She frowned.
“I’d like to say something if you don’t mind,” I said.
Still frowning, Alwyn gave a nod.
I took a deep breath. “I understand that in normal circumstances, it’s a good idea for changelings and their instructors to keep some physical distance. That said, finding mates is a part of this whole thing, right? So, if a changeling finds her mate, what’s the harm in…well, you know. Getting to know each other.”
“Mistakes can be made,” Alwyn said tensely. “Besides, this situation is nothing like what you’ve just described. You have had physical intimacy with at least two of your instructors.Thatis not merely a changeling deciding she’s found her mate.”
“Except that maybe it is.” I swallowed hard and continued. “I know you were only trying to keep me safe by attempting to hide what I really am. But I know the truth now. I’m the kind of fae who isn’t of one Court but of four, which means I’m the kind of fae who mates with more than just one male.”
For a moment, Alwyn just stared at me. And then she suddenly pushed up from her desk, her eyes sparking with anger. She glanced from Rourke on my left to Liam on my right, an accusatory look twisting the sharp features on her face. “You told her? I thought you both understood the gravity of this situation. If Queen Viola discovers there’s a Greater Fae at the Academy, she’ll turn her attention on us again. Viola will kill her, just like she killed Marin. And then she’ll turn her wrath on all of us. This is why we’ve kept it from Norah all this time. For her safety.”
“Phelan and Alastar could see what she was,” Rourke said quietly, his hands steepled under his chin. “They realized that her powers meant she’s not like the rest of us, though I’m confident Norah understood that herself far before that. She is not an idiot, Alwyn. We shouldn’t have been keeping it from her.”
Alwyn dropped her hands to the desk and pressed hard. “Wait. You’re telling me the Summer Hunters know? How is this possible, and why did Shea not inform me of this? I thought the only reason they wanted to speak with her was to ask her about the Redcap presence in Manhattan. They said they were hoping to use them against the Autumn Court.”
“They lied. Alastar saw her shadow at the Feast. He wanted her to spy on the Autumns for him.”
Alwyn’s eyes went razor sharp when she looked at me. “You can shadow? Oh, for the love of the forest. What I wouldn’t give to speak to Magnus again about her lineage. Surely there must be some sort of explanation for this.”
“If there is, Magnus wouldn’t be able to help us,” Liam said in a gruff voice. “Besides, that’s not what’s important right now. We didn’t come back here to return to teaching. We came back to warn you of what’s coming. The Spring Court plans to launch an attack on the Winter fae. Now, the Summer Hunters have gone north, hoping to rile up the Winters about it all.”
Alwyn pursed her lips and sat back in her chair. “It was only a matter of time. After what the Autumns did, I knew it wouldn’t take long for another Court to take a shot. They’re all going to vie for the crown. Marin’s crown.”
“Rourke and I plan to take Finn—and Kael if he’s willing—to discuss peace with the Spring fae. If we don’t do something to try and stop this war, I worry what will happen to these lands.”
Alwyn pursed her lips and nodded. “If the Spring advance and the Winter advance, they will end up fighting here. In the free territory.”
“The Academy could get caught in the crosshairs.”
Alwyn braced her hands on her desk. “I’ll come with you. We’ll cancel classes and have second and third year instructors join the guard rotation. Liam, you go grab Finn. We’ll need him. Best bring Rourke as well. A Winter viewpoint might be the very thing they need to hear. Liam, you go tell the second and third year instructors what we’re planning. They can have an assembly with the students once we’ve left.”
That left me. The secret Greater Fae changeling who would only get in the way. I knew what Alwyn would say before she said it. I was to stay here, of course, while the real leaders went to take care of things. I’d cower and hide. If the fight came to us, I’d run. This was how I knew I could never be the rallying fae that Rourke and Liam imagined I could be. If not even those who knew me best—like Alwyn—believed I had the strength to join them on a mission, then why would anyone want to stand united behind me?
They wouldn’t. This realm needed a Queen. Not a changeling who did nothing but hide in the safety of her Academy.
“Norah,” Alwyn finally said. “I need you to get the horses prepared. We’ll need six. You’re coming with us.”
* * *
“Well, if it isn’t my bride-to-be.” Finn’s lighthearted drawl drifted into the stables from where he lazily leaned against a wooden post. He gave me a grin, and then a salute. “I heard about what you did. I have to say I’m impressed, though not the slightest bit surprised.”
I blushed and smoothed down the horse’s mane I would be riding. “Did you miss me?”
“Oh yes. I missed you like I’d miss my own lungs.” He sauntered into the stable, propping one hand on the wall behind me. With an oomph, I twisted toward him, caught off guard by how close he was. Those sparkling green eyes peered into mine, searching for something I wasn’t sure he would find.
“You know, I never truly know when you’re exaggerating,” I said in almost a whisper.
He winked. “Good. Life isn’t fun unless you’re kept on your toes, right?”
I didn’t know why that made me blush, but it did.
“Are you going to come with us?” I asked in a vain attempt to steer the conversation away from my toes and his lungs and to distract myself from the fact his lips had somehow gotten so close that I could practically taste them.
His expression sobered, though only a little. “Of course. It isn’t like my Court to turn to violence as an option. I need to go and understand what’s going on. Not that I can guarantee they’ll listen to me. In fact, they probably won’t. But they might listen to Alwyn. They might listen to you.”
Again with all the misplaced faith. “I would think they’re much more likely to listen to one of their own than someone like me.”
