Page 131 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

A bitter laugh slips out. “Or maybe it makes me a fool. The people I’m protecting would burn me alive if they knew my secret.”

His fingers flex at my waist, a barely there pressure that sends heat sparking through me.

I force a wry smile. “You know, you always show up at my worst moments.”

His lips curve, the smirk both knowing and restrained. “Or perhaps I simply have good instincts. I know when you need me.”

My heart betrays me with a flutter. I roll my eyes to hide it.

He didn’t mean it like that. He couldn’t have.

“How’s Draven?”

His brows lift. “Why do you ask?”

The music slows, turning languid, intimate. I don’t know why, but I let him guide me into the softer rhythm of a second dance.

“He looked drained after subduing the fire,” I say.

As if it took everything in him to smother those flames before Rian’s shadows finished the job.

“Draven is fine.” He leads us around a couple who’ve halted in the middle of the dance floor to lock lips. Matching circlets on their wrists confirm they’re wed. No one is going to interrupt them. “But I’ll be sure to let him know you are concerned.”

“Please don’t. It’ll probably just irritate him.”

“Exactly.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “You three really do act like brothers.”

“Just wait until you see the four of us. We used to be the bane of our guardians’ existence.”

I picture four Fae boys getting into mischief, and my smile softens. The Fae were once children. They have families. Friendships. Just like us.

What will happen if there is a war between humans?

Will we destroy each other?

Will the Fae King step in to keep us in line?

Or will the rebellion succeed in allying us together and lead us into another Shadow War—one the human race is unlikely to survive?

Rian leans in, and his spicy scent fills my nostrils. “What are you thinking?”

My voice catches, the truth too tangled to offer. “I don’t know.”

“Verdanthia is safe,” he says, misreading me completely.

Safe. If only. I’ve yet to fulfill my end of our bargain. The thought gnaws at me, but I keep it locked inside.

“I have a question. About my magic.”

“What is it?”

Our pace has slowed with the new melody, our bodies caught in the gentler tide of music. The bottom of my skirt brushes the top of his boots.

“The Fae book.” I hold his gaze, needing to see some flicker of recognition. “The magic it describes… It isn’t based in shadow.”

“That is your question?” The darkness at his shoulders stirs. “I thought that fact obvious.”