I half-expected the fae from the bar to follow close behind us, waiting until the right moment to slide their swords into our backs. But, somehow, we managed to reach the stables safely. We were back on our horse before the clock struck midnight, though the heavy storm-clouds overhead crackled with fierce and dangerous lightning. Any moment now, the clouds would open up, and rain would pour down on ourheads.
When we were finally outside the city boundary, Liam pulled on the reigns to slow the horse’s trot. He cast a glance over his shoulder, his entire face a grim knot of worry andanger.
“Here’s a good training exercise for you, Norah,” he said in a quiet, dangerous voice. “What did you make ofthat?”
“It sounded like the attack they have planned will target the Summer Court Royals,” I said without letting a beat pass. “Like maybe they want to merge your Court withtheirs?”
“Close,” he said after a moment. “But it sounded like more than that. Notice what they said about theseasons.”
“About the stifling heat turning into a cool breeze?” I asked with a frown. “I thought he was just beingdramatic.”
“If only that were the case, Norah.” Liam stiffened and shook his head. “Autumn fae are not dramatic. If one says that the seasons will change, then that is likely precisely what hemeant.”
A crack split the sky, and torrents of rain slashed sideways onto the dirt-packed ground. Liam flicked the reigns, and the horse began to trot again, but the increased pace did little to outrun the rain. It splattered my face and my hands, soaking into the golden cloak I still wore, the material clinging to my shiveringbody.
After several moments of this, Liam stopped the horse in one of the small villages we’d passed through on the way. Every single inch of me was drenched and frozen, so much so that I could no longer feel my toes in the thin leather boots I’d been dumb enough to wear. The rain had even soaked through that, sneaking in to turn my socks into a soggymess.
“There’s an Inn here where we can stay,” Liam said after he led the horse into the stable. He slid to the ground and held a hand out for me. When I jumped off, my landing was even worse than before, mostly due to the fact I couldn’t feel my feet. I stumbled forward with a yelp of panic, but Liam kept me from toppling into the mounds of hay. His strong hands held me upright, and that sparkle in his eyes returned for the first time since we’d leftEsari.
“We really need to work on your dismounting technique,” he said with a light chuckle. “Otherwise, we won’t be able to trust you to go for a ride without breaking abone.”
“I’ll admit, I’m not the most horse-savvy person around. I didn’t even know it was called dismounting.” Liam’s hands were so very warm. Even though we’d been riding through the rain for the past hour, none of his heat had disappeared. It was as if it was deep within his core, and it emanated from his skin in a delicious, soothing way. Hell, no need to go in an Inn. We could stay here in the stables as long as he kept his arms wrapped aroundme.
“What in the name of the forest did you think it was called then?” He arched an eyebrow, stillchuckling.
I shrugged. “Tumblingoff?”
His laugh deepened, but it trailed off just as quickly as it had come. “You really are an enigma, Norah, and you’re so different than any Winter fae I’ve ever met. Don’t ever change, regardless of how they say you shouldbe.”
A thrill went through my gut and I pressed in closer to him, snuggling against the warmth of his body. Underneath me, his body tensed, but he didn’t push meaway.
“You’re so warm,” I said, voice tight, breath hitched. “The rain was freezing, but I don’t feel coldanymore.”
His arms tightened around me, and the musky summer scent of him filled my nose. “Be careful, darling. You’re playing with fire. The others might care about the rules, but I’m nothing likethem.”
My heart pattered in my chest. I pulled back and looked up into his orange-red eyes. “Whatrules?”
His grin widened as he traced a finger across my cheek. Despite the warmth from his body, I shivered in his arms. “It’s against the rules for the instructors to be intimate with any of the recruits, not until after graduation. It’s to ensure that things don’t get complicated if and when a recruit ends up being in a different Court than originallythought.”
Intimate.The word echoed in my frazzled mind. He’d saidintimate.
I suddenly felt very, very shy, like I needed to launch to the other side of the stables where piles of hay had been stacked along the wooden walls. The thud of the rain on the roof over our heads was drowned out by the heavy beating of my heart, and the flickering torches on the walls highlighted the dangerous glint in Liam’seyes.
He didn’t really mean it, I thought to myself. Surely this fae didn’t want someone like me. I fell all over myself trying to do pretty standard things, and he’d seen first-hand how terrible I was with the bow. Not to mention the fact that I’d shown no signs of being a Summerfae.
He knew I wasn’t hismate.
With a light chuckle, he shook his head. “Come on, let’s get you inside the Inn and out of those wetclothes.”
* * *
It turnedout that the Inn only had four rooms, and three were taken. So, Liam and I were forced to share. Luckily, the bed had a double mattress instead of a twin, so we didn’t have to battle it out for space, though a part of me kind of wished wecould.
I was feeling a little...out of sorts, to say the least. Liam’s words from the stables had gotten under my skin, and all I could wonder was if he truly did want to break the rules. Rules that, I had to admit, made a lot ofsense.
“This was all they could find for us,” Liam said when he opened the door to the room. I’d stayed inside, perched on a knotted wooden chair, shivering while he went in search of some clean, dry clothes. He held up a thin cotton pillowcase andgrinned.
I arched my eyebrows. “You don’t really expect me to wear apillowcase.”
