“Oh, so someone like me instead? And what would someone like me be like, eh, Norah?” That wicked grin spread across his face again, and he leaned even closer. I stumbled back, my legs knocking against the trough we kept filled with water for all the horses. The collision caused my balance to falter, and I windmilled my arms to keep myself upright.
But it was no use. I fell backwards, water splashing all around me as my butt collapsed into the trough. Cold seeped into my skin; the smell of stale water filled my nose. I grunted and blinked up at Finn. He had tipped back his head, his booming laughter bouncing off the stable walls.
“Gee, thanks,” I muttered, shooting daggers with my eyes. “I’m glad you think my misfortune is so hilarious.”
“Oh, Norah.” He leaned down and held out a hand. “It’s not your misfortune I’m laughing about. It’s just that no matter how breathtaking you are, in so very many different ways, you will always be that girl who gets flustered when she sees me.”
When my eyes narrowed even more, his laughter boomed once again. That was it. Two could play at this game. I slipped my hand into his, and I yanked with all the strength in my bones.
Finn’s eyes went wide as he tumbled forward. He fell into the trough with a splash. New waves of water soared into my face, but I didn’t care. I was too busy laughing to even notice. Finn twisted to face me, danger and delight flashing in his sparkling green eyes.
“Oh, you’ve had it now, you naughty little thing.” He grabbed my wrists and twisted them behind my back, trapping them there while he pressed his slick body up against mine.
All the breath flew from my lungs. My heart thudded hard against my ribcage, and a strange sensation slithered through my gut. His breath was hot on my lips as he leaned in close. Rivulets of water streamed down his golden face. Every cell inside my body froze.
“Looks like I’ve got you now,” Finn murmured.
I swallowed hard. “You win.”
Finn climbed out of the trough and grabbed my waist. He lifted me out of the water, sliding his hands underneath my thighs and keeping me aloft from the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck, heart banging wildly in my chest. It was so fast and so loud that I swore he could have felt it through the wet clothes that clung to our skin.
His fingernails dug into my thighs, sparking a delicious heat within my core. Finn, I decided, was dangerously alluring. Much more so than I’d given him credit for. My body begged for his touch. I could barely think straight from the need I felt building up inside me.
His lips found my skin. First my slick neck and then my mouth. His tongue speared mine, his passionate kiss driving me wild with desire. Suddenly, my back hit the wall. Finn pressed me hard against the side of the stable, his hands eagerly digging into my hips. A moan escaped from my lips, and my back arched against the wall as I strained to be closer to his perfect body.
Suddenly, Finn froze and cocked his head. And then sighed. He backed away from the wall and set me carefully on the ground. My chest heaved as I stared at him, open-mouthed. He couldn’t be serious, could he? He’d turned me into a trembling mess, and now he was just going to plop me on my feet as if nothing had even happened?
I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but Alwyn breezed through the stable doors one second before I’d wrapped my head around what I wanted to say. She stopped when she saw the two of us standing there, soaked to our skin in horse trough water. She arched her eyebrows, casting a glance over her shoulder at Rourke, Kael, and Liam. And then they all stopped and stared, causing a heated blush to fill my entire face.
“I see you’re adding to your collection,” Alwyn said with a sniff.
“We were just…” How did I phrase this?
“Going for a swim in the horse water?” Liam chuckled and shook his head. “Go on in and get changed into some dry clothes.”
“Hurry,” Alwyn snapped. “We can’t wait around all day because you decided you want every male in this school.”
Not every male, I wanted to argue. Just…four of them.
* * *
The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees when we finally set out for the Spring Court. We had a little over a day to travel, convince the Spring fae to hear us out, and stop them from heading off to war. Alwyn took the lead of our small party, and I rode just behind her, sandwiched between Kael and Liam. Finn and Rourke rounded out the back. We rode in comfortable silence. Every now and then, Finn would make a joking remark. Kael would roll his eyes, Liam would laugh, and Rourke…well, wouldn’t have much of a reaction at all.
After several hours of travel, the night began to deepen, and we passed from the free territory and into the Spring Court’s lands. Even in the dying light of the day, Spring sparkled as if it was in a permanent dawn. Flowers bloomed all around us. They were vibrant and colorful, their bulbs shooting sweet and soothing mists into the air. Finn began to whistle, a strange and whimsical tune, one I swore I’d heard before. A long, long time ago.
I twisted my head to glance over my shoulder. “What’s that song, Finn?”
“It’s called Shadows and Light,” he said with a grin. “An ancient song. Mothers sing it to their babes when they are born to teach them about the world of the fae. It’s about the balance of nature—of shadows and light. Would you like to hear it again?”
“No,” Alwyn said with a frustrated sigh. But I gave him a smile and said, “Yes.”
So, he began again. He whistled the tune, the soft sweet notes that rose and fell like waves. Again, I found it felt so familiar, so familiar that my heart began to ache. I reached up to touch my face and found the tears beneath my eyes. Why did this song move me so?
The thunder of horses rose up around us, seemingly coming from every direction imaginable. Hundreds of them melted into view from the surrounding forest, topped with riders decked in brilliant blues and greens. The rider in front—a woman wearing a metal helmet—pulled on her reins and thundered to a stop only inches from where we were now trapped.
“You’re trespassing on our lands,” she snapped before twisting toward her fellow riders. “Take them and their weapons. They’re our prisoners now.”
Chapter Fifteen
