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The fairy standing in the doorway hesitates then bows. “Very well. I’ll let them know.”

After the door closes, the room falls into silence.

Finally, Temper clears her throat. “I suppose you want me to thank you,” she says, picking at a stray piece of lint on the chair.

The fact Des offered Temper his protection… I’m not sure he realizes that’s kind of a big deal for her. Temper is used to being judged and condemned, not given the benefit of the doubt.

“Now youmustmake a showing at Solstice,” Malaki interrupts. “You’re going to need to prove to the other kingdoms that you’re still a faithful ally. Otherwise, this could mark the beginnings of war.”

Des rubs his face. For once he seems like a weary king.

Sensing that he has sway over Des, the Lord of Dreams steps forward. “If you attend Solstice and show them you are the same ruler you’ve always been, it will go a long way to cooling tensions.”

Des doesn’t say anything for a minute, just ponders Malaki’s words.

Those hypnotic, silver eyes of his meet mine. I can tell he’s torn between protecting me and protecting his kingdom. It shakes me to my core to matter that much to someone.

“I don’t need protecting,” I say.

“From these fairies you might,” Des mutters. Finally, reluctantly, he nods. “All right, I’ll go—we’llallgo.” His eyes sweep over the room, touching on Malaki, then me, then—shockingly—Temper.

She’s coming too?

Temper looks pleased. “Sounds good to me. Consider me this one’s rib,” she says, jerking her chin in my direction.

It hits me, really hits me, then: Des means to take me and my best friend to a place where mortals are enslaved. We’ll have to respect their archaic laws, laws that subjugate humans.

I suppress a swallow. What have we gotten ourselves into?

Chapter 18

“Callie, what is going on with you?” Temper asks.

The two of us stand inside her guest suite. Like the rest of the Night Kingdom’s palace, this room has a Moroccan feel to it, with arched doorways, tiled columns, and hanging lanterns.

I lean back against the door. “What do you mean?” I say.

She begins to poke around the room. “Seems an awful lot like you’re getting comfortable here while you test drive your fairy prince.”

Iamgetting comfortable with this realm and my mate, something the old Callie would’ve not been chill with. In her eyes, the Otherworld was too frightening and Des too flighty.

“What do you want me to do, Temper? You said it yourself earlier—I can’t just head back to earth.” I gesture to my wings. “I’m a freak.”

Freak. The word tastes like a lie when it leaves my lips. Maybe it’s all the things I’ve discovered I can do, maybe it’s that everyone in this realm looks a bit like me, or maybe it’s that the King of the Night seems to think I’m perfect even with all these additions. Somewhere along the way, I decideddifferentno longer equaledbad.

“There are ways to undo what happened to you,” Temper says.

Something uncomfortable slides through my stomach. To undo Karnon’s magic… How many times have I wished for these scales on my forearms to disappear? For my black nails to return to their normal fleshy color? For my wings to disappear?

It’s a familiar feeling. There was a time I wished to wash away my flesh and live in someone else’s skin.

I’m only now accepting that I wantthisskin, imperfections and all. And Temper is suggesting I can get rid of those imperfections. That I should.

I don’t expect to be hurt by the offer, but I am, just a little. I want her to accept all of me the way Des has.

“I don’t want to undo it,” I say.

Temper stops poking around to arch a sculpted eyebrow my way. “Seriously?”