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Does she know where I am?

Ayla frowned, noticing the direction of Iona’s gaze too.

In a final, determined farewell, Iona straightened her shoulders and faced Ayla. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I will keep your secrets regardless of whether or not you help me.”

She left, closing the door behind her.

I dropped the shadows and glared at Rhett. “You’ve told hernothing? Really?”

“I promise! I didn’t even know she was suspicious of Ayla.”

“But the way she looked at Zayne…” Ayla glanced at me, and I nodded in agreement.

“What look?” Rhett frowned.

“It’s like she knew where he was. She’s suspected I wasn’t your cousin this whole time, and really, she never mentioned it to you?”

“Why would she bring it up?” Rhett snapped. “She knew I had secrets—Teyr knows she has them too—we just agree not to talk about them unless they’re essential. And is there really a problem with that?”

Ayla stepped back, her expression crestfallen. “What secrets did you keep from me? I thought… we told each other everything.”

“We do, until we don’t,” Rhett pleaded. “Ayla, we first met under pretense. Of course webothhave secrets. Everyone does.”

She backed down, clearly still hurt by his words. “You’ll really stay with her, won’t you?”

Rhett glanced at me before meeting Ayla’s eyes. “Not all of us have the luxury of falling in love with someone we can’t keep secrets from.”

Ayla blinked at him. “You’re jealous of… us?”

Rhett went on. “Sometimes, when I watch the two of you—thisconnectionyou share. Maybe Iona and I have to keep secrets now, but there could be a future where that isn’t true. And theonly way I’m going to find out is by taking a leap of faith and staying by her side.”

Ayla’s shoulder’s softened.

Rhett looked to the ground, his voice lowering. “Has it occurred to you that I’m fighting for Iona because I’m jealous of you? I want amate.A real one.”

“We’re not… mates.” Ayla breathed, her heart racing so fast I could feel it from here.

Yes, some fae partners would call themselves mates, celebrating their bond through ceremony like human marriage. But mates were also a thing from legends, those with bonds that connected to the soul.

We couldn’t be mates, at least in that later sense… Right?

“I don’t know,” Rhett concluded. “But since your bond is so blatantly obvious…. why not?”

At his words, the tether throbbed, an ache in my chest. I stepped to Ayla’s side, an instinctive need to stand closer.

I want to keep her forever.

And that meant keeping her safe from harm, even from those who would cause it incidentally.

Finally, I spoke up. “So in this jealous mood, you’ve potentially offered Iona passage with us—the thieves of her mother’s shard?”

He looked up at me with a careless shrug. “Call me a fool, but at least, I’ll admit I’m in love.”

I flickered with the shadows in my hand. “You told me to keep Ayla safe, and now you’re the one making it difficult.”

Rhett met my gaze, playfulness still dancing in his eyes. “I like you more and more, Zayne. Keep it up. You’re good for her.” He glanced away. “I was thinking, if you were open to it, we could stop by the Shadow Court and lay low for a time. Let all this blow over.”

I met Ayla’s gaze, searching for her thoughts.