Every muscle in Raith’s body burned, an inextinguishable fire of pain. Heaviness weighed on his eyes.

Surely, he was in hell. He’d never given death much thought, but he could think of nothing other than the flames torching his nerves.

“Shhh,” a voice said, soft and warm, female but unfamiliar.

It would be fitting if his devil were a woman. Raith chuckled, sending a ricochet of agony through him.

Raith dozed in and out of consciousness, always too tired to open his eyes. The burning continued, slowly dulling.

Coldness pressed onto his forehead. The female voice from earlier said, “Your fever is breaking. You’ll feel better soon.”

Raith searched his memory. How’d he get here? He’d been in the forest, searching for the Autumn Court. An image of a silver wolf flashed in his mind. Its pack had attacked him.

He reached to his side. A hand grabbed his and squeezed, gently placing his arm on his stomach.

“Careful, the wound is still healing,” the woman said.

Who was she?

Raith’s eyes flickered.

A young woman leaned over him. Firelight brightened one side of her face. Her copper hair hung down past her chest as her light green eyes widened. She wiped his face with the cool cloth in her hand.

Raith tried to push himself up, but his body was too heavy.

The woman placed her hand on his heart. “You need more rest.”

“Where am I?” His voice was scratchy, as if he hadn’t spoken in quite some time.

From what Raith could see, they were in a circular room surrounded by stone walls. He laid on a bed of some sort, soft under his back.

“A cave I’ve been staying in,” she said.

“Who are you?”

“Aren’t you the inquisitive one?” Her eyes crinkled as she smiled. “I’m Sage. And who are you?”

“Raith,” he said.

“Hello, Raith,” Sage said. “Now, please tell me you aren’t a murderer. I’d hate to have saved the life of a murderer.”

Raith’s mouth curved in a half smile. “And will you kill me if I am?”

Sage’s eyebrow lifted. “I’d hear you out first. If you murdered someone to avenge the death of your lover, I may let it slide.”

“I’ll make it easy, then. No murderers here.”

“I never said anything about me not being the murdering kind.” Sage laughed. “But you can relax, I’m not. Though I shot that silver wolf in such an awful spot he may have wished I’d killed him.”

Raith chuckled, sending a stabbing pain into his side. He lifted his head just enough to peek at the cause of his grief. A nasty bruise covered the right side of his abdomen where teeth had pierced his skin.

It wasn’t the wound that shocked Raith, though. It was what he was wearing, or more specifically, what he wasn’t wearing: clothes. He protected a particular area with his hands.

He’d been with women before and was never embarrassed by nudeness, but he’d been intimate with them. All he knew about Sage was her name and that she probably wasn’t a murderer.

And that she wasn’t Scarlett.

Sage giggled. “Now, now, don’t be so modest. It’s nothing I’ve never seen before.”

Raith looked to her again, but didn’t move his hands.

“Plus, as impressive as you might be to some, that,” she pointed to what he was covering, “isn’t what I’m looking for.”

Panic struck Raith. Was something wrong with it? Had the wolf bit more than his side? He struggled with moving his hands to look or keeping them in place to protect it from her view.

“Relax, nothing happened. I’m just not into men. No offense.”

Raith’s muscles softened, but he kept his hands in place. “You…”

“Like women, yes.” Sage smirked. “Since it looks like you’re still uncomfortable, I’ll go and get your clothes. They were drenched in blood, so I washed them.”

Raith got a better view of Sage as she left the cave. She wore a leather fighting dress, covered in bronze-plated armor, with matching brown boots that reached just below her knee. He’d heard of female Autumn Court warriors, but he’d never met one. They were rumored to live together in a colony they never left.

She returned with a bundle of clothing in her hand. “The pants and shoes are all right. The shirt, on the other hand, isn’t much of a shirt anymore.” She dangled it in front of her. The whole bottom half was barely connected.

Raith took the pants. “These will do.”

Sage stared at him. “Oh, come on. I’ve already seen you naked.”

“Yes, well, I was unconscious then.”

