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“How much more food do we have?” she asked so softly that I almost didn’t hear her over the roar of the fire.

No sense in lying to her, although I didn’t want her to worry more than she should. “Two more days.” Because I wasn’t eating anything myself. “I’ll try to set a trap out in the storm tomorrow. It’s possible a pooka could wander close enough.”

She twisted toward me and frowned. “You really think they’d be out there in this?”

No. But it was the only shot we had of getting enough food to survive another week in this place. I’d already raided the kitchen stores. There was nothing left. Not even some grains. Mortals did not like coming into this god-cursed place, but hunger could make even the wisest man do foolish things.

“It’s worth a shot,” I told her. “They’ll get hungry, too. There’s only so long they can wait out the storm.”

If they weren’t all already dead.

She searched my eyes, and then sighed. “You’re lying.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’m not lying, love. But you’re clever to pick up on the fact that I’m also not telling the full truth. We would be very lucky if one walked into our trap.”

A shudder went through her. And that was when I realized I’d called herlove. A name I reserved for only those closest to me. It had just popped out.

“I didn’t mean…”

“No, obviously not.” She flushed. “It’s just one of those sayings. Many of the men back in my village call all the women that. It’s a very normal thing to say. In fact, I don’t know why I’m even talking about it right now.” Her flush deepened, spreading through that delicious neck that just begged for the skim of my teeth against it.

I glanced away. “Are you tired?”

“What?”

“Are you tired?” I turned back toward her and saw surprise in her eyes. “It’s been a long day. You probably need to get some sleep.”

She laughed. “You’re embarrassed that you called melove.”

“You’re the one who blushed.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Oh, you can’t be serious.”

“Your face is the same color as a tomato.” I folded my arms and gave her a smug smile. “Should we find a mirror so I can prove it to you?”

“As if the King of Shadow has any idea what a tomato is.”

The King of Shadow, I noted.Notthe Mist King.

“I love tomatoes,” I said. “In fact, I miss them dearly. It’s been far too long since I had one.”

“Over three hundred years, in fact,” she said dryly.

“A little longer. Oberon stopped trading with us a couple of years before the Battle of the Great Rift.”

“What’s it like?” She cocked her head. “To live so long?”

I blew out a breath. “Where do I even begin? For one, it’s very…freeing. There is always tomorrow and many days and years after that. If there’s something I want to do, I know I have the time to do it. But it can also feel very empty and lonely at times. That same freedom means that sometimes it doesn’t feel like anything matters. No matter what happens, I will just carry on…”

“Lonely?” she whispered.

I nodded, my heart twisting.

“Why have you never…” She cleared her throat, blushing again. “You know, mated with someone. You have no wife.”

No heirs, I thought.

“You sound like Niamh.”