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Marietta let out a long breath.‘I’m not exactly what the court wants in a princess.’

Confusion twisted my brow as I looked at her.She was polite and well-spoken, but never outspoken, elegant and graceful and beautiful.How could she not be what the court wanted in a princess?She laughed when she caught my eye.‘I do enjoy that you’re so open with your feelings,’ she said with warmth, before she turned back to the stars.‘Members of the royal family are expected to have particularly strong magical abilities.It makes for powerful leaders, and for those of us who are in line, it makes us desirable partners and important political tools.’

Basically like any royal family I’d ever heard of but with more magic.‘So, why aren’t you what the court wants?’

‘I was born without magic.’

‘Don’t all fae have magic?’I asked before I could stop myself.

‘Not all.Though in the Seelie royal line, it’s rare to be born without it,’ she said, her voice remaining gentle as she explained it to me with perfect patience.‘It makes me little better than human in the eyes of the fae.’

‘Is that really so terrible?’I asked.I felt like being human was better than being fae.Being fae had brought me nothing but trouble so far, and I couldn’t even control the magic that I supposedly possessed.

‘If I wasn’t the only Seelie princess, I would probably be living as if I was a human changeling.’

Suddenly, I felt awful.Poor Marietta had been struggling with this her whole life, and here I’d come, waltzing into her world in the exact opposite situation—a human who discovered she was in fact fae and had the magic to go with it.And still she had been so kind to me, helping me adjust to life in the Summer Palace, helping me with my studies, listening to me vent my frustrations when I failed again to control my magic, magic she had probably spent every day of her life wishing she could possess.

‘You’re the first person who wanted to know me as I am, and who liked me for it,’ she said, making me realise I’d lapsed into silence.

I felt tears prick at my eyes, at the loneliness in her voice.‘Well, I’m not really sure why I need to be introduced to the court,’ I said, my emotions finally settling on indignant.‘If that’s how they treat you, I have no interest in them at all.’

‘My brother told me you’re staying with us so he can protect you,’ Marietta said carefully.‘But I don’t think that’s the only reason.It’s important to him that you become part of this world.’

I knew I should have asked her what she meant by that, knew it would probably be best not to pretend that I didn’t catch the drift of what she was saying, but my lips remained shut.A silence enveloped us as the gentle wind caressed my skin.I wasn’t stupid.I knew Solas wanted more than I could give him, even if I still wasn’t sure why.But how did I deal with that?He was my king, even if that notion was still so bizarre to me.

‘If you married him, then we’d be sisters for real,’ she said quietly.

Marriage.It was the first time the word had been mentioned, but for some reason it didn’t surprise me.I had the sense that the fae didn’t go about marriage the way humans did.At least, not the way modern humans did, though maybe they had more in common with earlier eras of human history, where marriage was an arrangement and not the culmination of a loving relationship.

‘Marietta, a marriage wouldn’t change the way I feel about you,’ I told her as I took her hand in my own.My heart ached for her.‘I already think of you as a sister, and that will never change.’

‘If he asked you, what would you say?’she asked.Was she pressuring me?It didn’t sound like it.It sounded like she had asked out of pure curiosity, as if she was measuring where I was at.

I stared up at the full moon, letting the light wash over me as I considered her words.But there was nothing to consider, not really, because I knew the answer to that question without a single hesitation.‘I can’t marry your brother.I’m grateful to Solas, I truly am.But I—’I love Tarian.I couldn’t finish the sentence aloud when the thought alone made me want to cry.How could I be so weak?I couldn’t shake the feelings that had taken root in my heart.

‘I know,’ Marietta said softly, as if she was speaking to the moon itself.‘I can’t say I blame you, either.My brother is many things, but easy to love isn’t one of them.’

‘What makes you say that?’I asked, turning my head to her but she wouldn’t look at me.It made me wonder what her life must have been like before I’d arrived.She had her brother, but their parents, from what I’d been able to learn, had died when Marietta was still very young.I had no idea what it must have been like for her to be the sister to the king at such a young age.I also had no idea why her parents had died.Tarian had told me fae could choose when they decided they’d had enough of living, but surely they couldn’t have chosen that when their daughter had still been young enough to need them?

‘He—Solas has a lot to think about.He can be...difficult,’ she finally said.‘But if you were my sister, then we would have each other.’

‘Marietta, we have each other now,’ I said, squeezing her hand.

‘But if you go back to Tarian...’

I didn’t have a response to her unfinished sentence.I honestly didn’t know what I would do if I was presented with the choice.Not after all that had happened.If I did, where would that leave me?Where would that leaveher?‘If I ever left this place, I’d want you to come with me,’ I said.Not that I knew what leaving would mean.Going back to the Unseelie Court or the Human Realm?Both seemed like impossibilities at that moment.‘Would you?’

‘Become a Seelie deserter?’she asked, her eyes never leaving the pale moon.‘Maybe.’

Silence settled around us again and I couldn’t help wondering what made her say the things she did, and what I would do if Tarian came for me.It had been so long now, surely that was my answer.Even after what Ethan had said as we’d left Dreadhold.It’s not a question ofifhe’ll come for you, hewillcome for you.Clearly, Ethan had been wrong.He wasn’t coming for me, and whatever future we may have had together was over.If even something as powerful as a mate bond hadn’t been able to keep us together, how would we possibly find our way back to each other now?

I blinked away the tears that threatened to spill onto my cheeks.I was going to have to figure out what my life was post Tarian sooner or later.Preferably sooner.After all, he was living his life as if I’d never existed.Why shouldn’t I do the same?

Chapter 4

Imogen

‘Youlookbeautiful,’Mariettasaid as she gazed at me, eyes filled with something like awe.But as I stared at my reflection, I felt like a fraud.Who was this woman staring back at me with her pointed ears, luminous skin and high cheekbones?This wasn’t the girl I grew up with, the one I saw every day in my reflection.This was the woman Tarian had seen that night in the cave, the one he lay with, the one he promised things to, promises he couldn’t keep, promises he had no intention of keeping.