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  “Oh.” My hopes of us retrieving Helen with her sanity intact dwindled.

  “It’s already a realm where only the most horrific of creatures dwell but add disgruntled dark faeries to the mix, and there isn’t any hope for a light faerie.”

  “Has anyone come out alive?” I asked.

  “A few unsubstantiated rumors, but Helen is the daughter of one of the warriors who defeated Queen Maeve.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Unity.”

  A sob caught in the back of my throat, but I pushed down the emotions threatening to erupt. Helen could sense destinies. Maybe she could ally with someone strong until it was time for her rescue.

  Prince Caulden and I continued through the stone garden, over a series of stepping stones that meandered past a burbling fountain. Several feet ahead stood the main building with its irregular array of towers. Its white exterior twinkled in the starlight, creating the kind of magical atmosphere I used to dream about as a girl.

  “I owe you an apology,” he murmured.

  “Why?”

  “My behavior toward you was deplorable.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  Prince Caulden’s lips curved into a smile. “Aren’t you going to ask why?”

  “Because I’m a half-blood?”

  “Some half-bloods are powerful. The one who skulks about the academy grounds.” He tapped his lip with his free hand. “That fellow with a scandalous past who looks like a moth. Puke-something.”

  “Pokeweed.” I injected some venom into my voice. “He’s the one who saved me when I fell into that pond.”

  Prince Caulden dipped his head. “Sorry. For the pond and disparaging your rescuer. Pokeweed is apparently in full control of his magic, only his appearance is unfortunate.”

  “You said he had a scandalous past?”

  He shook his head. “It would be distasteful to repeat the rumor given the circumstances.”

  I opened my mouth to ask if he didn’t want to talk badly of someone who had helped me or if the rumor was related to Helen’s banishment or the death of Lady Gala’s mother, but Prince Caulden continued.

  “I don’t object to your human heritage as you suggested, but Salix and I have been friends since we were small. When she became my fated mate, I was relieved to have a female I liked.”

  “But you don’t have romantic feelings for her?” I asked.

  Prince Caulden shook his head. “As I said to Rory, she’s like a little sister.”

  Silence hung between us like a cloud, as he had left a whole lot unspoken. I longed to ask him what he thought of me. Back in the sphere of ice, he had threatened my life. Surely this warmer approach wasn’t just him wanting me to complete the blow job.

  “Your Highness,” I said.

  “Call me Caulden.”

  A smile tugged at my lips. Days ago, when he had stepped off that carriage and taken the apple boxes, I had never imagined that I would be in his presence again, let alone holding his hand. I certainly would never have predicted that I’d be attending this academy or would ever get to suck his huge cock.

  At the memory of that magnificent member, my nipples tightened. There had to be something seriously wrong with my brain if I was getting turned on after witnessing such horrific events.

  “You were saying?” he asked.

  “I just wanted to know why you don’t hate me anymore.”

  Prince Caulden chuckled. “I never hated you. Do you know that my magic is aligned with winter?”

  “Yes,” I said as we passed a row of stone jackrabbits.

  Each of the statues looked like they were in mid-battle, and their faces twisted with hatred. At some point, I needed to ask if they had once been real people.

  “It means that I can only couple with females of spring or autumn magic. It’s the same with us all.”

  “Does my magic have an alignment?”

  He squeezed my hand. “You don’t have any magic at all.”

  “What?”

  “That or it’s buried so deep, it has no particular alignment.”

  “That’s why you hated me?”

  He stopped walking and cupped my head between his large hands. His hard-as-steel eyes softened. “It’s why things might be possible between us.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “My brother despises his fated mate, whereas mine is a dear and beloved friend. I could live with that until you awakened a desire I thought never existed.”

  “Then why did you attack—”

  “I wanted Rory to come to your rescue, but he still sees you as a means to ridding himself of Gala.”

  My brows drew together. I’d thought the same thing, but Prince Rory had offered to take me as his mate, more than once, to save me from banishment. He had also mentioned coming after me if I got thrown into the Otherworld. Those words didn’t sound like a guy who only needed me as a means to an end.

  “You’re frowning,” said the prince. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing,” I murmured.

  Prince Rory was the biggest mystery of the four brothers, and voicing my speculations might make Prince Caulden back away. I lowered my gaze to Prince Caulden’s lips, which looked soft and strong and so kissable.

  Right then, I wanted him to lower his face to mine and join our lips in a kiss so passionate that it chased away all my worries. At least until my mind got a chance to regroup and work out how on earth to get around this one-month waiting period to retrieve Helen.

  His gaze flickered down to my lips, and I held my breath. A groan reverberated in Prince Caulden’s chest that went straight to my core.

  This was it. I was finally going to get kissed by a faerie prince. It was ironic, as I’d sucked two dicks and swallowed one down to the hilt but hadn’t yet experienced so much as a peck on the lips.

  Prince Caulden drew back, making my insides deflate. “I promised to see you safely to the remedial building.”

  “Right,” I murmured, inwardly cursing myself for not making the first move.

  Through the rest of the journey back, Prince Caulden explained that the Fated had presented Prince August with a plan to get rid of me for good. It made for painful listening, considering that neither of the two princes I kind-of liked had given me a warning.

