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Excitement and a thread of fear move through me. I can’t see anything beyond the marble structure’s shadowy entrance, but I can tell there are too many horses and too many fairies to possibly fit into the building.

No one else seems to share this concern. Not even Des, who’s still brooding from where he sits next to me.

The first of the foot soldiers who head up our convoy storm through the doorway, their bodies disappearing within. Then the next row disappears, and then the next.

And then the first of the mounted guards head inside. There’s thirty feet remaining between me and the door, then twenty, then ten…

Des and I pass through the double doors, our horses’ hooves echoing as we enter the vaulted room. I only have time to see the air ripple like cloth ahead of us before Des reaches over and grabs my hand.

A portal, I realize.Of course.

Seconds later, we’re dashing through it, my stomach bottoming out as my body is forced through time and space.

My horse hits the ground on the other side of the portal, not missing a single stride.

I blink several times, squinting at the bright light I’m suddenly doused in.Sunlight. I drink it in like it’s sex or carnage, feeling my magic swell.

I close my eyes again, enjoying basking in it. I almost forgot what it felt like. When I open my eyes, my gaze goes to the endless rolling fields that stretch out in all directions, the small wildflowers that speckle them swaying in the breeze. It’s only ahead of us that the hills give way to forested mountains and purple peaks.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Flora,” Des says next to me, releasing my hand. His earlier fury is completely gone.

Though we’ve left the danger behind us in Somnia, my horse doesn’t slow. Our entire procession moves at full speed. Even the foot soldiers are running, and I can’t help but think that all the wishes in the world couldn’t convince me to run with a herd of galloping steeds at my back.

But maybe that’s just me.

The sun begins to set as we ride, giving my skin a rosy hue and making my glowing dress dance in all sorts of colors.

After some time, the grasslands give way to woodlands, the hills growing steeper the farther we travel. Eventually, our group slows, my horse falling back from a gallop to a canter and then finally to a leisurely trot.

A few bends in the road later, I realize why.

Up until now, the trees have been big, but ahead of me, they utterly dominate the scenery, their trunks far bigger than even the giant sequoias I’ve seen back in California. And as I stare, I realize these trees arehomes. A staircase twists up one, and another two are connected by intricately wrought bridges made of branches and vines. Built around and inside these trees are elaborate fae structures. Currently, hundreds of Flora fae gather along their treetop bridges and balconies or on the edges of the footpath to watch our procession as it passes them by.

The path we follow curves, and the trees part. Ahead of us, a castle made of gray stone and covered largely in flowering vines stands amid a ring of Goliath trees.

The Flora palace.

The closer we get to it, the more fairies gather along the sides of the road. Many of their gazes are pinned to Des, the King of the Night, riding in on his dark steed, but a good number of them focus on me, their eyes taking in my glowing skin, my face, my wings.

Let them know that this is what it means to be human, the siren whispers.I am no thing to be trifled with.

There are no gates to divide the palace grounds from the rest of the land, but as we cross onto them, the air feels viscous for a split second, like I’m moving through honey. Whatever this magical barrier is, it’s meant to keep most people out.

On the other side of it, the crowd that waits for us is noticeably wealthier. Their clothes are more ornamented, their hair more elaborately coiffed, their jewelry more intricate. Many of them touch their fingers to their foreheads as we pass, which I’m assuming is a sign of respect.

At the foot of the castle, our procession stops, and the music our group has been playing up until now fades away.

Next to me, Des vanishes from his horse, earning several gasps from the crowd of onlookers. He reappears at my horse’s side.

“Time to disembark, Callie,” he says. Des reaches for me, helping me off the horse. He’s completely unaware of himself—his beauty, his strength, his magnetism. However, he’s not oblivious ofme. He holds me close for a beat longer than necessary, his eyes moving from my eyes to my lips.

“I’m still holding you to your promise,” I say softly, my glamour making music of my words.

A secretive smile lights his face as he remembers his vow to give me everything I wanted. “I haven’t forgotten.”

He finally releases me, and the two of us move forward with our group once more, this time on foot, while our horses are led away. We head through huge double doors made of heavyset wood.

I try not to stare as we enter the palace, but it’s hard not to. The forest seems to have made its way into the castle: The floors are covered with wild grass and dotted with spring flowers. Vines crisscross the stone walls, each strand heavy with blooms. Even the chandelier hanging over our heads is an extension of the natural world, the frame made almost entirely of what appears to be living wood and moss. The only things not alive appear to be the dripping wax candles that dot the chandelier.