8. Scarlett

Chapter 8

Scarlett

" H ow did you fill this closet this fast? And with my exact sizes?" Scarlett called out to the bedroom. The walk-in closet that had been half full when she'd awakened that morning now had every shelf, nook, and cranny full. Sorin's clothing and items were still where they'd been, but now dresses and feminine sweaters and tunics and pants filled the space, as well as shoes and jewelry. She reached for a beautiful, dark purple sweater, the fabric soft as suede between her fingers.

"You've been asleep for days. I had some time on my hands," he answered, his voice drifting in to her.

She walked to the closet and leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms over her chest. "You had nothing better to do while I slept than build me a wardrobe?" she asked him doubtfully. He was sprawled across the chaise lounge under the window. He wore dark charcoal pants with a dark red tunic and a black jacket.

He propped himself up on his elbows when he spotted her. "You are not dressed yet?"

"With so many options, how can one choose?" she asked sweetly. Truth be told, though, she didn't know what to wear. What kind of dinner was this to be? Formal, like it had been every evening with Lord Tyndell?

"Wear what you're comfortable in, Scarlett," Sorin replied, as though he'd read her mind.

"I'm comfortable in training attire," she retorted under her breath.

"Then wear it," Sorin answered, rising from the chaise and coming to her. Damn him and that Fae hearing.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I cannot meet your Inner Court and dine with a prince in training clothes or dressed like Death's Maiden."

"I am a prince," he replied with a smirk. "You have dined with me eating out of a box on my couch."

"That's different," she remarked, waving him off.

He snorted. "How?"

"You and I are different. Besides, I didn't know you were a prince when I met you," she replied.

"Would it have made a difference?" he asked, again with that smirk.

"Yes!"

"I doubt it."

"I do have manners," she scowled.

"I would love to see them sometime."

Scarlett gave him a vulgar gesture before turning back to the closet.

"Rude," she heard him call after her.

She surveyed the display of clothing before her again and sighed. He had lain with her on the ground. He had lain with her, letting her sort through everything that had happened. He had not asked to talk about it. He had not told her what had happened after she'd left. He had just crawled into a pit and sat with her in the darkness.

She couldn't decide what to make of it. This male that had contributed to her breaking, lying with her in her shadows. She certainly wasn't going to acknowledge the feelings that were creeping up, not with Callan under the same roof. Not until she could speak with him and try to explain. Explain what, she didn't know.

She finally selected fitted black pants with the dark purple sweater. The fabric was luxurious against her skin. She pinned her hair up off her neck. She was strapping a dagger to her thigh when she came out of the closet and found Sorin waiting for her. He noted the dagger and gave a nod.

"You are fine with me wearing it to dinner?" she inquired, a challenge in her tone.

"I wear multiple weapons everywhere. Why wouldn't you?" he responded simply.

"Well, yes, but you are a man and a trained soldier," she countered.

Sorin winced a little. "Before we go to dinner, some Fae decorum. We are males and females. Men and women are humans."

"Semantics," Scarlett replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Not to Fae. To Fae they are very, very different."

"You are offended?"

"Not me. I am used to you calling me all kinds of endearing names, but yes, others will find it deeply offensive," Sorin answered. He closed the distance between them and took her right hand. "This belongs to you."

Scarlett looked down to find he'd slipped her mother's ring onto her finger. And suddenly she wasn't in the Fiera Palace at all, but she stood in the forest clearing where she had sat with the beautiful man. Shirina appeared at her side, brushing lightly against her leg.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a giant wolf emerge from the forest to the east. It was the same one she had seen when she'd watched Sorin with Talwyn back in Baylorin. Scarlett stilled, but the panther walked towards it. The two seemed to stare each other down in some sort of stand off, before the wolf gave a bow of its head in Scarlett's direction.

There were other animals here, too. The red bird she had glimpsed in Sorin's rooms that day they'd arrived was soaring in a tight circle above them along with a silver hawk. A large, red stag and a stunning, white horse whose mane and tail looked like flowing water were coming from the trees.

A piercing screech filled the air, and they all whipped their heads to find the giant, black eagle soaring across the sky. It seemed angry. Really, really angry. Scarlett took a step forward, but the horse of water stepped into her path. She reached up to touch its nose. It snorted and shook its mane, spraying her with drops of water.

