“What do you mean I can’t go with her?” Liam stormed around the war table, his fists shaking by his sides. We’d returned from our trek up the mountain with what we both thought was good news. I was going to be their spy. We were going to go on the mission.

But Phelan was having none of it.

“The entire reason we want Norah to spy for us is because she can obscure herself from view,” Phelan argued. “You going with her only complicates things. Viola knows exactly who you are. You were her prisoner for years. She’d recognize you in an instant. And you can’t expect the changeling to keep both of you hidden. How far does the shadow radius even go? You would have to stick to her like glue.”

Liam’s lips curled, despite the anger flickering in his eyes. “Oh, there’d be no problem with that.”

Phelan barked out a bitter laugh. “And there it is. You only want to go with her because you have some kind of delusion that she’s your mate. Let me guess, you think because she’s like Marin that she can claim all four of you.”

“Well, I don’t see why the hell not.”

“It’s been eighteen years since Marin had her harem. The realm thought the existence of the Greater Fae was over. Who’s to say the realm would accept it after all this time? Who’s to say it wouldn’t threaten the balance of our existence or anger the demons we’re bound to tithe?”

“The tithe is taken care of by the changeling exchange,” Liam countered.

“Yes.” A pause. “And Norah is a changeling, regardless of her unique powers. When changelings return home, they are to spend their three years at the Academy and bond with their mate. Singular.”

“Surely the demons don’t care who mates with who,” I said, finally speaking up for the first time since the argument began. I still felt a little weird, listening to people argue about my love life, but it was like they felt completely involved in who I did or did not end up mating with. In my mind, it was nobody’s business but ours. Sometimes, Otherworld was really weird.

“The Dark Fae, or the demons as some like to call them, like to keep a tight control on our realm,” Phelan said. “And they are just waiting for someone to do something wrong and give them a reason to invade.”

I shivered. “The demons are actually fae? But then why aren’t they here, in Otherworld?”

Frowning, Phelan glanced at Liam. “Honestly, how have we ended up with a spy who doesn’t even know the very basics about our world?”

“We haven’t quite gotten this far in her studies yet,” Liam said to Phelan. “We like to introduce them slowly to our history. Otherwise, we’ve found it overwhelms them. They’ve lived in the human realm all their lives. Dumping the entirety of the world on them at once is far too much.”

With a heavy sigh, Phelan continued. “There are two faerie realms, Norah. Otherworld, which is home to the Light Fae. That’s us. On the flip side, there is Underworld. Home of the Dark Fae and the more dangerous faerie creatures. They are cruel, chaotic, and violent, and they’ve longed wished to take over not only our realm but the human realm as well. Only our tithe keeps them satisfied for now, but it still means they can control us.”

“I think I need to sit down.”

“See?” Liam asked when I leaned heavily against the war table. When I’d first come to Otherworld, I’d felt overwhelmed by the knowledge that the world as I knew it was not the full truth. There was magic and faeries and I was one of them. There was an entirely different realm where the seasons held a magic of their own. Over the past few months, I’d come to grips with it. But now I was feeling a bit woozy from it all again.

Phelan let out an impatient sigh. “The Dark Fae don’t truly matter. Let’s get back to why we’re really here. The Autumn Court. What matters is making sure the Autumns don’t destroy our home.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. All this new information about the Dark Fae would have to wait. Phelan was very obviously impatient to get started on my training, and I understood why. The longer we waited to gather information, the more likely another Court might fall. It was imperative to find out what the Autumns had planned before they had a chance to carry out another attack.

Shouts echoed through the expansive hall, and the three of us turned to face the commotion. There was a scuffling noise, and then another round of shouts, before the two gate guards pounded their way into the room with a very familiar figure struggling in their meaty arms.

“This one showed up outside the gates demanding to be let in,” said the guard.

Rourke’s golden eyes burned into the face of one of his captors, the veins in his neck throbbing against his skin. My heart skipped a beat, half afraid, half happy to see his face.

“As you can probably tell, he’s Autumn filth. We were just going to ignore him, but he wouldn’t shut the hell up. Thought you might want to deal with him instead.”

