Prisoner of Darkness (Whims of Fae Book 2)(6)

But Scarlett wouldn’t hurt her own sister. No. She would just need to practice controlling herself and she’d be fine. She may be full fae now, but she didn’t want to be a part of that world. Not anymore.

“No, thanks.”

Kaelem pulled a sapphire out of his pocket, nearly two inches in diameter, and set it on the bed. “If you change your mind, squeeze it and think of me really hard.” He winked, then disappeared.

Had he meant for that to sound as dirty as it did? Scarlett was sure he did. Perv.

She went to her bed and picked up the jewel. The light shining through her window caused it to sparkle. Energy radiated from it—magic of some sort.

Scarlett put the sapphire in the back of her desk drawer and slammed it shut.

She wouldn’t need to use it.

She hoped.





Chapter Three





Raith found himself back in the Faerie forest. Kaelem had let him use a door that led to its center, so here Raith was, by himself, surrounded by trees on every side.

He inhaled the pine scent around him. A jolt flickered through his veins, his nature gift activated. He’d never been this far into the forest. The energy here pulsed through him even more than it had near the Summer Court.

When Raith had told Kaelem where to find Scarlett, Kaelem told him to go to the Autumn Court for answers.

“Your mother wasn’t full Summer fae,” Kaelem had said. “Autumn blood ran through her veins. She wasn’t raised inside the Summer Castle.”

When Raith asked what else Kaelem knew, he’d replied, “I said I’d tell you what I knew, not everything I knew. If you look, you’ll find the answers you seek.”

Raith could have punched him. He’d given Kaelem Scarlett’s exact location by letting him into his memories, and Kaelem gave him a popcorn trail to follow. Ass.

But it was more than Raith knew before, though he suspected he somehow had Autumn blood. How else would he have gotten power from nature?

He was surprised to learn his mother wasn’t raised in the Summer Castle. Royalty almost always found their mates from the noble families at court. It made sense, though. When Raith had seen into his father’s memories, his mother had saved him in the forest. Most high fae at court didn’t spend their time in the forest. The majority feared it. But his mother had been so comfortable in the memory.

Kaelem knew more that he wasn’t telling Raith, which meant there was more to discover.

So Raith would find his way to the Autumn Court.

He stood in a large circular opening in the trees. Three large rocks sat in the middle. The blue Faerie sky hovered above. It was the center of Faerie, the circle not belonging to any of the courts. Raith closed his eyes and felt the magic around him. In front of him, he felt Spring roses and Summer sand. Behind him, Winter ice and Autumn leaves.

He knew the way he must go.



When Scarlett got the text from Natalie inviting her to a party, she wasn’t going to go. But the thoughts of Kaelem’s offer weighed heavily on her mind and she needed to think about anything else, so she slipped on a pair of skinny jeans, a plum tank top, and some cute silver sandals, and left her house.

On the drive, she remembered the last time she’d gone to Natalie’s—the day Cade took her to Faerie. The day her life changed forever. She’d been weak then, too consumed by grief to think clearly. A fly easily lured into a spider’s web to be slowly devoured. Not anymore. Now, not only did she have magic swimming through her veins, but she’d learned to stand on her own two feet—she no longer waited for a prince to rescue her from her tower of pity.

Since her return to the mortal realm, Scarlett had gotten coffee with Natalie, who didn’t remember her visit to the land of the fae. Raith had kept his word. But this was the first party Scarlett was attending since she’d been back.

Scarlett could hear laughter from inside the house as she sat in the car. All the noises had overwhelmed her at first, but she’d learned to separate them and block them out when she wanted.

Her stomach fluttered when she heard Teddy’s voice. She hadn’t seen him since the last party, when he was busy with some other girl. Would he notice any change in her? Doubtful. When they were dating, they’d curled up together in a sleeping bag in his backyard to look at the stars. He’d run his fingers across her cheeks and sworn he’d remember how beautiful she was forever.

Then she broke his heart.

Scarlett took a deep breath and got out of her car, heading straight to the door and entering without knocking.

“Scarlett!” Natalie yelled from across the room. “My bestie!” She pushed past everyone in her way, a glass of red wine in her hand.

Natalie’s formerly long locks now only reached to her shoulder. She looked cute, as always, in a high-waisted denim skirt paired with a flowy red tank. Her perfect eye-makeup and impeccably plucked eyebrows accentuated her big, chocolate eyes.

“New hair?” Scarlett asked.

“Yes!” Natalie twirled around swaying her dark waves. “Do you love it?”

“So chic.” Scarlett hugged her, towering over Natalie by nearly a half foot. “Thanks for the invite.”

“Of course! I missed you while you were visiting your grandma’s friend.”

It was the excuse she told everyone except Ashleigh, who wouldn’t have believed her. With her mom and grandma both gone, Scarlett had no other family but Ashleigh. But her grandma had a friend that would bring her cookies whenever she visited, so Scarlett figured it made for a good enough story.