“This?” I traced my finger along the edges of the pendant, my heart pulsing at the memory of my mom and what I’d left behind. “It was a gift from my mother.”
The fae male was quiet for a moment. “Your friend is no longer here. She was chased out of here by Hunters.”
“Where did she go?”
“Your friend is no longer your friend,” he said as if I hadn’t said a word. “You would be wise to cease your search for her. And the next time you trespass on another Court’s lands, you should be careful not to lie. The next group you meet might not be as forgiving as we are.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“Leave now, changeling. Return to the safety of your Academy.” He took one last glance at my necklace. “These woods are not safe for you.”
I didn’t waste any time getting the hell out of there. As soon as I found my horse, I gripped tight on the reins while he galloped back to the Academy. My plan for saving Bree was beginning to unravel, and I didn’t know how to tie the strings back together again.
She’d been in the Autumn woods, but they’d forced her to go somewhere else. Had she returned to the free territory? Or had she tried to take sanctuary in one of the other seasons? If so, how would I ever find her? Kael had said she might not have much time. I needed to get this flower to her before it was too late to save her from the beast within.
When I returned to the stables on the Academy grounds, Liam was waiting for me beside the empty stall. His arms were crossed over his chest, and fire danced in his eyes. He was a picture of pure masculinity, but that fire and fury was aimed right at me. And I knew exactly why.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” The words exploded from his throat with an intensity that made me jump. The horse neighed beside me and pawed at the ground before backing up a few steps.
“You’re scaring your horse,” I said.
He snorted. “Of course Sapling’s scared. You took her from the stables without asking me, when there are Redcaps roaming the forest every night.”
“Oh, stop being so bossy. I’m not an idiot, even though you seem to think I am.” I rolled my eyes. “I left at dawn. No Redcaps.”
“It’s still dangerous.” He stalked toward me and wrapped his hand around my neck, forcing me to look into his orange eyes. My breath caught. “Don’t you know what could have happened to you out there?”
My heart lurched in my chest, both at his words and at the look in his eyes. His hand was tight against me, but it was strangely gentle, almost as if he were afraid I would break. “You said it was safe during the day. You said I could go for a swim in the river if I wanted. Why is going for a horse ride any different?”
“And you just went for a horse ride?” he asked as he took a step closer, keeping a tight hold on my neck. “You didn’t go searching for someone? Or something?”
My heart beat harder. Had Kael told Liam and the others about Bree? He’d said he wouldn’t, but Liam, Finn, and Rourke had been in a state when we’d gotten back from our trip to the Winter Court. Maybe he’d ended up telling them everything.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tried.
“Nope. I can tell by the flicker in your eyes that you’re lying.” He leaned down so that our eyes were in line, and a storm of summer rain and wildflowers filled my head. “Kael told me about Bree. I know you went to find her. You should have asked one of us to go with you. Don’t you understand how worried I’ve been all day? It’s been driving me out of my damn mind. There’s a hole in the wall over there. Want to know what it’s from? Me. Driven crazy thinking something had killed you.”
“Liam,” I whispered, shaking my head as I flicked my eyes to the wall. There was in fact a massive hole, and the wood had splintered all over the floor.
“If something happened to you,” he growled, “I don’t know how I could handle it. It would destroy me, Norah. Don’t you get that?”