Chapter 5

5

C overed in stale water, grime, and blackish blood, I gratefully followed Saoirse through the residential hallways of Castle Wraith—which I'd learned it was called. Turned out these fae were huge fans of the whole wraith thing. Her long brunette hair swished at her waist, her stride confident, her demeanour unbothered. She really didn't give a toss that I'd almost died an hour ago.

King Lugh had barely given me a word of acknowledgement after he'd hauled me out of the vaults. He'd merely welcomed me into his Court and then vanished like the wraith he was. A part of me had wanted to chase him down to see what he was up to...but I had to admit, I needed some rest. My entire body ached from the fight.

Saoirse stopped at a doorway identical to the others about halfway down the hallway. After pushing it open, she motioned me inside. The room was much larger than the one back home, and the furnishings far less posh.

All the walls were wood, including the lofted ceiling. A single bed had been placed in the corner beside a tiny window. A pair of thick red curtains hung loosely, skimming along a threadbare rug that matched. A vase of red flowers perched on a small, square bedside table, along with a hotel-like phone and a ticking clock. In the opposite corner, an antique desk sat before a wooden chair. A couple of floor lamps glowed from each end of the room, casting shadows onto the television hanging above a small cupboard.

Other than that, there wasn't much to see. It was sparse and mismatched, but cosy in a way I hadn't expected.

"This will be your new home." She spread her arms wide. "You're lucky. This room only opened up a few weeks ago. If it hadn't, you would have been given one of the cold ones on the top floor. The heating isn't working up there right now."

I cocked my head. "Why did it become available?"

She pressed her lips together. "Ah. That's a long story. Maybe it can wait until tomorrow."

Interesting. More secrets. More unanswered questions. I filed this one away with the multitude of others I'd collected since I'd stepped foot through that yawning front gate.

I took a stroll around the room and stopped at the tiny square of a window. It was only big enough for one of my feet to punch through it. I peered outside at the foggy, blurring lights of the city streets down below the steep cliff. If I ended up needing a hasty exit, this wouldn't be it.

"You have any questions?"

"I've gotta ask." I picked up a remote control I spotted on the bedside table and spun it in my hand. "Did everyone here have to go through that?"

She nodded emphatically. "When we decided to become the Court of Wraiths, we all did a trial to prove we belonged here. That said, most of the original trials were easier. It all depends on your gift. And outsiders have it the worst. Sorry about that."

"Lugh was the one who decided to form the Court of Wraiths?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "It was a group decision. We want to do our own thing and not answer to the Morrigan. You must feel the same way, or you wouldn't have gone through the trial, right?"

I swallowed. I hated speaking against Clark, even if it was a lie. "Why else would I be here?"

She gave a satisfied nod. "Then, you'll fit in here just fine. Though...I should warn you. Some of the fae here can be kind of...difficult with outsiders. It's only because they don't know you. They'll come around in time."

Great. So, this was the Court of Mean Girls. Just what I needed.

"Hmm." I dropped the remote on the bed and glanced around. "Why all the secrecy? I mean, I get that you made a court that you wanted to hide from the rest of the fae, but you seem to have gone to a lot of trouble just for that."

I hoped I wasn't pushing it, but I didn't see how I'd ever get the answers to my questions unless I asked. Sure, hiding an entire damn court with its own damn king was a pretty big deal. But there seemed to be more going on here. Lugh was hiding something massive . I was certain of it.

Saoirse's purple eyes flickered, and she took a step back toward the door. "You're part of the Court of Wraiths now, Moira. That's going to have to be enough for awhile."

I frowned. "What does that even mean?"

"We don't know you yet," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I just went through a dangerous trial." I gestured at the tiny window I could never escape. "I'm in this thing, one hundred percent. I even signed a blood contract."

"And that will have to be enough," she insisted. "You'll find out more when Lugh decides you're ready. I can tell that you think he's a cruel king, but you don't know what he's been through...nevermind."

I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but she shook her head.

She pushed open the door, and then paused. "You'll find a shower room in the door to your left. In the cupboard beneath the telly, there are shelves stocked with snacks and a mini-refrigerator with drinks. If you need anything, dial zero on your phone."

Before I could say another word, she quietly shut the door behind her. A lock tumbled into place. My heart racing, I crossed the room and tried the handle.

The Court of Wraiths had locked me inside.

A knock sounded on my door. Groaning, I rolled onto my side to glare at the clock. It was six in the morning. My entire body ached from the previous night's fight. My skin felt raw from where I'd been bashed against the stone walls, my throat was on fire, and I had a headache straight out of the underworld. Fae heal fast, but we're not invincible. It would take a few more hours for all my bruises to fully mend, and another day for me to feel like my normal self.