"Hey!" she protested. The horse's eyes seemed to twinkle playfully. They reminded her of someone else's eyes, but she couldn't quite place them.

"Scarlett."

Sorin's voice was soft, but urgent. She turned, expecting to see him standing beside her, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Scarlett."

None of the animals seemed to hear it. If they did, they didn't seem to care.

The black wolf's ears suddenly perked up, as if it indeed heard something. It was looking past her, and when Scarlett turned to see what had caught its attention, she found herself looking into eyes of the deepest jade green. Mahogany hair flowed around her face on a phantom wind. She had seen her once before, when she had watched Sorin talk to her.

Talwyn.

"Who are you?" her voice was low, dangerous. Those jade green eyes were narrowed as she reached to retrieve a sword that was strapped across her back. She wore leathers, similar to the ones she'd seen Sorin wearing as they'd traveled to the border. Scarlett suddenly found it hard to breathe. Like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. Vines ensnared her wrists, pinning them to her sides.

Talwyn advanced on her, her sword aloft, and pointed it at Scarlett's throat. She had angular cheekbones and a pretty face, and she moved with a queen's grace. Talwyn took a few more steps towards her. Scarlett's throat was burning as she desperately gasped for a breath when white flames surrounded her. The flames seemed to shimmer as they separated her from Talwyn. Talwyn stopped dead in her tracks. The vines around Scarlett's wrists disappeared, and she gulped down a big breath of air.

"Who are you?" Talwyn asked again, the same deadly calm in her voice.

"Scarlett! Open your eyes."

Scarlett snapped her eyes open to find herself back in Sorin's bedroom. He was gripping her shoulders, his golden skin slightly pale.

"Are you back?" he asked, searching her eyes.

She nodded mutely.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded, bringing his hands to her face.

"I think I just met Talwyn."

"You met Talwyn," Sorin repeated, his tone saying just how unlikely he found that.

"I think so," Scarlett answered, biting her lower lip. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it was the same woman, I mean female, from before. We didn't converse. She asked who I was."

"Where were you? Where did you see her?"

"In some forest clearing. I've… I've been there in my dreams."

Dear gods, she sounded absolutely insane.

"You were in Shira Forest?"

"Where?"

"Shira Forest. It's believed Shira Forest is where magic originated and is where the most powerful Fae are bonded with a Spirit Animal. You've been there before?"

"In my dreams, yes, but the Spirit Animals?" Scarlett asked, her brows knitting together.

Before Sorin could answer, they were interrupted by a loud banging and rattling of the main door to the chambers.

"Seriously, you prick? You still have us locked out?" came a male voice from the other side of the door.

Scarlett choked on a laugh, turning to Sorin with wide eyes. "I don't know who that is, but I already like him. "

"I told you that you would get along splendidly with my family," Sorin muttered, glaring at the door.

"Aditya," came the voice again. "Get your ass downstairs. Eliza said she's coming up next. She's hungry and cranky, and we all have matters that need to be discussed."

Sorin sighed, looking at Scarlett. "I will explain Shira Forest and the Spirit Animals tonight," he said, brushing his knuckles down her cheek. Then, raising his voice, he added, "Right now, I need to go have a discussion about patience."

"Bastard," the voice called through the door, followed by footsteps heading down the hall.

"Shall we?" Sorin asked, gesturing to the door.

"Talwyn won't… She won't come here, will she?" Scarlett asked. "She doesn't know I'm here, right?" She wasn't ready to face her cousin outside of whatever vision that had been. She had felt Talwyn's power coil around her like a snake, squeezing the life from its prey.

"She likely knows you are in my Court. I will know if she gets close to the grounds and so will the others," he replied soothingly. "And if she shows up and you do not want to see her, you can come up here. The wards around my chambers keep out anyone I do not want in. No one is allowed to portal in or out without my permission."

"Will Callan, Finn, and Sloan be at dinner?" she asked, forcing herself not to wring her fingers together.

"No," he answered gently. "It's just us, my Inner Court, and Briar."

Scarlett nodded once, taking a deep breath. "Eliza is terrifying. We should go eat before she comes up here."

Sorin chuckled, striding to open the door for her. "Yes, Eliza can be quite irritable when she's not hungry, let alone when she is."

