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“The shadow fae were always among the least liked in the fae courts,” he said.

“There has always been a mistrust of shadow magic. Many called it dark magic even though no fae can wield dark magic. Over time, the mistrust turned into hate. There was a slow trickle of misinformation. It was a carefully constructed narrative that the shadow fae were no longer satisfied in our own lands, that we’d take over other courts.

That no one was safe so long as we were in power.

One moment, it was simple prejudice, and the next we were being hunted down. ”

There was no missing the bitterness and the hurt in his words, and she had to try not to flinch at the vehemence in his tone.

She dared to ask, “Who came up with this narrative?”

“Someone who wanted an enemy to unite the fae against,” he said.

She frowned. “What would Queen Genoveva gain from uniting the fae courts?”

He turned back toward the tunnel, speaking over his shoulder. “Ask Prince Arden. Perhaps he’ll be interested in rehashing fae history.”

A deep hurt was woven into every syllable as he spoke.

It wasn’t just the shadow fae’s genocide, though that was an atrocity all on its own.

There was something about the other fae courts—how they’d turned on the shadow fae—that had created a wound in Colton.

She wondered if he’d had friends in the other fae courts.

Friends who hadn’t defended him when it counted.

Without another word, she followed Colton into the dark.

Eventually, the tunnel opened to a massive cavern several stories high and was as long as two residential homes in Shadowbank side by side.

There was a pool on one side. Steam rippled from the surface, and there were branching sections of the pool that she thought might lead into another cave somewhere beyond the wall.

But most of the room was completely open, and the distant walls sloped gradually downward.

It lacked furniture or something that would denote the room had a specific purpose. If she had to guess, this must be where they held large gatherings or perhaps where the warriors trained.

A male kneeled beside the pool, his hand outstretched over the water.

Hearing them enter, he straightened, turning toward them and lowering the mask over his nose and mouth.

Like the day prior, Arden wore leather armor that was identical to what Colton and the other warriors wore. If it wasn’t for the warriors’ deference and an air of authority about him, she would have had no way to identify this male as a prince.

He again wore his hair in a single braid down his back. But most striking of all was his dark eyes that seemed to swallow the light around him.

“You’re here. Good.” Arden nodded to Colton. “Thank you for bringing her.”

Colton bowed before retreating the way they’d come.

“How did you find your accommodations?” the prince asked as he turned back toward the water.

She strode to his side, following his gaze.

The pool’s steam swirled, filling the air with a moist heat that had her relaxing for what felt like the first time in an eternity.

Shoulders drooping, she felt her muscles going pliant.

For a moment, she longed to close her eyes and forget everything.

But the looming dread hovering at the back of her mind pushed to the forefront, and she forced herself to focus.

“We’re grateful for your hospitality,” she said. “We were ill-prepared for a long journey across a desert.”

One corner of his lips lifted. “An understatement, perhaps.”

She smiled. “Perhaps.”

“What is it you hope to learn?” he asked, his eyes following trails of steam.

She considered her next words.

Somehow, she needed to convey her need to control her magic without revealing her heritage or that she had the map. At least, she couldn’t reveal either of these yet. She also needed to forge an alliance. But first, she had to determine whether she could trust these fae.

All the while, she intended to keep an ear to the ground to see if she could glean any more information about how to get out of the Abyss when the time came.

It didn’t matter that the shadow fae hadn’t found a way out. She was going to forge a path back to the fae realm even if the map was useless and she had to build a way by herself with twigs, sweat, and sheer stubbornness.

“I want to learn to control the shadows,” she began. “I need any edge I can get… So I can rescue my mate.”

He turned to her then, brows arching toward the cavern ceiling. “Mate?”

She nodded.

“Mates are exceptionally rare amongst full fae. Even more so for demi-fae.” He nodded as though having just come to a decision before turning back to the water. “And Hadeon told you of the Abyss.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. He wanted to find you, too.”

“For some scheme of his, no doubt,” Arden said dryly, and she thought she saw him start to roll his eyes.

Lines formed between her brows as she realized that, although he was her uncle, he didn’t act like her senior.

