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I don’t mention this strange ache I feel to learn about Des’s other life. The more he tells me, the more I realize how little I actually know of him.

“Not in the Otherworld, no.”

Turning back to his work, Des begins writing again. “In direct opposition to the Kingdom of Night is the Kingdom of Day. Ruled by Janus, Lord of Passages, King of Order, Truth Teller, Bringer of Light, Asshole Supreme.”

I almost miss the jab.

A surprised laugh trickles out. “Don’t like the guy?” I ask.

Des doesn’t laugh with me. “He’s the light to my dark. The good to my evil. The truth and beauty to my deception and wickedness. He is my opposite; I was made to dislike him,” he says. “Not that you should share my opinion,” he adds. “If you met him, you would probably like him. Everyone does.”

I glance over at Des as he stares at the people he’s drawn, and I notice something on his face. Envy? Regret?Longing?

Again, I feel a strange ache, this time for this man.

I place a hand on his leg, drawing Des’s attention. “Perhaps I’d like him—and perhaps not. My appreciation for truth and beauty died long ago.”

Des glances over at me, and a whisper of a smile lifts the corner of his mouth before he returns his attention to the sheet of paper.

“The Kingdom of Flora is ruled by Mara, Queen of All that Grows, and her consort king, the Green Man. She rules over all plant life.” He writes their names out on the sheet of paper.

“And lastly, there’s the Kingdom of Fauna, ruled by Karnon, Master of Animals, Lord of the Wild Heart, King of Claws and Talons. Also known in certain parts as the mad king for his reclusive tendencies and his … eccentricities.

“While you’re in my kingdom, you must follow my land’s rules. When you’re in the Kingdom of Day, you must follow theirs—even I, a king, must abide by their rules.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa. “I’m not going to be in the Kingdom of Day or any others, right?” Because I don’t have enough time to learn the laws and etiquette of all the different fae kingdoms. Not if Des and I were going to visit the Otherworld tomorrow.

“You’ll be in my kingdom and mine alone, and there you have my absolute protection.”

I hear the hard edge of a ruler in his voice.

“That’s all you need to know about the Otherworld—for now.” He slides his drawing of the pyramid aside, his attention drifting back to his scattered notes.

My eyes unwillingly move back to the picture of the sleeping woman holding a baby against her breast. “So all the women come back with children?” I ask.

Desmond nods, his fingers trailing over the drawing.

“Whose children are they?” I ask. Fairies have a bad habit of taking kids that aren’t their own.

“They’ve come from these women’s wombs,” Des affirms.

Not going to ask how they figure that one out.

“And the father?” I ask.

The beginnings of a wry smile spread across the Bargainer’s lips, but then it turns into a grimace.

“Just one more mystery,” he says.

He shuffles the papers into a neat stack. “For right now, none of this matters except …” he draws a sheet of paper from the pile, “this.”

I take it from him, looking it over. A list of questions spans nearly the length of the page, each one odder than the last. “What is this?”

“Those, cherub, are the questions you’ll be asking tomorrow.”

Even after Deshas set aside the case notes and I’ve tucked my sheet of questions away, he doesn’t make a move to end the evening. Instead, a spread of cheese and crackers drifts into the living room from the kitchen, a set of glasses and drinks on its heels.

I catch the Coke that floats just above my lap, while the Bargainer pops the lid on his beer, taking a healthy swig.