* * *
Liam showed me to my quarters. A small quaint little room with flowers climbing in through the frameless windows. A soft summer breeze fluttered against the white gauzy curtains, bringing with it the distant sound of chirping birds. Even though the storms had battered this place only an hour ago, Summer had prevailed. It would take a lot more than some lightning to chase the sun away completely.
Liam watched me silently from the open door as I tossed my small rucksack on the twin bed. The bag and all of the clothes within it were not my own. Or, well, theyhadn’tbeen my own, not when I’d first arrived in Otherworld, but I guessed they were mine now. Alwyn had hired a seamstress to create a dozen outfits for me, since I hadn’t had a chance to pack myself a bag before being whisked away to this realm. Most of my clothes were for training at the Academy. Dark slacks, form-fitting gray shirts. Boiled leathers for armor. But she’d added in a few dresses for special occasions, just in case.
“You know, I’m inclined to throw you over my shoulder and carry you all the way back to the Academy,” Liam finally said, his voice gruff. “It’s a dangerous thing what they’re asking you to do. And I certainly can’t imagine Alwyn would approve. They didn’t tell her they wanted you to spy for them.”
“I know. It is dangerous.” I paused. “But I haven’t said yes, you know.”
He cocked his head and let out a chuckle. “Oh, but you will, Norah. I know you, and I saw the look on your face when they gave you the whole song and dance about saving the entire damn realm. You want to be a hero. Hell, I can even see it in your eyes now. It’s what I love about you.”
I swallowed hard. Liam was right. Ididwant to be a hero, but that didn’t mean I thought I was one. Alwyn had been right when she’d spoken to the changelings about me. What I’d done against Redmond? Pure blind luck. What I’d done to hide from the Autumn fae at the Feast? More blind luck. One day, maybe I could be stronger than that, but I wasn’t there yet.
Liam must have sensed my hesitation and my fear because he held out a hand. “Come with me. I want to show you what you’d be fighting for.”
The guards at the gates seemed hesitant to let us pass through, but Liam used his infuriating charm to convince them otherwise. They stepped aside, watching us trail up the side of the nearest hill, a perfectly sloping splash of green against the pure blue sky. We walked and walked, rising higher above the sprawling green lands below, following the gurgling blue stream to the crest in the distance. From the courtyard, this hill had looked like nothing but a small smudge of green, but I soon learned that it was another of the fae’s optical illusions. The hill was as tall as a mountain, and my breath was ragged by the time we reached the top.
“Here we are,” Liam said, spreading his arms wide on either side of him. “The second tallest point in all of Otherworld and certainly the tallest everywhere south of the Winter border.”
I took a deep breath and scanned the horizon. From here, I could see every single inch of the brilliant Summer lands. They stretched wide from east to west, and the southern tip of it crashed against an endless sea of blue. The Misty Sea, I realized. I’d read about it in the books, but I never imagined it to be such a brilliant blue, one that matched the perfect summer skies.
Turning toward the west, I spotted the hazy line where green morphed into reds and browns and oranges. The Autumn territories then. Craning my head over my shoulder, I scanned for signs of the Spring lands. They were in the far east, the lines blurred in a way. The sun wasn’t quite so brilliant there, but the greens were more vivid. The flowers were purple and pink and yellow, colors I could make out even at this distance.
And to the north was the free territory, home to the Academy, but hazy clouds obscured the view. Beyond it, further north, I knew would be the Winter Court, but it was too far to spot from here, even though I yearned to see it up close.
“You can see almost everything from up here,” I said.
Liam nodded. “If the skies were clearer, you’d be able to make out the Academy grounds, but it’s too hazy today after that damn storm.”
“Can you ever see Winter?”
“The edges, sometimes,” Liam said. “I would say that you’re not missing much, but something tells me you would find beauty in all that snow and ice.”
“I would,” I said. “It’s impossible not to find beauty in all of it, even the autumn leaves I know you hate so much. But these lands are not the problem, Liam. The seasons have not created this war. It’s the fae, the individuals using the magic of this place for their own gain.”
“I thought you might say something like that.”
I dragged my eyes away from the flourishing beauty of Otherworld to glance at Liam. “So, you’re not going to try to stop me if I decide I want to spy for the Summers.”
He shook his head. “As long as you’re certain it’s what you want to do, then I’ll support you completely, and I’ll be by your side every step of the way. Don’t forget. I’ve snuck into Autumn before. I can do it again. You won’t be alone there, Norah. You’ll have me. You know how much you mean to me. Don’t you?”
A gasp left my throat. “No, I don’t think I do.”
I knew he wasattractedto me. He’d made that much clear. But did it go deeper than that? I didn’t know.
It did for me.
With a slight smile, he palmed my cheek and dipped his face toward mine. Liam kissed me with so much hunger that I almost forgot my own name. His lips were hot and heavy, eager for more. When he pulled back, I saw in a wildness in his eyes and…something else. Something that made my stomach flip.
“Let’s just say that what I feel for you is far more than just friendship.” His breath was hot on my lips. We were barely an inch apart.
The corners of my mouth tipped up. “I could have guessed that by the way you kissed me.”
“I don’t want tojustkiss you,” he growled. “And I’m not talking about sex either. I want you. All of you. Not just your body but your heart.”
I clutched his shirt in my hands, yanking him back down to me again, desperate to feel his lips on mine.
“I want the same,” I whispered just before he reached me. “I want everything.”