There was a spiritedness about him that made him seem youthful.

But if he knew Hadeon before the fae wars, which happened five hundred years ago, and one thousand years had passed here…

Didn’t that mean he was at least a thousand years old?

Shrugging, she said, “Hadeon is many things, but he seems to be a male of his word.”

Why am I defending him?

Arden made a sound in the back of his throat that might have been a scoff. “I intend to speak with him at length very soon. But for now, tell me more about your mate.”

She licked dry lips, hesitating.

Did she dare reveal what Elias was? Had they figured out what Breckett was yesterday? She’d assumed Jessamine had told them when he needed to feed.

But more than that, Arabella wondered how the shadow fae viewed demons. They had likely faced countless demons since coming to the Abyss. Perhaps the dislike they’d had for the creatures of the dark had turned to hate—especially if the demons in the Abyss killed their friends and loved ones.

But if Arden agreed to help her, he’d soon learn what Elias was. There wasn’t a point in hiding it now.

“My people knew him as the Devourer,” she said, thinking of how—not so long ago—she’d run out of Shadowbank in pursuit of Elias when he’d returned Scarlett to them.

How she’d wanted to kill him before he could take one of her sisters again.

“Every ten years, he took an offering from my village. The enchantresses usually volunteered, and I was his latest offering.”

Head snapping toward her, Arden’s eyes widened. “Are you saying your mate is a demon ?”

Rather than the disgust she’d expected to fill his tone, there was only surprise. Was that a hint of excitement she detected as well?

“He’s an erox,” she said. “A demon who feeds on the sexual desires of their prey.”

For a long moment, the prince stared at her, blinking in what she assumed was disbelief.

He’s in shock , she thought. Either that, or he’s thinking about kicking us out of these mountains at this very moment .

She wondered whether she’d have to fight her way back to her friends.

“Fascinating. Truly fascinating,” he rumbled.

She cleared her throat. “What?”

“Never in my twelve hundred years of existence have I heard of a demi-fae finding a mate, let alone mating with a demon,” he said, an odd twinkle in his gaze.

“I’d always been told mating bonds were only possible between the fae—and occasionally demi-fae as well.

Certainly not with any of the other races. ”

“Um, thank you,” she said, uncertain how she was supposed to respond. After a moment, she added, “Can you tell me about mating bonds? I admit, I don’t know much about them.”

“They’re rare, as I said before,” he said. “Most mates can sense each other—how they’re feeling and where they are.”

She nodded. Those were things she’d experienced.

“They can also speak to each other, mind to mind,” he continued, and it took everything in her not to gape at him. “Or at least, full fae can. Perhaps demi-fae don’t have the same abilities. Or perhaps these things are only possible between two fae mates.”

A thought occurred to her.

“Is there a choice to accept a mating bond?” she asked. “Or is it fated once the bond is in place?”

His eyes turned to her, twinkling. “There’s always a choice.

If one or both parties reject their pairing, the bond fades.

But most of the time, the bond is accepted, and it forms a connection unlike anything in the natural world.

I like to think of the mating bond as a sign that the pair is well matched. ”

She nodded as countless questions peppered her thoughts. Before she could voice any of them, Arden spoke.

“Tell me about your parents.”

She opened her mouth to describe Iris but closed it. That wasn’t what he was asking. He wanted to know about her biological parents.

“I didn’t know them,” she said. “The enchantresses raised me.”

Rising, he started walking around the springs, and she followed him.

“I see.” After a moment, he gestured to the pool.

“This water is what keeps us alive in this place. There isn’t another body of water for miles around, and there’s no place to hide from the demons in the nearest oasis.

It was by pure chance that we stumbled upon this mountain.

Once we did, we created the mist spell that you saw surrounding this mountain.

It’s not a permanent ward, you see. The shadow fae take turns weaving the magic that protects this place.

We have warriors stationed all day around the entire mountain.

Without them, we wouldn’t be able to live in the relative peace that we have.

There are even edible plants that grow here. ”

“That’s incredible you can use your magic in that way,” she said.