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Chapter One

RAIN

O ver spring break, all of my uniforms had been cleaned. That meant I had options, and I really wanted to look good in the morning. It was silly, but with everything that had happened, it somehow felt important to me. I was dating the Queen of Winter. I had a knight defender of my own.

Hawke had wings.

Ok, that last part was taking a bit to get used to.

Not because I thought there was anything wrong with it, but "people with wings" were angels in my mind, and Hawke was certainly not one of those.

According to everyone in school - who didn't know what he was - jevadu were monstrous creatures who fed on magic.

Considering my power came from other people's magic, I wasn't quite sure why I was supposed to be a hero and him a monster, but whatever.

"Morrigan," Jack grumbled from his perch.

"I just need to pick my outfit," I told the crow. "I was thinking the tight skirt, knee-high socks, and - "

"Oh, I do like the tight skirt," Aspen said as she sauntered into my room, heading for the plant beside the door. "Do you think we should leave Spike beside the door like that? I mean, now that everyone's back..."

I looked over to the massive Monarch's Assassin plant sitting on the ground beside my desk. It had doubled in size since Aspen had given it to me, and I was pretty sure it had been magically enhanced. Mostly because of what was sitting under its roots.

There, covered in dirt and plant water, was the Winter Crown. Millions, possibly billions of dollars' worth of gems - and some I was sure weren't even from Earth - had been tucked at the bottom of Spike's pot, and the plant was entrusted to keep it safe.

Considering Spike could sling thorns like bullets?

It was probably the safest place for the crown.

No one would be able to get close enough to find it except those of us Spike liked.

I was near the top of that list. Aspen, naturally, was even higher than me, but Spike wasn't a fan of everyone.

Wilder got a pass. Hawke was too nervous to get close to her.

Torian made her leaves tense. Keir? Spike reached out to touch him every time he showed up. I thought she had good taste.

"I think," I said, looking over the massive plant with deep blue flowers, "that if we try to tuck her in a corner, it'll look suspicious. Monarch's Assassins are guardians, right? Well, she's guarding the door. If we move her, it'll make people wonder what she's guarding."

"Good point," Aspen said. "What do you think, Spike? Want to stay here?"

The plant wrapped one of its vines around the leg of my desk. To me, that was a pretty clear answer: here was good. Aspen's giggle proved she thought the same. So, after caressing a few of the leaves, my girlfriend made her way over to my bed and flopped down on her back.

"The black mini is a yes," she said, flicking her finger at my closet. "Use the dark green blazer, the white socks, and..." She hummed to herself and waved her hand. "You need some green on a shirt."

"Rain!" Jack said. "Rain, Rain, Rain!"

He was jumping in place excitedly, so when the door to my wardrobe opened, I wasn't overly shocked. When I saw my shadow reaching for a shirt, however? Letting out a heavy sigh, I made my way over to see which one it was looking at.

"Oh, I like that one!" Aspen agreed. "Let me just..." And she wiggled her fingers a little more.

I barely had the thing in sight before pale white embroidery began to curl across the collar and down the part with the button holes. Then green joined it, adding a very subtle accent. Leaves and vines, of course, but shadowed crows were mixed in with all of it.

"Snowflakes," I told her. "The leaves look too summery, Aspen. I need some Winter icons on here too."

"Oh!" she squealed. "I can do that!"

Sure enough, more designs appeared. These were almost silver. Pale, but like a metallic white. Just enough sparkle to catch the eye, but not enough to break the uniform rules. Nodding, I hung the shirt on the outside of the wardrobe, making it clear I was going to wear it.

"Looks like your magic is behaving," I pointed out.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But that's the weird thing."

"Court!" Jack said. "Court-court."

"I don't think being on the court is a part of it," Aspen told him.

But Jack shook his head, proving she had that wrong. "Court..." he said, looking right at her. "Court!" And he flapped his wings, making a ruckus.

"You mean because she's the queen now?" I guessed.

He slung his beak up and down. "Jack! Court! Shadow!"

"And I have no clue about that one," I admitted as I crawled onto my bed to curl up beside Aspen.

"Torian says claiming the crown gives me more access to power," Aspen explained. "I thought it would be a problem. You know, since my control isn't great."

Jack shook his head vehemently.

"I think that might not be the case," I teased as I slipped my arms around her. "But how are things in your head? Any better?"

She shrugged. "My brother's a mess."

"Knew that."

Which made her grin. "Wrong kind of mess." But her body stilled.

I simply reached up to push a few locks of her silvery hair away from her face. "So he's still in there, huh?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "It's better, but we burned open the connection between us." Then she tensed back to see me better. "Not intentionally, I mean. It was when the Huntsman had me."

I groaned. "Ok, that makes so much more sense. A magic thing?"

"Yeah," she breathed, snuggling closer. "See, I can take magic from him.

No, we don't know how. Ms. Rhodes doesn't understand it either.

Our theory is it's because we weren't supposed to be two.

Our father did one spell. He needed one child so the Mad Queen would stop killing the Winter Court. Instead, he got two."

"Shadow!" Jack cawed.

Which made both of us look over. "Excuse me?" I asked.

