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“I am sorry it took so long. A maid is changing your bedding.” Something in Tava’s eyes shifted as she took in Scarlett on the floor, her head in Cassius’s lap. Scarlett could see the worry. This was a scene she’d witnessed numerous times over the past year. There was hesitation in her tone as she said, “Ryker is still here. In the foyer. He asked about you.”

Tava held out a small vial to Scarlett. She took it, her hands shaking slightly from the vomiting. She downed the contents in a single gulp before looking up at Cassius and saying, “Tell that Fae bastard when he’s ready to tell me what’s going on, I’ll be waiting. Until then, he can go fuck himself, and my wellbeing is none of his concern.”

Cassius reached down, sliding an arm under her knees and across her back. She brought her own around his neck as he lifted her from the floor in a fluid motion. His brown eyes twinkled with amusement, and the ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “At least I know you’re fine.”

Scarlett glared at him as he carried her across the bedroom, her eyelids already drooping heavily from the stronger sedative tonic. “Promise me you’ll tell him, Cassius. Those exact words. And don’t tell him how I’m doing. Don’t tell him a damn thing about me.”

“As you wish, Scarlett,” he answered, gently laying her in the bed, the sheets fresh and crisp beneath her. Before he left her side, he leaned close and whispered, “He does care, Scarlett, whether he admits it or not. In some odd way, he cares. I don’t think he even realizes it yet.”

“I don’t care,” was all she could manage before sleep enveloped her wholly. For the first time in a week, she didn’t dream of that night or of the beautiful man.

CHAPTER 11

SORIN

Sorin sat on the roof of his luxury apartment building in the Elite District of Baylorin a few blocks from the Tyndell Estate. The Tyndell family had long been the king’s chief advisors when it came to war counsels and foreign relations with the other two kingdoms of the continent. When Sorin had arrived in Baylorin after spending half a year in the Rydeon Kingdom in the middle of the continent, he’d stayed hidden, learning everything he could about the place. He learned who was in charge of the armies and forged a strong friendship over the last two years with Drake, the Lord’s son and heir. If anyone was going to know of a weapon that could defeat an entire race of people, it would be the leaders of an army.

When Drake had learned of his battle skills, he had immediately beseeched him to aid in training the king’s armies. When Lord Tyndell had learned of his considerable skills, he had approached him about training an elite army of specially chosen soldiers. Sorin had agreed, thinking it’d be the perfect way to learn any highly guarded secrets. His promotion to general was one step closer to achieving that goal. When he had agreed to Lord Tyndell’s proposition, he had been provided with these living quarters.

He hadn’t planned on staying this long, though. After nearly two years here and learning nothing about any weapon, he’d planned to head to the third mortal kingdom, Toreall. He had been planning to leave a few months ago. That was, until he’d discovered her.

Every time he was with her, he found her more and more intriguing. He found himself wondering what she would say next, and he’d never admit it to her, but her cheeky attitude towards him was just as enthralling. She was smart. Arrogant as hell, but wicked smart. Every time he’d made a suggestion or made her change a minute detail about her stance or form in training, she did so without question. Not only that, he’d never had to remind her of the same change again. She had a natural skill for sword handling. He’d found her to be equally as skilled with a bow or a dagger or any other weapon he threw at her. She had been impeccably trained. Who had trained her, though, was just as perplexing as who her mother was. She had a similar style to how Cassius sparred, but not entirely the same, and she wouldn’t reveal who else had had a part in training her. She was fast, faster than some Fae he knew, and the fighting mannerisms and style she had somehow combined together were not of the mortals nor of the Fae.

Sorin had initially thought she was only demi-Fae. There were plenty of humans with Fae blood in the mortal lands. It’d been centuries since the Fae Courts had been cut off from the human lands, but that didn’t mean that Fae and mortals didn’t manage to find each other somehow. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told Scarlett that humans lived in the Fae lands seeking an escape from their oppressors. She had to be more than demi-Fae though. The power he had pulled from her tonight was stronger than most. It was impossible that she wasn’t full-blooded Fae.

Which begged the question of who were her parents? When he’d asked her who her mother was, he didn’t know what he’d expected. He wasn’t surprised she’d refused to talk about it. When he had asked her where she had gotten the ring that had glittered on her finger, she had said “it was my mother’s.” Was. She hadn’t specifically said her mother had died, but Mikale had made that snide comment in the training barracks so Sorin could guess well enough,and no child wants to relive the death of a parent. But what of her father? And where had she lived before they came here? So many mysteries surrounded her. So many secrets she was closely guarding. He’d have to build her trust, which started with sharing irrelevant details about his own life to make her more comfortable talking about hers. Time he didn’t have but was forced to bestow upon her. He was hoping her catching him in the woods today (which, how the hell had that happened?) and him revealing his real name to her would have made her trust him even more, but tonight had clearly shoved him back to the starting point.