Scarlett followed Sorin down the hall and staircases leading from the private wing. She had marked most turns and hallways when he'd shown her around earlier that day, so when he led her past the formal dining room, she asked, "We are not eating there?"

Sorin smiled at her as he kept walking. "The formal dining room is for formal meals when we have formal guests. When it is just us," he shrugged his shoulders. "We usually eat in here." He paused outside a door across from the kitchens. Scarlett had assumed it was a pantry or storage room when they had walked by it earlier. "Are you ready?"

She could hear others behind the door, the man who had banged on the door and what sounded like Briar's voice. Scarlett took another deep breath. "I mean, they can't be worse than you, right?"

"That's the spirit, Princess," he said cheerfully, pushing open the door to the room.

"Oh my gods," she muttered under her breath, following him in.

The room fell silent as they entered. It was a den with a large round table in the center. Not the long rectangular tables usually found in the homes of nobility. The table had eight chairs around it. At the back of the room was a long, tall bar against the wall, fully stocked with all the wine and alcohol one could want. To the left of the dining table was a billiards table along with two tall pub tables and chairs. A card table was pushed against the wall as well. To the right of the dining table were two plush sofas and three overstuffed chairs around a fireplace. Blankets and pillows were tossed on them as if people had just been sitting there.

"I changed my mind," Scarlett said, turning to Sorin. A look of confusion passed over his face as he raised his eyebrows at her. "I want this to be my chambers. You can have the other to yourself."

She heard a laugh that she knew by now to be Briar's, and she turned to face him. His sun bleached hair was tied back, and the pale blue shirt he had changed into brought out the icy blue color of his eyes and was stark against his dark skin. He rose from the table and came to her. Kissing her cheek, he asked gently, "How are the waters?"

"The waves seemed to have lessened. At least for the time being," Scarlett answered.

"I am glad to hear that," Briar said, squeezing her hand slightly.

From the table a male voice drawled, "She doesn't seem that intimidating, Drayce." It was the same male who had pounded on the door minutes before. His head was propped on his fist as he studied Scarlett. She held his gaze, returning the scrutinizing stare. The male's eyes were as golden as Sorin's, and she could see the brilliant recklessness in them.

"Yes, well, dear Eliza doesn't seem that intimidating either at first glance," Briar replied over his shoulder. He turned back to Scarlett. "Would you like a drink?"

"Wine would be wonderful," Scarlett replied with a nod of thanks.

"I'm fine. Thank you," Sorin called after Briar bitterly. Briar only threw him a vulgar gesture over his shoulder. Sorin sighed. "You know Briar Drayce, the Water Prince. He thinks his palace is better and more impressive than mine."

"It is definitely bigger," Briar cut in from across the room with a wink.

Scarlett pressed her lips together to keep her laugh in.

"The jackass that pounded on the door a few minutes ago is Cyrus," Sorin said, gesturing toward the male at the table. "He is my Second in Command."

Cyrus was still studying her and by way of greeting said, "You know how to use that dagger?"

Scarlett smiled sweetly at him, then in less time than it took to draw breath, the dagger was flying across the room, landing directly in front of him. Cyrus didn't even flinch. He only said with a sly smile, "Eliza, I think you have some competition."

Briar jerked the dagger from the table as he passed by, handing both it and a glass of wine to Scarlett.

"Stop speaking, Cyrus. It hurts my ears," chided the female sitting to his right with a roll of her eyes. She had a book open on the table before her that she had been reading quietly during all the bantering. Her red-gold hair cascaded around her in great sweeping curls. Her eyes were the grey of ash and smoke. To say she was stunning was an understatement. Her top was low cut and whorls of tattoos lined her chest and ran down her bare arms .

"You know Eliza," Sorin said. "She is the general of my armies."

"Wait, she's actually a general?" Scarlett blurted, trying and failing to hide her awe. Eliza threw her a knowing smile, saying tightly, "I'm glad to see you are well," before returning to her book.

"As I told you, females fight alongside the males here," Sorin replied simply, as if that explained everything. "If you plan to continue your weaponry and combat training, I suggest taking it up with her." Scarlett's eyes were still on Eliza, who had returned to ignoring them all, when Sorin continued. "And that is Rayner. He is my Third."