The guard threw Rourke onto the marble floor. In an instant, my fae instructor was on his feet, and two daggers appeared in his hands.

All around me, steel flickered underneath the light of the summer sun streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Every Hunter, every guard, every fae in the room had a a sword. And they were all pointing the blades right at Rourke.

“Stop it.” I held up my hands and slid in front of my Autumn instructor. “Rourke is with me. He’s not an enemy.”

“He’s an Autumn,” the guard spit. “The Queen probably sent him here to find out what we’re up to. Don’t tell him anything. Hide the map.”

The Hunters quickly surrounded the table, blocking Rourke from spying any of the little pieces they’d so carefully spread out across it.

“Someone should take him to the cells,” one of the Hunters said.

Shea suddenly strode in from door leading to the living quarters, her eyes wide as she took in the situation. In an instant, she was across the floor. She stood by my side, joining the protective circle around Rourke.

“Everyone needs to calm down. Phelan, you’ve known me all my life, yeah?”

Phelan nodded, his jaw flickering.

“Rourke here is a personal friend of mine from the Academy. He’s not like the Autumns we’re fighting against. He served Marin. I swear to you on my mother’s grave that he isn’t a spy. There’s no need to throw him in a cell. If anything, he could help us.”

“Help you with what?” Rourke asked from behind us, his voice rising in anger. “What exactly is going on here and why have you brought Norah into it? Alwyn told me you’d gone off on some crazy mission to help the Summer fae, and I didn’t believe her at first. I didn’t even believe it all the way here. And now that I see it with my own eyes, I still can’t believe it. This is illogical.”

“You see?” Shea asked with a tight smile. “He’s just another idiot who cares about nothing other than the changeling.”

Phelan frowned but he flicked his fingers toward the Hunters and the guards. Reluctantly, they slowly eased away from the table and secured their weapons. I could see in their eyes that they still didn’t trust Rourke. Nothing we did or said would convince them that he was anything other than a typical Autumn fae. They would be on their guard.

I turned toward Rourke then, to face him. His gaze swept across my face, reading my heart and my soul in a way that made me feel as if I stood there naked and exposed before him.

“Tell me what’s going on, Norah.”

“The Summer fae have asked me to do them a favor. I’ve agreed.”

“What kind of favor?” His voice was edged in danger.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t know where to begin.

“Norah has a special skill that can help us get close to the Queen,” Phelan filled in for me, and I couldn’t help but notice the vagueness of his answer. He didn’t want to give Rourke the details.

Rourke arched an eyebrow. “Norah has a great number of skills, I’ll admit, but so do many other fae, particularly your Hunters here. Hunters who have completed their training, and are not in the middle of it.”

A beat passed. “None of my Hunters can weave shadows.”

Rourke blinked, surprised, and then his eyes cut to me. “Is this true?”

I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “I mean, I guess? Alastar over there said he saw me do it at the Feast of the Fae, but I didn’t realize it was happening.”

“Right. So, they’re asking you to do something that you have no idea how to control.” Rourke scowled and turned toward Phelan. “And, let me guess, you intend for her to do this alone.”

“She must,” the male fae said. “The odds of her getting caught only increase if Liam accompanies her. The Queen knows him. He cannot blend in, particularly not with that blazing red hair.”

Rourke pursed his lips. “I’ll go with Norah.”

Silence rained down on the hall.

“She needs protection, just in case something goes wrong,” Rourke repeated. “I will go with her. I am an Autumn fae. They will not expect anything from me.”

“Fine. This isn’t my first choice, but it’s better than the alternative.” Phelan grabbed the wooden block from the war table and tossed it into the air. “You’ll go at dusk, two days from now. Now, it’s time to train.”

* * *

We waited until the sun had set in the western skies before venturing outside for my first round of training. Until then, Rourke and Alastar had patiently explained the basics of the shadowing power to me. Apparently, Rourke was also familiar with it. At one time, he had attempted to master it himself, but he hadn’t been able to wield the magic of the realm in that way, no matter how hard he tried.