Before I could stumble out of bed, the pesky knocker opened the door.

Lugh strode inside, looking frustratingly perfect. His hair was freshly-washed, damp curls dropping onto his forehead. I could tell he'd shaved, but he'd left enough stubble to highlight his sharp jaw. His dark eyes raked over me, alert and unbothered.

If I'd been more awake, I probably would have gaped.

"You're still in bed," he said with an air of displeasure.

I sat up and brushed my matted hair out of my face. I'd taken a long, hot shower before crawling into my bed last night, damp hair tied back in a loose bun. The strands were dry now, but they had escaped from the elastic in the night. I didn't have to look in the mirror to know I had the worst case of bed head imaginable.

I blinked up at him through fuzzy eyes. "Sod off. I'm knackered. It's not even daylight yet, and I spent my night trying not to die. If a girl deserves a lie in, it's now."

"You won't be punished because I realise you're accustomed to life as a solitary fae, where you can do whatever you damn well please." He sniffed. "But here, in the Court of Wraiths, we don't waste our precious time with sleep."

I arched a brow. Or I at least tried to. It was probably more like a half-assed wiggle. "Oh yeah? Then, what do you waste your precious time with?"

Because as far as I could tell, the Court of Wraiths merely specialised in making my life a living hell. And that didn't require getting up at the crack of dawn. All they had to do was toss me into the vaults with the Sluagh...and someone else.

That got me thinking a little more clearly. What the hell had even happened last night? There'd been some other mysterious fighter in the vaults. Someone with a spear. I wanted to ask Lugh about it. Surely he'd know if someone else was inside of his castle, fighting those creatures.

But I couldn't. If, for some reason, it had nothing to do with him, I couldn't let him find out. If he knew I had help staying alive, he might decide I'd failed my trial. And then I'd have to leave. Empty-handed.

Lugh cleared his throat as he slid further into the room. "We each have a daily assignment. It keeps the castle running as smoothly as possible."

Ah, so Lugh had at least kept some of the courtly customs. Back in London, it was the same. Some assignments were far less involved than others, but every single fae had a purpose. Mine was obviously guarding the queen and working alongside others to keep the Court safe from harm.

If I could do the same here, I could easily get the inside scoop on Lugh's plots and schemes.

"You know my skill. I'm a warrior. I'd probably do best in some sort of guard role," I said smoothly.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." His dark gaze swept across me, and a strange tremor went through me. "While I can't deny your skills must be exceptional in order for you to make it through the vaults, you are still very new to our Court. You'll find that it takes quite some time for the fae here to trust outsiders."

I blew out a frustrated breath. " Isn't that what I signed a blood contract for? So that you could make sure I couldn't spill your secrets? Surely that's good enough to put me on watch duty in a tower or something."

"You're pushy." He strode closer, his eyes flashing. His magic seeped from his body, lighting up sparks along my skin. "I don't like it."

I suddenly became very aware that I was in bed wearing nothing more than a white t-shirt and no bra underneath. At some point, Lugh had shut the door behind him, and we were trapped inside this room alone. It made my heart pound, though I didn't know why. Sure, he was as fit as sin, but he was scum.

As he strode closer and a wicked smile played across his lips, a strange thought flittered through me. A thought I wished I'd never had. It made me want to burn my brain.

I was an outsider. A stranger. Lugh didn't want to trust me, even if I'd signed that contract. Something about me must have made him uneasy. Best way to quieten his doubts?

I wet my lips.

I'd been approaching this whole thing in typical Moira fashion. Pissed off and eager to stab something. What if instead of communicating exactly how much I hated him, I made him think I wanted him? Right here beside me in this bed.

"If you don't like it," I tried, adding a sultry tone to my voice, "why do your eyes say otherwise? "

Blimey, that sounded like nonsense. Like something out of a cheesy porn film. Not that I'd ever watched one. Ahem.

He dropped to his knees beside my bed and curled his palm around my cheek. I shuddered, magic ripping through my gut so fast I could barely think. "You have a very purple bruise on your face. It's disgusting."

My mouth fell open. That gormless swine.

"Did you come here just to insult me?" I hurled. "Or was there some other reason you decided to drag me out of bed at six in the morning?"

His lips quirked with amusement. "What a brilliant idea."

"What?" I shouted just as he threw the covers off my bare legs. He wrapped his hands around my ankles and pulled me out of the bed in one fluid motion. I fell flat on my bum, glaring up at him, my t-shirt hiked up around my hips.

I jumped to my feet, my body trembling with anger.

