Page 3

Dayton

A force hits me, and I fall to the ground with a hard smack . There’s another fae on top of me.

“What in the bloody seven realms?” I croak, the breath knocked out of me.

The last thing I expected when trying to sneak into the gala—through the window, of course, because then Damocles couldn’t prove I arrived late—was to be pushed from the window by a clumsy fool.

I grip the other fae by the shoulders and easily flip him onto his back. A thatch of wavy auburn hair falls across his brow, and he blinks up at me with huge golden eyes.

“Who are you?” I say, meaning my words to come out as a growl, but they get caught in my throat.

“P-please let me go,” he cries. “I have nothing of value on me!”

I sit back on my heels and tilt my head. “What do you take me for? A thief?”

The young man takes a few shaking breaths, then sits up. “Who else would be climbing through the window of a keep?”

“And who would be climbing out of a window?” I take in his orange toga. Beneath, his skin is near translucent. This is no fae of the Summer Realm. “I know exactly who you are.”

He staggers to his feet. “Y-you do?”

Standing, I flash him a grin. “A servant of Autumn escaping his duties. Do our festivities pale compared to your realm?”

His face blanches. “I don’t need to explain myself to you, a dirty thief. In fact, I should report you.”

I give myself a quick sniff. So, I’m not at my most presentable.

Sand is still stuck to my skin, and my hair is salt crusted.

I take a step toward him. “You’re not going to do that, Little Leaf.

” I flick the golden leaf-shaped cuff over his pointed ear.

“Because then you’ll have to admit you were running away?—”

“I wasn’t running away!” A flush stains his freckled cheeks. “I needed some air. If you’re not a thief, then who are you?”

“You could say I serve the realm in my own way.”

The boy looks me up and down. He must decide I’m not an immediate threat to the realm, as he turns and begins to walk through the gardens surrounding the palace.

I look back at the window, where vines crawl up toward the glowing yellow light. I follow a few steps after the servant. “So, where are you going?”

“I’m going to take a quick loop around the keep before returning to my duties.”

I huff out a breath. “That’s so incredibly boring. If you’re going to shirk your duties, you should at least have a bit of fun.”

“This is enough for me,” he says. “I’m not usually so impulsive.”

I whistle through my teeth. “Wow, a garden walk. Positively shocking, Little Leaf.”

He stops and shoots me a glare. Suddenly, I realize this Autumn servant has no idea who I am.

Even though, as Damocles puts it, I dress like “a common goat herder” most of the time, I’d be hard-pressed to find a citizen of Summer who wouldn’t recognize me on sight, much less have the nerve to shoot me a look like that.

“You know,” I say, snatching his jaw with my hand, “that glare would be a lot more intimidating if it wasn’t so cute.”

His face flushes deeper, and he grips my wrist. “Let me go.”

I don’t. “What’s your name?”

“Far—” He swallows. “Fare.”

“That’s cute too.”

He pushes on my wrist again, and this time, I let him go. He walks a few paces away before glancing over his shoulder. “What’s your name?”

“You can call me Day.”

“Day,” he repeats, keeping those captivating eyes on me.

Turning, I step on the path toward the city. “Hey, Fare,” I call. “You can continue your little garden walk, or you could come with me, and I’ll show you what a good time Hadria truly is.”

He pauses, chest moving with his heavy breath. “I don’t know you. Besides, weren’t you trying to get into the gala?”

I look back at the glowing window. I know everything that awaits me in there: Damocles’s judgmental gaze, being told by Decimus how pitiful my performance was in a recent spar, and awkward small talk with all those stuffy Autumn folk.

My gaze narrows on the boy in front of me. Maybe they aren’t all so bad.

“I already got what I came for.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, Little Leaf.” I hold out my hand. “Be impulsive for once in your life.”

“Fare, hurry!” I inch through the narrow tunnel, my shoulders brushing the rough stone. The air is cool, a stark contrast to the humidity of the city. “This is the second to last thing I have to show you.”

Fare grunts, following behind me. “I don’t know how it could top the man who pretended his monkey could talk.”

I shoot him a glare over my shoulder. “Celer did speak.”

A laugh bubbles out of Fare, a sound I’ve quickly come to enjoy. “I already told you; the vendor was throwing his voice. He certainly didn’t deserve your coin.”

“Oh, but sweet Celer did, even if he tried to bite my poor fingy.”

Fare laughs harder, and I can’t help but join in.

So far tonight, I’ve managed to provide this little Autumn Leaf with quite the tour of Hadria.

