Page 58 of Fae Mates

“Bloody hell,” muttered the cat. “You’re like a real faerie.”

“I think my magic is taking over.”

“Well, fly over there before it decides to conserve your power for mating!”

Nodding, I flapped a little harder and rose another four feet.

“What are you doing?” The cat pointed at the pepper trees with his front paw. “It’s that way.”

I scratched my head. “Pokeweed didn’t get a chance to teach me anything else.”

McVittie flopped to his side, acting as though I was some kind of lost cause, and he was a martyr for putting up with me. I clenched my teeth and moved my arms through the air the same way I would if I wanted to turn in the water. My body rotated several degrees, and I pointed myself in the direction of the pepper trees.

“What’s this, now?” he said.

“Swimming,” I snapped.

He muttered something about the gift of flight being wasted on me, but I ignored him and timed my front crawl with the beat of my wings. With each forward movement, I ascended about a foot until McVittie’s eyes became two distant pinpricks.

“Unity,” said a male voice from behind.

My wings spasmed, and I plummeted through the air with a yelp.

Strong arms caught my flailing body and pulled me into a warm, hard chest. I gazed up into the lime-green eyes of Prince August. The moonlight reflected in his golden hair, making the ends shimmer the way spider silk caught the light.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Looking for you.” He frowned down at me. “Why were you swimming?”

The entire sorry tale of Pokeweed’s poisoning spilled from my lips, and I explained how much Pokeweed had helped me since I had joined the academy. He had saved me countless times, he’d had put himself at great risk for my sake, and I couldn’t let him die in agony. If there was even the smallest chance that he could survive, I had to help him.

Prince August’s brows furrowed. “Are you in love with the gardener?”

My throat thickened. “I love Pokeweed a lot, but as a friend.”

Prince August stared at me for a long time before swooping down to the side of the aquifer, which took the shape of a moonlit pool. “It’s odd that someone would want to hurt Pokeweed. He doesn’t offend anyone and keeps to himself.”

I knelt by the water and filled my borrowed skin. “Maybe the Duke of Nevermore sees him as a threat. He did murder Pokeweed’s mother.”

“A gardener couldn’t match a duke in terms of strength,” said Prince August.

Shrugging, I placed the waterskin in my pocket. I was no expert on the power of faeries, but I still thought that Prince August was underestimating Pokeweed because of his appearance and comparatively low station in life.

“Where next?” I asked.

His face split into a dazzling grin. “I know the perfect spot.”

* * *

Prince August flew McVittie and me back to Pokeweed’s treehouse, where we left the water at his bedside. McVittie stayed behind to watch over Pokeweed, and Prince August took me to where he had hidden his brothers.

As we passed over the academy wards, he murmured, “They’re very upset.”

“Because you abducted them?” I glanced down at meadows of five-petaled star flowers that swayed in the breeze.

“They objected to me melting the monstrosities sheathing their swords.” His lips pursed into a thin line. “When you’ve saved my brothers, we’ll encase Gala in ice and throw her into the depths of the Winter Court.”

“And then what?” I asked.