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The other one turned towards Galen. “What is the meaning of this, Prince? Are you going to start getting between us and our sources?” He stood up straight, puffing up his chest, towering over all of us.

He had to be at least seven feet tall. “Because if you are, then you’re asking for war.

” His brown hair was sweaty and matted to his head.

His eyes were wild, like he was hungry—like he wouldn’t think twice before punching a Prince.

“Let’s all take a moment to calm ourselves. I apologize for my friend’s behavior—she doesn’t know how to pick on someone her own size.” Galen flashed me a look, daring me to contradict him.

I dared.

“You mean to defend these men? They were pushing a woman around in broad daylight? Imagine what they do behind closed doors!” I hadn’t eased my grip on her.

I quickly assessed her condition. She was about my height—shorter than the average faerie, with shiny black hair and skin the color of cinnamon.

She seemed unharmed, staying silent while the men argued.

“Marigold…” Galen glowered. It sounded like a warning and a plea. Don ’ t make things worse .

“It’s our right to fight for our source. She’s been hoarding a human. We were only encouraging her to share,” the blonde one argued.

“He doesn’t want you to drink from him. His blood is not mine to share. And not yours to take, ” the woman bit back with teeth of her own.

The brunette held up his fist, readying himself to fight. I tugged the woman along and ducked behind Robert and Galen. I knew how to start a fight, but hadn’t a clue on how to end one.

It all happened at once. The brunette swung at Galen, the blonde at Robert. Galen crouched in time, but Robert didn’t. A fist grazed the side of his face, knocking him off balance.

He recovered, but the blonde was ready. Sword out, he charged the guard. Robert stepped to the side and tripped the blonde, who fell hard. One beat later he was up, circling the guard, his eyes narrowed with malice.

Galen came at the brunette, fists bared, not bothering with his sword, ready to strike when the moment presented itself.

The brunette pulled a dagger out from somewhere and came at Galen, lifting the knife high and aiming the strike in a downward motion towards his shoulder.

Galen dodged and came around, punching him in the lower back.

The brunette fell fast and hard—shaking the ground as his body made impact with the dirt.

As we turned to look at the fallen man groaning on the ground, the other one struck. He grabbed me by the hair, balling it up in his fist, while he pulled me towards him. Wherever his hand went, my useless body followed.

His cutlass was cold against my collar bone, sitting diagonally across my chest. It was so sharp that with each panicked breath, it sliced deeper. I could feel warm liquid pooling in the fabric of my gown. I tried not to panic, but the tangy smell of fresh blood— my blood —made me see stars.

“I can tell that you’d be a spit fire in bed. Do ye like it rough, girly? I bet you do,” he whispered, pushing his hips against my backside. I jerked away from him, preferring the steel of the blade to his touch.

“Prince, give us Melisandre back and I’ll give you your woman,” he snarled through gritted teeth. He smelled like sweat and stale beer. I whimpered as he pulled my head down to his chest and sniffed at my hair. He groaned, making me dry heave in response .

The position change caused the sword to push against my breasts, slicing deep. I gasped in pain. “She has magic! I can smell it in her blood. Maybe I’ll just take her instead,” he said.

He had me in such a tight hold, I couldn’t look around, but I could feel a blast of hot air as Galen’s power surged and he shouted, “ENOUGH.”

The blonde pulled me back in surprise and my head swung in a way that I got a full view of the Prince. He was standing above the brunette, with one hand aimed at him, the other at the blonde—at me. His hands were holding orbs of fire. His face was set in stone, zoned in on the kill.

He sent white-hot fire towards the brunette, showing no mercy as the man screamed in pain. Flames licked at the back of the man’s neck. He tried to cover his head with his hands, producing an even higher octave of frantic cries. A truly terrible sound… to hear a grown man’s agonized sobs.

Galen’s flames sputtered out and smoke filled the air.

The man’s hair and skin were gone where fire had touched.

All that remained were bloody blisters from only seconds of flame.

He was shaking and retching. The smell of burnt flesh singed my nostrils.

I bit my tongue to keep from vomiting on the spot.

The blonde seemed to consider his options before letting me go and sprinting away. As soon as I was free, I approached the shaking woman. “Are you okay?” I asked.

Her eyes were wide as she glanced at my chest and said, “Yes, thank you. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I breathed.

“You’re covered in blood,” Galen gasped, running over and steadying me.

I peeked down. My top half was soaked in dark liquid. It looked shockingly bad, but I felt fine.

Melisandre approached me carefully. “I’m a healer, Miss. May I look you over?”

“It’s nothing.“ I waved her off, but she ignored me, inspecting the cut under my collarbone.

“Theres a lot of blood, but your wound appears to be scabbed over…” She continued to investigate .

“Scabbed over? But how—” I touched my chest and felt no open wound—only a thin line of raised, rough skin. I released an astonished gasp.

Last night in the bath, I’d been perplexed when I found no swelling around my ankle from my fall—no scratches from the thorny brush I’d been running through, but I’d been too exhausted to give it much thought.

The slice from the sword had been much more substantial—and it had just happened. A wave of dizziness rolled through me, making me slow blink and stumble.

“Hold onto me for support. Robert, bring her some water,” Galen barked.

“Are you a healer too, then?” she asked. Galen turned towards us with pricked ears.

“No, not that I know of,” I said, shaking my head aggressively.

She looked towards the Prince. “Forgive me, Your Highness. They wanted my human. I wouldn’t tell them where he was. I-I’m protective of him.”

