Prisoner of Darkness (Whims of Fae Book 2)(53)

“With no mental wall to speak of, slipping inside her thoughts was easy. I saw an image of the Summer Queen, only a much younger version than Kassandra’s current age. She was dressed in simple clothes, no jewelry, and stood inside a hut of some sort.

“My interest was piqued, so later, after the meeting, I found the servant again. She tried to keep me out of her mind, but of course she stood no chance. Her memories were mine for the viewing. I learned that Kassandra was not raised in the Summer Court. She grew up far outside the castle with her sister, your mother.”

Kaelem paused.

Raith replayed the words. How could it be? Kassandra was his mother’s sister? How come no one had ever told him?

Kaelem continued, “When your mother died, the king found Kassandra to share the news of her sister’s passing. When he came back to the castle, Kassandra was with him. The servant recognized her, as your mother had taken the servant with her to see Kassandra the week before.

“At first, the servant said Kassandra seemed distraught at the loss, but before long, she had her grips on the mourning king. The servant was cleaning the king’s chambers when she heard Kassandra’s voice outside the door. She hid under the bed. Kassandra and the king entered the room. The king complained of being tired. Within moments, the room was silent and another fae man entered.

“The servant heard Kassandra instruct him to erase any part of the king’s mind that knew Kassandra as the former queen’s sister. When it was done, they both left, the king still fast asleep on the bed. The servant was the only other person to know of the connection. She knew her memory would soon be taken, so she fled.”

The story seemed so unreal, yet Raith couldn’t deny how much sense it made. Even as a child, his gut told him not to trust her. He hated how quickly his father had fallen for her. Raith had always felt an extra sense of jealousy from Kassandra. He had felt the love his father had for his mother when he saw into his memory, but he’d never felt the love between him and Kassandra.

“You knew this all along and you sent me on some fucking wild goose chase?” Anger boiled inside of Raith. He’d almost died from the wolf bite.

“The agreement was I’d tell you what I knew, not everything I knew.” Kaelem shrugged. “You should be more careful with your bargains.”

With a deep inhale, Raith released his rage. It would do him no good.

“The servant may still be at the Autumn Court,” Kaelem suggested. “I had thought you would have found her eventually, but now I’ve saved you the searching. You helped me in the Winter Court and now I’ve told you all I know. We’re even.” His gaze locked with Raith’s.

Raith nodded. “Agreed.”

He didn’t need any more favors from Kaelem.

Quietly, Raith snuck back into Scarlett’s room. She was awake and sitting up, with color returning to her face.

Uneasiness sat at the pit of Raith’s stomach. “I need to leave again.”

Scarlett smiled. “I could feel something from the bond. Is everything okay?”

Raith told her everything Kaelem had just told him. “I can’t explain it, but I need to know about my mother.”

Sadness coated Scarlett’s face. “I understand. Truly.”

He promised himself not to ask, but he couldn’t resist. “You could come?”

Scarlett frowned. “I can’t. I need to get my sister out of the mirror and figure out how to protect her.” She pushed the blankets off of herself and stood.

Raith approached her and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll come back and help you as soon as I can.”

Scarlett wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

He would find out what he could and come back to her.



Cade hovered outside the door to his mother’s bedroom.

She’s remained in her bed since their return to the Summer Court yesterday, recovering. Kassandra hadn’t shared what exactly had happened to her, but he guessed her pride was hurt worse than her body.

After Raith, Scarlett, and their group had left the Winter Court, Cade and Poppy had gone straight to the dungeon. Guards were scattered across the floor like confetti, all dead. Further into the dungeon, Cade found his mother and the Winter Queen, both passed out but alive.

It took an hour for them to wake, and when they did, they were both fuming. Icicles shot from Nevina’s palms when Cade told her about the guards.

Still weak, Kassandra requested an immediate return to the Summer Court. The cold of the Winter Court weakened Summer fae, and it would take Kassandra much longer to heal if she stayed.

With a groan, Cade entered his mother’s room. One servant added wood to the fireplace while another filled Kassandra’s teacup.

“Mother,” Cade said.

“Leave us,” Kassandra snapped.

Both servants stopped, set down the wood and teacup they were holding, and bolted.

“How are you feeling?” Cade asked as he approached her bed.

Her coloring had returned to her face. She’d been so pale when he’d found her on the dungeon floor.

“I’ll survive.” She grabbed the teacup from her bedside table and sipped. “I’ve been confused, though.” She set the cup back down.

“About?”

“How Kaelem and Scarlett were able to get through the guards alone. As the Unseelie King, Kaelem is powerful. But as it was the Solstice, the guards were at their height. And Scarlett is newly fae. It’s unlikely she had much power left after she entered my mind.”