Page 5

I jolt at the new voice, and only Des’s quick movements prevent me from slicing my neck on his weapon. He drops his sword and reluctantly tears his eyes from mine.

I swivel around, noticing the outline of a man a few feet away from us, his body cast mostly in shadows.

Next to me, the Bargainer slides his sword into its scabbard. “Your timing is apt as ever, Malaki.”

The fairy steps out of the shadows.

The first thing I notice is the man’s staggering frame. He and Des are nearly the same height, and like Des, he seems to be made entirely of muscle.

Seriously, what do they feed these guys? I thought fairies were supposed to be lithe.

The second thing I notice is the eye patch covering his left eye. That’s just not something you see very often on earth. Peeking out from the edges of the eye patch is a thin, deep scar that trails up his forehead and cuts into his cheek. His skin is a deep olive color, made all the more striking against his deep brown hair.

“I thought I might be interrupting something—at least, until the lady mentioned celibacy.” The man, Malaki, laughs as he approaches, something that causes Des’s mouth to quirk. “How the mighty king is finally being brought to his knees.”

Malaki’s gaze moves from Des to me, and I see his stride falter as his eyes flick over me.

“No wonder you’ve been hiding her,” he says, stopping in front of us.

I glance between the two men, not sure whether I should be offended. I’m suddenly, painfully aware of my wings. The training leathers I’m sweating through don’t help either.

“He hasn’t been hiding me,” I say.

Self-conscious or not, I haven’t come all this way to let someone make me feel bad about myself.

But based on the way Malaki continues to stare at me—not like I’m a freak, but like I’m a fascinating oil painting—I realize maybe I let my insecurities get the better of me. Perhaps a man with an eye patch wouldn’t immediately think to degrade another’s appearance.

Maybe his words were meant to be a compliment. How shocking.

“Callie,” the Bargainer says, “this is Malaki, Lord of Dreams, my oldest friend.”

Friend?My attention turns to Des, whose expression is guarded. How had I not realized Des had friends? Everybody has friends. I’ve just never heard about his.

Not for the first time, I feel like the man next to me is a mirage. I was so sure I saw him clearly this whole time, but the closer we get, the less apparent that becomes.

“Malaki,” Des continues, his eyes lingering on me for an extra second, like he can hear exactly what I’m thinking, “this is Callypso, my mate.”

I get the distinct impression Malaki wants to pull me in for a hug, but instead, he takes my hand. “I’ve waited centuries to meet you,” he says, bowing deep enough to press his forehead to the back of my hand.

His words cut through all my jumbled thoughts.

I give him a quizzical look once he straightens. “Centuries?”

He glances at the Bargainer. “You haven’t told her—?”

“Malaki,” Des cuts in, “what is so pressing that you had to interrupt our training?”

“He hasn’t told me what?” I ask Malaki.

Malaki flashes Des a wolfish grin. “Oh, this is going to be fun, I can already tell.” The fairy begins to back away. “Desmond, you have urgent business in the throne room.”

The King of the Night nods, his attention moving to me.

“I’ll be there in five,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “Bring in a chair for Callypso. She’ll be joining us.”

Joining Des? In his throne room? In front of other fairies?

Oh,hellno.