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He didn’t answer, but she felt a nudge at the back of her head, right in that space he now occupied. And when she let him in, let him push through just a fraction of his magic—

Noise

Taly blinked and gasped in a breath.

Shards, how did he ever manage to hear anything over all the damn noise ?

She remembered how muted everything had been as a human, how vivid it became when she turned Fey. But this—it wasn’t just sharper; it was more . A whole new world of sensations and awareness opening before her, layer by impossible layer.

Snippets of whispered conversation from the farthest terraces, shuffling feet, even the stamping and snorting of the horses outside—all of it competed with the strange hollow wheezing of a thousand sets of lungs expanding and the overlapping, rhythmic thuds of a thousand beating hearts.

And then beneath that… it was more a feeling. A sense of awareness, of being watched. She wasn’t sure how she knew where to look, but she did—and found several pairs of eyes that suddenly glanced away.

Their scent supplied the reason. It wasn’t overly powerful, but Skye was focused on it, which pulled her attention to it as well—the strange mixture of heat, sweat, and pheromones.

Lust.

She could already feel her cheeks starting to heat.

See? he crooned in her thoughts. Taking her hand in his, he dragged a thumb down her lace-covered palm, making her shiver. It’s distracting, just how badly they all want to fuck you.

Taly had to swallow. You’re being ridiculous.

But he went on, I wonder how many of them will try to charm you away from me tonight. What kind of promises they’ll make just for a chance to get that smart mouth around them?

Taly let one corner of that smart mouth quirk. Is that jealousy I detect?

That depends.

On?

He lifted their entwined hands, kissing the sensitive skin of her wrist as the words drawled in her head, Whether you truly believe that any of them could make you moan the way that I can.

Then an image flashed. A memory from last night, when he’d had her straddling his face, her hands braced on the headboard while she rode—

Stop it, she snapped into his mind. But now he was lifting her, bodily lifting her off his tongue and onto—

It clicked then, hard, the realization slamming into her.

Oh, you smug bastard , Taly hissed down the bond.

Because now she understood. Skye had sensed the pit of unworthiness unfurling in her chest. He’d felt how close she was to drowning in it, so he pulled her somewhere else.

Though some of it may have also been for his benefit. She didn’t miss the way he subtly shifted in his chair.

Skye retreated out of the bond, leaving behind a lingering sense of smug male pride at how well he could play her, as well as one final impression.

Get ready .

Because on the floor, Ivain was saying, “And that, of course, brings us to the reason I called you here tonight. Something which I’m sure is at the forefront of everyone’s mind: the Shaking Fever.”

The Shardless along the top row began to murmur.

“It has been spreading steadily among the mortal population,” Ivain went on, and for all his grumbling about speeches, he knew how to command the space, knew where to look and when to make everyone in the room feel like he was speaking directly to them.

“However, you can rest assured that we are taking steps to address the issue. There are healers and menders specifically assigned to the Fever and resources set aside. If you feel unwell, please do not hesitate to come forward. Every life in this city has value, no matter its duration. You will not be turned away.”

Taly surveyed the Highborn sitting around her. Not enough heads were nodding in agreement.

Ivain stopped in the center spotlight, hands held loosely at his sides. He braced his feet apart, falling into an involuntary fighting stance. “But as I’m sure many of you have already surmised, I did not gather you here tonight to deliver good news.”

The nobility perked up. This was it, what they’d been waiting for.

Finally, blood in the water…

“It is with a very heavy heart,” Ivain said, “that I inform you that we have weathered another attack from within.”

The crowd grew restless. Movement to the left drew Taly’s eye. A man sitting beneath the crest of House Myridan whispered to the woman beside him.

“The Shaking Fever was no random act of chance. Indeed, we now have definitive proof the disease was the product of a Curse. It seeded itself in the mortal population, but the infection has now crossed into the Fey.”

There was a beat of silence as those words settled over the crowd, to the point that Taly wondered if they were all holding their breath.

A Curse—there was a Curse in the city. Yet another horror.

They couldn’t take it in all at once. They had to look to those around them to confirm. Faces frozen in disbelief began to show signs of recognition as the initial shock gave way to comprehension. Murmurs spread like a soft rustle, turning to shouts while still others crumbled into sobs.

“I understand the concern,” Ivain said over the rising din of voices.

“But there is no immediate danger. At present, the number of infections in the Fey population remains low, and we are actively working to control the spread. Transmission has been identified as occurring through contaminated water and specific parts of the food supply, and purification efforts are ongoing at key sites. Temporary measures, including the distribution of clean water and provisions, are already in place. We have a plan—”

“ A PLAN? ”

The question thundered through the hall, loud enough to cut through the clamor.

In an instant, the air crackled with energy, defensive magic rippling through the rows of assembled nobility like a wave as a man gracefully floated out of his seat on a glimmering gust of wind.

House Myridan’s banner rippled dramatically behind him.

“Great,” Kato muttered. “Myridan’s here. Thought I smelled ego and misplaced confidence.”