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Heart pounding, I open my eyes to see the king holding a strawberry between his slender fingers. “Taste, Maribel. Accept everything I offer.”

Levi’s fingernails dig so hard into my palm, I’m sure they’re drawing blood. He’s reminding me not to eat the food. The king’s eyes flash to my companion’s as if it’s the first time he’s noticed him in the room.

“The son of Lilibeth Swallow. What are you doing here?” His grip tightens on my elbow. “Didn’t I banish you with your whore of a mother?”

Based on what the king has told me, he shouldn’t point fingers on this matter.

Until this point, Levi has shown decorum and respect for his people. Any misstep might ruin the mission. I hear the tightness in his voice as he growls, “My mother did nothing wrong except fall in love with a human.”

“That’s fine, but to marry the creature?” Cirrus turns up his nose, unable to contain his disgust. “And procreate with it? To weaken Frostacre’s bloodline is an act of treason. You and all your descendants deserve the curse put on you by your mother’s insolence.” A flash of light crosses the king’s eyes again as he assesses both of us. “But if you were to leave, letting this fine woman stay with me, I’d repay you by lifting the curse.”

Levi’s body stiffens as my hand tingles from his iron grip. This isn’t the plan. But the visions Cirrus placed in my head have me seeing things differently. I can snatch the prophecy and use the necklace to get to Tenny Rocks. My brother will be free to walk out the door without a hair misplaced and possibly with his hearing.

“I will never leave her with the likes of you.” Levi’s eyes narrow with such fire, I’m afraid he might knock Cirrus to the ground. “You call it a curse, but in reality, it’s a blessing.” He holds his thumbs up to his lips and throws his hands out, palm down, in front of him.

“Oh, my. You know her life in Frostacre will be a million times better than shacking up in the wilderness with you.” He touches my cheek with his long fingernail, sending delicious quivers through me.

I hate how his magic affects me. I’m not sure if I can even get Levi to leave.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Your Majesty.” Levi drops my hand and stands, holding a shaking iron dagger in his other hand. “The Kindred Few have one thing you’ll never have.”

“And what’s that, fool?” Despite the weapon pointed at his head, the king looks calm.

Levi steps around my chair, moving closer to the king.

I want to snatch the dagger from his hand, but it’s out of reach.

“Love.” He crosses both hands over the center of his chest, keeping hold of the weapon. “You keep people close for power and greed. We’d lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters because we’re family. That’s what my parents did for each other.”

This wasn’t part of the plan. He was supposed to get the king to give us clues as to the whereabouts of the prophecy, not antagonize him. I wish I could let him know the king clued me in already with his mental invitation to his bed chambers.

Cirrus’s face tightens and turns a strange shade of pink as he plucks a grape from the table and pops it in his mouth. He assesses us while he chews. “Let’s put that to the test.” With a flick of his wrist, the dagger in Levi’s hand falls to the floor. He leans his elbows on the table, the arms of his robe slinking downward. “If I promise to let this human go after she entertains me for a while, will you let me kill you where you stand?”

The blood seems to rush out of my body. The king must be joking. Levi and I are both walking out of here with the prophecy. I won’t have it any other way.

“Let him go.” I touch my brother’s arm before rising and standing between them. “Do what you want with me. He’s done nothing wrong. Haven’t you punished him enough because of what you consider to be his mother’s sin?”

Cirrus leans back in his chair, crossing his arms and one leg over the other. “No. I’ve made up my mind, and it takes an act of monumental effort to change it.” A final burst of light flickers through his eyes. “Forfeit your life for the girl’s.”

A lone finger links with mine as my best friend turns to me with a sad smile on his lips. He mouths, “You are kin.”

The iron dagger rises from the floor, flips two times in the air, and drives itself into Levi’s chest. He falls to the floor in a heap, and this time, there’s no saving him. I crouch beside him, intent on holding it together despite the rage and heartache threatening to tear me apart. The dam keeping back the massive wave of sorrow holds fast. There’s no time for tears.

I slide my hand into my boot, my fingers wrapping around the smooth handle of a dagger.

“You will learn eventually that life’s temporary, dear Maribel. Friends, enemies, and lovers come and go.” He’s still reclined in his chair, acting as if nothing happened. As if he swatted a bug with his hand.

I want to rip his fucking head off.

Finally, he moves to crouch beside me, lifting my chin with his fingernail. “You need to learn to feel no emotion. I learned this in the first decade of the five centuries I’ve lived in this world.”

Hating every melodic note of his voice, I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting to block him out, but also knowing what I need to do. “Take me to your room. You’d better follow through with your promise to him and let me go after we... let’s get it over with.” Everything inside me is screaming to kill him right now, but I’m not sure how to get to his bedchambers. Killing him might set off a series of events that will keep me from finding the prophecy. Burning tears sting my eyes, so I brush them away with the sleeve of my dress. As much as I want to curl into a ball and cry, I need to stay strong for Levi.

The king wraps his slender arm around mine and holds me close to him, leading me through the narrow corridors of his underground lair. Images of Levi working in the sunshine of his garden fill my head. He lifts his eyes and smiles, holding a plump tomato in his hand as I approach. I need to swipe the images away to keep my composure. There’s no guarantee I’ll ever leave this place.

At an enormous gold door, Cirrus removes a key from around his neck and unlocks it. He pushes it open and ushers me in. My attention is immediately on the wall behind the bed. It’s a bit startling to find that it’s an exact replica of my vision. I hope that doesn’t mean I’ll soon be in bed with the fae king.

“Make yourself comfortable.” Cirrus removes goblets from a glass cabinet. He pops the cork on a bottle of wine and pours two glasses, then carries them over to a table. “There’s a bath behind the double doors.”