  After walking about a path that wrapped around the castle, we strolled down toward the stables. No one was around. Not even a groom to clean up after the horses.

  “It’s so quiet,” I said.

  “It’s been decades since a prominent member of Court suffered such a severe magical attack. Everyone’s probably still shaken.”

  “So am I.”

  Prince Caulden stared at me with such intensity, my insides melted into goo. It was like he was expecting something from me, but I couldn’t fathom what. “I’m glad you won that trial.”

  “Me, too.” My voice was a breathy whisper as my heart pumped so fast.

  “Unity.” His steel eyes glinted in the starlight, and he threaded his large fingers through my hair.

  Anticipation thrummed in my chest. Would he ask me again to become his mate? This time, I wouldn’t tell him to fuck off.

  “Yes?” I said.

  The pounding of my pulse between my eardrums filled the silence, and I rocked forward on the balls of my feet, silently urging him to make his move. Prince Caulden’s nostrils flared. This was just like in the gym when I stripped and got him all hot and bothered. He pulled me closer, tilted his head at an angle, and lowered his head.

  “There you are,” said a loud voice from behind.

  My heart leapfrogged into my throat, and I jolted toward the door to the remedial building. When I turned around, it was to find Prince Rory strolling out of the tower door.

  “Shouldn’t you be comforting Gala?” Prince Caulden asked with a snarl.

  “August and Brad are giving her gerbera wine in our tower.”

  “Then perhaps you should join them,” Prince Caulden’s voice was tight. “She’s your fated mate.�
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  “As is Salix.” Prince Rory crossed the courtyard, his hands fisted in the pockets of his black pants.

  Prince Caulden turned his head. “You and I both know she’s like a sister.”

  “Then you’ll understand why I would like a word with Unity,” said Prince Rory.

  My throat dried. The last thing I needed right now were more hostilities. I liked them both, and it would be torture if I had to choose between them.

  “Your Highnesses,” said a voice from the direction of the tower.

  Mistress Ellyllon stood in the middle of the courtyard with her arms crossed. “Unity needs to rest before the trials restart.”

  I choked on air. “What?”

  The headmistress sighed. “There are still five Fated and only four princes. His Majesty has decided to take over the trials with the assistance of the dukes and duchesses.”

  My lips parted, huffing out the contents of my lungs. “The dukes will fix things so their daughters win.”

  The headmistress raised an indigo shoulder. “If fate decides you the winner, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Defeat, ominous and heavy, slumped my spine. I didn’t need magic to predict the upcoming bloodbath. And I didn’t need seer powers to know the blood would be mine.

  “I’ll help as much as I can,” said Prince Caulden.

  “As will I,” added Prince Rory.

  “Thanks,” I said with a shaky smile. “But I’d better return to the dorm and catch some rest.”

  “Sweet dreams,” they both said.

  I pulled down the door handle. “Same to you.”

  The moment I entered the remedial building’s stone entrance hall, Mr. Whittaker stepped out of the classroom, surrounded by my classmates.

  “Unity!” He rushed forward and grabbed my shoulder. “Are you hurt?”

  Everyone piled around me, firing so many questions that I couldn’t make out their words. Students jerked from left to right, as Flora pushed her way to the front.

  “What are they going to do about Helen?”

  I told them what her father had said about the stones only working on the new moon, and the hallway went silent.

  Flora turned to Mr. Whittaker. “Isn’t the Dark Fae Prison located on the Calf of Man?”

  “It is.” He scratched his head. “Why don’t we go upstairs, and we can talk about this over a cup of tea.”

  I rubbed my dry throat, and my stomach rumbled. When was the last time I had eaten? Beans on toast last night? The entire day was a blur. Right now, I needed a drink and something to eat.

  There were enough seats in the remedial common room to accommodate all the students if they took up the dining space and sofas. I sat at one of the tables with Flora and Mr. Whittaker, munching on toast with chocolate and hazelnut spread.

  Nobody asked about the Duchess of Nevermore, and I guessed that was because our teacher had explained the kind of dark magic used to steal a faerie’s magical core, and I was relieved not to bring up the subject.

  Flora turned to Mr. Whittaker. “Why can’t the Duke of Nevermore take some guards down in a coach to the Calf of Fae and rescue Helen?”

  “Does everyone know about the Otherworld?” he asked.

  Most people nodded, but I shook my head. “Could you explain?”

  “There are three known realms. Only two of them are accessible by faeries.” Mr. Whittaker counted them off on his fingers. “That of the world in which we live, the gods, and the damned.”

  “Which is the Otherworld?” I asked.

  Mr. Whittaker brought his mug to his lips and took a long sip of tea. “It’s the realm of the damned. The Isle of Fae and all its surrounding landmasses exist in all three realms, so it’s not a question of traveling down to the Calf of Fae to find Helen.”

  I rested both hands on the edge of the table and breathed hard. About two years ago, Elijah scored a bunch of Star Trek DVDs. They were about a bald guy who went on adventures in a flying ship and could talk into a machine that provided any food imaginable.

