Here turned out to be a little tavern on the outskirts of the free territory. It sat amidst a long row of towering cedar trees, their evergreen limbs churning in the chilly autumn wind. Only the front of the tavern could be seen. It was a small squat building with two floors, the stone work old and worn. The rest was hidden amongst the green canopy.

“We’ll stay here for the night, and then we’ll go on through at dawn,” Alastar said, leading his horse to a stable that was almost twice as large as the tavern.

I jumped off the horse and edged closer to Liam, despite Shea’s irritating warnings. “Why are we staying here for the night? It sounds like this whole thing is urgent.”

“It is urgent, but the Summer fae are taking extra precautions right now,” he said in a low whisper. “The border between the free territory and the Summer lands has been closed. This is the only way in and out, and only at dawn. The Summers no longer allow free access, too worried that the Autumn fae will sneak across and stab everyone in their sleep.”

I swallowed hard, mostly because he was probably right.

* * *

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned in the small, knotty bed, the faded sheets getting tangled in my limbs. I couldn’t stop thinking about that damn Barmbrack Ring. Alwyn had threatened Liam with banishment from the Academy if he so much as looked at me for too long. All this time I’d yearned for him, dreamt of him, wished for him. Had he been yearning for me, too?

With a frustrated sigh, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and padded across the chilly wooden floor in the thin cotton shirt I’d worn to sleep. I hadn’t thought to pack any pajamas for the journey. It was the middle of the night. None of the Hunters would be awake now, except for those keeping watch downstairs. Better yet, Shea would be nowhere in sight.

I pressed my ear against the door and listened for any signs of life in the hallway. When none came, I slowly twisted the doorknob and pushed. Low light spilled into my room from the flickering sconces that lined the walls. I’d seen Liam go into the room two doors down. The room with the door that was very much opening right this second.

My heart thundered hard when his brilliant red hair appeared in the darkened doorway. His eyes latched onto mine. Even in the dim lighting, there was no mistaking the heat in them. His lips curled, and he crooked his finger, beckoning for me to go to him.

Suddenly, I felt very shy. It had been easy to be brave when he wasn’t standing right before me, looking all manly in his low-slung pants. They sat perfectly on his waist, showing just the slightest hint of a strong and muscular V. Not to mention his chest. His thin shirt clung to his biceps, highlighting the muscles that I knew were strong enough to throw me over his shoulder.

Not that I was imagining how he might throw me over his shoulder.

Okay, so maybe I was.

Definitely was.

When I couldn’t force my feet to move, he let out a chuckle and stepped out into the hallway. His door creaked shut, and the lock clicked softly in the heavy silence. Soon, he was before me, softly pressing me back into the safety of my own room. He followed me inside and closed the door to shut out the world, the Hunters, and the distant Academy’s eyes that were so intent on making sure we stayed apart.

“What are you doing?” I whispered, staring up at him as my heartbeat raced at a speed that could rival a train.

“Coming to see you, which is exactly what you wanted, darling.” He arched an eyebrow as his gaze caressed my bare thighs. “Or are you going to tell me there was another reason you were sneaking into the hallway in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me you were going to pay Shea a visit. I might not be jealous of your affection for Kael and the others, but I can’t bear the thought of another Summer’s hands on you, even a woman’s.”

I swallowed hard, my heartbeat flickering against the vein in my neck. “I thought you weren’t allowed to be alone with me.”

His lips twisted into a wicked smile. “I’m not. Sometimes, it’s fun to do the things we’re not supposed to do.”

A thrill of excitement went down my spine. “What else are you not supposed to do?”

Liam dropped his forehead to mine and breathed deeply through his flared nostrils. “I’m definitely not supposed to do this.”

I leaned in closer, resting a timid hand against his smooth, muscular chest. “And I doubt I’m allowed to do this.”

“Most definitely not.” His voice went rough and deep, and then he slid his fingers into my loose braid, tangling his hand into the twisted strands of my long, blonde hair. “Touching you is most definitely off-limits.”

My heart rattled in my chest, and I pressed up onto my toes, breathing in the sweet summer scent of him. “And kissing me? Is that off-limits?”

A low growl rumbled from Liam’s throat, and his grip around my hair tightened. “Don’t tempt me, Norah.”

“Why not?” I breathed. “You want to kiss me. I want to kiss you. And no one is around but us.”

“You heard what Shea said. Giving into this will only lead to heartache, and hurting you is the last thing I want to do.”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to hurt,” I whispered.

He sucked in a deep breath through his nose, his eyes flickering with that impossible heat. A heat that I could barely resist anymore. “I can’t help but notice you aren’t wearing any pants. Or your ring.”

That stupid Barmbrack Ring again. Wrinkling my nose, I shook my head. “I didn’t know I was supposed to be wearing it.”

He let out a low chuckle. “That’s what you do with a ring, darling.”

“Hmm.” I cocked my head, my lips spreading into a teasing smile. “I thought you didn’t believe in that whole barmbrack thing.”

