Within a month of their marriage, Kassandra held Cade in her womb. Raith was only five when Cade was born, and, for many years, he was the perfect big brother. When he was allowed to be around Cade, that was. Kassandra watched Raith closely. He felt her stare on him constantly. Even as a child, Raith was perceptive. He felt himself pushed out of the family as Kassandra tightened her grip on the King. But when Raith turned nineteen, his father had bestowed the Right of Heir to him. It angered Kassandra, which brought joy to Raith’s heart.
Instead of going back to his room, Raith continued through the castle and out the back doors. The western sky faded from orange to purple to pink as the sun set behind the mountains in the distance. The back exit avoided the guards, who were nosy bastards that always wanted to know where he was going.
At least once a day, Raith made his way to the forest. Years ago, he’d placed a gate on the castle border wall so he could come in and out as often as he pleased. Kassandra complained it compromised security, but Raith had magicked the gate so only summer royalty could unlock it, so the King said it could stay.
Most fae from the castle feared the darkness within the woods. The forest had a mind of its own. And magic. It could make people see things that weren’t there. Feel things crawl on them. Hear snarls and howls. Of course, it could only do these things if you let it. Raith never did. The forest was full of trickery, but Raith’s magic kept it from breaking into his mind.
As a Summer Court fae, Raith possessed mind powers. So did Cade, but they had different types of mind magic. Cade could enter dreams. He could use the emotion to refill his magic. Humans would wake up unaware that Cade had been there. Raith’s magic was different. He had access to memories—to see memories of others, to erase them, to share his own. The emotion in them fueled him as dreams did Cade. Raith could also use real life emotion like all high fae, the human-like fae who were the most powerful. The feeling of someone’s emotion coursing through him was incredible, a high like no other. But he had other means to refresh his magic. Nature.
His mother had taught him how to use nature to gain energy shortly before she died. She’d made him promise not to let anyone know what he could do—it was their secret. And an Autumn Court ability, as far as Raith knew. He wasn’t sure how he could do it, but whatever the reason, he was glad. When he and Cade would sneak into the forest to play, he would use his magic in front of Cade, but he never shared its source. He kept his promise to his mother and never told another soul.
The castle courtyard was the only thing between the castle and the forest. Raith followed a stone path, passed a fountain, and then walked across grass until he reached a gate in the fence at edge of the forest. When his hand touched the gate’s handle, it clicked open. As he stepped into the cover of the trees, his senses sharpened. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. He inhaled the crisp forest scent as he pressed further until he came to a tall tree that curved like a quarter moon. Its trunk was thick and rose high. At first glance, it looked like any of the other trees around. Bigger, perhaps, but just as tree-like. But a door was hidden in the moss-covered bark.
Raith swung the door open with his magic. Inside, a ladder led down. He lit a candle at the top, shut the door, and climbed downward to a large room below the ground. More candles illuminated the room. On the far wall, a green blanket covered the bed. Close to the ladder, an oversized chair and ottoman sat, both charcoal in color. Raith walked across the wooden floor and over a braided rug. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply and a fire grew in the fireplace, sending warmth throughout the room.
This place was his and his alone. He’d never brought anyone here. Not Cade. Not any of the female fae he’d taken home to bed. On those nights, he went to his room in the castle, which was more impressive to them anyway. When Raith needed time alone, he came to this tree. Its coziness clothed him like a blanket. Here, he could think about anything without interruption. About his mother. About the upcoming battle.
He popped open a bottle of fae wine and poured a glass. As he sipped the berry-flavored beverage, a tingle ran through him. Raith sprawled out on the bed, leaning against the willow tree headboard.
Cade thought he would defeat Raith. He assumed that Raith didn’t practice his magic enough. Maybe he thought Raith didn’t have much magic. But Cade would soon learn just what Raith was capable of.
Scarlett found herself at the top of the hill again. Unlike yesterday, today the sun shined brightly. High in the sky, its rays heated Scarlett’s skin. Today was the first day she made the trip alone. She hadn’t spoken to Ashleigh since their fight. Ashleigh had locked herself in her room and had only come out to heat up a frozen dinner in the microwave. More than ever, Scarlett wanted to go to her mom’s grave. Nope. As usual, her fear overpowered everything. What a lousy chicken. She hated it. As a child, she was brave.
She didn’t know what she was anymore.
Since Ashleigh wasn’t there, Scarlett didn’t have to wait for anyone. She could just turn around and go back home. But nothing waited for her there, so she sat on the edge of the hill and viewed her mother’s grave from afar. No one else was around. Birds chirped a melodious song—a private concert just for Scarlett. Her thoughts drifted to the dream she’d had. It had played over in her head all morning. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more than just a dream. She couldn’t say why she felt this way, which was anything but reassuring. It made sense that her brain had played out a fantasy in her sleep. She hadn’t even thought about guys since she found her mom. She quit dating and going to parties—even texting. The only person she talked to outside of school was her best friend, Natalie. Maybe her body was having guy withdrawals. But the dream felt too real to be some subconscious message.
Her mother had always sworn her hallucinations were real.
Scarlett shoved the thought away, shifting her musings back to the dream. Her body tingled when she thought of Cade’s mouth on her neck. No matter what kind of boy mess she’d ever gotten herself into, she could always go to her mom for advice. How Scarlett missed her. There had never been anything they couldn’t talk about. Even something as bizarre as Scarlett's dream. Her mom would tell her not to worry, dreams were just escapes from reality. She’d laugh and add that she’d had some crazy dreams herself, yet was completely convinced that the voices she heard were real. The ache crept back into Scarlett's heart.
The birds went silent. Something crunched behind Scarlett. She twisted her neck around. What she saw shocked her.
Cade.
The man who seduced her in the most peculiar dream of her life stood there, seemingly in the flesh, dressed in clothing from a different time period. Could she be dreaming again? She didn’t think so.
Was she hallucinating?
“I feel your sadness,” Cade said. “I know you don’t know me, but I can help.”
Scarlett thought about her dream. This was the same man, with the vivid eyes and compelling stature. Had her dream been a premonition? Was that better or worse than a hallucination?
Whatever it was, it was freaky. “Help me how?”
He closed the distance between them and reached for her hand. She didn’t know Cade. If he was real, he could be a psychopath luring her away to murder her. Or a stalker. Her better sense told her to walk straight home and lock the doors, but any sense she had stayed quiet as she her fingers took his.
His touch was warm, and, as his skin brushed hers, a wave of tranquility flowed through Scarlett. He smelled of lemon and pine. The pain she felt moments ago had vanished.
He pulled her to her feet.
“What are you?” she asked. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be human.
“I’m someone who can keep your pain away.” Not a real answer, but what did she expect? That he’d say he was an angel sent to save her? She didn’t believe in such things. But then, before today, she wouldn’t have believed someone could make her feel as Cade did. Or make her not feel.
“What’s your name?” Scarlett asked as Cade’s fingers played with hers. Maybe her dream was wrong. How could she know the name of someone she’d never met?
“Cade.”