Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Cassia

I'm jolted out of my sleep. I stare around myself in confusion, wondering what the heck woke me up. But after a minute, I hear loud noises right outside my room, noises loud enough that I have a moment where fear and adrenaline give me the urge to run. Then, logic kicks in and I realize that grandmother and father must be getting into some kind of trouble in the house. Probably fixing something that broke the best they can, given all the noise.

Okay, so that's one question answered.

Groaning, I roll over, glance out my window, and see bright light streaming through it. Shit! I'm late! Sitting up, heart racing, I'm mentally walking through the excuses I'll tell Alexi for why I'm late for work… when everything comes flooding back to me.

Last night.

The four princes.

Am I even a maid any longer? I feel the color drain from my face. Am I really engaged to four men?

Maybe I'd been dreaming last night. Maybe the ball and the princes never really happened. It certainly seems crazy enough to be a figment of my imagination. Has losing my job pushed me over the edge?

I try to remember if I fell asleep instead of actually putting on that gorgeous golden dress and going to the ball. It's possible. Isn't it? I scan my room, then freeze when I spot the dress in a pile on the floor looking very much worn. The heels rest beside them, along with the very expensive jewelry Prince Sulien gifted me. Jewelry too fine for me to ever be able to sell. No one would touch it with a ten- foot pole.

Shit, yesterday really happened.

I was fired. I made an insane deal with Prince Sulien. I went to a ball, and the spell went wrong, matching me with the four princes instead of just one.

How'd I even sleep after everything that happened? The race home and the way I'd torn off the dress flashes through my mind. I guess I'd just been hoping everything would make more sense in the morning.

Unfortunately, it does not.

I crawl out of bed and go to my dresser to pick something to wear. Everything looks plain and ugly compared to the golden dress, but at the same time, it's better suited to me, and not the me I was pretending to be. It's a bit of a relief to not have to play the role of a woman betrothed to four fae princes, at least for a little longer.

My house dress is the most comfortable, so I reach for it. The dress is soft as I slip it on, sliding against my skin in a way that's comforting. I don't remember what color it was originally, but now it's off-white with a hint of blue.

I give myself a once over in the mirror hanging on my wall. The dress is a little low-cut in front with short sleeves. It reaches nearly to my ankles and fits me perhaps a little more snuggly than it was meant to, but only because I've had it for so many years.

Running a brush through my hair, I study myself. The dark circles under my eyes tell the world that I didn't have a restful night's sleep, which is absolutely true. My dreams were filled with the four fae princes. With secrets and lies. With them, discovering who I am.

In my dreams, they chased me. Sometimes with lust. Sometimes with anger. But other times it was with sadness and disgust. All because they learned that some little human woman had made fools of them.

I set the brush down and glance in the mirror one more time, wondering what I got ready for. If I can manage it, I'll spend the next few days hiding out from the princes and deciding when to tell my grandmother and father, and how to. And yet, there's no food here. I have no job. And chances are there are enough rumors going around that I'll need to tell my family the truth before they learn it from somewhere else.

So, I don't have days to get my head on straight. The first thing I probably have to do is tell my grandmother and father, answer their questions, and figure out how much a "betrothed" makes, so I can get food into this house.

How does one go about asking her husband-to-be, or is it husbands-to-be, for money, for food? I shrug and open the door to my bedroom, fully expecting to walk in on one of my family's "projects." But more than that, to figure out how to explain the mess I'm in to my family.

I take a step down the hall and freeze at the scene unfolding before me. Several fae walk past my door, holding boxes filled with Granny's pots and pans. Another walks by with a stack of quilts. I walk out of the hall and stare in shock. A whole line of fae are carrying our household items out the door and into a wagon sitting right outside our home.

What the hell? I walk further down the short hallway into the kitchen. It's nearly empty.

Taking another step forward, the living room comes fully into view, and I see my grandmother in the center of the nearly empty room. She has her hands on her hips, and fae, all dressed in the colors of the Summer Court, are carrying everything we own out the door.

My jaw drops. What the hell is this?

Grandmother moves to the couch and pats it. "My couch has sentimental value. Go ahead and put it on the wagon. I don't care if it doesn't fit in with the decor. I won't see it either way, and it's mine, so I'm taking it."

Grandmother's bossing the fae around like she's royalty. They actually skitter away from her. It's… unbelievable . People who wouldn't even spit on her before are rushing around to follow her orders.

She points at one fae, who was whispering to another one, and the tall man widens his eyes in shock as she does so. "Don't think that because I can't see you, I don't know where you are. My hearing's intact. You don't move in silence. My couch, ugly as it may be, is coming with me."

"Of course, my lady," he says, bowing and gesturing for another fae to grab the other side of the couch.

Seriously… what the hell is going on?

