Scarlett pried her attention back to the conversation.
“But I mean, it’s crazy, right? To feel this much so fast?” Ashleigh perched her chin on half, elbow rested on the table. She wore her blonde curls natural today, tamed with some moose and hairspray.
“Not necessarily,” Scarlett said, hoping she sounded like she’d been listening the whole time. “Maybe you’re soul mates.”
She didn’t really believe soul mates existed. Then again, at the beginning of the summer she didn’t believe in the fae either.
As Scarlett inhaled, she felt the pull of the bond inside her that connected her to Raith. She hadn’t seen him since he’d left her house two weeks ago. The bond was faint, likely due to the distance between them, but it still tugged at Scarlett whenever she thought of him.
Scarlett scooted out of the booth seat she sat in, red plastic sticking to her skin as she stood. “I’m going to the ladies room before they bring us our pizza.”
“Okay.” Ashleigh picked up her cell phone and began typing, probably a message to her new boy toy.
Scarlett could feel the giddiness inside her older sister as she walked away. She could sense the frustration of the waitress as a group of teen boys tried to flirt with her as she took their order. The cook, far out of Scarlett’s view, was filled with sorrow. Scarlett could hear him humming a country song, slow and haunting, as he prepared the food.
In the bathroom, Scarlett hovered in front of a mirror. Her rosy cheeks and flawless skin still looked foreign to her—not that she was complaining—but she knew she’d get used to them eventually. But her ears, pointed on top—they’d always feel unnatural. Scarlett couldn’t hide from the changes, but she could hide them from everyone else, the humans at least. To them, she looked like she always did. At first, she made sure to keep her ears covered. But with practice, Scarlett had began to learn how to glamour herself. By absorbing the emotion around her, she stored power within herself. Then, she’d close her eyes and picture her ears how they used to look, rounded and mortal. A tingle spread through them. In the mirror, they looked pointed to Scarlett, but when she tucked her hair behind her ear in front of Ashleigh, Ashleigh didn’t say anything.
It took a lot of energy, but now Scarlett could glamour her ears with confidence. So much so, her hair was now pulled up into a bun on top of her head. If only the other changes were as easy to hide.
Everything in Scarlett was heightened now, from the sounds and smells around her to the emotion inside her. Sad movies made her bawl. A bad driver made her boil. Once, when someone cut her off before an intersection, she cursed and wished his car would run into the fire hydrant he was passing. And that’s exactly what happened.
She knew she’d been the cause.
And it didn’t bother her.
Scarlett washed her hands, avoiding another look at herself, and went back to the table. As she sat down again, the waitress brought them their pizza, half pepperoni and half Hawaiian, like always. At least some parts of Scarlett’s life seemed normal.
“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked.
“I think we’re good,” Ashleigh said as she grabbed herself a piece of pepperoni. “Looks delicious!”
As the waitress walked away, Scarlett asked, “Did you text him?”
She wanted to care about Ashleigh’s crush. After all, before she’d gone to Faerie all she thought she needed was a strong friendship with her sister. But that was before everything got so horribly complicated.
Before Scarlett turned fae, or known she’d always been part fae.
She didn’t think she was just part fae anymore.
“Yes,” Ashleigh said, happiness bursting from her. Even if Scarlett couldn’t feel it like she did, Ashleigh’s face said enough.
“When do I get to meet him?” It was a normal sisterly request: meet the boyfriend. It’s what before-Scarlett would have asked.
“I don’t want to freak him out, so not yet.” Ashleigh grinned. “But soon. Promise.”
A surge of anger fluttered through Scarlett. It wasn’t her own. It came from the waitress, who had just placed a pizza on the table of the teenage boys sitting across the restaurant. All the boys laughed. One emanated lust.
“Nice ass,” he said.
He must have touched the waitress. What a jerk.
The rage from the waitress fizzled inside Scarlett and turned into her own. She saw the cocky grin the boy wore. Without thought, she thought of the hot pizza sliding onto him, sizzling his skin. When it did, the boys at the table grew silent. The cocky boy screamed, burned from the pizza now in his lap.
Shock filled the waitress, mixed with joy.
Scarlett pulled her attention away, fearful someone might see her paying too much attention. “Well, I’m excited to meet him when you think the time is right.”
Ashleigh’s eyes were glued to her phone, too busy to notice the commotion at the other table.
Scarlett really shouldn’t have done that. It was dangerous and petty. But it felt so good, so right. She absorbed the waitress’ satisfaction, the boy’s humiliation, and the confusion of the others who saw.
Power grew within her.
She wasn’t the old Scarlett anymore.
It had been more than two weeks since Kaelem had teased Raith with knowledge of his mother and Raith new nothing more.
“There, there, Summer Prince,” Kaelem, dressed in a charcoal gray suit, said as he jabbed his fork into the turkey on his plate. “Patience is a virtue.”
“Your cliches won’t make me forget what you promised,” Raith retorted.
“I said I knew things about your mother, no promises of when of if I’d tell you.”
“And I’m not a summer prince any more.”
“No? My mistake.” Kaelem shoved a big bite into his mouth.
They sat at a long, white table, surrounded by sleek, red chairs. Where the Summer Court was luxurious and formal, the Unseelie Court was cold and modern. It lived in the mortal room, though it was heavily protected by from the mortals with fae magic, and had been influenced with the changing styles of the humans. Three metallic chandeliers with dangled above the table, lighting the room with bright round bulbs at the ends of the silver rods. Bold pictures, all black and white photos of scenery with bright bits of color, hung around the room.
The high ceiling had a large skylight that now showed the moonlit sky. While much of the human world was going to bed for the night, the Unseelie Court was just getting started.
A brownie, short with a large nose and wrinkly brown skin, brought in a large cheesecake, topped with cherries. “Master.” It bowed.
“Dessert, mmmm.” Kaelem pushed his dinner plate away. “A slice for you?”
“My appetite is gone.”
The Unseelie king had been toying with Raith too long. He was sick of it. He wanted the information, not pie.
“It’s cheesecake, not pie,” Kaelem said.
“Get out of my head.” Raith let his guard down. Again. Raith focused on his mental wall, fortifying it to keep Kaelem out. He’d been a mess since the Battle of Heirs. His mind shields had always been strong, but lately, in moments of anger, he’d lowered them just enough for Kaelem to sneak through. It didn’t help that Kaelem was king the Unseelie Court and a strong mind reader.
“I’m just teaching you to keep your guard up, always. You never know who will go fishing inside your head.”
“How kind of you.”
“It’s rude to turn away a perfectly good cheesecake.” Kaelem cut two slices, put them on separate plates, and pushed on to Raith. “Dessert always makes a day better.”
If eating the fucking cheesecake would shut Kaelem up, then fine. Raith took a huge mouthful. He couldn’t deny, it was delicious. But he was sick of the Unseelie games. Kaelem could wait years to tell Raith what he knew. What was years to someone who could live centuries?