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Valen

After we’ve finished, I tell Tania about my walk in the woods and the visit with Tree-Aphelian. How she offered to spare half the Winter Fae in exchange for Suria. How she confirmed what we’d suspected.

She listens, and as I finish getting dressed, she says, “We’ll figure it all out. Together.”

I reach over and wind my arms around her waist and throw us both back onto the bed. We hit the mattress, and the whole thing shakes. The situation outside this room is dire. But in here…in here we have a small, frozen space where I’m content to pretend everything is okay. It won’t last, but I want to hold on to it for as long as I can.

“I have something for you,” I say.

“Now?”

“Yeah. I found it in my mother’s things when we got back from Ventin. I thought you might like it.” My fingers dip into the pocket of my tunic, and I pull out a small silver ring. There are three green stones set in the band, flanked by rose-gold leaves.

I hold it out to her. She stares at it for a minute. “Valen, I—”

Shit. Humans have that ring custom. But that’s not how I mean it—is it?

“Don’t panic!” I take her hand and place the delicate ring in the center of her palm. “There are no strings attached to this. No expectations. It’s simply a gift for—for someone I love.”

She watches me, fingers slowly closing around the band. With a smile, she whispers, “Thank you.”

I move in closer to kiss her—but she stiffens and pulls away.

“Oh, eww…”

“Eww?” I unwind myself from her and sit up. “Way to shatter my ego.”

She rolls her eyes and gestures to the bed. “This is Suveo’s room! His bed…”

“Oh. Yeah, eww. I suppose we should leave, huh?” I roll away and slide to the edge of the bed as she stands. “We have to deal with Wren and Suveo, anyway.”

“If you thought he was a pain in the ass before…” She shakes her head.

“We’ll deal with it.” I grab her around the waist again. “I’m happy. In this moment, here with you, I’m happy.”

She rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t take much, does it? One good brash—”

I lean forward and rest my forehead against hers. “We will make this work. You believe me, right?”

There’s some hesitation, but more than that, I feel her determination. “I suppose we’ll have to, or you’ll never leave me alone…”

“That’s true.”

“But, Valen, it’s going to be complicated. It might not work out the exact way you’re hoping.”

“Meaning?”

“What just happened between us? It doesn’t mean anything has changed. We’re still at war, and the Fae still hate me. The danger of someone finding out that we’re linked is still as deadly as it was yesterday.”

…

“Do it again!” Wren says, clapping her hands. She’s bouncing up and down like a child. I can’t blame her. We’ve all gathered in the throne room—the other Fae monarchs and the council.

Gensted snaps his fingers with a flourish. An ember blazes to life, expanding and taking the form of a fiery, double-sided glaive. It blazes several times before evaporating. “Guess it’s going to take practice.”

Delkin asked Benj to shift and donate some of his scales. The estate tailor used them to craft a special set of leathers—fireproof—so the Autumn Lord won’t incinerate his clothing while he’s learning to gain control. Much to Wren’s dismay …

I glare at Suveo. The Summer Fae is in the far corner of the room, using his newly manifested magic to blow things around. Summer magic—sway over the weather—is rumored to be the most chaotic of the court powers. In the hands of someone like Suveo… He should be in chains.

“We have no real proof he knew what was happening. It’s entirely possible the guards acted on their own.”

You don’t believe that.

“No. I don’t… Still, we need him.”

I haven’t taken my eyes off Suveo since the Summer Lord came in. Word filtered through the estate about what happened with his guards. They’re currently in the catacombs, but everyone knows he had a hand in it. There’s just no way to prove it yet.

Do you think they’ll have enough time to learn control?

“A month? I don’t know…”

I updated everyone on the new information about Aphelian—not that it was much help. We’re still no closer to discovering the fire aspect of the prophecy.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” A rush of regret spills down the link. “Gensted seems to be doing better. And Wren is motivated.”

Wren is always motivated. Suveo?

“Suveo might learn fast so the others don’t make him look like a fool…”

She makes a good point.

Suveo says something to Wren. Whatever it is, it has the Spring monarch fuming. Instead of using her magic, she grabs one of the potted plants we brought in for her to practice with and hurls it at his head. He manages to deflect the projectile and sends a gust of wind in her direction. But his aim is horrible. It hits Gensted, knocking him to the ground.

“Ass!” Gensted climbs to his feet and lifts his hands. Tendrils of smoke curl upward, but instead of Suveo catching fire, a nearby table bursts into flame.

I sigh. Or they could just kill one another…