He was messing with me. Or was he? With Finn, it was impossible to tell. Cheeks flaming, I lifted my chin and met his dancing green eyes. Two could play this game.
“Actually, I think May would be better. It’ll be a little warmer, and we won’t have to worry about all the April rain. Because we’ll need to have the wedding outside, of course.”
“Of course.” His grin widened. “Spring fae could never get married indoors. How terribly dreary that would be.”
“Not as dreary as this ridiculous conversation,” Rourke snapped.
I twisted to face my Autumn fae instructor, whose scowl was as deep as the blush on my cheeks. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard every word? By Finn’s low chuckle, I had a feeling Rourke had heard everything. And I felt a horrible need to explain it all away.
“Rourke, we were just...” I trailed off, not knowing how to define it. Just like the time Finn had told me that having sex with him would cause the flowers to bloom all around us, I never knew when he was totally serious. As far as I could tell, the fae rarely outright lied. But make lighthearted teasing comments they didn’t mean? The jury was still out on that one.
“Joking?” Rourke arched an eyebrow. “I’ve already spoken with Liam. He told me all about the Barmbrack Ring. I know it was in your slice of cake. Hell, the entire Academy knows about it. It’s practically all the gossiping changelings can talk about.”
Rourke was not amused. That said, he rarely ever was.
A few whispering second-year students passed by and trailed into the nearest classroom, casting the three of us curious, furtive glances. They were, no doubt, discussing the stupid ring and what it meant. Receiving it had felt fun at the time, but I was quickly realizing that no gift came without consequences.
Finn’s grin, on the other hand, had only grown since Rourke’s arrival. “Looks like students are starting to arrive for class. I better get to work. Enjoy your day, Norah.”
And with that, he disappeared into his classroom, leaving Rourke and I staring at each other in the hallway. Rourke was different than the others, in a way that was hard to define. In some ways, he was the embodiment of the Autumn fae. He was often cold and calculating, and his intelligent eyes saw far more than he ever said. I’d never forget how he used me as bait to trap a pooka after framing it as a training exercise for me. He was tricky and sly, but I was convinced that there was a warmth to his heart underneath that icy exterior. And he was nothing like the Queen his fellow fae served.
“We really were just joking around,” I said. “Finn and I aren’t getting married.”
Right?!
He pursed his lips. “That is yet to be seen. Liam is convinced the ring was wrong, but the magic of it is ancient and great. The truth is, you will likely find yourself a bride within a year’s time. Though to who is still a question.”
My heart rattled. A part of me wanted to ask if he thought he’d be the one getting down on his knee, but I didn’t dare voice the words aloud. Out of all four of them, Rourke had been the least vocal about our bond. He was colder than the rest. More withdrawn. And much more cloaked in shadows. Shadows I had yet been able to penetrate.
One day, I thought. One day, I’ll figure out what makes Rourke tick.
But until then...
Head Instructor Alwyn strode down the hall, her deep golden hair flowing behind her dainty shoulders. Rourke turned, as if sensing her presence, and held up his fingers in question. Her glittering eyes caught his before they flicked my way. It was almost impossible not to shudder under the weight of her glance. Alwyn, I’d decided, didn’t like me. Probably because I kept creating problems for her.
“Alwyn, can we have a moment, please?” Rourke asked, though the inflection in his voice said that this wasn’t a request or a question. It was a demand. “I need to speak with you about...the course plans.”
The course plans, my ass. I wasn’t an idiot.
“Of course, Rourke,” she said, tearing her sharp gaze away from me so that she could give my instructor a curt nod. “Come with me to my office.”
She turned and strode down the hallway, and for a moment, Rourke hesitated with his hand hovering inches from my elbow.
“I’ll see you later, Norah. Try to keep your thoughts about the ring to yourself. If the other changelings hear you talking about your...uncertainty...it might cause some issues. Understood?”
No, I didn’t understand. Why would it cause any issues?
But before I could ask, he was halfway down the hallway, his golden cloak billowing behind him.
Chapter Four
“Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to another semester at Otherworld Academy,” Alwyn Adair said from her perch behind the podium at the front of the stage. After lunch, our instructors had rounded up the entire school for what appeared to be a last-minute gathering in the gymnasium.
Sophia, who had taken a seat by my side, leaned close and whispered, “What do you think this is all about?”
I shrugged, though the solemn expression on Alwyn’s face suggested it wasn’t anything good.
“First, we must sadly address what happened a few days ago at the Feast of the Fae. The Summer Court has lost the entirety of their Royals to poisoned blueberries, and several of the realm’s Hunters fell in the subsequent attack.”
Whispers of shock went through the gathered changelings. The Hunters were the strongest fighters in all of Otherworld. They protected the Courts and the Academy from the dangerous creatures spread throughout this land. To hear there were fewer of them left now...well, it was a little bit frightening, especially after the attacks we’d already endured.
Alwyn held up her hand and twisted her lips into a tight smile. “No need to panic. The Hunters are still many, and we have a dozen guards patrolling the perimeter of the Academy grounds at all times.”
Indeed, these past few months had seen a sudden reduction in Watch Duty for us. It was far too risky and far too dangerous in Otherworld for the changelings to continue training that way.
The room quietened, and Alwyn plowed forward. “However, despite our enhanced security, I thought it was important to bring you all together after the events of the Feast. As I’m sure you’ve all realized, the realm is no longer the safe haven it has been in years past. There is turmoil. War is brewing. The Courts will retaliate, and the Autumn fae are likely to respond in kind. We are continuing with our courses as planned because your safety depends on your ability to harness your gifts. However, not a single one of you is to leave these grounds under any circumstance. No matter what. Do you understand?”
There were no murmured voices this time. Only open mouths and wide eyes. Fear churned through the room like a thick, invisible fog, one we all felt deep within our bones.
The full reality of the attack on the Summer Court finally sunk in. The realm was no longer at peace. The Courts no longer worked together in harmony. They were at war.
At the end of the assembly, Head Instructor Alwyn had the Academy chefs pass out freshly-baked cupcakes. I assumed it was some kind of futile effort to make us all feel at least a little bit more comfortable with the bag of rocks she’d just dumped onto our heads.
But I wasn’t about to complain about eating cupcakes.
The doors of the Hall flew open, and several redheaded male and female fae strode inside. They were quickly followed by Liam and the Summer third-year instructor, a female fae named Shea. They were a procession of fiery fury, their gazes locked on Alwyn’s pale face, whose white-knuckled hands gripped the podium on the stage.