Slowly, Liam loosened his grip on my hair and trailed his fingers along the back of my neck. Goosebumps tiptoed after him, and my fingers ached with the need to reach out and return his touch. He slid his forehead against mine. Our noses brushed. Our lips were so close that the scent of fresh, sweet summer filled my head.

And then the door swung open. Because of course it did.

Liam and I sprang apart, only to find Shea leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. She shook her head and laughed. “You two are impossible.”

“Please don’t tell Alwyn,” I said, tugging the thin whispery material in a lame attempt to cover my very bare legs.

She arched an eyebrow. “Maybe you should have thought of that before you let your hormones control you. Sorry, Liam. You won’t be returning to the Academy after this.”

* * *

When dawn broke through the morning clouds, I changed back into my usual training attire and the deep red Summer cloak. I’d gotten approximately zero sleep, too dismayed by Shea’s words. I practically sleep-walked out my door. The rest of our party was already awake and downstairs by the stable, getting the horses ready for the second stage of our journey. Liam was waiting for me by his green-skinned horse, murmuring soft words into her flickering ears.

He gave her a heavy pat and beamed at me when I approached.

My feet slowed as I approached him. “You look strangely happy for someone who found out he’s to be banished from the Academy after this trip.”

“Ah, about that.” Liam stepped forward and grabbed my arm, yanking me to his chest. I fell against him, my mouth widening into an O. I might have even yelped a little, as embarrassing as it was. “I figure if I’m going to be banished, then I might as well make the most of it. There’s nothing stopping me from showing everyone exactly how I feel anymore.”

“Right.” I swallowed hard as my entire face matched the heat of the sun. “And Shea won’t...object?”

“Of course she’ll object.” He grinned. “But it doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

I wasn’t so sure about that. One embrace was easy enough to explain away, but pushing things further than that—as desperately as I wanted to—would only aggravate the situation even more. Liam might have come to terms with the fact he wouldn’t be returning to the Academy when all of this was over, but I sure hadn’t.

I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him.

I wasn’t ready to not have him in my life.

It was impossible to imagine not seeing his fiery orange eyes, to see that crooked smile.

He couldn’t leave the Academy. He just couldn’t.

So, when it came time to mount our horses, I turned down the tempting invitation to ride with him on his steed. For now, I’d stick to mine and merely imagine my arms were wrapped around his waist.

We steered our horses around the side of the tavern where an archway led into what appeared to be a large, lush garden. Everything glowed with a strange kind of sheen, sparkling under the blazing sun, one that was much stronger and higher in the sky than the one behind us. I blinked and tried to make sense of it. The tavern was set back into a forest of towering cedars, and yet, they were nowhere to be seen within the archway.

“It’s a strange sight, isn’t it?” Liam eased his horse closer to mine. “This is our gateway into the Summer lands. The trees all around us are merely an illusion, an attempt to hide the beauty on the other side.

“So, there are two suns?”

He let out a low chuckle. “Not really. The sun of the free territory rises and sets with the changing of the seasons, just like in the human realm. Our sun—the sun of summer—is always as glorious as it is on the longest day of the year.”

I felt drawn toward it, transfixed by the golden glow. Something deep within my bones begged me to step forward and bask in the warmth of summer. Through the archway, a scent drifted toward me. One of sunflowers, of fresh grass, and of fire. It was so inexplicably Liam. And strangely and achingly, it felt like home.

It was then that I realized I’d nudged my horse forward, and I’d passed through the archway without any inclination I’d moved. The Summer Hunters had filed in behind me, and they were each looking at me with expressions of wary curiosity. Liam sat on his horse with his arms crossed over his chest, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“We were about to give you instructions on how to pass through the archway, but it appears you’ve figured that out all on your own.” Shea strode forward on her horse, flicking her reins. She gave me a strange look. “Perhaps Alwyn is wrong about you, after all.”

The next few hours passed quickly. We continued along a dirt path that cut through fields and fields of glorious flowers. As we continued our journey, I spotted a cluster of gently sloping hills in the distance, topped with several white spires.

Those spires turned out to be attached to the top of the Summer Court’s castle. It rose up from the moss-covered ground, the peaks scratching against a perfect blue sky. Vines twisted up the side of every surface, clawing their way out of a babbling brook that cut through the very center of it all.

It was absolutely breathtaking.

The Hunters led us through the gates manned by two very stern and angry looking guards. They didn’t even let out grunts of hello as we passed, and the gates slammed heavily behind us. For the first time since I’d stepped foot in the Summer lands, an eerie flicker of unease passed through my gut. We were, effectively, trapped here. If we wanted to leave, we couldn’t, not unless they decided we could.

In the center of the courtyard sat a pair of thrones, ones that were covered in twisted limbs of moss and vines, identical to those that crawled up the walls of the castle. Several flowers had sprouted near the top of the chairs in varying hues of gold, red, purple, and orange.

And, of course, the seats were empty. Mounds upon mounds of flowers had been placed at the foot of them, and several Summers hovered nearby, sniffling into handkerchiefs. The deaths of the Royals had only just happened several days ago. Their people would still be mourning. And they would still be angry.

