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He released her hand and stared down at the trampled grass.

Perhaps he had misjudged her. Her fear of rejection and abandonment ran so deep…

Perhaps his father’s words had made her hate him beyond reason, and even beyond their mated state.

He wasn’t surprised. Who would want to be mated to an executioner?

There was still one thing he could do for her…

“There is a way for you to regain your face.”

She looked back at him, her eyes still full of tears. “There is?”

He slowly stood up and bowed. “I would be more than willing to help you achieve your aim.”

Hope blossomed in her eyes. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Perhaps after you’ve rested for a while, we can discuss how we mean to go on.”

* * *

She woke up feeling warm, for once, and slowly opened her eyes to discover she was in a sleeping bag with a proper pillow under her head.

Trust Vadim to have all the right camping gear.

Despite the fact that she was out in the middle of nowhere with a no-good shape-shifting Fae prince, she felt remarkably safe.

The clearing was in darkness, only the light from a small fire breaking the gloom.

She sat up and scanned the area. The high peaks of mountains and pine trees surrounded them, and the air had an icy freshness to it that literally caught at her breath.

Behind her, in the forest, she could pick up the presence of smaller woodland Fae and other species.

Nothing approached the fire or the solitary male who sat facing it.

She’d never thought of herself as a coward, but part of her wanted to turn over, go back to sleep and pretend none of this had really happened.

Something about the rigid set of his shoulders made her get up and walk toward him.

He spoke before she reached him.

“There’s coffee keeping warm by the fire.”

“Cool.” She went forward and poured herself a cup of the fragrant brew. “Thanks.” She stood and looked out over the clearing. “You should’ve woken me earlier.”

“There was no need. It is too late to start back for the palace. Adam will not find us here.”

“Did you ward the clearing?”

“It is always like this. Only those of the Royal blood can get through the shields. It’s a place of refuge.”

She got the sense that he’d been there a lot. She looked down at her boot and kicked a stone. “Thanks for the sleeping bag. That’s the first decent nap I’ve had since I got here.”

“You are welcome.”

She kicked another stone, which thunked against the log he was sitting on. God, this was awkward. Why the hell was she feeling sorry for him?

“Did you think I’d come to save you?”

She caught a hint of a smile. “No one needs to save me, Ms. Walsh. I’m Death Bringer.”

“So your father said.”

His expression went blank. “Do you want something to eat?”

So he didn’t want to talk about that. What a surprise. “Of course I do.” She held up her hand. “But I know how to do that stuff myself now.” She concentrated on the image of a triple cheeseburger and fries, but nothing happened. “Damn, I had it the other day.”

“It’s not your fault. The wards around this space are extremely powerful.”

“Can’t you get through them, either?”

“Not unless I want to bring my entire family down on us, but I have something better.” He held up her backpack.

“Where did you get that?”

“Adam gave it to me.”

“Why?” She took it from his outstretched hand.

“To mess with my head?”

She sat down beside him and rummaged in the backpack. “I have a couple of juice boxes if you want one, and some protein bars.”

“That would be wonderful.”

He was being terribly polite, which meant that underneath he was as pissed off as she was. When she handed over his share, she risked a joke. “How the mighty have fallen.”

“Needs must, Ms. Walsh.”

“Why are you calling me that?”

He ripped open his protein bar using his teeth. “I thought you’d prefer it.”

“Would you like me to start calling you Death?”

“Not really.”

“Then Ella will do nicely.” She struggled to open the foil packaging of her bar. Vadim reached across and slashed through the foil with one long claw. “Thanks. Since when did swans have talons?”

“In Otherworld I can become anything I choose.”

“You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“Most of them unpleasant, as you’ve no doubt discovered.” He finished his bar and started on his juice. “I noticed you were limping earlier. Is there something wrong with your ankle?”

“I was bitten by a dragon.”

His head snapped round. “What kind?”

“Does it really matter? Aren’t they supposed to be extinct?” He continued to stare at her, and she sighed. “Fine. It was small and black, with red eyes and sharp teeth. Does that help?”

“You got as far as the trophy room?”

“I got as far as reaching for my face, and then that damned dragon closed his jaws around my ankle, and I lost it.”

“May I see your ankle?”

