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L uc slammed into Sindre’s chest. He fell down and the two of them rolled across the floor.

The ice fae king was strong. He had to be hurting as the iron entered his system, but he didn’t show it. Luc strained to reach the king’s pale neck and the carotid pulsing so temptingly beneath his ear. But Sindre dug his fingers into Luc’s fur, holding him off long enough to mutter a few words.

The air around the king shimmered and he ’ported across the tower. Luc loped after him. As he gathered his muscles to leap, Sindre flung up a hand.

Icy fingers reached inside Luc’s chest and squeezed his heart. He dropped like a stone to the floor and lay there, writhing with pain.

Blaer hurried over and grabbed Luc’s quartz. He groaned, the pain even worse than what Sindre had done to him.

“Freeze,” she hissed, and his muscles locked. He lay on the floor, twitching and humiliated as she yanked the pendant off his head.

“No,” he rasped. He tried to make his hand move so he could snatch it back from her. But he couldn’t.

“I know the secret,” she whispered. “Even the king doesn’t know what I know. That it’s easiest for a night fae to get to the heart of your quartz.”

She chanted the secret words, and dark talons closed around the magic at the center of his quartz. The humming crystals stuttered, and then started up a new, unfamiliar music—a tune that somehow connected him to Blaer.

His bowels iced.

Her lips curved. “You have to obey me.”

“ No ,” he said, but it was the last, desperate gasp of a drowning man.

Sindre came up beside her, nursing his injured arm. “Blaer, min . Do you really need two? Fane has a point. We don’t want to get the earth fada all stirred up. I’ll have to fight back, and that might bring the sun fae into this. The queen seems to have adopted the local fada.”

Blaer moved a smooth shoulder. “I wasn’t planning to keep this one. He’s simply bait. The female will come back for him.”

“You seem so sure.”

“I am. Clan is everything to them—she won’t leave Iceland without him.”

Sindre’s mouth curved. “And when she does, I’ll be waiting.”

“Exactly.”

They exchanged a smile. Then Sindre said, “I’ll just take care of this one for you.” He ’ported Luc back into the cage and slammed the door shut, then glanced at his bloody arm. “I suppose I’d better have a healer look at this.”

The fae lady nodded. “And if I may summon the goblins?”

“I thought you were sure she’ll return.”

“I am. But it wouldn’t hurt to offer her a little incentive.”

They headed out the door, ignoring Luc’s furious growl.

The last thing he heard was Blaer asking, “And you? What are you going to do about the mixed-blood?”

“Don’t worry,” the king returned. “He can’t go far without my permission.”