Our first stop was to grab a couple of cloaks. I claimed they were for his protection—runaway servant that he is—though truthfully, I don’t think anyone would care about that. What I don’t want is for a citizen of Summer to recognize me and freak him out.

Because I’ve come to learn everything freaks him out.

The scorpions that scuttle across the road? He yelped and grabbed my arm.

The smell of garum repulsed him, even after I devoured two helpings of the saucy fish.

And his face went completely red when we walked past the public baths and he saw a bounty of naked fae inside. I’d be lying if I said his reactions didn’t amuse me though. It was like seeing my city for the first time.

He enjoyed the market, somehow devouring four Libum cakes, his lips glistening with golden honey after. He found the arena intriguing as he watched through the window, but his particular interest lay in the architecture—the way the marble was shaped, and the legends carved into the walls.

I have to admit, no matter how many times I’ve walked through those halls, I’ve never seen it quite like I did with him.

But he lit up at the Dockside Book Forum.

It’s located in a rougher section of the city, where vendors have all converted their little boats and rafts into bookstores.

I suppose being studious must be an Autumn trait, because not only did we have to buy a bag, but it took no time at all for Fare to fill it to the brim.

I swear he chose the heaviest damn tomes, because my shoulder is aching with the weight of this thing across my chest.

“We’re almost there,” I call back, adjusting the book bag and crawling forward.

The tunnel bends sharply, and I twist my body to follow its path.

My fingers dig into the rocky floor. Magic pulses ahead, a faint thrumming.

The darkness is nearly all-encompassing, save for the occasional glint of mineral in the stone, reflecting the light from the small, glowing orb that bobs before us.

A handy spell of Fare’s. If only it hadn’t taken him forever to find the right scroll for the incantation in his pocket.

Eventually, the way widens, revealing a faint glow ahead. My heart quickens as I push myself faster, ignoring the sting of scrapes and bruises. The tunnel opens up and I jump out, blocking the entrance with my body as Fare approaches.

His face nearly bumps into my chest.

“Would you be freaked out if I told you to close your eyes?” I ask.

He lets out a soft breath. “Well, I can only assume the reason is my imminent demise, so?—”

“Close your eyes, Fare.”

He does. I swipe my hand through his glowing orb until it disperses into a misty haze.

“You’re going to have to trust me, okay?”

Fare scoffs but allows me to help him out of the tunnel. The way his body melds to mine as I guide him over the uneven stone… He does trust me. A man he just met.

What an idiot. But a strange protectiveness surges through me, and I tug him a little closer.

“So, what’s my death going to be?” Fare muses. “Thrown from a ledge? Sacrificed to an ancient deity of Summer? Drowned by selkies?”

Leaning down, my lips brush his ear, and it twitches. “Oh, Little Leaf, I’ve got something much more dastardly planned.”

“I have no doubt.”

I keep a hand in his as I say, “Open your eyes.”

He does.

I watch closely as his expression changes.

Flickering lights play over his skin. The walls are alive with bioluminescence, glowing in shades of blue and green that dance and shimmer like stars.

The glow reflects off an underground lake, casting rippling patterns across the ceiling.

Stalactites drip with crystalline water that catches the light.

“Wow.” Fare’s eyes are wide, his mouth open in awe. “This is incredible.”

He steps toward one of the walls but doesn’t let go of my hand. In fact, he squeezes it tighter. I smile, watching his curiosity take over. He studies the glowing patches intently, fingers hovering above the surface.

“I don’t know what it is,” I say, “but it sure is pretty.”

“I’ve read about this type of cave before.

” Fare smiles, his eyes still fixed on the luminous patterns.

“It’s a combination of bioluminescent fungi and a special mineral on the rock walls.

The fungi feed on the minerals, creating this radiant essence.

It’s a symbiotic relationship, one that’s been here for centuries.

Perhaps since the Queen created the Vale. ”

“Radiant essence,” I repeat. “I call it blue goo.”

Fare chuckles. “It’s like nature’s own magic.”

“It’s cold to the touch,” I say, casting him a mischievous grin.

“You’ve touched it? Without even knowing if it was safe?”

I laugh, dipping my fingers into the blue goo—radiant essence—and pulling away a handful of the shimmering substance. “I was curious. But it hasn’t harmed me yet.”

Fare’s eyes sparkle. He mimics my action, his fingers coming away coated in the glowing goo. He studies his luminous fingertips, then turns to me, a grin spreading across his face.

