“I agree to stay until the battle is over and you take Natalie back and never bring her here again.” Scarlett had to be careful. Bargains were tricky. She had to cover all her bases.
“I will never bring her back, but I can’t guarantee she won’t find another way. For all the dangers we fae present, humans aren’t very good at staying away once they’ve felt it here in Faerie.”
So, if Scarlett made this deal and then Natalie was desperate to have her emotion fed from again, she could find another fae. Would that be difficult? Or were fae everywhere, eagerly waiting for a new human to prey on?
Cade had said Raith’s power laid in memories.
“Then take away her memory of this place,” Scarlett said. It was better that way. Then it would be as if she was never here and she would have never seen Scarlett. But taking away someone’s memory without her consent seemed low. But it was for Natalie’s own protection, Scarlett convinced herself.
“I could, but I’d need something else in return.”
“What?”
Raith shrugged. “How about…a kiss?”
“Just one kiss?” Was there some trick behind it? What harm could come from a kiss?
“One measly kiss and it will be as if Natalie never saw any of this.” Raith gestured to the ballroom.
“Why? Why all this trouble to make sure I don’t leave until after the battle?” Scarlett was just a mortal, and the importance, or lack thereof, of humans in this world was apparent.
“You’re making this whole battle far more interesting,” Raith said. “So, do we have a deal?”
“Deal.”
“We’ll seal it with the kiss.” Raith stepped toward Scarlett and placed his hands on her hips.
Scarlett looked up. A grin molded on his lips.
“Don’t look so miserable, love.” Raith leaned in and pulled Scarlett’s body into his.
Her chest pressed into his as his hands moved to her face.
Scarlett closed her eyes.
His tongue grazed her bottom lip before his mouth crushed into hers.
Scarlett’s instinct took over as she kissed him back. Their mouths moved feverishly as his hands roamed her body, grazing gently over her breasts and moving on to her waist.
This was pure passion, more than anything Scarlett had felt in her entire life. Her hands combed his hair.
And then he pulled back, a smirk on his face. “Well, that was…”
“Get Natalie home safely and make her forget it all,” Scarlett’s tone was bitter. But it wasn’t Raith that she was furious at; it was herself. It was supposed to be a quick kiss. Not whatever that was.
“As you wish.” Raith’s index finger brushed over his lips as a smirk formed on his mouth. “And Scarlett? Should you ever grow tired of my little brother, I can take your pain away better than he can.”
He disappeared before she could refuse him with some colorful words.
Scarlett wiped her mouth as she walked back up the stairs. She could still taste Raith’s mouth on hers.
And she didn’t hate it.
Chapter Eighteen
Cade’s magic buzzed through him as Poppy swung a dagger at his throat. He blocked it with his sword, twisting her dagger away from his face.
Ever since he inhaled Scarlett’s pain during the ritual, power surged through Cade. Her emotion had always been delicious, but with the added effect of the ritual, it was the most delectable thing he’d ever tasted.
Poppy sliced at Cade’s stomach. His sword clinked against her dagger. She swiped her other dagger at his neck, stopping before she severed his jugular.
How was she such a good fighter? With magic blazing through him, he thought he’d have an advantage. Apparently not.
“You’re getting better, but your sword is still too slow.” Poppy retracted her blade. “You should practice with the bow and arrow.”
Cade groaned. He’d always hated the bow. “The sword might be slow, but with a bow and arrow Raith would defeat me in mere seconds.”
“Not for the battle,” Poppy snapped. “For The Hunt.”
Right, The Hunt. Cade would have the pleasure of chasing down a boar. He couldn’t contain his excitement.
As Cade shot arrows across the room at a target, missing nearly every time, Poppy gave him some tips. “The boar will be drawn to the creek, so if you find the water, follow it.”
“Got it.” Another miss, but at least this one was respectably close.
“What’s going on with this human girl you’ve brought here?” It was the first time Poppy mentioned Scarlett.
“She refills my magic.”
But it was more than that. Sure, the main benefit to Scarlett was the ecstasy of magic she filled Cade with, but something else about her soothed him. He hadn’t felt as relaxed as he did the other day when he took her to the beach behind the castle in years. Maybe ever.
Duty. It was the pressure he’d felt his whole life. He was a prince—with certain expectations heaped upon him at birth. His older brother flew through life on a careless wind, but Cade wanted his people to respect him. Most of all, he didn’t want to disappoint his mother.
“And that’s all?” Poppy asked.
Cade shrugged. He shot another arrow, this time through the target’s center. “That’s the most important part.”
A flicker of curiosity shot through Poppy’s eyes, but she didn’t ask any more questions about Scarlett. Instead, she brought up Raith. “And what’s the story behind you and your brother?”
“What story?”
“You seem...distant.”
Cade chuckled. “You’re quite the observant one.”
“He’s going to try to get into your head,” Poppy said. “During the battle.”
Raith would try. He always tried to stir Cade up. But Cade would keep his focus and show his brother just how powerful he had become.
Things weren’t always bad with Scarlett’s mom. In her lucid moments, her mom was her best friend. Someone she could go to about anything, no matter how embarrassing or taboo it was.
After Scarlett broke things off with Teddy, she was a mess. She spent the entire weekend in her bed, unable to eat or drink more than just a sip of water here and there. It was pathetic, really, because Scarlett was the one who broke up with him. But it wasn’t because Teddy wasn’t great—he was too wonderful. Scarlett was a mess when it came to guys. She didn’t want to brush her curse onto Teddy.
On Monday morning, despite feeling like a zombie as Scarlett went through the motions of getting ready for school, her mom barged into her room and told her it was a sick day for them both. She told Scarlett to put her pajamas back on and come out to the living room.
Her mom made French toast for breakfast, with strawberries and syrup and whipped cream. “Breakups require lots of sugar,” she told Scarlett. They made themselves comfortable on the couch, Scarlett wrapped up in her favorite hot pink fleece blanket, and spent the morning watching soap operas and mocking the sheer cheesiness of them.
Afterward, Scarlett’s mom asked her what had happened.
Scarlett told her she was too afraid to ruin something good, so she broke it off before anything amazing could happen.
Scarlett’s mom pulled her into a hug. “My girl, you aren’t damaged goods. Not at all. Any guy would be lucky to have you, no matter how it all turned out. You can’t worry about the future like that.”
Scarlett squeezed her mom, thankful for a normal mother-daughter moment. Despite the unpredictably of Scarlett’s mom, she loved her more than anything.
“Now, it’s chick flick time.” Her mom switched the TV to Netflix and they browsed the romantic comedy section until they agreed on a movie.
Maybe things were looking up. Her mom had been stable for a while.
Scarlett’s hope was shattered a week later when she came home and found her mom on the floor.
Chapter Nineteen