Scarlett looked to the remaining male in the room to the right of Eliza. He had a kind face, but there was a darkness to him she couldn't quite place. His eyes were nearly identical to Eliza's except that the grey in his eyes seemed to actually swirl and flow like smoke. His hair was a stark charcoal color similar to Sorin's, but not quite as dark. He gave her a warm smile, saying softly in a cool voice that somehow managed to chill her bones, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Scarlett."

Food suddenly appeared on the table before them, to which Eliza muttered, "Praise, Anala." The book before her disappeared in a burst of flame as she reached for the plate of braised lamb.

Sorin sighed again. "We do have a guest, Eliza."

"From my understanding, she is not a guest at all, but lives here. The actual guests are not allowed to cross the bridges," Eliza replied curtly, clearly unconcerned.

Sorin shot Scarlett an apologetic look, but Scarlett just gave him a small smile in return. The whole scene was like a breath of fresh air. They were a family, just as Sorin had said, and it reminded her of simpler times with Cassius and Nuri and Juliette, before orphans had started disappearing from the Syndicate. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would focus on that and what was being done while she was away. But for now, she felt honored to be allowed into their little world, even if just for the night. Sorin led her to the empty chair next to Briar before he went to get his own drink .

"I have been gone for over three years and no one can even bother to get their prince a drink?" he accused, striding for the bar at the back.

Cyrus snorted, spooning roasted vegetables onto his plate. "While you've been vacationing with the mortals, someone had to deal with Talwyn. You should be getting me a drink, asshole."

"He is incredibly needy, isn't he? Poor thing fussing over getting his own alcohol," Scarlett said, taking a piece of bread from the basket that Briar was handing her.

"Says the one who was just waited on by a prince," Sorin quipped while pouring liquor into a glass.

"I can't help it that he's only spent time with me a handful of times and likes me more than you," Scarlett retorted sweetly. "Besides, I'm prettier than you." Sorin turned, drink in hand, and a wary smile was on his face. She batted her lashes at him, taking a sip of her wine.

Across the table, Cyrus gave her an amused smile, and with his eyes on hers, called to Sorin, "I like her."

"I knew you would and dreaded the two of you meeting," Sorin remarked, returning to the table with his drink in hand.

The conversation ebbed and flowed with lighthearted bantering and laughter. They were nearing the end of the meal, having eaten their fill, and Scarlett was beginning to wonder why Sorin had thought he'd need Briar as a buffer when Cyrus asked out of the blue, "Did you find it then?"

The chitchat around the table went silent as all eyes turned to Sorin. His arm was draped casually across the back of Scarlett's chair while he was eating a piece of apple pie. He set his fork down on his plate. "This is not the time for this discussion, Cyrus."

"Bullshit," Cyrus replied. "You've been gone for over three years. We hardly heard from you. Then you finally return, make us babysit a bunch of mortal royalty, and keep us all locked out for days, but let Drayce in." Cyrus gestured at Briar, clearly bitter about being kept out of the know. "He wouldn't fucking tell us anything either, and you return with a— "

"It was not my place to say anything," Briar cut in with exasperation. This discussion had obviously been had multiple times before this evening.

Scarlett could feel the quick glances at her from the others. She thought they had already known who she was. She couldn't have been more wrong, and they clearly did not trust her.

"I should go so you guys can discuss things," Scarlett stated, making to push her chair back from the table.

"Yes," Eliza said, her tone matter-of-fact.

"No." Sorin's voice rang out, pure command. He stared at Eliza, fury lining his features. Scarlett stilled, glancing between the Fire Prince and his general. When he looked at her like that, it usually meant she'd be running extra miles in the morning. To her credit though, Eliza stared right back without so much as a flinch.

"It's fine, Sorin," Scarlett said quietly, again trying to push her chair back from the table.

Sorin held firm to her chair so that Scarlett couldn't move it. She threw him a pleading look, but he was looking each of his Inner Court members in the eye. Briar was silent beside her. He reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and Scarlett knew then exactly why Sorin had asked him to be here tonight.

"Let her go, Sorin," Eliza said, her eyes still fixed on her prince. "There are matters to be discussed."

"Then they can be discussed while she is present," Sorin answered, his voice low and icy.

"Really?" Eliza asked, her brows rising. "Then let's discuss the mortal prince who has been seeking her out. Let's discuss the little matter of him being in love with her while you bear a new Mark." Her eyes gleamed with challenge.

Sorin did not say a word as he stared back at her.