“I understand,” Galen sighed. “It seems we had fortunate timing to show up when we did. I’m sorry you and your source are being harassed. A sign of the times, I’m afraid. I’ll assign more guards to this section of the city.”

He was winding down from his adrenaline rush—the crazed look in his eyes was starting to recede. “One more thing… Do I need to remind you of the law? Can I trust you aren’t breaking it?” He gave her a stern look and she bowed, nodding adamantly. His shoulders relaxed as he accepted her answer.

A gurgled moan escaped the lifeless brunette and I studied him. His wounds were still fresh. Oozing pink blisters covered his body, while some parts had burned so deep, I could see exposed white tissue.

“Are you able to heal him?” I asked. He was going to be in excruciating pain when he woke.

“Yes, but I don’t heal monsters—not when magic is in short supply.

May his pain act as a reminder to stay away from me and mine.

” Her eyes blazed with loathing as she looked down at him, then softened when they fell back on me.

“I’m Melisandre, Meli for short. I need to return home.

But thank you, for everything. If you ever need me, I own Arrowroot Apothecary. ” She bowed deeply and hurried off .

Galen twisted towards me, glowering. I knew that look. Thea had given it to me many times. I was about to get a lecture. “Next time, talk to me before rushing in to save the day. You’re too important to die over disagreements that don’t concern you.”

He reached out and brushed a thumb along my collar bone. It was slick with blood when he pulled away. He left me speechless, as he sucked the finger into his mouth, held my gaze, and tasted my blood. I covered my mouth in shock and jerked away from him in disgust.

“Keep your hands off of me,” I growled. He backed up and put his hands in his pockets. His only reaction was a slight tick of the jaw. And then—so brief that I was sure I’d imagined it—a golden glow shimmered around him. I did a double-take, but whatever I’d seen didn’t reappear.

He gave me a satisfied smile. “So you’re a healer. A powerful one. Good thing, since it seems you’re prone to injury.”

I flushed in embarrassment. Contrary to what he probably thought of me, I didn’t often find myself in dangerous situations that required rescuing . I could usually hold my own. If I’d been taught to fight like a man, perhaps I could’ve won at a fist fight too.

I glanced down at the burned faerie in front of me. Had I caused that? I felt responsible. But I didn’t regret helping Melisandre. Women needed to look out for each other.

“Would you have intervened, had I not been here?” I asked, refusing to meet his gaze.

“I would’ve sent Robert over to assess the situation.

While Melisandre didn’t deserve to be harassed, those men were starving for magic.

Would you fight for access to an Oasis if you were lost in the desert, dying of thirst?

Not having magic makes one go mad.” He continued to stare at me, seeming to actually want an answer.

“I-I’m not sure. I don’t think I’d ever harm another being for my own benefit. But I’ve never been desperate enough to find out.”

I felt my privilege in that moment. I didn't know what hunger felt like, let alone what it would be like to lose something essential to my being. I knew grief, but I didn’t know that kind of loss. I played with the skirt of my dress, feeling like an impulsive, ill-mannered idiot.

“I understand the desire to help, but you must use more caution in this world. It’s brand new to you. It’s my fault for taking you off castle grounds so quickly.” He walked ahead of me back to the horses .

Ugh, disappointment— even worse than anger.

When we returned to my room, Galen paused at the threshold of the door. “I’m giving you the rest of the day off. My mother can wait.” Was this his idea of a peace offering? I gave a small smile at the news. He took that as an invitation to close the space between us and I scurried backwards.

“Don’t come any closer. And stop trying to seduce me. It’s wrong, now that I know you want my blood. And I’m your prisoner.”

“You aren’t my prisoner. You’re our guest .” He stood his ground.

“Is that so? Would you like to escort me back to the forest and help me go home?”

He sighed and took a step.

“Stop—stop right there. There’s no future for us. You said it yourself. Faeries and humans don’t belong together. I want nothing to do with you. I just want to go home.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re not human. I’ll give you your space, but you won’t get rid of me that easily—and you’re not going home yet. You need to learn about your Fae heritage… and why it’s worth saving.” He backed up before turning and leaving. The door locked behind him.

Prisoner .

My only visitors the rest of the day were servants dropping off food and emptying my chamber pot. A large black cat snuck in with them at some point, curling up on the foot of the bed. I was happy to have the friend, though its presence made me even more homesick.

“Hello, little darling,” I cooed as it purred. “In Aurelius, we have castle cats who wander the hallways and catch pests,” I said, scratching its back until it fell onto its side, stretching across my unmade bed. “Is that your job too?” It stared at me with large, slanted gold eyes.

“If faeries are so powerful, why do they need kitties to catch their mice? Have they not found a magical solution?” I scooped up the cat and plopped it in my lap, continuing to stroke it until it curled into a ball, still vibrating with contentment.

“I suppose the rats here might actually be people… spies even.” I gulped.

“Which means you could be a spy too.” I stared at the cat with a look of trepidation.

It peered up at me, holding my gaze, revealing nothing. I cautiously took it out of my lap, placing it back on the bed. It twitched its tail, still watching me.

“Are you a cat?” I asked. It blinked back. “Fine, keep your secrets.”

For gods sakes, I was losing my mind. It was just a cat. I hoped. I’d stop talking out loud to it, just to be safe… but I’d let it stay.

And it did stay… quietly lying by my side, as I cried myself to sleep.