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“ Y our Marjani mated with Fane Morningstar.” Blaer dropped her little bombshell at breakfast.

Luc continued chewing his toast, even though it suddenly tasted like sawdust.

Jani had gotten free, then.

“It’s true,” Blaer said when he didn’t reply. “I heard it from a member of the ice fae court itself.”

So she still had spies at the court. Not that Luc was surprised. The woman had her fingers in pies all around the world.

He chased the toast with a gulp of coffee and then smiled at the fae lady. “Good.”

Surprise flared in her midnight eyes. “But you want her for yourself.”

“I did. But here’s the thing about love, my lady. I want her to be happy. And if he”—he couldn’t bring himself to say Morningstar’s name—”makes her happy, then I’m happy.”

Blaer scowled. “I don’t understand you fada.”

“No,” he agreed. “You don’t.”

It was mid-September, almost two weeks since Luc had accepted her geas . He’d stubbornly refused her offers—power, money. She’d even tried to tempt him with sex.

“I’ll stay in the cage,” he’d told her coldly.

But that asshole Corban Savonett had told her too much. She knew the secret words that gave a fae power over an earth fada, as long as the fae was also touching the fada’s quartz.

She’d let Luc out of his cage and told him if he made one wrong move, Marjani was dead. Then she’d ordered him to remain still—like a fucking dog—and watch as her goblin horde attacked Marjani.

Just having her cold fingers wrapped around his quartz was painful enough. But he’d believed Marjani was going to die right before his eyes.

“Accept my geas ,” Blaer had said. “And I’ll call the goblins off.”

Luc had dropped to his knees there on the mossy black rocks and agreed. He just hoped Marjani knew he’d done it for her, not for anything Blaer could give him.

Blaer had kept her word. She’d called the goblins off—and then thrown Marjani into a fucking cage.

Luc had cursed himself for being an ass. If a fae could twist things to their advantage, they would. Now he was bound to serve Blaer for a fae year-and-a-day.

Still, he’d endure that and more, as long as Marjani was safe.

And the cages were gone, destroyed at Sindre’s order—and Blaer had been banished from the court.

Now they were in Paris, along with a few of Blaer’s closest allies—Jon and Krysten, and a golden-haired male named Jagger—and several fada who, like Luc, had accepted Blaer’s geas .

He knew from Blaer’s scent that she was a mixed-blood—half night fae, half ice fae. According to one of the other fada, her mother was a night fae priestess. The others suspected Sindre was her lover.

But Luc had scented something interesting; there was a blood connection between Blaer and the ice fae king. He’d bet good money that Sindre was her father, not her lover. It explained why the king had given her so much rope, until she’d apparently gone too far even for him.

Not that Luc had minded leaving Iceland and the ice fae. If he had to serve Blaer for ten years, he’d as soon not spend it at that cold, isolated castle. Just being surrounded by that many fae made his skin itch.

Jon entered the breakfast room and murmured in Blaer’s ear. She rose to her feet. “We’re leaving.”

“Where?” Luc refused to act submissive. He responded like the lieutenant he was.

“Ireland. I’ve had word of something interesting. A water fada with something I want.”

And Luc would probably be forced to help her ensnare the poor fool. He shoved back his chair and stood up. “Why?” he demanded.

“Why what?”

“Why trap fada? Put them in cages?”

“Because.” She stalked around the table to him.

He stilled, keeping his face expressionless.

A cool finger traced his jawline, slid down to the hollow at the base of his throat. He couldn’t help a hard swallow.

“I get off on your energy.” She touched her lips to the side of his neck. “It’s so…raw.”

And then she bit him, just hard enough. His cock jerked.

He fisted his hands at his sides. “Get. Away,” he said between clenched teeth. “Nothing in the geas says I’m your fuck-toy.”

“Agreed.”

Dark tendrils slid over his skin. Sucking on his helpless anger and humiliation.

Her smile froze him to the marrow. “I’m a night fae, darling. Yes, I want to fuck you, but this is almost as good.” She patted him on the ass. “Now get ready. We leave in an hour. And Luc? That’s an order.”

The geas bit into him. “I understand,” he gritted.

She took a step back. Her gaze dropped to the erection straining against the zipper of his fatigue pants.

A slow smile spread across her face, but she didn’t say anything, just turned and strolled out of the room, hips swaying.

Smile all you want, bitch . It doesn’t mean anything.

He’d use this opportunity to study Blaer. Learn her weaknesses. And the instant the geas was met, he’d have his revenge.