"Court. Shadow. Jack-Morrigan. Shadow. Shadow, Shadow, Shadow!" Then he rattled in frustration. "Bitch!"

Which made both me and Aspen giggle. "Who's a bitch?" Aspen asked.

"Shadow!" Jack clarified.

"Yeah, and I have no clue what that means," I told her, tugging her up against me again. "I'm more worried about you and Hawke."

"The rumors?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, people know you're a princess now."

"And they're wrong," she said.

Which made me suck in a breath. "Oh! You're not a princess. You're a queen! That means we can deny it while telling the truth?"

"Exactly!" she praised. "But if I'm a princess, and Torian's my brother, they'll know he's a prince, and that part is true."

"He's enough of an asshole to be one," I admitted.

She giggled. "He really is. But Rain? If he's not a jevadu..."

"Hawke," I realized.

Aspen nodded. "This is all going to come out."

"So own it," I told her. "Aspen, Hawke is a duke. Torian named him one. It means he's Summer, right? So if you're not a princess, then he's not technically a wildling. He chose a season."

"But he also didn't," she countered. "He's still a wildling. His magic is still based on wild magic. He will still need to feed, and that's more awkward than you know."

"How so?"

She made a face. "He has talons on his thumbs. You know how in the movies a vampire bites someone's neck and gets blood? But it's always shallow and never ripping apart their necks?"

"Yeah?" I wasn't sure where she was going with this yet.

"He has to pierce skin to draw out the magic in a fae body. It's a real puncture, Rain. It leaves a mark. That's why Wilder doesn't take off his shirt."

I felt my entire body go limp. "He feeds on Wilder?"

"With permission," she hurried to assure me. "Usually when naked."

Which made me giggle this time. "Oh, I see! But it'll be easier for him now, right? I mean, with all of us knowing?"

"I don't actually know," she said. "Keir could be weird about it, and Hawke will not feed from Torian unless there's no other option. He says it's not his place."

"And Keir thinks Wilder's the traditionalist," I grumbled. "No, I get it. But still. We can help him too. I don't know how, but I mean, aren't the six of us supposed to be working together? And if the Hunt comes back..."

"Yeah," she breathed. "That's the problem. But with all the rumors? We have to be careful, Rain."

"Or," I said, "we can rub their faces in it.

You're royalty, Aspen! So is Torian. I'm the Morrigan, and my job is to restore balance, right?

So aren't we balancing things our way? Who says we have to do it like everyone else expects?

Who says you have to be the kind of queen your father was?

And I fucking hope Torian won't be a king like his mother! "

"Oh, he won't," she insisted. "But Rain? He doesn't want to be king at all."

"And you didn't want to be the queen," I said. "I kinda figured that part out. I mean, in hindsight and all."

"I don't." She quickly licked her lips. "I only did it because he had you. I'd hoped..." She swallowed quickly. "Rain, I'd hoped that by claiming the crown, I'd have the authority to make him stop, but it didn't work!"

"Instead, you kicked his ass," I reminded her. "You, Aspen, called down magic like I've never seen before."

"I tried to do the kind you use."

"But see?" I said. "Winter, Wild, Summer? The six of us are evenly split. Sure, we're a mess of who goes where, but none of us care. We're doing this differently, Aspen, so let's be proud of that? Let's stop hiding it all - "

"I can't," she broke in.

"Why not?"

"They will kill me." She pulled away so she could sit up. "Rain, that's the thing. Some people here want to remove all Winter magic. Half the Summer students think they can suck up to the Mad Queen somehow. That means they hate me too. There aren't that many Winter users, and - "

"And the Prince of Summer is on our side," I reminded her. "Me, Jack, Shadow, Keir, Hawke..." I sat up to match her. "My dads, Aspen. Hell, even Ms. Rhodes will help us."

"But we're not supposed to be doing any of this yet. We're just kids!"

"You and Torian are eighteen now," I reminded her. "I only have a bit over a month. We're not kids."

"We are to the fae."

"So then we make the adults help us," I insisted.

"We all know this isn't going to go away.

I also think being on the defensive is the worst thing possible.

It gives them the power. It makes us react instead of being proactive.

More than all of that, if we're hiding this stuff, then doesn't it look like we're ashamed of it? "

"Or," she offered, "like it's none of their business?"

"I like that," I agreed. "Be royal, Aspen. Be very, very royal, and I will love you no matter what, ok?"

"I'm trying," she mumbled.

So I reached over and caught her chin, making her look at me. "I love you, Aspen Fox. Not Her Highness, the Queen of Winter. I also couldn't remember your real name if my life depended on it, so I can't let it slip. That means none of this matters."

"Then what does?" she asked.

I cupped the side of her face. "That the manic pixie dream girl offered me sugar and a place to belong. That she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. That she said she loves me, and that makes me willing to fight for her."

"For?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. For. No matter what, Aspen, I will always help you. The way I see it, I owe you for this."

"Which this?" she asked.

"My happiness."

She leaned in, pausing with our mouths only a breath apart. "But you paid that back by making me happy."

"Too bad," I whispered. "I still owe you. You might owe me too, but this time one thing does not cancel out the other."

"No," she agreed. "It makes both stronger." And then her lips finally found mine.