Why did it bother him so much? It wasn’t like him to care about something as mundane as nudity. He would have jumped at the chance for an attractive woman to want to see him naked, though he’d have preferred her been into guys, not girls. But he had plenty of three-some fantasies that Sage would fit into perfectly.

Someone else had that part of his mind now.

Sage rolled her eyes and groaned, but turned away and dug through a bag on the ground.

Raith carefully sat up. The wound stung, but he did his best to ignore it. Thankfully, the waistline of his pants was a few inches below the bite marks. Even if the shirt had been wearable, he would have left it off. Just the thought of cloth hitting the wound sent a shiver through Raith.

His ankle had been torn into as well when that bastard wolf tricked him into trying to run. It better hope Raith never saw it again.

Sage went to the other side of the cave where a fire burned. She held something over the fire with a stick. Behind her, the cave’s entrance opened to the light outside. Raith closed his eyes and took in the sounds. Nearby, water rushed over rocks. An owl hooted further in the distance.

A few minutes later, she asked, “Am I safe to look now?”

“Yep.”

She turned around with a plate in her hand. “You should eat.” She handed it to him.

It had some sort of meat on it, along with a chopped-up potato and piece of fruit.

“It’s not gourmet,” she added. “But it should help you regain some energy.”

“It’s great, thank you.” Raith scarfed it down. He felt as if he hadn’t eaten in days. “How long was I out?”

“Almost a week.”

That long? Shit. Raith had wanted to find answers quick and get back to the Unseelie Court to find Scarlett. Even though time moved faster in Faerie, he’d been gone over a day in the mortal world. He didn’t trust Kaelem with Scarlett. “I need to go.” When he stood, a head rush made him waver.

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere yet.” Sage linked her arm with his and helped him sit back down. “You’re lucky to even be awake already.”

“Why am I healing so slowly?” As a fae, he should have already healed, especially with his royal Summer blood.

“You were bit by a shifter. Their bites are venomous.”

If Raith saw that dirty wolf again, he’d be sure to break its neck. It was lucky Raith was caught off guard. Next time, Raith wouldn’t be such easy prey. “How long until it’s better?”

“I’m not sure,” Sage said. “I used some herbal remedies and magic, but without the anti-venom, it will take some time. You’re already healing faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re an Autumn Court fae?” Raith asked.

A flash of concern flickered across her face. “Yes.”

“I’m a Summer fae.” He hoped she wouldn’t kick him out because of it. As far as he knew, the Summer and Autumn Courts were cordial enough. “Well, I was. I’m a bit of a nomad now.”

Sage tilted her head. “Summer, huh?”

“Is that bad?”

“No, not at all. I’ve never met a Summer fae.”

“Lucky you.”

Kaelem had told Raith to go to the Autumn Court for answers. Raith hadn’t made it to the castle yet, but he was with an Autumn fae. He should learn what he could while he healed.

“Are we close to the Autumn Court?” Raith asked.

“Somewhat.”

“That’s where I’m heading.”

“Why?” she asked in a loud voice.

She’d saved his life already, and he couldn’t think of any reason to hide anything, so he said, “To find out more about my mother.”

“And you think the Autumn Court will have information?”

Raith nodded. “It’s the only lead I have.”

“What happened to her?”

“She died. That’s all I know.”

Something tugged at Raith from his core. He grabbed at his stomach.

“Are you okay?” Sage scooted toward him.

It wasn’t pain that spread through him, but something else.

A connection.

Raith closed his eyes and reached inside himself to find the bond with Scarlett. She’d entered Faerie. He could feel it.

What was she doing there? Had Cade found her?

“I have to go.” Raith stood, ignoring the pain of his wounds.

“You’re too weak to get far.”

“I…” He wasn’t sure what to say to make her understand. “I have no choice. Someone needs me.”

“Whoever it is will have to make do without you.”

Scarlett was in Faerie, but she was far away. The connection was weak, but it was enough for Raith to evanesce to her if he tried. But what if he didn’t have enough magic to make it to her? He’d be lost in the middle of the forest again, with no magic to protect himself.

“Thank you for saving me.” Raith bowed to Sage. “But I have to go.”