Spring

Oh, no. Horror doubles me over, and I clutch my stomach. “But she was with us until . . .” The final bits of my memory lock into place. I had Kyler’s hand and then . . . “How could I forget? I lost her in the crowd. Mack, I should have insisted we go after her first.”

Mack squeezes my arm. “Stop. You did everything you could, Summer. We all did.”

Tears ache just behind my eyes. “First Evelyn, now Kyler. I thought, I don’t know, that this year was going to be better.” I wipe my nose on my sleeve, surprised by the utter hopelessness I feel. “What about the CMH?”

“It’s been reported. But since this was a darkling attack and not something specifically caused by the academy, it’s considered an accident. In fact, it’s being spun as just another reason to allow the Evermore to live in our world.”

“Of course.” I settle back on the pillow, drawing my knees to my chest. “The Fae now have their own PR firms, and who knows better how to spin the truth to their benefit than the Evermore?”

Mack flinches, and I remember a second too late that her dad, Nick works in the PR department of the Summer Queen’s law firm. “Forget that. I’m an a-hole. Let’s focus on why I’m tucked away in the ILB’s house in some Faerie version of Sleeping Beauty.”

Mack glances back at the door before lowering her voice. “You were in the infirmary . . . until the Spring Court heir decided to show up.”

So that wasn’t a dream. Oh, goodie.

“I thought Valerian killed him,” Mack continues. “You should have seen—”

Mack’s words cut off as Eclipsa flounces into the room holding a cream-colored flyer. Silver and black zebra print leggings show off her toned thighs while a charcoal halter top flaunts her outrageous abs and cute belly button piercing.

A loose silver bun sticks out atop her head.

She winks. “It would take a lot more than that to kill an heir to one of the seasonal courts, especially Hellebore. I would know—I’ve tried a time or ten.”

Mack jumps back, her cheeks bright red. “Oh, I didn’t mean to gossip about your kind. I’m sorry.”

Even though Mack and Eclipsa fought together last year to save Valerian’s life, Mack is still instinctually terrified of the Lunar assassin.

I can tell Eclipsa wants to mess with Mack, but one scowl from me and Eclipsa flashes my bestie a begrudging smile, putting her at ease. “Don’t apologize. As long as you’re not talking about me, I won’t have grounds to kill you.”

I shoot her a look and she responds with an innocent shrug.

“Oh, I wasn’t, I would never,” Mack protests, talking fast. “It’s just—it’s all anyone can talk about right now.”

Well, fudge.

“It caused a scandal everywhere,” Eclipsa confirms, “including the Fae Courts.”

I twist the silky sheets between my fingers, making a mental note to borrow them before I leave. “So once again I’m the talk of the academy. Surprise, surprise. But why is it such a big scandal when the Winter Prince fights with Hellebore, but it wasn’t with Rhaegar?”

Sighing, Eclipsa sits on the end of the bed, reminding me she’s the only female in existence who can sit with her midriff bared and not gain a muffin top. “Because the Winter Prince invoked Nocturus when he fought Rhaegar. At the academy, royal Evermore are protected by powerful laws made by the council. Otherwise, age-old feuds between the courts would mean brutal fights and assassinations daily on campus.”

My heart feels like it’s permanently lodged in my throat as I ask, “And what’s the punishment for such an attack?”

“Unprovoked? If Hellebore takes it to the council, he could ask for recompense in slaves and property. If the Winter King decided not to pay that fine . . . there would be a trial.”

I exhale. Valerian is already suspected of stealing the Darken’s soulstone. He doesn’t need more trouble with the Fae council.

Mack’s forehead wrinkles, the way it does when she’s confused. “But why would the Spring Court heir even show up at the infirmary knowing the Winter Prince hates him . . . oh.” Understanding brightens her eyes. “He was trying to make him react.”

Eclipsa nods, obviously impressed. “Exactly. Someone’s been paying attention in class.”

Mack practically melts from the praise, beaming at me with a look-how-smart-I-am smile, the show off.

“But why?” I ask. “What does Hellebore gain from constantly antagonizing the Winter Prince?”

Eclipsa seems to be searching for how to word her answer. “People are starting to notice the Winter Prince’s . . . infatuation with you. And now that he’s broken Fae law, it makes him appear weak.”

Weak?

“If you were another Evermore,” Eclipsa adds carefully, “especially a highly sought after female with lands and power, it would still be against the laws—but would be viewed more favorably in the courts.”

