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Des looks ahead of us, and I follow his gaze. Waiting in a neat, orderly line that winds through the palace grounds are rows of foot soldiers and mounted horses. The soldiers all wear black uniforms embroidered with the same luminous thread my entire dress is made from.

Behind them, sitting astride the horses, are all sorts of fairies, from royal guards, to political aides, to what must be some of the kingdom’s nobility. Some of them hold instruments, while others carry lanterns from tall poles, and still others prop up banners with the image of a crescent moon, which I suspect is the royal crest.

“I want you to let your siren out and keep her out until after you’re introduced to Mara, the Queen of Flora,” Des says, drawing my attention away from the sight in front of us.

His request immediately puts me on edge. “I can’t control her.”

“You don’t need to control her, cherub. You are the Night King’s mate. We represent all deeds better done in the dark.”

The way he says that has my stomach tightening.

All right, so the dude’s giving me free rein to let my siren out. I stare at all the fae men and women ahead of us, thankful for once that my glamour can’t control other fairies. Because if it could, my siren would consider it open season.

“I’ll agree to it on one condition,” I say.

Des smirks, seeming to thoroughly enjoy the bargain I’m striking. “What do you want? You already have my balls—”

“Lift my sobriety.”

That wipes the amusement clean off his face. “No.”

“Then forget about the siren,” I say with false bravado.

Des stops to pull me in close. “Careful, little mate, how you play your hand.” He strokes my spine. “Tempting as your bargain is, you’re forgetting one simple truth.”

“And what’s that?”

“I could simply coax your siren out,” he says, his voice dipping low.

If the King of the Night decides to seduce me, there’s not a whole lot that can stop my body from giving in to him. Being a siren, I’m not hardwired to resist sexual overtures, especially not when they come from my mate.

“You’d regret it,” I say, my voice equally low.

He eyes me, weighing my words. “Fine,” he finally says, a fair bit of amusement returning to his eyes. “I agree to your terms. You can drink alcohol—for now.” He gives me a quick kiss on the lips, and as he does so, I feel a thread of his magic lift from me.

I can drink again. Yasss.

He pulls away from my lips, his eyelids heavy as he gazes at my mouth. “Your turn, cherub,” he says.

It doesn’t take much for me to draw on my own magic. My skin glows as I feel her take over. I roll my shoulders a bit, my gaze moving from Des to the fairies ahead of us.

Those who catch sight of me appear captivated. It’s a different look than the one humans wear; human eyes always appear a little glazed, their minds willing to be bent. These fae don’t look as though they’re about to be dragged under by my glamour; they just seem fascinated by my appearance.

I relax further, letting the siren loose in a way I rarely did on earth. I begin walking again, an extra sway to my hips, my entire body now glowing. A sinful smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.

Tonight is going to befun.

So many people wait for us—far more than I assumed were coming. I feel their mounting gazes on me as our group joins theirs. My claws sharpen, and my wings perk up a little.

Des’s hand falls to my back, and now my attention goes to him, my eyelids lowering. If there is one person who, even now, has power overme, it’s him.

His white hair is swept away from his face, the color of it nearly matching his outfit. It looks as though someone plucked the moon from the sky, made it into a man, and then gave him to me. All I want to do is fill myself with him. Iwillfill myself with him.

He takes notice of my interest. “Give me just this evening, Callie. Then everything you want, I will give you,” he promises.

“Everything I want?” My eyes move to his mouth, and I click my tongue. “You know better than to make such an open-ended deal.”

His eyes alight. “I’m eager to see what you’ll do with it.”