I swipe a finger along his shoulder, leaving a swirling blue line.

For a moment, I think he’s going to be cross, but then he bites his lip and reaches up, tracing along my jaw. It’s cold and a little tingly. I unclasp his cloak and tug down the shoulder of his orange toga, the fabric still wrapped around his waist.

“I wouldn’t call myself an artist,” I say, creating a sun on his chest, “but you make the most striking canvas.”

His heartbeat races under my palm. He’s thin, but as I glide my makeshift paint along his body, I can feel the lean muscles beneath.

Dipping his chin, he tracks my every movement before breaking into a shaky smile. “You are a terrible artist.”

“Never insult a genius while he’s working.” I trace a circle around his belly button, then lower, over a small thatch of hair that dips beneath his toga.

His breath hitches, and he clasps my arm. “My turn.”

“By all means.” I drop my cloak to the ground. “I shall give you the most splendid canvas. In fact, I’m willing to be entirely nude.”

Even in the dim light, I notice his cheeks reddening. “Uh, no. This will be more than enough space. Go sit by the water.”

I do as I’m instructed and watch as Fare scoops a palmful of radiant essence. He dumps it into a pile beside me.

“Now, you have to close your eyes,” he says.

I do and dissolve into the feeling of his hands over my chest. I think he might be using the water to dilute some of the paint as he glides and wisps it across my body. His warm breath caresses my skin as he leans closer.

“I should have brought my reading glasses,” he mumbles. I crack a lid open, seeing his brow furrowed in concentration. He shoots me a glare. “I’m not finished.”

His hand covers my eyes, but he effortlessly slides his fingers down my face, thumb brushing my lips. A strange anticipation prickles through me. A new feeling.

With my previous lovers, the intent was always there from the start. We’d fuck and it would be fabulous. I don’t do…whatever this is.

Because this boy can’t become a lover. It’s one thing to ignore Damocles’s request that I court the Autumn Prince. It would be like spitting in his face to fuck one of the Autumn Realm’s staff. As much as I love annoying my eldest brother, there are some lines I can’t cross.

No matter how good Fare’s hands feel on my body. No matter how I can’t help imagining him touching other parts of me, the sounds he would make as I enter him, the expression on his face as I trace those freckles on his nose with my tongue.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” I rasp.

“Almost done.”

His fingers move in slow, deliberate strokes, and I hiss as he passes over one of my nipples.

“Sorry,” he gasps.

“Don’t be sorry. Just do it again.”

I hear his sharp inhale. “Done.”

“Shame.” I keep my eyes closed, pitying the fact he’s stopped touching me. “Sure you don’t want to paint the rest of me while you’re all gooey?”

“You don’t even know if you like it.”

Reluctantly, I open my eyes and tilt my chin down. My heartbeat stutters, and I stand, peering at my reflection in the water to get a better view.

While the lines I drew over him are squiggly and jagged, their path obviously an excuse for where I wanted to touch him, he has created a masterpiece. Detailed shells merge into beautiful arching curves of the sea. A sun, shrouded by wispy clouds, hovers over my right pectoral.

“You’re making me look bad, Little Leaf,” I say with a smile.

He stands before me, shifting from foot to foot and biting his lip in an all too tempting way. The marks on our bodies emit an ethereal glow between us.

“I like mine too,” he says.

“Well, you should. It’s also a masterpiece.”

He shakes his head, auburn curls falling across his brow. “I mean, I had you . All you had to work on was me. ”

I don’t know what happened to this man back in the Autumn Realm, but his self-talk needs improvement. I grasp his jaw and force his gaze to mine. “What are you talking about? You’re beautiful.”

He blinks as if he can’t quite believe it, then clasps my wrist, this time not to push me away, but to hold me there.

“Is this where you take all your victims, thief?”

“Only the ones I really want to torment,” I reply with a rueful grin. “Truthfully, I haven’t brought anyone here before. It’s a place I come when I need to get away from it all. To ground myself, I guess. Hadria’s always full of people, noise, chaos…but no one else has found this little spot yet.”

“Why me?”

“I mean, you’re from Autumn. Not as if you’ll be here long,” I say quickly, but the real reason sits heavy in my gut. Because I thought you’d like it.

He steps away from me then and runs a hand through his hair. “You’re right. The Autumn Realm awaits.”

I force out a laugh and grab his arm. “But that’s tomorrow’s problem. Remember, there is one last thing I want to show you. We’re still a long way from dawn.”