The hypocrisy boils my blood. I fist the sheets, not even bothering to hide my disgust. “But as a mortal slave with about as much value as a turnip, it makes him look foolish, right?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“But if they knew . . .”

My words trail away. I look to Mack, the urge to tell my best friend everything hitting me hard. But what would I say?

Hey, bestie. I forgot to mention that I’m a body-hopping Evermore princess who also happens to be mated to the Winter Prince and, oh, the Darken probably wants me for his evil plans.

Also, just knowing this now puts you in grave danger. You’re welcome.

“Know what?” Mack asks, but she’s only half-listening, her face buried in the cream flyer Eclipsa brought in.

This is so not the time to drag Mack into all my unwanted—and dangerous—drama, so I change the subject. “Have they figured out what the darklings were in the vault for?”

“Not officially, but the prince and I have our suspicions.”

I lift an eyebrow. “And those are?”

The Lunar assassin regards Mack for a moment before saying, “Remember the Darken’s axe? The weapon that destroyed both our worlds and was broken into pieces after the war?”

A cold shadow of dread falls over me as I nod.

Mack slaps a hand over her mouth. “A piece of the Worldslayer was here, at the academy?”

Of course the Darken’s evil weapon has a terrifying name. Of course it does.

“We think one of the pieces was stored below the academy,” Eclipsa confirms, “inside the vault.”

“I think you’re right,” I murmur. “The thing Evelyn held, it looked like part of the axe’s blade. So that means whoever is controlling Evelyn is the same person working for the Darken?”

“It certainly appears that way, but—” Eclipsa pauses, and her head swings to face the door.

A second later, Valerian bursts through, trailed by Asher.

Before I can blink, Valerian is at my side. “How do you feel?”

“Other than the room spinning whenever I so much as breathe? Peachy.”

“There’s that smart tongue I missed.” Valerian’s intimate tone sets a fire low in my belly. The others look away as Valerian holds my stare, impervious to anyone but me. “I missed all of you actually, Princess.”

O-kay then. We’re doing this in front of everyone. “Thanks for coming to help us, even though I ordered you not to.”

Asher raises his eyebrows while Eclipsa swallows a laugh and Mack stares open-mouthed.

“Ordered?” A seductive grin dances over his lips as he leans down and whispers, “One, I wasn’t coming to help your shadow friends, I was coming for you. Never underestimate your value to me. Two, I’m an Evermore Prince. I don’t take orders, especially when they put my mate in danger. Understand?”

I glare at him, stubbornly refusing to back down. “No. I don’t. I’m your Shadow Guardian, and you should have listened to me.”

I don’t know why I’m suddenly furious with him. Maybe because he put himself in direct danger for me, and now, apparently, is in even more danger for showing the world that he cares for me.

A mortal.

His eyes soften. “I’m sorry for worrying you, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

My scowl melts as I recognize the hurt in his tone. Asher and Eclipsa find something on the wall to stare at. Thank God for mortals’ crap hearing because Mack is clueless, her face buried in that flyer.

Despite my annoyance with Valerian, I find myself grinning because I’ve learned two more truths about him just now. He’s shit when it comes to taking orders and the soulbond is strong enough to make him risk his life to protect me.

Not exactly love, but still significant considering how unapologetically selfish the Evermore are by nature.

“Whoa,” Mack blurts, holding up the flyer. “Have you seen this?”

“Just pretend I’ve been in a semi-coma for the past few days and haven’t seen anything,” I quip.

Valerian lobs Mack a conspiratorial look that screams, See what I have to deal with?

Mack rolls her eyes as she thrusts the paper into my lap. “Just read it, smart ass.”

I do, forcing my blurry eyes to focus on the elegant, handwritten words scrolling across the expensive cardstock paper. I only get to the first paragraph before the print becomes too fuzzy to make out, but what I do see surprises me.

The Summer Queen is opening up internships to her law firm, Larkspur and Associates, only the biggest Fae firm in the mortal world. Every lawyer who wants to specialize in Fae law dreams of a position at the firm, but only a select few ever enter its hallowed walls.

Mack’s dads both work there, and it’s rumored Sebastian is slated to become the first ever mortal partner.

My eyebrows bunch together. This seems too good to be true. “The academy okayed this?”

Eclipsa glances over the flyer, her mouth parting as she nears the bottom. “Apparently. They must be trying to save face after all the recent deaths, that’s the only reason they would allow Queen Larkspur to poach students.”