"Careful," he said with a smile. "If you lay a hand on me, I might have to call my guards. Of which you aren't one." His smile widened at the furious part of my lips. "You will be joining the cleaning staff. I hope you're as good with a broom as you are with your sword."

F ortunately, Lugh left before I ended up punching him right in his beautifully-chiselled face. And, as it turned out, I didn't have to start my new cleaning duties just yet. As soon as Lugh disappeared into the hallway, Saoirse bustled inside to explain the day ahead.

"We have a party every time someone passes a trial," she said excitedly. "I wanted to tell you last night, but I thought you'd be too pumped to sleep."

Too pumped to sleep because of a...party? Damn. I eyed her enthusiasm warily. These fae really didn't get out much.

"You'll be able to meet everyone, and you can get a tour of the grounds." She passed me a large black box. "Until then, you're going to have to stay in here."

"So I still can't leave my room. What a surprise," I said dryly.

"Don't worry," she quickly interjected. "It won't be for much longer. We just don't have anyone to chaperone you for most of the day since we'll all be getting ready for the party."

"Chaperone?" I shook my head and tossed the box onto the bed. "Don't you think that's going a little far?"

"Rules are rules." She shrugged. "Newbies get chaperoned. See you tonight."

The rest of the day passed in a mindless blur. I paced from one end of the room to the next, the restlessness in my body building with every second that passed. I tried the door handle at least two dozen times, but the lock didn't magically open for a single one of them. I peered out the tiny window, sighed, and then peered some more.

It was one of the most boring days of my life. A surprise, since I was a secret spy in a court of wraiths. You'd think I'd have a tad more action than this.

Shortly after nightfall, Saoirse collected me from my room. While I'd been bored out of my mind, I'd found a gown in the black box. A sleek black number that did little to hide my toned curves. My makeup, I'd kept natural, and my hair no longer hung loose around my shoulders. I'd pulled it back into a high ponytail instead.

I topped off the whole look with my signature black boots.

Saoirse, clad in a flowing green dress and pointy high heels, slowed and let out a low whistle. "That outfit is a choice ."

"I learned a long time ago that a girl should always be ready for a fight. And I can't swing a sword in heels."

She laughed. "This is your party. You won't be expected to fight."

"That's a shame." I grinned.

Saoirse didn't seem to know what to make of that, so she breezed me out of the room. "On our way, I'll point out some of the highlights of the castle. For example, down at the end of that hallway, you'll find a flight of stairs that leads up to the roof. We aren't allowed to go up there."

"Of course you aren't," I said with a roll of my eyes. But, that was potentially important information, and I made sure to make a mental note of it.

Saoirse led me out of the residential quarters and into a tiny, squat building. There were fewer windows in this section of the castle, and gloominess swirled through the narrow hallways, along with clouds of dust. With a smile, Saoirse bustled forward and pointed out the highlights. In this building, three fae healers had set up a room for the injured. Further on, I'd find the storage room for blankets, pillows, toilet rolls, and towels.

After the short tour, we continued on to a courtyard I'd seen last night. Here, there were four adjoining buildings that made up a square. Saoirse took me into the one that sat on the right of the Great Hall and pointed out an expansive, gleaming kitchen. It had stainless steel work surfaces, more like a restaurant than a home.

She slowed to a stop to point out a smaller room to the left of the kitchen where round tables dotted a carpeted floor. "This is the kitchen and a smaller dining room. Most evening meals we have all together in the Great Hall, but you can come here and grab breakfast and lunch on your own."

"Except I can't," I said dryly. "Not without a chaperone. "

"In time," she whispered fiercely, and then continued on. She pointed to the right as we passed another door. "Big laundry room in there. You can do it yourself, or you can ask one of the cleaning staff to do it for you."

Right. So I could ask myself to do it then.

At the very end of the hallway, we came to a stop outside of two double doors, but Saoirse didn't make a move to open them. "This is the training room. Our warriors spend a lot of time in here."

I gave a nod and yearned to push inside. I already missed the training room back home. My muscles ached with the need to move. To swing my sword. To practice my breathing. To hold my body as still as a tree while I focused my power on the enemy before me.

"You've clearly trained," Saoirse said, knocking me out of my reverie.

I turned away from the door, breath held. Had I been that obvious? "I don't know what you mean."

"You're super fit, even for a fae, and your skill is the sword." She started moving further down the hallway, and I fell into step beside her. "Obviously, you've practiced, even if you've had to do it on your own."

"Oh." I relaxed. "It's honestly one of my favourite things to do. It's why I'm gutted to be assigned cleaning duty."

