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“You have said plenty to her,” Briar snapped back, the water of his shield beginning to turn to steam at the onslaught of Sorin’s flames.

“Get out of my way,” he snarled again.

And then he felt the blow to his face. Briar had punched him square in the jaw.

Sorin growled, spitting blood onto the ground, but he did not retaliate. He had deserved that hit. More than deserved it.

“Did you hear any of what she said to you?” Briar snarled, circling him, his icy blue eyes glowing. Every feral Fae predator trait and instinct was evident on his face.He was defending Scarlett. Their Princess. Their Queen.

Their princess, yes, buthistwin flame. He had shredded her. He had said far worse things to her than Mikale or Callan. He had known exactly where to hit because she had bared her soul to him. He was the piece of shit. Not her. Never her.

Ice flooded through his veins as Briar bared his teeth at him. The Prince of Water and Ice come to defend their Princess against the Prince of Fire. He let the ice slow his blood. “You let Talwyn so far under your damn skin, you did not even hear what Scarlett said to you. She practically screamed the Claiming Rite at you without even knowing what she was saying. You insufferable fool,” Briar spat.

You came for me, and I have come for you. I am yours, and you are mine.

“If she walks away from you, from us, from all of this now, it is entirely your fault,” he snarled again, ripping his ice from Sorin’s veins. His own magic took over instinctively, flooding him with heat.

I can find the stars somewhere else with someone who won’t toss me back into the river and who won’t treat me like a fucking burden.

Her words rattled around his head and wrapped around his chest, squeezing tight.

“Let me go to her,” he choked out.

“She does not want to see you,” Briar growled back. “It’s interesting, isn’t it? We told her the same thing of you. That you did not want to see anyone, speak to anyone. She did not care. She demanded we take her to you. She would not let us be. Over and over we told her you would not let her in, but I saw it on her face. She was convinced you would. She was certain you would let her in. If we had refused, I am certain she would have attempted to kill us both, then she would have clawed her way through every hell to get to you.

“And I thought maybe you would. I thought maybe you would not refuse your godsdamnedtwin flame. I thought maybe this would be what it took to get her to feel that bond. So I brought her to you, knowing what kind of foul mood you would be in. Thinking there was no way you would take it out on the female who owns your heart.And then you pissed all over it.” Each word felt like a dagger to his chest.

“Let me go to her,” Sorin said again, a slight snarl this time.

“Are you finally getting over yourself?” Briar sneered.

“How intriguing this scene is,” came a cool voice from the trees beyond.

Both males whirled to see a mortal man leaning against a tree, his hands in his pockets. A man Sorin recognized. Mikale.

How the fuck was he here?

The Fae males had been so busy arguing and fighting, he had missed the warnings of the wards. His mind had been so overtaken by Scarlett, he’d missed this crucial imposition.

“Who are you?” Briar demanded, his sword appearing in his hand in a swirl of ice and snow.

Mikale chuckled. “That will be of no use.” He waved his hand through the tree. A mirage. He was an illusion.

“What do you want, Lairwood?” Sorin ground out.

“You took something that belongs to me,” Mikale growled. His eyes were nearly black as he stared down the Fae princes.

“She belongs to no one,” Sorin snarled, flames flickering in his eyes.

“She is clearly dividing your own alliances,” he said with a bored sigh. “Send her back to me, and we can all go about our business. Our efforts can be focused elsewhere, away from your Court.”

“Go to hell,” Sorin spat.

“You have been so careful to keep her hidden from me, Prince of Fire. Until today. Until a little bit ago, when all our tricks and spells picked up her essence. Right here in this very space. It took me a while to work out this illusion spell, unfortunately, and it seems I have missed her. She has disappeared from my tracking spells once more.” He took a step towards them, and shields of fire and water sprang to life. Rage filled Mikale’s face as he ground out from between his clenched teeth, “Where is she?”

“Somewhere you will not find her,” Sorin growled.

“Very well, Prince of Fire. There is more than one path to what I desire.This would have simply been the easiest.” With a cruel, bone-chilling smile, he was gone.