First things first, it was easiest to control the power at night. Which made sense. There were more shadows at nighttime, after all. And it was best done under the cover of trees where tall, thick branches could block out the light of the moon. There was no explanation on how I was supposed to keep my shadowy mask going throughout the daylight hours, but we had to take this one step at a time.

In lieu of trees, Rourke and I stood in the shadows of the castle grounds. Liam had stayed inside, more than a little grumpy that he was being left out of the mission, and Alastar had joined the guards at the gates, filling in for the male who had fallen during the lightning storm.

Even though they were nearby, I was very much aware of the fact that Rourke and I were practically alone. For the first time in...well, almost ever. There was that time when he’d led me into the forest to trap the pooka. And then there was that time he’d rescued me from the dungeons. But that was it. And I felt far more nervous about the situation than I’d expected.

Rourke was...different than the others. Indeed, I wasn’t entirely sure he had any feelings for me at all. Everything about him unnerved me. His glittering eyes that pierced straight into my soul, seeing far more than anyone else. The way his lips pressed tight together in that slight, chilling smile of his. The way he stared into the distance, as if he were calculating the precise moment the sky would shift from light to dark.

“You do know that it isn’t polite to stare, Norah.”

I blinked out of my reverie, and a flush filled my neck. Ripping my gaze away, I stared into the distance, focusing hard on the white spires of the Summer Court’s empty castle. What the hell was wrong with me? I always acted like a complete idiot around Rourke, and now, he’d caught me staring.

“I was just wondering why you’re different than the other Autumn fae,” I said, still refusing to meet his gaze, afraid I might make an even bigger idiot out of myself if I did. “There must be a reason you decided to side with the rest of the realm instead of with your own kind.”

“I see.” A pause. “You do know that we’re meant to be training you for this foolhardy mission, yes? I’m not certain why exchanging war stories would help you learn how to cloak yourself in shadows.”

I just want to know what makes you tick.

Rourke was impossible to read, and I realized that was part of what intrigued me about him. The others I understood. Maybe not fully but enough to have an inkling of what they might say or how they might react to a certain situation. Rourke? He was an enigma, a total mystery. The fact he’d shown up at the Summer Court, beating down doors and demanding a presence with the current leader? Well, it had been unexpected, to say the least. It was far more fire than I had ever seen in him before now.

Of course, now that he had gotten what he wanted, now that he was standing here before me now, that mask of his was firmly back in place.

Or was it a mask?

It was so impossible to say.

“If we’re going to be teaming up to go on what you call a foolhardy mission, don’t you think I should know a little bit more about you?” I finally plucked up the courage to glance back at him again, and a small timid smile donned my lips. “Surely you can see the logic in that.”

“Hmph.” Rourke crossed his arms over his chest and gave a slight nod. “I’ll tell you what. Every time you make progress, I’ll answer one of your questions. Maybe that will give you enough incentive to properly focus on this task.”

“And you’ll answer them honestly? No twisting your words around to mean something entirely different than what you actually said?”

He regarded me for a long moment before he nodded again. “I will answer your questions honestly.”

I grinned and bent my knees, prepping myself the way I usually did when we were setting up to train back at the Academy. So far in our daily classes, we’d focused on physical confrontations, building up our skills with our fists, our swords, and our daggers, instead of relying on magic to save the day all the time.

This long night of training had just gotten a hell of lot more interesting.

He let out a eerie, quiet chuckle, one that was so much different than the booming laugh of Liam, the twinkling song of Finn’s merriment, and the sharpness of Kael’s tone. It was a sound that slithered under my skin and took roots, somehow tempting me closer to this strange, mysterious fae I so desperately yearned to know.

“No need to act like you’re going to pounce me,” Rourke said in a cool voice. “None of what we’re about to do will be physical, though I suppose you will feel something interesting if we do this correctly.”

My cheeks flamed as my mind transformed his words into something they most certainly didn’t mean. An image sprung into my mind. One where I leapt across this dark space and launched into his arms. Frowning, I shook my head at myself. Focus, Norah.

I relaxed my stance, though there was nothing that could release the tension that gripped my body.

“Good.” He nodded. “Now, as far as I can tell, you should focus on the varying shades of light in this world. There is the sun and the moon. Black and white and everything in between. Darkness and light, and therefore shadows, are a part of everything.”