He sighed as he relived what had happened tonight. There had definitely been fire in her veins. He could still feel it coursing through his own blood, and that thought alone sent a thrill through him. It was the first time he’d felt his magic since he’d entered these godsdamned lands. He’d been aching to feel it since he saw that ring on her finger.

A Semiria ring. One of two in existence. The Semiria rings had been crafted by the sister Fae Queens. When first crafted, they were simply like any other family crested ring. When the Great War was nearing its end, and they realized magic was going to be inaccessible in the human lands, they had used their power to enchant their family rings so that they could access their magic no matter which lands they entered. The Fae Queen of the East had one upon her finger. The ring of the Fae Queen of the West, however, had been missing for nearly two decades. The queen had left in the middle of the night not telling a single soul where she was going. Neither she, nor her ring, had been seen again.

Until that day in the training barracks. But how had Scarlett gotten the ring?

He had asked Scarlett what her family name was. Monrhoe. An unheard of mortal surname unrelated in any way to the Semirias. How had Scarlett’s mother obtained the ring? And here in the human lands? This is why he’d agreed to train her. To find out everything he possibly could about the woman and her history.

And figure out how a child with such powerful Fae blood had ended up here.

A chill went through him as the night air settled in, and he breathed in deep. A screech from a bird had Sorin rising to his feet. He looked up to find a great blood red bird soaring towards him. The tips of the bird’s wings were tinged with orange and yellow. A phoenix. The bird of Anala, the goddess of the sun and fire.

“Hello, Amaré,” he greeted the bird as it landed on his raised forearm. He gave the bird an affectionate pat on the head and took the rolled parchment from its beak. The most powerful of the Fae were blessed by the gods with more than just powerful magic. When a Fae’s powers fully manifested, some were granted a spirit animal. How the gods decided who received one, no one knew. Most believed it was based solely on power and magic, but Sorin wasn’t sure he believed that. He knew plenty of powerful Fae who were not granted one.

The spirit animals, being linked to the gods, were immune from the wards and spells of the lands. They were able to travel among the spiritual planes, which made them ideal for communicating back to the Courts. The scroll Amaré had brought to him held a scribbled response to a message he’d sent to the Fae lands. Sorin read it quickly before crumpling it in his palm. The phoenix cocked its head in question. “If you do not mind,” Sorin answered the silent inquiry. The paper burst into flame and then quickly to ash that floated away on the wind. “Someday I will not need to rely on you for such things any more,” Sorin said to the bird as he walked to the roof door.

He strode quickly down the stairs to his apartment. The complex only housed three levels and three apartments, each taking up an entire floor. His was on the third floor making the walk to the roof require no socializing. Shutting the door behind him, the bird flew to the back of a dining chair.

The luxury apartment was large and spacious. It housed two giant bedrooms, each with their own bathing chambers and complete with plumbing. The kitchen was a decent size. The enormous main room included a dining space and a piano towards the back. A couch and chairs were arranged in front of a great fireplace that easily heated the whole apartment.

He hated that fucking fireplace. It was a constant reminder of what he didn’t have here. No access to his elemental magic, his near limitless pit of flames and heat and embers.

No, the luxury apartment in all its grandness did little to impress him. He spent most of his time on the roof of the building under the stars.

“Your timing is impeccable as always,” Sorin said, hanging his cloak on a hook near the door and striding to the table. The bird clicked its beak in response. Sorin rarely ate at the apartment, and when he did, he stood over the kitchen counters. The table had become more of a desk and workspace with maps, books, and papers strewn everywhere. He shuffled papers, looking for a pen. Finally finding one, he scribbled a quick note.

He rolled the paper into a scroll, handing it to the bird, who took it in his beak and cooed. “Thank you, my friend,” Sorin answered, stroking the bird’s head a few more times. “Take it to Briar. Avoid the winds.” The phoenix was out the window in seconds, and Sorin watched until he saw a soft flash of light when he left the realm.

Sorin poured himself a glass of whiskey and collapsed on his couch. He had told the commander he was Fae, and Tava had been in the room. He was certain Cassius would tell Scarlett. He still hadn’t figured out who exactly the commander was to Scarlett. He had trained her, yes, but she insisted he wasn’t a lover, and he didn’t exactly act like a brother either.

He wasn’t entirely sure how Scarlett would react to the news of him being Fae. She had seemed to understand why he used a different name here, but that was when she had believed he was mortal. He had read her body language at the mention of the Fae. The way she had stiffened where she sat in the sunroom with that book. The way her tone had shifted to one of anger and hatred.