"Grandmother?" I approach her, reaching out to let her know I'm close by.

"Cassia!" She sweeps me in a hug that's so tight it steals my breath.

"Is everything okay?"

She laughs, squeezing me again before releasing me. " Of course. But why didn't you wake us up last night when you came home to let us know what happened? I know I fuss at you and your dad about my beauty sleep, but becoming the bride to four fae princes is a damn good reason to interrupt it."

I open my mouth and close it. Okay, logic told me the fae were here because my family knew what happened, but it's like I couldn't process it until she said it aloud. I'm officially fucked.

No, I can come up with an excuse. I can say something to stop this.

She's smiling brighter than I've seen in a long time, and it's enough to make me stop and think before I keep talking. I don't know what I planned to tell them, but I certainly planned to make my reservations clear. Now though, with her so happy, what am I supposed to say?

"Last night was just.. a lot," I say, unsure of how else to phrase it.

I haven't processed it all the way myself. There's this part of me that still thinks there's a world in which I can just marry Prince Sulien and just be his wife in name only. Where my grandmother and father could still have a really wonderful life, and I didn't have to lose every piece of myself. But it feels like every moment that passes, my chances of that are growing slimmer.

Closing my eyes, I breathe in deeply through my nose. There's no point in focusing on that right now. I have to let her be excited, because in life there are so few good moments and so many crappy ones. I can't take this away from her when she's already had so much taken away in her long life.

"Was the ball as beautiful as they say?" she asks, and I notice the other fae listening .

"It was. It was just… a lot."

She laughs. "You keep saying that."

"I can't think of a better way to describe it… all the food and drinks. All the beautiful women and men…" There. That wasn't a lie, and it doesn't give away my terror about everything either.

"There was also a lot of matching with a lot of men," Grandmother retorts, laughing to herself. "What are you going to do with four princes? You only knew Prince Sulien as a child, and you don't know the others at all."

My thoughts exactly. The other princes could be awful. Is Prince Zane as cold as the rest of the Winter Fae? Will Prince Cobar bring other women into our bed like the other Spring Fae? And is Prince Forrest as rough and cruel as the rest of the Fall Fae?

I swallow around the lump in my throat. None of that matters if I don't have to marry them. If I find a way out of this.

"Cassia?"

Realizing I hadn't answered, I scramble for something to say. "We're… matched with each other, so I guess we're meant to be, and it'll all work itself out." Except, we're not, and it won't.

Grandmother shakes her head. "That fae tradition of being matched on the solstice is so odd to me. I mean, we humans get to meet someone, fall in love, and choose to marry."

Yes, we do. I might have. I'd never really thought about actually meeting a man, falling in love, and marrying him, but I guess now that will never happen. Never. Because I've accepted this fake marriage.

For the first time, that actually feels like a loss.

"That does sound lovely," I say, and I swear I feel tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

Grandmother tilts her head to the side. "We also end up living in the worst parts of the city with the worst jobs. Maybe love's overrated." She shrugs.

"Maybe it is," I say, but the words feel false.

Fae staff come out of her and father's bedrooms carrying boxes. I hear a jingle that sounds like glass.

"Whoa! Whoa! What's in that box?" Grandmother says, pointing at the very guilty-looking fae.

She turns to me. "Do you mind if I get back to the move? These fae seem to know a lot about moving gold, gems, and silk around, but give them something hearty, and they're all butter-fingers!"

It's hard not to laugh at the insulted looks on the fae's faces. Especially because, while a lot of my grandmother's stuff has interesting textures, not a lot of it… looks pretty. Like the messed up frog my dad carved for her that's currently sitting in a box in the fae's hands.

"Don't let me interrupt you." I plant a kiss on her cheek and give her hands a squeeze before heading outside.

She gets back to hollering at the fae about what to take and what to leave behind, but I try to tune her out. I wonder where my father is and how he feels about all of this. If there's a quiet place I can hide from all of this and come up with some kind of incredible plan that means my family gets to keep all this happiness, and I don't have to share a bed with four giant fae.

To my shock, my father sits outside in a very nice, brand new wheelchair. We've never been able to afford one for him to get around in, and just seeing him in one makes my heart squeeze. Just that wheelchair alone will allow him freedoms he's never had before, and I think he knows it. I think he knows all of this is going to open doors for him because he looks so damn happy.

The sight brings a smile to my face.

A fae's pushing him around, and he's directing some of the packing onto the wagon himself. When he sees me, he tells the fae to stop pushing his chair. "My daughter. Queen of the four courts. I can't believe it." He claps his hands together.

"I'm not that yet," I tell him, feeling oddly embarrassed.

He waves me closer, his smile widening. "How did it happen? Tell me everything!"

