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“No. Not yet,” Scarlett whispered, stopping him again. She reached up with a hand and pushed aside a curtain of vines to reveal a small opening into the side of the cliff. Without a glance over her shoulder to see if he would follow, she slipped inside.

SORIN

The inside of the opening was a narrow cavern. The ceiling reached nearly as high as the cliff itself. There was a stream of water that had to flow in from the same opening they’d come through, Sorin realized as he watched Scarlett walk along the water inside. Her long dress floated atop the water,and his eyes dipped low along her back at the skin the dress revealed, remembering the feel of that bare skin on his fingers while they had danced. He followed, barely making a ripple in the water with his silent Fae feet. Twice he’d tried to explain. Twice she had silenced him.

He would indeed need to return to the Fae lands soon, and if he could not figure out what she was before he left, he intended to ask her to come with him. Whether or not she would agree, he didn’t know, but after dancing with her tonight, tasting her lips on his again, he knew he could not leave her behind in this realm.

Scarlett neared the end of the narrow passageway, and he followed her through a similar opening at the other end. He blinked as he stepped out onto a sandy beach. Before him, the vast sea spread out, reflecting the bright moon. The sky was clear and hundreds of stars twinkled above them. He couldn’t hear the noise of the Pier. He couldn’t see the city. It was just a beach with cliffs behind them and a sea spearing out to the horizon. Scarlett walked a few more feet, and she dropped down, pulling her knees to her chest and inhaling deep. Her hair shimmered in the moonlight. He studied her as the waves rolled on and off the shore around her. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to settle into herself.

“Come sit, Sorin,” she said, opening her eyes and staring out at the sea. “Tell me about this ring and bring that wine.”

SCARLETT

Scarlett didn’t turn to look at him as Sorin sat down in the sand beside her. She saw him take a drink of the wine before passing her the bottle. Scarlett took her own drink, then set it in the sand between them. She stared straight ahead, waiting for him to begin speaking.

“Scarlett, I have spent three years keeping where I am from a secret,”Sorin said. She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. “When you ask me about your ring, you are asking me to reveal knowledge that I would give my life to keep from people in this land.”

Still, Scarlett said nothing. She was done playing games when he held answers about what was happening to her, so she just waited for him to continue.

“Have you continued to have your nightmares?” he asked her quietly.

“You do not get to ask me questions tonight, Sorin,” Scarlett responded, her voice just as soft.

They were both silent, the lapping of the waves the only sound for miles.

“Are you in any state of mind to process answers tonight?” Sorin finally asked. “If you are, I believe I owe you four questions, but if you are not, I will answer five tomorrow.”

Scarlett turned to him at that. Her head was buzzing from the wine. The mist from the sea spraying gently on her was cooling her sweaty body. She reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, one by one, releasing the few remaining curls from their holdings. If she were honest, Sorin had a point. She hadn’t consumed this much wine in ages. Would she even remember his answers? Now that she wasn’t dancing and the adrenaline of the music was wearing off, she realized how tired she was. What time was it? It had to be after midnight, which meant she’d need to take the stronger tonic soon.

“Fine,” she finally conceded. She leaned her head against Sorin’s shoulder, closing her eyes, silence settling over them once more. “Is there a Mrs—” She paused. “What is your family name? I’m assuming it isn’t Renwell.”

“No, it is not,” he replied. “Aditya. My family name is Aditya.”

“Is there a Mrs. Aditya waiting for you at home?”

“What?” Sorin asked, surprise in his voice.

“Are you married? Do Fae even get married?” she asked, the drunkenness dragging her down a little more.

“If I had someone at home, do you think I would have kissed you in the archery grounds or a little bit ago inside?”

“I don’t know what Fae customs are,” Scarlett retorted. “Besides, you’re a long way from home. Maybe you thought she’d never find out.” Then added thoughtfully, “Unless it’s not a she?”

“I prefer females,” Sorin answered, “but no, there is no one waiting for me back home. Not someone of that nature, anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Fae customs are…different,” Sorin admitted. “When we are young and coming of age, we bed anything we can, as I have seen the men here do. I have taken lovers, but no one worth clinging to.”

“No one you’ve ever loved?” Scarlett inquired, her head still on his shoulder.

“Not in a way that mattered.”

“You’re older than dirt and have never loved anyone?”

Sorin huffed a laugh and reached over to flick her nose. “I am not older than dirt, but no. I have never found anyone I have loved enough to marry or to believe I had found my twin flame.”

Scarlett sat up, looking at him with confusion. “Your what?”