Saoirse gave me a conspiratorial smile. "King Lugh would love to have another warrior on the team. He won't be planning to keep you on cleaning duty forever. You just have to prove yourself first."

I stopped short in the hallway, frowning. "But how? I thought that was the entire part of the trial."

"The trial was meant to test how badly you want to join us here, which you did brilliantly." She grabbed my arm and pulled me along the hallway. "Come on. Everyone is waiting."

When Saoirse said everyone , she hadn't been joking. We stepped into the Great Hall, transformed overnight. The twenty wooden tables were gone. In their place were throngs of fae dressed for a night out at the clubs. Coloured balls of light hung from the timber roof-beams, swaying back and forth on an invisible breeze. Musicians crowded on the dais around the throne, closing their eyes as they played their instruments.

I braced myself as we stepped into the middle of the crowd. The Court had thrown this party to welcome me, and I wasn't exactly the most extraverted fae in the world. I liked to swing my sword, but I wasn't a big fan of small talk.

But as Saoirse led me through the crowded party, Celtic music swirling through the air, not a single pair of eyes turned my way. No one said hello. I didn't even get a scowl.

Huh. Well, in that case, it was time to take advantage of the little freedom I finally had. Back in my room, I'd found some paper in a drawer, and I'd written a note for Clark. I just needed to find a way to get outside, only for a brief moment.

"I'm going to take a look around," I half-shouted to Saoirse over the din of laughter, chatter, and music.

She gave me a nod and a thumbs up, and then drifted toward a group of fae wearing nothing more than silk nighties.

I decided to head in the opposite direction. A long wooden table pushed up against the wall had caught my eye. Food was piled on top of it. Pastries and pies, cakes and blocks of cheese. Wine bottles sat waiting for me to pour. My stomach grumbled.

Not now. I needed to get this note to Clark, and then I could return to the party to binge on carbs. I glanced around, my eyes landing on a door in the far corner. Bingo. That was it.

I hurried through the crowd, casting one last glance over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being watched.

No one was looking at me at all. I might be the guest of honour, but I clearly wasn't welcome here. Not yet anyway. With a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped outside.

Much to my disappointment, there wasn't much out here. Instead of escaping into the courtyard, I'd stepped onto a balcony overlooking the plunging cliffs. The city below glowed with light, but a thick mist obscured the sparkle.

I let out a low whistle, one I'd practiced many times.

A moment later, a pair of dark wings rushed by my head. The raven settled on the wrought-iron railing, its beady little eyes staring deep into my soul. Clark had a connection with these birds. They would do her every bidding. And it had been waiting for my call.

I slipped the tiny scroll into the raven's outstretched claw. It simply read, I'm in .

Due to the blood contract, I couldn't say any more than that for now.

The raven blinked, and then soared into the sky.

As I dropped back my head to watch it disappear into the mist, the door behind me swung wide. "What are you doing out here?"

My heart skipped a beat. It was Lugh.

Steadying my breathing, I turned to face him. "I was trying to find the toilet."

He pursed his lips and stepped closer. "Do you often find yourself lost on your way to the loo?"

As if time itself had slowed, I barely breathed. Surely he didn't recognise me from that night at the Pack headquarters. Right? He had only seen me for a fleeting moment, and I'd looked completely different then.

If he knew I'd been there, he never would have let me inside of his Court.

He'd know I wasn't who I said I was.

He'd know I was lying, either then or now .

Probably both.

"Fortunately, no," I finally said. "Your castle is very large. It's easy to get lost."

He wrapped his strong hand around mine and motioned at the door. "The dancing has begun, and you're missing it."

"That's okay," I said. "I'm not really much of a—oh!"

Lugh kicked open the door and yanked me back inside the Great Hall with a kind of intensity that snapped all the words out of my mouth. He had a vice-like grip on my hand, and he propelled me straight past the tables full of food and drink.

"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped, trying—and failing—to yank my wrist away.

"It is customary for new members of this Court to dance during their welcome party."

With that, he yanked me onto the dance floor and wound his arm up my back. Hot lava poured through my veins as I tipped back my head to glare up at him. Celtic music swirled through the air, and the fae surrounding us took a step back. Lugh spun me across the floor, his feet moving in time with an ancient fae dance.

"You look delicious," he growled.

A thrill went through me. I couldn't help it, even as angry as I was. My new plan was starting to work. Seduce the king. Learn his secrets. And then somehow get the information back to his rival.

He spun me across the floor, our bodies moving in sync. His lips brushed against my ear. "Where did you learn to dance like this?"

My mouth went dry. I'd been so caught up in the moment that I hadn't stopped to think. A solitary fae wouldn't know these dances. She would have never stepped foot in a fae ball before.