I give him a very brief review of last night, skipping as much as I can without it seeming like I'm skipping anything. Basically, I paint the picture of going to the fae ball on a whim to see the pretty fae only to discover my matches. The four princes.

"So, no one has asked about your fae heritage?" he asks when I'm finished.

A chill rolls down my spine, and I get the feeling the servants are listening. "No, but there must be a fae in our family line."

He stares down at his lap. "That must be it." Then he smiles again. "Come here and give me a hug. What an incredible opportunity."

I lean down and hug him. His arms wrap around me, squeezing me tightly, and the sense that my choices are slipping away settles around me like a bear trap. I can't help but wonder, have I been presented with an opportunity or caught in a trap? The benefits to my family in this arrangement appear endless. I, however, might be trapped in four miserable marriages, lying my ass off, with no idea how I'll be treated by my spouses.

Opportunity. For some reason, the word rings false.

As I go to stand, he holds on to my hands. "They've given us a cottage in the castle's garden. I get to keep my chair, and I have an appointment with the fae healer. All because you were brave enough to go to the Solstice ball last night." He squeezes my hands, and tears form in his eyes.

"It wasn't brave, it was stupid," I tell him honestly.

And so reckless, I want to scream.

He shakes his head. "No, it was brave. And no matter what your grandmother says, you got that from me."

I plaster a smile on my face. I desperately want to tell him the whole truth and let him know this could all come crumbling down if anyone finds out about the spell and me, but I can't tell him right now even if I wanted to. Not with the fae here listening. Not when I'd only be burdening him with something he doesn't need to know.

He directs another fae, then looks at me. "They even think I might get the use of my legs back. And your grandmother… They have books that she can read. Hundreds of them! She cried when she heard!"

The happiness they both feel now tugs at my heart. That's why I said yes to Prince Sulien. It's why I went to the ball in the first place. This is the better life I wanted for my family.

"All because of my brave daughter, not even knowing she was fae and taking a chance at the ball." It's been years since I heard him like this, so positive. Like he actually has something to look forward to.

"That's great, Dad. You'll love living on the castle grounds. "

I freeze, wondering where I'll be sleeping tonight. Am I moving into the castle too? Will I live in the garden cottage with my family? I don't know anything. Which is terrifying. "I'll let you get back to directing the packers. You and Grandmother have a busy day ahead of you."

He smiles up at me with glistening eyes, and the fae behind us wheels him away.

I walk back to my room, where the royal fae servants pack up my belongings. My drawers are splayed open, and they're carefully refolding my clothes and packing them into ornate trunks. My few trinkets are carefully wrapped in paper and placed on top of my clothing.

It only takes three trunks to pack up my whole life, which is strange. This house holds far more memories than those few items, and I'm suddenly bothered at the thought of leaving this place. I guess when I made the agreement with Prince Sulien, I never really thought about what that life would look like.

As quickly as the fae entered my room, they leave, and my room stands an empty shell. I touch the walls. I touch my bed. What will become of this place now? Will another family of desperate humans move here, taking our place?

Either way, until my deception is discovered, this isn't our home any longer. Yet, I don't have another home, not really, at least not one that I'm sure of. I can't even just follow my grandmother and father, because I have things to sort out that I don't want them to be aware of.

There's nowhere for me to go, so I walk out the front door and watch as Grandmother and Father are loaded into a carriage. Our neighbors mill around, watching our lives change in the biggest way possible. They won't make eye contact with me when I spot them though… but I guess I am, supposedly, their new queen.

Is everyone going to treat me differently now?

"Coming?" Father calls out from the carriage window, staring at me.

I'm truly glad they're so excited right now, but I can't just go along with them and pretend to be happy. Not right now. I just need to be alone because this feels like the last time I'll be alone for a very long time.

"There's that strawberry plant in the back I want to dig up and bring with us. So I'll do that, and I'll meet you there in a few hours. Go get settled, have a meal, and relax," I say, meaning every word of it. They deserve all of that, and more.

My grandmother's voice carries from the carriage. "Come when you're ready."

She knows me well.

I stand on the porch watching as the carriage rolls away. My stomach turning over with each spin of the wheels. There goes my family. There goes my life.

Now, I'm really locked into this. Whether it's one prince or four, I can't go back. It's the first time it really hits me that even if I have to marry four princes to give this to my family, I will. No matter how awful it is. No matter what these strange men are truly like.

I've endured a lot in my life. I can endure this too.

The moment the carriage is out of sight, my smile vanishes. My legs shake, and I feel the overwhelming urge to scream or cry, I'm not sure which. I turn to enter the house one last time, to maybe take some time alone in my room to grieve the life I had.

I start walking, and I jump as Prince Forrest appears before me.

Damn it. So much for my time alone.