She stuck out her booted foot. “Someone bandaged it up for me while I was out of it. I was going to try that cleanup spell you gave me on it, but I didn’t get a chance.”

“Let me see.”

He gently maneuvered her foot onto his thigh and removed her boot and striped orange sock. She winced as he folded back her jeans to reveal her bandaged ankle.

“Is a dragon’s bite poisonous?”

“It can be, but if someone went to the bother of treating the wound for you, I suspect they wanted to keep you alive.”

“To use as bait.”

He looked up into her eyes, his own faintly amused. “I was already caught.”

“You were?”

“I have to thank you, actually.” He started to unwrap the bandage. “My rage at your capture allowed me to slough off the effect of my shackles with greater speed than my enemies expected.”

“Well that’s cool, because your rage woke me up and helped me make the decision to escape. How’s that for anger management?” She flinched as he finished uncovering the wound and touched her skin.

“I can see the tooth marks, but there isn’t any infection. Is it still sore?”

“A little.”

“I can fix that.” Warmth flowed from his fingers into her skin, and slowly the ache disappeared. “Is that better?”

“Much.” She had to get his hands off her before she launched herself into his lap and covered him in kisses.

Being close to him was so confusing. She was never sure if she wanted to slap him or fuck him.

God forbid she ever got up the nerve to do both.

In his current form he’d probably love it. “Thanks.”

He hesitated, his broad shoulders blocking out the light from the fire. “There is something else hurting you.”

There was no point in prevaricating. She touched her upper arm. “My shoulder. When I was trying to find my way in the main entrance earlier, I got caught by some sort of magic pulse rebound.”

“You broke into the palace?”

“Yeah, did you think Adam dragged me in by the hair?”

“I assumed ? — ”

“Well, we all know what that makes you, don’t we?

I broke in by myself.” She glared at him.

Yeah. It was so much easier to feel mad than sorry for him.

She did mad so well. “I am perfectly capable of evading capture and executing my own plan.” There was no need to tell him that five seconds after getting through the door, she’d been captured again.

She certainly wasn’t telling him that she owed most of her success to his powers and Rossa’s help. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“I never thought that.”

“You said I would be a liability in Otherworld.”

“I said what I needed to say to keep you safe.”

“And then waltzed over here by yourself and were immediately captured.”

“I—”

“Just because you were dumb enough to get caught, doesn’t mean I had to be too.”

He breathed out carefully through his fangs. “I didn’t get caught. I allowed Adam to bring me to Otherworld.”

“Oh, that’s right. Your noble gesture to save my pretty face.”

“Who told you that?” His question was sharp.

“Several people. Apparently there was supposed to be a pact to prevent Adam from taking my face. A pact brokered by you.” He shifted in his seat but remained silent. “Aren’t you going to defend yourself?”

“I thought you said you didn’t want to discuss our relationship.”

“This isn’t about us, this is about you threatening your entire family if they didn’t do what you wanted. Who the hell does that?”

“Death Bringer does.” He scowled at her. “And this isn’t about my family. You’re pissed because I left you. Can’t you even admit that?”

She drew herself up to her full height. “I thought that was too obvious to mention. Why would I care that you deliberately tried to alienate me and kept me in the dark about your true purpose? Who the fuck would mind that they were deemed useless? Why the hell would I even give it a second thought?” She realized she was shouting and that he was regarding her with a faint smile. “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”

“I’m not laughing. You’ve expressed your lack of concern for my welfare many times before.”

She hated the way the light had gone from his face and that she was responsible for it. “Do you want them all to loathe you?”

“If it brings results, why not?” He shrugged. “They made me what I am. Perhaps it is time that they learn to fear what they can no longer control.”

There was a hardness to him that she hadn’t expected, a grandeur and arrogance that fitted the immense power of his true form. He’d always seemed strong, but now he was truly frightening. He stood up and walked away, presenting her with a fine view of his wings and the tight, high curve of his ass.

“You’re saying you’d kill everyone who loves you, just for me?”

He swung around to face her. “They don’t love me. They are afraid of me and wish to control my power.”

“Which is why you left Otherworld in the first place.”

“Yes.”

“If we can retrieve my face, would you stay in Otherworld or go back to San Francisco?”

“That’s up to you, isn’t it?”