underneath my thighs and keeping me aloft from the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck, heart banging wildly in my chest. It was so fast and so loud that I swore he could have felt it through the wet clothes that clung to our skin.
His fingernails dug into my thighs, sparking a delicious heat within my core. Finn, I decided, was dangerously alluring. Much more so than I’d given him credit for. My body begged for his touch. I could barely think straight from the need I felt building up inside me.
His lips found my skin. First my slick neck and then my mouth. His tongue speared mine, his passionate kiss driving me wild with desire. Suddenly, my back hit the wall. Finn pressed me hard against the side of the stable, his hands eagerly digging into my hips. A moan escaped from my lips, and my back arched against the wall as I strained to be closer to his perfect body.
Suddenly, Finn froze and cocked his head. And then sighed. He backed away from the wall and set me carefully on the ground. My chest heaved as I stared at him, open-mouthed. He couldn’t be serious, could he? He’d turned me into a trembling mess, and now he was just going to plop me on my feet as if nothing had even happened?
I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but Alwyn breezed through the stable doors one second before I’d wrapped my head around what I wanted to say. She stopped when she saw the two of standing there, soaked to our skin in horse trough water. She arched her eyebrows, casting a glance over her shoulder at Rourke, Kael, and Liam. And then they all stopped and stared, causing a heated blush to fill my entire face.
“I see you’re adding to your collection,” Alwyn said with a sniff.
“We were just…” How did I phrase this?
“Going for a swim in the horse water?” Liam chuckled and shook his head. “Go on in and get changed into some dry clothes.”
“Hurry,” Alwyn snapped. “We can’t wait around all day because you decided you want every male in this school.”
Not every male, I wanted to argue. Just…four of them.