Prisoner of Darkness (Whims of Fae Book 2)(21)

He raised the mirror in his hand and used his magic to pull her inside.





Chapter Eight





Scarlett found Kaelem already at the dining table when she went for breakfast. She figured he’d still be asleep, and she didn’t want to walk in on him naked again, so she had come straight to the dining room.

“Good morning, darling,” Kaelem said.

A plate filled with French toast topped with strawberries and whipped cream waited for her. Her body was jittery from drinking the night before. It was unlike any mortal hangover she’d ever had—no headache or nausea—but she didn’t quite feel herself, either. She hoped food would help.

Her memory of the night remained clear. The dancing, Kaelem’s hands on her, and the poisoned man. Kaelem had removed the man’s memory with nearly no visible effort. Could he invade her mind just as easily? The thought alone scared her.

As she ate, Kaelem spoke. “It is winter in Faerie, and I’ve been invited to attend the Winter Solstice.”

Scarlett swallowed the food in her mouth. “Is my training already over?”

She wanted to go home, but she wasn’t sure she was ready. They’d only trained one day, and even though it went well, she didn’t want to risk hurting anyone.

“I’d like you to come with me, and we can continue your training there. It’s only a few days of celebration.”

Back to Faerie? The memory of the Battle of Heirs hit her. She’d nearly died. What if Cade found her and finished what he’d try to do before? “No, I don’t want to go back.”

“I was afraid you might say that.” Kaelem gestured in front of Scarlett where an antique mirror laid on the table.

Scarlett grabbed the handle and picked it up. At first, she saw her reflection, but it fizzled into a picture of a room, much like Scarlett’s own living room. She wasn’t sure what it meant until she saw movement. Someone, thin and blonde, walked across the image in the mirror.

Her sister.

Was it a vision of her sister at home?

“No,” Scarlett said. “Leave her out of this.”

Anger boiled inside her. What did he intend to do with her? She couldn’t let Ashleigh get hurt.

“Keep your cool or you may shatter the mirror.”

Why would that matter? Unless…

Ashleigh was inside the mirror, trapped somehow?

Kaelem nodded.

Scarlett carefully set the mirror down and took a calming breath. What had he done?

Betrayal hit her like a rock to the face. She knew not to trust a fae, yet she’d let her guard down enough to grow somewhat fond of Kaelem.

He winced.

“Please.” She would plead if that was what it took.

She’d do anything.

Scarlett knew he was in her head. She wasn’t hiding her desperation. What would be the point? She had no cards to play.

“I just need your help.” His eyes met hers. “The Winter Queen has something of mine. Help me get it back, and I’ll release your sister.”

“The Winter Queen has something of yours, so you decide to take something of mine? Real chivalrous.” Rage blossomed inside Scarlett again.

A wave of guilt hit Scarlett. Not her own. Was it his? It disappeared before she could examine the thought more closely.

“We’ll continue your training and, when the time is right, take what I need. I’ll release your sister, make her forget it all, and we can go our separate ways. No harm, no foul.”

This was Scarlett’s fault. What had she been thinking, trusting Kaelem? What had she been thinking when she went into Faerie in the first place? That was what got her into this mess. If she’d never gone, she’d still be mortal. Her sister would be safe.

“You were never mortal,” Kaelem said.

True. She’d just never known about her fae heritage. Was that normal?

“No, it isn’t,” Kaelem answered her thoughts. “You have too much fae blood in you to have never had any power. Someone somehow hid your power.”

Hid my power?

“Maybe it was your father.” He shrugged. “Someone didn’t want you—or, presumably, anyone else— to know about your abilities.”

Scarlett didn’t have time to worry about some long-lost relative who had abandoned her. Not when her sister was trapped in a magical mirror. “What does the Winter Queen have that’s so important to you?”

Kaelem’s face remained still. “That’s my concern.”

He trapped her sister and forced Scarlett to help him, and he wouldn’t tell her why? Prick.

Kaelem laughed. “We have fun together. It won’t be so bad.”

“Once we get whatever it is back, you promise you’ll release her and let her go free, never trapping her again.” Scarlett hoped the agreement was precise enough.

“Yes, if that’s what you want.”

Scarlett held her hand out. Kaelem shook it.

The energy of a fae bargain flowed through Scarlett.

As Kaelem released her hand, Lola entered the dining room with more footsteps following behind her. “Another visitor.”

“Again?” Kaelem sounded annoyed.

Scarlett didn’t think the day could get much worse, but boy was she wrong.

Cade stepped around from behind Lola.