That was a little more abstract than what I’d hoped for.

“See the shadows, Norah. Here, come closer.”

I hesitated, but then my feet carried me across the short distance that separated us. He held out a hand, and I slid mine into his. His touch was cold and electric, simmering with a strange humming energy that sparked goosebumps along my skin. Rourke smiled and brought my hand up to his face. Everything within me squeezed tight.

“Now,” he said, lowering his voice. “I want you to focus on my face. There is more light here.” He dragged my hand to touch his left cheek, the side of his face that was highlighted by the faint light of the distant moon. After a moment of tense, unspoken words, he then dragged my hand to his other cheek. “Over here, there is darkness. And here...” He curved my hand around his strong, angular jaw. “Shadows.”

I had no idea what was happening anymore, or why we were here, or what I was supposed to do. My mind and body were engulfed with the feel of him, with the sensation of electricity crackling between our skin. I had no idea if Rourke felt it or if I was only imagining it in my head, but it was the only thing in the world that existed in that moment. Rourke. And his jaw. And his fingers curled tight around mine. The shadows were there, too, yes. The darker shades that merely highlighted the strong curve of his jaw, and the lips that were slightly parted. The tongue that darted out between them when he smiled.

“Are you ready to make your first attempt?”

“Huh?” Heart racing in my chest, I moved my gaze from his lips to his golden eyes. He wanted to make our first attempt. At kissing, I hoped. Because I had a bone-deep certainty that Rourke was very good at kissing.

“Norah.” His lips twisted into a devious smile. “I need you to make your first attempt at calling to the shadows. If you get it right, I will answer any question you have for me. Any question.”

My heart raced. I definitely had some questions, alright, but I didn’t think I would have the guts to voice them out loud. For one, I was desperate to know if he felt this same strange exhilaration when he was around me. Did his skin spark, just like mine did? Did his mind get consumed by the scent of crackling leaves and rich, damp earth?

“I’ll try,” I managed to whisper.

Rourke took just the slightest of steps back, enough that my trembling hand now fell to my side. For a moment, I found it impossible to focus on the task at hand. My feet itched to erase the distance between us again. All it would take was one small step, and I’d be back within his gravitational pull, one so strong that not even the largest rocket could pull me away.

The shadows, Norah. That’s why we’re here. Save the realm, live happily ever after. Remember?

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I tried to recall how I’d felt back in the chaos of the Feast of the Fae. I let my mind replay the images in my head. The screaming changelings. The darkness that swirled in the Autumn fae’s eyes. And then I opened my eyes, focusing my gaze on Rourke’s face. The shadows that clung to his chin, the darkness that curled underneath the bottom curve of his lips.

A strange sensation tiptoed down the back of my neck, something almost akin to unease. A sickly fear twisted in my mind, and strange horrible thoughts began to dance through my head. Grief consumed me, though grief for what I didn’t know.

Rourke’s eyes widened just a hint, enough to let me know that I’d done something, even if I wasn’t entirely sure what it was just yet.

“Well done, Norah. Now, let go.”

I closed my eyes to block out his face and the shadows I’d collected from his skin.

Instantly, that eerie sensation flickered away, but in its place, an intense weariness settled into my bones. I felt...absolutely destroyed. As if I’d run an entire marathon without a single drink of water. And my mind echoed with a horrible sadness.

Knees wobbly, I opened my eyes. Rourke’s strong arms encircled my waist, and he gently eased me to the ground.

He settled in beside me, curling a finger under my chin and searching my eyes. “It seems your power comes with some unintended consequences. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I said, breath shaky in my lungs. “Just...exhausted, really. I feel like I could use a really long nap.”

He gave a curt nod. “We’ll try again after you’ve rested. Would you like my help getting to your quarters?”

“Not so fast there, buddy,” I said, shooting him a weak grin. “We had a deal. I make progress. You answer a question.”

He let out a low chuckle. “You’re too weak to stand, but that doesn’t matter as much as picking my brain. Go on, then. What would you like to know about me, Norah?”

Everything.