Prisoner of Darkness (Whims of Fae Book 2)(4)

“What type of power?” he asked.

The Fates giggled, their voices carrying like bells through the room. “What fun would it be if we told you that?”

Within a blink, the sisters had vanished.

Damn Fates. They dangled steak in front of Kaelem like he was a dog, salivating at what was out of reach. Two parts of a whole and one part of another. What in the hell was that supposed to mean? If something were whole then it wouldn’t have another part. Maybe it was more than one thing?

A crumpled piece of paper on the table caught his attention. He grabbed it and smoothed it out to find the words start with the human written inside.

The human? Did they mean Scarlett? She wasn’t a human anymore, not technically, at least. But she’d already caught the attention of two Summer Princes, one of whom was now king. The Unseelie Court lived amongst the mortals, but Kaelem rarely talked to them. His fae played with humans, but Kaelem didn’t know any by name except for Scarlett.

It wasn’t just the Summer Princes she’d intrigued. He’d spoken to her to mess with Raith and Cade, but somewhere along the way he’d grown fond of the human. Why else would he have given her a pill to enhance her fae heritage?

She had to be the human in the note.

The Fates weren’t loyal to any court. They could be telling Cade about the future they saw at that very moment, and if he got to Scarlett first, Kaelem would lose his chance.

No, that wouldn’t work. He needed to bring Scarlett to the Unseelie Court.

Now.

But first, he’d have to find her.





Chapter Two





Raith had just left Kaelem. Why was he summoning him back so quickly?

All part of his games, Raith was sure. He stomped back to the dining room despite his annoyance.

Kaelem was leaned back in his chair, sleek black shoes on the table like some troll. Did the Unseelie Court have no etiquette?

Two brownies cleared the table, stacking the empty glasses and plates on trays that they balanced above their shoulders. For such small creatures, they were strong. It had taken a while for Raith to get used to the presence of other fae creatures around the Unseelie palace. It wasn’t as if Raith had never seen low fae before. They filled the clubs in the Unseelie Court that Raith had been to on a few occasions. But low fae were prohibited from the Summer Castle. Humans were used as servants instead. High fae superiority at its finest; low fae were too beneath them to even step inside the castle to cook and to clean.

“You called?” Raith asked as the door shut behind him.

“I’m feeling generous.”

Raith checked his mental shields, making sure they were tight. He didn’t want Kaelem inside his head. “And?”

“A simple exchange of information could be mutually beneficial.” Kaelem looked out the window to the right of him, seemingly uncaring.

It was an act. It had to be. Something had changed Kaelem’s mind, otherwise he’d toy with Raith longer. “You’ll tell me what I want to know?”

Kaelem’s head turned to Raith, eyes locked with his. “If you’ll do the same for me.”

“And what information do I have?” Something about Cade? Or the Summer Court, maybe. Raith had no allegiance to the court of his upbringing anymore, but would he betray it if it got him what he wanted?

With their trays stacked full, the brownies left the room.

Kaelem waited until after the brownies were out of hearing distance, then he said, “I need to know the whereabouts of someone.”

Even this conversation was a game to Kaelem. Could he get to the point? “And who might that be?”

“Scarlett.”

Raith sucked in a breath. What did Kaelem want with Scarlett?

Kaelem continued, “She was different after the battle, wasn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“I’d given her a pill to help her, should she choose to take the risk.”

That was what had changed Scarlett! Raith had noticed she was different, but he didn’t know why. “Maybe she didn’t take it.” Kaelem may not have known she took it. Raith didn’t want him to know. Taking something from Kaelem might make Scarlett owe him something in return. Fae bargains had many forms, not all of which were obvious.

“She did. I felt it.”

What kind of pill was it? “So what if she did. What’s it matter to you now?”

“The pill I gave her changed any part of her that was human to fae. She’ll be experiencing power she doesn’t know how to handle. She’ll need my help to learn to control it.”

Raith should have checked on her. He was an ass. She’d nearly died saving him and he’d just left. He could go back now and help her. Better him than Kaelem.

“You’re thinking you could go to her instead,” Kaelem said.

Raith checked his mental shields. Still up.

“No, I’m not in your head,” Kaelem said. “But seeing inside the minds of others taught me how people think. You could help her, sure. But then I’d never give you what you want.”

Raith knew what he should do. He should walk out of the Unseelie Court, straight to Scarlett. He may never get the answers he wanted, but at least he’d know he did the right thing. If, by chance, Scarlett didn’t owe Kaelem anything for the pill, staying away from him was her best option. Nothing good came from ‘help’ from the Unseelie Court.