“I just need to go outside,” he heard a female voice say. A young woman pleaded with one of the guards at the front entrance. “It isn’t a big deal.”
A guard stood on each side of the tall iron doors of the castle. One guard kept his position, the other turned to speak with the girl.
Raith admired her from the back. She was tall for a girl, with curves in all the right places. With her hair pulled up, her long neck was exposed.
“No human is to leave without a fae. Queen’s orders,” the guard replied.
The girl sighed and turned her head. Raith recognized her immediately—the human girl Cade had found. He must have convinced her to come to Faerie somehow. Not surprising—Raith had felt her pain when he spied on them through the window. If Cade offered to take it from her, it was no wonder she came with him.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Raith said. She would have no idea who Raith was, but he hoped she’d catch on and play along.
Her sky blue eyes widened when she saw Raith, but she was smart enough to act like she knew him. “I was trying to tell these guards that it’s okay for me to go outside. You don’t mind, do you, dear?” She grinned and hurried to Raith.
He locked his arm with hers. When their skin touched, a flicker of a memory flashed in Raith’s mind. She stood atop a hill, staring down onto a graveyard. Fear filled the memory, and guilt.
It had been a long time since a memory had attacked him like that. Since he’d learned to control his gift, he only looked into minds when he wanted to. Why was this girl different?
“We’d like to take a stroll through the courtyard,” Raith said to the guard, who stepped aside.
Cade must not have told the guards about the girl, yet. Otherwise they’d have known she was here with him, not Raith.
Raith led her outside. After the doors shut behind them, the girl pulled away.
“Thanks for your help,” she said as she hurried down a path enclosed by rose bushes on each side.
“Where do you plan to go?” Raith asked. The front gate to the castle grounds was locked. And if she somehow made it past, humans couldn’t make it far from the castle without being stopped. If they did, they’d be in even bigger trouble. The forest was no place for mortals.
“Home.”
“I’m not sure how much you know about the Summer Court, but you’re not going to make it home by walking.”
The girl sighed and turned back to Raith.
“You could take me home.” She smiled. A smart girl, using flirtation to wield Raith. Well, trying to.
“I don’t even know your name.”
“Scarlett.”
“And how does a love like yourself end up here?”
Scarlett hesitated. Raith wondered if she’d mention Cade, if she even knew who he was here or why she agreed to come with him.
“I was tricked. Sort of. Mostly drunk.”
At least she was honest. Some humans claimed they were forced, but the realm wouldn’t let him in unless they agreed willingly. It didn’t matter if they were intoxicated or coerced, though. Any verbal agreement counted.
Raith tasted her emotions. They had been bursting from her when he saw her in the human realm. Today, they had dulled, but pain still lingered on her skin. Cade had already fed from her, Raith could tell. If he guessed right, Cade had drained her completely not long ago. A void would linger after a human’s emotions had been drained. It would fill back up eventually, but it would take time. Raith was surprised this girl had the determination to leave. Most humans took days to replenish themselves.
“Who brought you here?” He knew the answer, but he wanted her to answer him.
“Okay, look, I made a mistake. I was weak, and I agreed to come here because I thought it was a good idea. It doesn’t matter who brought me, I just need to leave.”
“Why don’t you ask whoever brought you to take you back?”
Scarlett’s forehead creased. “I don’t think he’ll take me.”
This girl was worried, and she should be. Cade had found a brimming source of power. A jackpot for the upcoming battle. Raith could ruin it. He could take her back, help her hide, and Cade would have to find someone else.
“Scarlett.” Cade yelled from the doorway, a scowl on his face.
Raith had taken too long. Shit. Cade was there to take her back.
Scarlett pleaded with Raith one last time with her big eyes. When he didn’t respond, she groaned and stomped to Cade.
Another opportunity was sure to present itself. Raith would just have to wait.
He had to admit, this girl intrigued him, too.
Chapter Ten
Cade rushed through the front door. Scarlett and Raith stood together, too close for his liking. A trickle of fury set his brows. He exhaled, releasing the tension.
How did Raith find Scarlett? If there was anyone he wanted to keep Scarlett from, it was him. His brother would steal her for nothing more than a laugh.
When Cade called her name, she walked to him. Raith followed her.
“I’ve been worried,” Cade said as he kept his anger down. Letting his irritation show would only fuel his brother.
“You caught me,” Raith said. “I stumbled upon Scarlett here and thought she deserved to see more of the castle than your bedroom.”
“A great idea, but I can take it from here.”
Scarlett looked back and forth between the brothers. Raith stared at Scarlett. Cade could sense curiosity from Raith. A fae could read another fae if his mind shields weren’t in place, and right now, Raith’s were slightly lowered.
“Very well, brother.” Raith bowed to Scarlett. “It was nice to meet you, love. I’m sure I’ll see you again.” He winked and walked through the courtyard, away from the castle.
Cade had something that Raith wanted. This could be fun.
Scarlett approached Cade wearily.
“Don’t let Raith scare you.” Cade reached his hand out and grabbed Scarlett’s. “Better stick close to me, though. He likes to ruin anything that’s mine.”
The battle practice left Cade hungry. He tasted Scarlett, but her emotion level was still near empty. She should have stayed in her room and slept. What made her wander off?
His mother was right. Scarlett was crucial to his training. After he’d felt her emotion, an average human would seem meager. He’d better be more careful from now on. He needed to keep Scarlett—and to himself.
Scarlett saw her way home snatched from the grasp of her fingers. Raith was going to take her, she could feel it. Cade and Raith didn’t get along. That was apparent from the glare Cade gave Raith when he saw Scarlett with him. She didn’t know who he was at that point, but she hoped Raith would grab her and make her disappear before Cade called her. Instead, Cade took her back to her room where she’d spent the last three days.
Somehow, she would find a way home.
Cade entered her room. He had placed a spell on the door to keep Scarlett inside. Stupid magic. It always looked so wonderful in movies. In her life, not so much. Every time Cade came to the room, he drained her pain. She grew numb, until nothing mattered. He’d then kiss her and hold her close, until all she could think about were his hands on her body.
Then he’d leave.
Most guys didn’t leave until you slept with them. Not that Scarlett would know. She might not have been as innocent as her sister Ashleigh, but, somehow, she made it through high school without having sex. Not that people would actually believe her if she told them. Too many guys she dated told other stories, and she never cared enough to argue. She’d done plenty of other things to them, so there was no point in pretending she was an angel.