One faerie stood out from the rest. He was not sniffling, and he was not tossing flowers onto the pile. He wore the same cloak as the Hunters, and he strode toward us with flashing red eyes. The anger in his face was barely contained, and it made me pull on my reins without thinking. My horse stumbled back, a move that caught me off guard, and I went tumbling onto the grassy carpet with a sharp cry.

Liam was by my side within an instant. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist and pulled me to my feet. My knees were throbbing, as well as my face, though for entirely different reasons. This was embarrassing as hell.

The male fae who had come to greet us merely sniffed in my direction and narrowed his eyes. “This cannot be the changeling I asked you to bring.”

“I understand how unlikely it seems, but this is the one you asked for,” Alastar said, his voice dripping with derision. My face flamed even more, but I lifted my chin and dusted off my cloak. Before I’d come to Otherworld, I would have cowered away and let this male’s words get to me, just like how I’d reacted every time my step-dad turned his anger on me. But I wasn’t that girl anymore. I’d changed, in more ways than one.

“I came here because you apparently need my help,” I said, my voice clear and sharp. “But I can just as easily walk away.”

Liam chuckled, but the male fae before me didn’t find it quite as amusing. He sneered and stepped forward, his eyes flashing with that barely-contained rage. “You’re in my Court now. You can’t leave unless I say you can leave.”

“You can try to stop me if you like,” I said, smiling sweetly at him.

He scowled, and his eyes cut to one of the Hunters who had accompanied me. “She better be able to do what you say she can do. Otherwise, this has been a complete waste of my time.”

“I saw it with my own eyes, Phelan,” the Hunter said.

I frowned. “Saw what?”

Did this have something to do with the battle against the Autumn fae all those months ago? None of these Summer Hunters had been there at the time, and all of the changelings had been sworn to secrecy. And not all of them had even seen what I did.

But the answers I sought were cut short when the courtyard was plunged into sudden darkness. One moment, the brilliant summer sun beat down on my skin. The next? It was as if day had turned to night. I tipped back my head to stare up at the sky. The entire horizon was obscured by bulbous black clouds. And then a flash ripped through the sky, blinding me with the brilliant intensity of it.

“Sound the alarm,” Phelan said, the anger and irritation in his voice replaced by something more akin to panic. “It’s another one of those Autumn storms. Get everyone inside.”

“Wait. Another storm?” Liam dismounted from his horse in a blur. One thing about the fae that I and the other changelings had yet to master was how quickly they could move when they really wanted to. “I didn’t think they’d moved that far into the Summer lands.”

“Unfortunately, they very much have.” Phelan whistled at the two guards manning the gates and motioned at a bell atop the tower. “Now that the Autumn fae cannot penetrate our lands physically, they have taken to sending these storms to attack us.”

Another crack of lightning split the sky, a brilliant white rod that slammed into the ground only twenty feet away from where we stood. The horses around us bucked and neighed, their trembling hooves tumbling onto the ground.

“Hurry. We need to get inside where it’s safe. The last time one of these storms hit, a dozen faeries died.” Phelan spun on his feet and began to run toward the nearest building: a large expansive hall held up by thick white pillars. Several of the Hunters jumped to the ground and began to race after him, leaving their horses abandoned in the middle of the courtyard.

Frowning, I glanced at Liam who still held tight to his horse’s reins. “Go on, Norah. Get inside where it’s safe.”

“We can’t just leave the horses out here alone like this. They could get killed.”

“I’ll take care of the horses,” he said. “You go on inside.”

“And leave you to get all of them to safety by yourself? No.” I shook my head and grabbed a horse’s reins, including my own. “It’ll be faster if we work together.”

Liam’s jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth. “I swear to the forest, Norah, I won’t have you out here risking your neck.”

“Too bad.” I’d already spotted the stables halfway across the courtyard, alongside the wall nearest to the front gates. I had two horses inside by the time the next wave of lightning hit. This time, it slammed down hard only inches from the front gates. I didn’t have to look to know that one of the guards had fallen. Fear gripped my heart, and I began to move faster, upping my speed to match Liam. I could feel the fear cascading off the horses as I led them to safety, but somehow, I was able to keep them calm enough to follow us inside.

Soon, we had all the horses inside the stables. Lightning came quicker now. Instead of moments between attacks, the frequency increased to seconds. One after another after another. Shivering, I leaned against Liam and breathed in the comforting scent of him. Across the courtyard, I could see the Summer Hunters glowering at us from inside the safety of their marble hall, but I didn’t care.

“You risked your life to save some horses.” I pulled back to look up into Liam’s eyes, the brilliant lightning reflecting across his golden irises.

“So did you.” He glanced around the stables, eyes lighting on each of the horses we’d packed inside the small space. “And normally, they would be terrified in a storm like this. You’re keeping them calm, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Your powers are growing stronger. Unfortunately, when the storm passes, we’ll have another fight to face. The Summer fae won’t be very thrilled to find a changeling with Autumn powers in their midst.”