  The series pissed me off because the only thing he bloody ordered was Earl Grey tea. Sorry, but if I had to tolerate warp speed and aliens, there needed to be more banquets, more fashions, and more throwing of shade.

  “Are you saying she’s in another dimension?” I squeaked.

  Mr. Whittaker paused. “I’ve heard the realms described as dimensions, yes.” He glanced around at a few blank faces. “Have you seen people play the radio on the DVDs?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Somewhere out there in the human world, there are hundreds of people talking into microphones and playing music for others to hear. Humans turn their dials to tune into each station. You’ve seen this happen, yes?”

  “Right,” I rasped.

  “Think of the land as the radio and the pyre stones as the dial. Only you can’t twiddle it to jump from station to station.”

  “We have to wait until the next new moon to reach the Otherworld?” I asked.

  “Exactly.” Mr. Whittaker set his mug down. “Just as we have the Isle of Fae, the Calf of Fae and all the towns, in the Otherworld, the Calf of Fae is called Dubnos.”

  I was only half listening because creatures like that one-eyed ogre probably lived there with those awful dark faeries who had taken Sicily.

  Without meaning to, I shot to my feet.

  Mr. Whittaker furrowed his brows. “Unity?”

  “I…” A surge of emotion caught in the back of my throat, but I choked out the words. “I need to go to bed.”

  Before anyone could stop me to ask questions, I hurried out of the common room, running so fast, the hallway windows formed a blur. I didn’t stop until I burst into the dorm and flung myself face-first onto the bed.

  “Fuck,” I said between gasping breaths.

  Sicily was lost to me and now Helen. Maybe my curse wasn’t to die in excruciating pain. Maybe the dead faerie had cursed me to feel the loss of people I cared for over and over, to feel the grief that his brothers would now be suffering because I had led the peacekeepers to their bargaining circle.

  What did that mean? If I got close to the princes, would they also get taken away? If I hadn’t cheated in that last trial, Prince August wouldn’t have called the king and queen to sentence me to Dubnos, and Helen wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to make a public accusation of the Fated stealing her magic.

  A sob tore from my throat. It was worse. I had told Helen to consult with a hag, and it was because of me and my need to find Sicily that she had been in the Mound.

  “Bloody hell,” I said the words over and over again until they turned into a low moan. What the hell was Helen suffering?

  “Unity.” A warm hand landed on my shoulder. “If you don’t pull yourself together, it will be you that gets banished to the Dark Fae Prison. Or killed.”

  I raised my head to find Flora staring down at me, her eyes soft with compassion. The light streaming through the window on the far right made her black hair shine like a polished jet.

  “Helen was a good person,” she said. “I didn’t appreciate that until now.”

  “You think she’s dead.”

  “I hope the journey killed her.” Flora shook her head. “Because being alive in a place like that is worse than anything I can imagine.”

  A lump formed in my throat. That was a practical view of the situation, but I wanted Helen to survive so that we could rescue her at the next new moon.

  “Get some rest,” she said. “You’re going to need every ounce of energy for tomorrow’s trial.”

  Chapter 3

  I always slept better after a swim. Something about exercising my whole body pulled me into a deeper slumber than usual, no matter what troubles plagued my mind.

  The United Nations installed lead-lined swimming baths behind the Doolish town square and filled it with salt to scare away the faeries. Sicily and I would go a few times a week in the summer, depending on our moods, and right now, it felt like I had
swum a hundred lengths. This was understandable, considering I’d nearly drowned.

  Streams of morning sunlight shone from the window on the far side, illuminating the unmade beds. I yawned, watching the last of the girls enter the shared bathroom, and swung my legs out of bed.

  The door opened, and Flora stepped in, already fully dressed and holding two steaming mugs. “I brought you a cup of tea.”

  “Thanks.” I sat on the edge of the bed and accepted a mug.

  “I didn’t think you’d be in the mood for a public breakfast after all that shit from yesterday,” she said, raising a shoulder.

  “You’re right.” I placed the mug to my lips and took a sip—Earl Grey, the favorite of Captain Picard, but with cow’s milk. A bloody luxury and I was too nervous to savor it. “But I’ve got to show my face.”

  “Why?”

  “If I miss any news about the trial, they might carry it out in a secret location and declare me the loser.”

  Flora’s lips twisted with disgust. “After what I saw last night, I’d believe anything about that lot.”

  “Not a fan of the royals?” I asked.

  “They were alright as long as you kept out of their way.” She took a delicate slurp from her mug. “But it’s hard to like people who are better off.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. How many years had Sicily and I spent bitching about faeries? I’d always thought that once you got wings, your life was a stroll down Easy Street. But there were levels within the society I couldn’t begin to comprehend. Intrigues and plots and backstabbing. “Poor duchess. I can’t imagine who would kill her.”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” she said.

  “No?”

  “The Duke of Medietas in revenge for Lady Gala and the others stealing Helen’s magic and sending her to the Dark Fae Prison.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Why wouldn’t she attack the Fated directly?”

  Flora leaned back, resting her weight on one arm. “Who knows?” She gestured with her mug. “My father bred all the king’s horses, and do you know what he used to say?”