"Why is the mortal prince here?" Rayner posed quietly.

"Because his life is at risk, and this was the only place to keep him safe until the danger has passed," Scarlett cut in, lifting her chin as she spoke.

"Is he your lover then, Darling?" Cyrus asked casually, taking another bite of his own pie. He reminded Scarlett vaguely of Nuri .

"Are you asking if I am available?" Scarlett asked, her tone sultry as she leaned back in her chair. Sorin's fingers brushed across her shoulder.

"If you're offering, I certainly would not object," he replied with a fiendish glance to Sorin.

"I assure you, Darling , you wouldn't know the first thing to do with me and my darkness," she purred. As if in emphasis, her shadows reached for him, caressing down his cheek and neck.

He froze as they trailed along him, then a feral grin crossed his lips. "Intimidating indeed," he crooned.

"Told you," Briar quipped, picking up his drink and knocking the rest of it back.

Scarlett picked up her wine glass, twirling the stem between her fingers. She had originally been willing to leave, to not intrude on their little family squabble, but now that she had been brought into the conversation, she could play. She turned to Briar and smirked. "I now understand what you meant about his whiny Court." Briar laughed, his icy eyes twinkling.

"I'm glad you two find this so amusing," Eliza spat, "but the fact remains that we have no idea what is going on and why your arrival has made our prince, who has never withheld anything from us, suddenly start keeping secrets." Everyone went silent. Scarlett glanced to Sorin, and Eliza continued with soft venom. "Do you need permission to speak?"

"Enough," Sorin growled. He looked murderous as he glared at his general. "She does not need permission to do anything, Eliza. You will not speak to her like this, and you will remember that I am your Prince."

"Do not pull rank on me, Sorin," Eliza hissed, and Scarlett had to admit, she admired the female for her gall.

"Then let's discuss matters, shall we?" Sorin said. He spoke with a calm, lethal rage, and Scarlett froze. She had never heard him speak like that. His tone was uncompromising and threatening. The voice of a ruler. Every one of his Inner Court sat up straighter in their chairs, their eyes slightly widening. It was clear he rarely spoke to them this way. The gold in Sorin's eyes had turned to flame, and it took all of Scarlett not to flinch from him. She looked to Briar out of the corner of her eye. His face was severe, a fellow prince standing in solidarity with his friend. "Let's discuss the fact that she is more powerful than anyone in this room. You have all witnessed, in one way or another, just a fraction of what she can do."

All eyes slid to her, and she tried not to shift uncomfortably in her seat. She held their stares and mustered up her bored, uninterested mask, taking a bite of her own dessert like what was being said didn't matter to her.

"She is here because she is Fae, and this is her home," Sorin continued. "The mortal prince is here because she has a heart and a threat was made against his life. She is ridiculously selfless and sought his safety until he can return home. Furthermore, she is Eliné's daughter." All their eyes widened at that revelation, and Cyrus started to say something, but Sorin was not done. "As to whether or not I found the weapon Talwyn so desperately seeks, you are looking at her, and Talwyn cannot have her. Should Scarlett decide to take her throne, our allegiance lies with her. Should she decide not to, our loyalty still lies with her."

Her eyes slid to Sorin at the words. She had told Sorin she didn't want the title. She had told him she didn't want the responsibility of ruling. She had told him she didn't want any sort of Fates deciding her future. As if reading her mind, Sorin continued.

"This information goes nowhere. Briar knows and will tell his Inner Court, but no one else learns this information unless Scarlett decides to share it. The choice is hers, but this is her home, and she belongs at this table." He paused, a long, tense moment of silence, then asked, his words laced with poison, "Anything else you wish to discuss this evening, Eliza?"

Eliza actually seemed like she was going to say more, but Rayner gave her a warning glance. "No, Prince," she conceded, with a bow of her head.

Scarlett met Sorin's gaze then. Her shadows brushed along his fingers, and his eyes softened, the flames lessening.

Too bad Tula isn't here to give you a cookie. You deserve a treat after that little speech, she thought, tilting her head. As though he had heard her thoughts, he smirked at her. She didn't notice the glances that his Inner Court shared. She didn't notice the smile that crossed Briar's face when he reached for her glass to refill her wine. Her eyes were fixed on the golden eyes of the Prince of Fire, where she saw nothing but home.