His voice was hard when he spoke. “Marin. She was our Queen for three hundred years, but her rule was overthrown by members of the Autumn Court. At that time, there was only one Queen, and the Autumn fae wanted change. Four Courts. Four rulers. So, they killedher.”
Igasped.
“Out of respect, we keep her portrait on the wall, but some would consider it treason to display any amount of loyalty to our dead Queen. We may one day need to removeit.”
“That’s…terrible,” I finallysaid.
He stopped short, spun on his feet, and placed a finger to my parted lips. I almost stumbled down the stairs from the sudden contact, and my heart froze in my chest. Our eyes locked, and a strange emotion flickered in his eyes, one I was sure was reflected in the flutter in mystomach.
Something about this Spring fae felt strangely alluring. It was as if some unseen force had drawn me to him. And suddenly, a mere finger to my lips didn’t seem like enough at all. I wantedmore.
“Don’t say things like that, especially not in front of anyone who isn’t me. Don’t even say it in front of Liam or Kael, and especially don’t say it in front of Rourke,” he said. “We must fully commit to our current Royals. It’s the only way we cansurvive.”
My heart thumped. “You’re kind of freaking me outhere.”
“Good.” He gave a nod before that familiar lopsided smile of his reappeared on his face. “I couldn’t let you get too comfortable, now could I? Got to keep you on your toes on your firstday.”
Something told me I wouldneverbe comfortable around Finn, no matter how long I washere.
* * *
“Norah, meet your new roommate, Sophia.”Finn’s green eyes sparkled as my new roommate came bundling out of the room. She wrapped me in a tight hug, and my breath whooshed out of my lungs. When she pulled back, she smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Everything about her was bright and cheerful. She had long, glistening hair that reached her waist, and her eyes were a bright sparkling green. And she seemed a lot happier about our strange new world than I would haveexpected.
“Good,” Finn said as he began to walk away. “I’ll leave you two to catch up. Orientation will be downstairs in about an hour. See you later,Norah.”
He winked as he disappeared, and the bright spots in my cheeks rushed back in fullforce.
“Seems like he likes the look of you,” Sophia said with a grin as she pulled me into our room and shut the door. “You have the green eyes and the fair hair. Maybe you’reSpring.”
I was pretty certain I wasn’t Spring, but the idea of it sent a rush of warmth through mygut.
Her eyes tripped down to my empty hands, and she cocked her head. “Where’s all your stuff? Didn’t you pack abag?”
“Erm…” I said, suddenly nervous. What would she think if she knew that the Redcaps had been chasing me around Manhattan? I got the feeling that the Autumn and Winter fae weren’t as well liked as the sunnier seasons. And she definitely seemed like a sunny, happy one. The kind of fae that everyone wouldlike.
“I didn’t have time. There was this whole fight with my step-dad, and I couldn’t go home to get myclothes.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said with a kind smile. “I’m sure the fae will be able to get some clothes for you. I mean, theyareancient, magical beings after all. Surely they can conjure up some kind ofwardrobe.”
“We,” I said. “We’re fae, too. As strange as thatsounds.”
“I know,” she said, eyes lighting up. “Can you believe it? I mean, at first, I thought maybe they were crazy. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d met some weirdos. But then they made a good point. I’ve always been weird and different, and the past six months have been reallybizarre.”
I lifted my eyebrows and perched on the edge of the antique red sofa. It looked as though our apartment was a lot different than the dorms on college campuses. We had a living room, a kitchen, and what looked to be two separate bedrooms. Not a bad set-up atall.
“Have you been seeing strange things, too?” Iasked.
“Seeing things?” She shook her head and sat next to me. “My ears got all pointy, and I kept passing out all the time when I touched iron. Went to the doctor and everything, and they couldn’t find anything wrong with me. In fact, they said I was healthier than the average eighteen-year-old. Why? What have youseen?”
“Ehm…” Should I try to explain it? Andhowcould I? I wasn’t even entirely sure I knew how to describe the Redcap. Plus, introducing myself as someone wanted for two homicides probably wasn’t the greatest idea in the world, especially when I’d be spending who knew how much time with my newroommate.
“It’s okay,” she said, giving my arm a squeeze. “I understand how you feel. It just started happening to you, didn’t it? I was scared to tell people about it, too. I thought they’d think I was crazy. And well…some did.” She let out a heavy sigh and gave my arm a squeeze. “I won’t think you’re crazy, Norah. When you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here tolisten.”
And that was when I decided that it wouldn’t be so bad sharing an apartment afterall.
* * *
An hour later,we entered the basement gymnasium for Orientation. The floor had been cleared of all exercise equipment, and instead, five wooden tables had been set up in their place. One long and skinny table sat near the front, parallel with the small stage where a cluster of powerful fae stood watching. I spotted the four guys who had saved me in Manhattan, along with about a dozen more. Some men, somewomen.
