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Shayne tore the blade back, almost stumbling out of the room when his back hit the doorframe. But he yanked the door closed behind him, and he blinked at the servant.

“Are you out of your mind?” he asked when he realized he knew her from the kitchen. “I told you to drop your letters beneath my pillow, not wait for me in person!”

She fell to her knees as if intending to beg for forgiveness, but Shayne strutted over, grasped her arm, and pulled her back up to her feet again. “Don’t do that,” he instructed. “Look me in the eyes and tell me why you’re here.”

The female shook a little. “I just wanted to tell you that I intercepted and read another letter from the spy.”

Shayne’s face changed. “When?”

“Just an hour ago. It arrived at the gate by messenger, and I went to fetch it,” she admitted.

Shayne took hold of her shoulders. “Tell me everything. What did it say? Does my House know I’m here? Has the rumour been spread?”

She pulled her eyes up slowly. “It said nothing of that.”

A squeak sounded in the room from the wind against the window outside as that settled in.

Shayne dragged a hand down his face in disbelief. Cosmo had fooled him again. Of course that fairy couldn’t be trusted to keep his word. “What did it say then?” he asked.

The female didn’t answer, and when Shayne glanced back at her, he realized she was pale and staring behind him in horror. “My Lord!” she shrieked.

This time, when she dropped to her knees, Shayne let her. His hand hung in the air where he’d been clutching her shoulder. He let it fall back to his side slowly. The wind continued to pound against the windows from outside, blending with the servant’s desperate and terrified inhales, but apart from that, there was silence in Shayne’s guestroom.

Shayne turned around.

Cosmo’s hands rested in his coat pockets, his sleepy eyes settled on Shayne.

“You could have just asked me,” Cosmo said. “No need to involve the slaves.”

Shayne closed his eyes as his own words replayed through his head.“Then I’ll protect you from him.”

It had barely been a day, and he’d already failed to guard this servant from Cosmo. She didn’t actually belong to Shayne. At present, Cosmo had more of a right to punish her, to do whatever he wanted with her, than Shayne did.

Cosmo reached into his coat and dragged out a letter. He unfolded it with care, and he scanned it for a moment before he said anything. “I’m not sure I want to tell you what it says,” he admitted, “since you have your own ways of getting information.” His gaze flickered over to the servant on the floor, and Shayne swallowed.

“This childling told me nothing. I found out another way,” Shayne lied.

“She’s hardly a childling. And I don’t believe you,” Cosmo returned. “But that’s no matter. I don’t deal with servants. That’s the High Lord’s job. I need only to report her to him, and she’ll be dealt with by the merciless hand of the High Lord of Riothin.”

The servant whimpered and slapped both hands over her mouth, making the muscles tighten in Shayne’s chest. His instincts shouted at him to stand in between Cosmo and the servant on the floor as a barrier, but he knew it would do no good. She was doomed, and it was his fault.

“And as for your family, Lyro…” Cosmo carefully brushed a lock of black hair out of his eyes. “To my surprise, they say they’re bothamusedandcomfortablewith you abandoning your House. Naturally I thought that was rather strange, since my spy never lies.” He folded the letter to seal it up again, then slid it back into his coat. “Perhaps it’s because they’re confident they can still get to you, even if you’re here.”

“Get tome?” Shayne faked a chuckle, but he stole a look at the female on the floor as she trembled. He wondered how long it would be before Cosmo would leave. He wondered if he could rush the servant to the window and sneak her out through the garden. If it was even worth an attempt—

“Yes. Now that they have their dreamslipper back,” Cosmo said.

The room froze in time.

Every thought Shayne had vanished, leaving only bits and pieces of confusing questions and nonsensical realities. He pulled his gaze back to Cosmo, but he didn’t really see the fairy there; his green eyes, his black hair, his blue coat… It was all a blur as Shayne replayed that statement over in his mind.

No, Cosmo couldn’t have just said…dreamslipper.

And he couldn’t have been talking about Mycra Sentorious.

It didn’t make sense because Mycra was in the human realm. Shayne had left the pretty fairy in the care of his real brothers. She was with Dranian. She was safe.

Everyone with her was safe, too.