Scarlett set a blanket and pillow on the couch. “Will this do?”
“Yes,” Raith said. “I’m sorry I brought you into this mess.”
Scarlett shrugged. “I made it home. That’s what matters.”
“I shouldn’t have told Cade about our night together. Not like that.”
No, he shouldn’t have. But the anger on Cade’s face had sent a chill of satisfaction through Scarlett. She wasn’t his pet. Her choices were hers to make, and knowing she’d hurt him by making love to Raith made her happier than she’d have admitted to anyone. Even Raith.
“Good night,” Scarlett said.
“Night.”
Raith passed out on the couch while Scarlett curled into her mom’s bed. Even with her heightened senses, the scent of her mom was long gone now, but the comfort of her room remained.
She could sense Raith, even through the house walls. His emotions ran low, but she could feel dull hatred.
She could feel the bond.
When Scarlett woke the next morning, Raith was gone. He’d left a note saying they’d meet again, but she had no idea where he’d gone. Part of her felt betrayed—how could he just leave her? But It was better that way. She needed some time to herself.
The weekend came and, as Scarlett had hoped, Ashleigh came back to the house.
“Scarlett!” Ashleigh ran to her sister and pulled her into a hug. “You’re alive!”
Scarlett squeezed Ashleigh’s waist. She could feel the relief oozing from Ashleigh. Something was different with Scarlett, but she didn’t have time to worry about that at that moment.
“I just needed some time away,” Scarlett said. “But I’m back.”
Ashleigh didn’t press any further. Scarlett asked her how everything had been while she’d been gone, which had apparently been a week and a half. It had been a lot longer in Faerie, but, thankfully, less time had passed here in the mortal world.
The world had carried on without Scarlett—mostly unchanged.
But Scarlett—she was forever altered.
“Wanna go grab a latte with me?” Ashleigh asked the next morning.
“Sure, let me get dressed.”
Scarlett picked out jeans and a t-shirt, much different than the dresses she’d worn in Faerie. Scarlett dabbed on some makeup in front of the mirror in her room. She needed much less now that things had changed. Her skin radiated a natural vibrancy. Bags no longer lingered under her eyes. Her cheeks constantly blushed pink.
She tucked her hair behind her ears, the tops of which now met in a point.
Chapter Thirty-Three
As Raith wandered Silver Lake aimlessly, unsure of what to do next, he heard a familiar voice.
“A Summer Prince in the mortal world,” Kaelem said behind Raith. “The new Summer King didn’t kill you after all.”
“Nope.” Raith turned to see Kaelem in human clothes, unglamoured. “Surprise, surprise.”
Kaelem cocked his head. “I can’t say it really surprises me.”
Raith shrugged. “What do you want, Kaelem?”
“Can’t an old friend be concerned?”
Raith’s eyebrow rose. “I didn’t know you were capable of concern.”
“You’re probably right. But I do love drama in the other courts.”
“You love drama. Period.” The whole reason Kaelem had invited Raith to his court had been to see if he’d ditch Poppy. Life was a game to Kaelem. Raith knew better than to trust him.
“I like to know things,” Kaelem said. “And I know quite a bit about your lovely Summer Court.”
“It’s not my court anymore.” It really wasn’t. Even if Cade would welcome him back, which Raith doubted, he didn’t want any part of that place.
Kaelem smirked. “Ahh… but I know things about your mother.”
Cade spent his first night as king of the Summer Court among his people and the guests from the other courts. He was congratulated by the Seelie advisor to the queen, a Spring Court Princess, and the King of the Unseelie Court. The other courts would likely send their best wishes with a gift soon, as was customary when a new ruler took his place.
After the festivities, Cade went to his room alone. He could have bed nearly any female there—except Poppy, she wouldn’t do anything she didn’t want to do, even for a king—but he wasn’t in the mood for sex.
He’d killed Scarlett. For what, jealousy? That wasn’t the type of person, let alone king, Cade wanted to be. But he’d spared his brother, sort of. Both Raith and Scarlett would be in the stomach of a cyclops or drained by a banshee by now. But he didn’t slice his sword into Raith’s chest—his first act of mercy.
The next morning, his mother joined him for breakfast. She was no longer the reigning queen of the Summer Court, but she was still royal, so she wore a smaller crown.
“My son,” she said as she sat on the end of the table opposite Cade. “We have many plans to make now.”
Plans? Cade had barely been crowned king and the court had no pressing needs that he knew of.
Kassandra continued. “As you know, many years ago, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts moved to the mortal realm and trapped our courts here and bound our abilities, while they are as powerful as they’ve ever been. It’s time we end the curse they’ve placed upon us.”
Sure, there was some hostility when that had happened, but since then, season courts had thrived, even without their full power.
“The Seelie and Unseelie Courts are too powerful,” Cade said.
“They won’t be if we bind their powers.”
Scarlett stood on the familiar hill overlooking the cemetery below. It seemed like forever since she’d been here. Any hint of breeze had abandoned the empty graveyard.
It was better that way—a moment for her and her mom, alone.
Scarlett’s feet pushed forward, down the hill and through the graveyard. Scarlett twirled the rose, yellow and beautiful, in her hand. She’d picked it from her mom’s garden that morning.
When she arrived at her mom’s grave, her chest tightened.
Scarlett inhaled deeply as she stared at her mother’s name engraved on the headstone. So much had changed since she’d last been here—the same day Cade had found her. Instead of facing her fears, she’d run like a coward. But she’d learned she was stronger than she’d ever known. Her mother had raised her well.
Scarlett breathed in the grief that struck her. Not only did she miss her mother with her entire being, but if anyone would have believed Scarlett’s story, it would have been her.
Unlike Scarlett, who never listened to her mom, not when she was having a fit. But now, after Scarlett had seen so much, she couldn’t help but wonder if her mother’s illness was more than anyone thought.
If Scarlett had the gifts she had now, could she have healed her mother?
Tears dripped down her cheeks. What-ifs were pointless. Scarlett couldn’t let her heartache consume her any longer.
Scarlett placed the rose in front of the stone and walked away.
Read on for a sneak peak of the first chapter in Prisoner of Darkness - Book Two in the Whims of Fae series!
Chapter One
Scarlett twirled her finger around the top of the glass in front of her. She could hear Ashleigh talking about some guy she’d been dating off and on. He had brown hair. Or maybe it was blonde. Scarlett couldn’t remember for sure, and she didn’t much care.
They were out at lunch at a pizza place, the smell of baked dough and cheese filling the room. Pop music played throughout the restaurant, low enough guests could still talk. But Scarlett could hear every word of the songs and each instrument of the background track clear as day, drums, guitar, and piano all twined as one melody.
Since Scarlett returned from Faerie, her relationship with Ashleigh had been great, so different from when she left the mortal world for the world of the fae. Even though only a few days had passed in the human world, Scarlett had been gone weeks in Faerie.
Scarlett and Ashleigh were now the sisters she’d always wanted them to be. But Scarlett was different.
And she hid her new self from her sister.
How close could she ever truly feel to Ashleigh if she never revealed her secrets?