“How did you know where I was injured?” I asked suspiciously as she eased her nail from my flesh and took a step back.
She snorted. “You walk with a slight limp, you winced when opening the curtains, and you did so gingerly because your arm or shoulder was hurt.”
“You were asleep. How did you see all that?”
“I was waking, not asleep. And I didn’t see it. I heard it.”
She looked at Cat, narrowing her eyes. “You’re pathetic,” she growled. “Find someone to pet you, huh?” She took Cat into her hand and held her up. Cat stared right back at her, unflinching.
“What’s her name?” I asked, fighting the urge to step back when the woman glared in my direction.
“Her name is not important,” she said with a hint of warning in her voice, raking her narrowed eyes over my clothes. Her eyes flicked to the door where the food and my knife lay. “What is that for?”
“I was going to try to hike out of here in the morning. I’m glad you woke, actually. I was hoping you could give me directions?” I would have asked her to lead me to the edge of the dark forest, but she wasn’t what I expected. She hadn’t hurt me yet, but it was clear that she didn’t want me in her home. And I didn’t want to push my luck by staying any longer where I wasn’t welcome.
“Do you have any idea what today is?” she countered.
My God, she was beautiful. I shook my head to clear it. What was significant about today? I had no idea.
“It’s the first day of autumn,” she said dryly. “The equinox. The fae will celebrate. They’ll be hunting in the forest today, and some are very fond of the taste of human flesh.”
Well, damn. I stared at her pointed ears and gulped. “Are you fond of it?”
Her lips curved into a cruel smile. “Not particularly.”
“Should I leave tonight then? Before daylight?”
“It’s midnight. While some are already celebrating, others are already in the wood, waiting for some unsuspecting prey to waltz by.
I watched an unfamiliar emotion roll over her features. “You’ve been my guest, you say? Have you poked your nose anywhere it doesn’t belong?” Her eyes narrowed as she waited for my response.
“I’ve eaten from your garden, slept in your chair, and washed in your creek. I’ve made friends with Cat, whom I will continue to call Cat until you divulge her name. And I’ve tidied things a little. I promise to send food to replace what I took from your garden as soon as I get home.”
Her head ticked to the side. “You cleaned my house?”
“Just the kitchen and sitting room. I kept this door closed as much as I could. It won’t quite shut, and the other door is locked.”
She flicked her eyes at the small gap in the bedroom door and then smiled at me. “I know you weren’t in there.”
“How?”
“Because if you had picked those locks, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me now.”
She left me and Cat behind as she walked out of the room, her footsteps completely quiet. I looked down at my furry friend and she looked up at me and then followed her master. It felt wrong to stay in the young woman’s bedroom, and since I didn’t sense an immediate danger from her, I followed Cat, dabbing at the stinging wound on my neck.
A growl came from the main room just as I stepped into it. “You moved my things.”
“I told you I cleaned,” I defended.
“Yes, well you shouldn’t have touched my things! Now, how will I find what I need?” She scowled at the shelf and the spices arrayed on them.
“They’re in alphabetical order.”
“Alphabe—” Her word faded away as she took in my handiwork. I thought she liked it until she gripped the counter and swiveled her head toward me. “Perhaps now is the perfect time for you to walk through the dark forest.”
“Do you overreact to organized spices and kindness very often, or are you just cranky because you woke from your nap?” I snapped, immediately regretting the words. I wasn’t a coward, but neither did I want to die at the hands of a fae witch.
To my surprise, she didn’t gut me. Instead, a slow smile stretched over her lips, as brilliant as I’d imagined. Not that I’d imagined she had those small fangs...
Cat ran across the floor and jumped toward the woman, who caught her and cooed at her as if she were a baby.
I caught the word ‘ember’ in her mumbling.
“Ember? Is that her name?” I asked, nodding toward Cat.
The woman scowled. “It is.”
“It suits her.”
“Of course it does, young Prince.” I wore no crown, but my tunic and clothing must have given me away. “Tell me, what Kingdom will you one day rule? Are you first born?”
A memory of my brother surfaced. I cleared my throat. “I am the second born, but will one day rule the Kingdom of Grithim.”
The woman froze, her eyes widening in the warm firelight. She blinked away her surprise. Her brows nearly touched one another. “You’re William’s brother?”
It was my turn to cock my head. “You know my brother?” Could he still be alive? Hope blossomed through my chest.
She must have seen it on my face, because the witch shook her head slightly. “I knew him,” she corrected, confirming my fears.
“How?” The hope faded into despair once again, heavy as a mill stone ‘round my neck.
“He was murdered by my sister.” I would have been less shocked if she’d backhanded me. The sting of her words was almost more than I could bear.
“Who is your sister? What did she do to him?”
“My sister is Princess Aura of Virosa. You should probably sit down. You look pale.”
I felt lightheaded. Not as if I would swoon, just... I couldn’t believe what she’d told me. “Virosa has twin princesses. Are you her twin?”
“I am. My name is Luna.” She motioned toward the chair near the hearth and I made my way to it and sat down, keeping her in my sight in case she attacked me again.
Twin princesses... But Luna was undeniably fae, which meant Aura had to be as well. My father would never have traded with Virosa had he known. He would have sworn them off, girded our borders, and forbidden anyone to enter their Kingdom, and denied anyone from Virosa entry into ours. “Have you always been fae?” I asked.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Since birth,” she answered wryly.
They’d been born fae, but weren’t of a fae Kingdom. One of the servants in our palace was from Virosa, and she was human. None of this made sense. How did my brother end up in their clutches?
“What’s your name, Prince of Grithim?”
“Phillip,” I answered. “What did she do to him?” Or a better question might have been, what did he try to do to her? William hated the fae as much as my father, and he’d never doubted their existence.
She inhaled deeply. “It’s a long story, and if you’ll be patient, I will tell you. But not right now. I have work to do.”