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C allista laughed and rolled onto her back on the bed. She’d been reading a book about humans. I’d brought it in here months ago to try and figure out her behavior—back when I thought everything about her could be explained by either her fae or her human origins. She’d been laughing about it all afternoon.

“This says that humans are driven by base, carnal instincts, and that they lack basic sympathies and affections that make relationships meaningful to elves.” She fixed a fake glare on me. “How can you believe this nonsense?”

I rolled my eyes. “It is nothing compared to what our literature says about fae.” She laughed again.

Spending the day as a drekkan with her in my room was a new kind of torture. I wanted to wrap her in my arms—my elf arms—and hold her again. I wanted to touch her face and kiss her. I wanted to talk with her about marriage, but I refused to do it when I could not hold her as we did so.

My curse had never been more cruel.

As the window outside darkened, I realized a new problem: I did not want Callista to be alone in the hall by herself, but I also did not want her to watch me shift back into an elf. Would she be upset if I asked her to wait in the washroom?

Just as I gathered up the courage to ask her, a knock rescued me. Mylo’s voice called in. “Your Majesty?”

I ignored him and turned to Callista. “It seems Mylo has arrived. Would you wait in the hall with him for a few minutes while I shift back into an elf?”

She turned to the window, and her eyes widened. “How did I miss that?” she mumbled to herself, crossing to the door and tightening my jacket around herself. She opened the door to Mylo, waved at me, and then slipped out into the hallway.

My transformation took only a few seconds, but the pain that burned through my bones as they dissolved and reformed left me breathless and shaking for at least a minute afterward. It was not something I wanted anyone to witness. But this pain brought me back to a form that would let me approach Callista. She had brought meaning to my eternal torture, and if she was willing to love half an elf… I would be a fool to push her away.

When I opened the door, Mylo was talking. “...I sent a message to the dressmaker. He should still have your measurements. I expect he’ll arrive any moment.” Koan had been right—Mylo didn’t see any reason to keep her survival a secret.

He bowed to me. “Your Majesty. I have news. Your cousin has been reported in Bridgetown. We expect he’ll be here before the night is over. Forten is preparing for an event.”

“Robin?” If he’d found a way around the cursed barrier, he might be able to help with the shifting too .

“No,” Mylo said slowly. “Guyan.”

“Oh.” I chuckled. He wasn’t the brother to me that Robin had been, but he’d still help. “I know he wasn’t your favorite, but if he got through the barrier, he probably has ideas on ways to end the curse too.”

Mylo bowed his head.

Flaming rivers. I hated that. It had never bothered me before, but now—seeing him submit when he clearly disagreed with me felt like grinding my teeth across glass. “Mylo.”

How did I say what I was thinking without appearing weak? I looked at Callista and knew what she’d say. Power meant nothing without kindness. She’d just spill her thoughts and let them land how they may. I braced myself and let the words fall.

“Mylo. You have been my right hand for more than a decade, my eyes and sword when I could not be present because of a curse. You have more than earned your right to have an opinion different than mine. Do not bury it out of any sense of decorum or duty.”

The captain bowed again, but this time felt different. “Thank you.” Did he stand a little taller, or did I imagine it? “In that case, Your Majesty, may I recommend caution? I know he has always been supportive and friendly to you, but I have seen others suffer under the short end of his anger.”

I nodded. “Of course.” Callista slipped her hand through my arm. Did she realize the battle that had just happened inside me? Did she know I still struggled? Her hand on mine strengthened my position, though, and made it easier to ask the question that hovered in my mind. “Mylo, could you not say the same of me? That you’ve seen people suffer under my anger?”

He huffed a silent chuckle and glanced at Callista. “I have not seen such things in months. And when I did see it, your anger was always justifiable, and your justice was not unexpected. Guyan makes me nervous because his vengeance does not always make sense and…”

He trailed off, as if debating if I really wanted to hear his thoughts. I waited, hoping I wouldn’t have to emphasize his position again.

Finally, he blew out a puff of air. “The thing is, Your Majesty, I suspect him in quite a few unsolved crimes from many years ago, much like I suspect your aunt started the fire yesterday. I cannot prove anything, and I would not have dared mention a suspicion of royalty before this moment, but that is the source of my discomfort with him.” He shrugged. “He is generally well-liked amongst nobles and seems popular, but I cannot shake my discomfort around him.”

I covered Callista’s hand with mine, grateful I’d risked telling Mylo my thoughts. “Thank you, Mylo. I will exercise caution.”

As he left to prepare for my cousin’s arrival, I turned to Callista. “I hate myself for asking you this,” I said, squeezing her hand gently, “but I feel I must. Would you please accompany me to the Dining Hall for dinner tonight?”

She raised both brows in an obvious question of my sanity, so I rushed to explain. “As my cousin, Guyan is royalty. His return, especially when he’s been trapped outside the barrier for thirteen years, demands an event. If I did not attend as host, my capacity to rule would be severely questioned. Nobles would push for him to assume the throne. He’d never do such a thing—we’ve always been friends—but the opinions of the court would be difficult to manage.”

Now my voice dropped as the real danger leaked into my words. “And I don’t want to risk you being out of my sight again. ”

She squeezed my wrist and pursed her lips. The cute little pucker drew my thumb to them like a moth to flame. I traced over them, breathing easier when she closed her eyes and relaxed. “Please say yes,” I whispered.

She kissed my thumb and then slid my hand to her cheek, where she leaned into it. “What if I don’t want to?” Flames burn me. I’d do anything for her. One touch on my skin, and I was clay in her hands.

“It’s your choice. Always. I won’t override you.” I bent down enough to kiss the top of her head, right in the middle of the hall. “I will stand here and beg you to spare me the worry of a night away from you, but I will not force you to go anywhere that you do not choose yourself. You have the entire castle to choose from. Any room. Every corner. It’s all yours.”

She reached up to my neck and nudged my head down. I bent until our foreheads touched. “I don’t think you understand,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go to the Dining Hall again, but I don’t want to leave you more. And just as much, I don’t want to create difficulties for your rule.”

My heart sped up. “Does that mean you’ll come?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll come.”