I pulled back and gave him a demure smile. "How many times do I have to tell you that I like to do my research?"

"And yet, your research turned up nothing about me." He spun me around in a circle, and then pulled me tight against his chest. I lost my breath, just for a second. But only because he'd been tossing me around like a ship at sea, not because of anything else.

"Should it have?" I squeaked out as he began to dip me low to the ground. I clung on tight, my fingernails digging into the skin behind his neck. "You said you've kept your existence a secret. You're a wraith."

"If you look hard enough, you can find me." He yanked me up against his chest again, and then ran his hand down the length of my back. My entire body went tight. Heat flooded my veins.

And then the music stopped.

As suddenly as he'd swept me into his arms, Lugh stepped away. He gave a slight inclination of his head. "Enjoy your party."

Mouth open, I watched him leave. What the hell had that been? My hands clenched, and I stalked after him. He couldn't just walk away. Not after that. We'd been in the middle of a conversation. Granted, he'd practically been speaking in riddles but still. It had felt like I was growing closer to some sort of realisation about the king, and then he'd vanished into the throngs of partygoers.

I stopped and cast my gaze around the room. Ah, there he was. Pushing out of the Great Hall's doors toward the courtyard. I hurried after him, determined to finish our conversation. As far as I knew, I'd be locked in my room all day again tomorrow, only to come out when a floor needed to be swept. This might be the last time I could speak to him for awhile.

When I pushed out into the courtyard, I sucked in a deep lungful of fresh, misty air. The room had been clogged with fae. Heat had seeped into my skin. The cool Edinburgh night was soothing after that.

I cast a glance around. The courtyard was quiet and empty. Cobblestone ran underfoot, and tall stone walls loomed all around. In the center stood a bronze statue of a male atop of a horse. The features had long since been worn over the centuries, but the sharply-pointed ears and javelin in his hand made it clear this male had been a warrior fae like me.

And Lugh was nowhere to be seen.

With a frustrated sigh, I zoomed across the courtyard. There was a high level arch overhead connecting The Royal Palace to the building next door, and I headed straight for it. When I reached the arch, I continued on, and rounded the next corner.

There he was. Hidden in the darkness with two other shadowy forms. Adrenaline tripped in my veins as I pressed my back against the stone wall before they could spot me. What, pray tell, was the king doing lurking around in the shadowy alley?

I slowed my breathing and flicked my hearing toward their conversation.

"Anderson's been in touch. He has a lead on the cauldron," the voice said—female, soft, and scared.

"Good," Lugh murmured. "Did he mention where he thinks it is?"

"He didn't want to give that information over the phone," the other shadow said. This one was male, nasally, and high-pitched. "Said his line has been tapped before."

"Good," Lugh said. "We do not want anyone to find this cauldron before we do."

My heart thumped. It was that damn cauldron again.

What cauldron? Just say what bloody cauldron it is!

"What are you going to do when he finds it?" the female hissed. "You can't just keep it here at Castle Wraith, not when—"

"You leave that part to me," Lugh interjected. "Eoin, I need you to keep searching the books. Find anything you can that will help expedite this. "

Lugh stepped back and turned my way.

My heart leapt. Cursing silently, I scrambled back out into the courtyard and high-tailed it across the cobblestones. I reached the door heading back into the Great Hall at the precise moment that Lugh stepped out from beneath the arch that spanned the two buildings. His eyes settled on me, and I paused. His stride remained steady; his expression never wavered. I wanted to wrench open the door and storm inside, but that would look far more suspicious than if I stood here with a shit-eating grin on my face.

Maybe.

When he reached me, he wrapped his hand around where mine grasped the brass handle. "Enjoy your midnight stroll in the courtyard, Moira?"

His voice was full of ice. Nervously, I wet my lips.

"It's hot in there," I said in a garbled voice. "I wanted some fresh air."

"Some fresh air now. A loo before. But really it's an earful, I imagine." He cut a sharp glance my way. "I've been patient with your prickly personality, but I don't appreciate being spied on."

A shiver went down my spine, but I forced myself to remain still. "I said I wanted fresh air, and I did. It's not my fault you were lurking in the shadows having secret meetings."

"I'm the King of this Court. I can have secret meetings wherever I damn well please," he growled. "The fact that you don't seem to understand or respect that makes me question your reasons for being here."

Narrowing my eyes, I wrenched my hand out from under his. "Maybe you'd understand my reasons better if you didn't lock me in my room all day!"

His lips curled into a wicked smile. "Oh, you didn't like that? Good. You can stay in there twice as long tomorrow."