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Chapter Seven

The bride knew that she was losing herself bit by bit to the path in the dark woods. But in losing herself, she discovered a new self, one who was unafraid to face the monsters. To find her way forward, she had to leave her fear behind.

—Anon., Tales from the Twilight Court

T he human child clutched the bars and stared at Roan with wide, innocent eyes through the gloom of the dungeon.

Eyes that called Roan back to the moment he’d first met the child, when he’d whispered a hope that Roan would be the friend his sister needed.

That request had stirred something in Roan’s chest, settling beneath his skin as he’d considered the child’s devotion to his older sister.

He had liked the boy instantly for that love and loyalty to Kate.

A pixie flitted through the air, distracting Roan momentarily. The pixie hissed, leaving bright little green sparks above his head before it shot up the stairs. The human child jumped back in shock.

“What was that ?”

“A pixie. They won’t hurt you, unless you try to pet them,” Roan replied dismissively. He had no intention of discussing pixies at present.

The vicious little creatures were always watching him and following him about. Nosy little things, always getting into everyone’s business.

With a sigh, Roan waved his hand and the iron bars vanished, which left the child standing there confused.

Roan turned to leave. “Come with me.” He heard the child’s footsteps behind him, hurrying to catch up.

Roan took the twisting staircase out of the dungeons and stepped into the light of one of the palace corridors.

It was mercifully empty of palace courtiers or other creatures.

He did not have time for their nonsense.

“Babbitt!” he called out.

The brownie materialized in front of him and curtsied. “My lord?”

“Take this child to Eudora,” he instructed the brownie.

He glanced down at the boy, feeling a little unsettled by this situation.

He had no intention of being cruel to the child, but he had no time to sit around and watch him.

Roan had to plan for the eventual hostilities with the Seelie, and he needed to make sure that Kate was safe in the labyrinth.

If he could keep her in the outer edges of the labyrinth, she would face no real danger.

“Lady Eudora?” Babbitt blinked in surprise.

“Yes. Tell her that this is the mortal woman’s brother, and see to it that he is fed, clothed, and watched over. Do not allow any harm to befall him.”

The child seemed to relax a little at that reassurance.

The brownie nodded, her eyes serious as she looked over the human child. “Yes, my king.”

“Sir?” The boy tugged on Roan’s tunic sleeve. Roan glanced down at the child. “What is she?” he whispered as he pointed at the brownie. “And where are we?”

Roan was unaccustomed to explaining his world to mortals.

He drew himself up a little and arched a brow at the child as he spoke.

“To answer your second question first, you are in the realm of the Fae, boy. Babbitt is a brownie. I would strongly advise you do not point at her, or anyone else for that matter. It might be seen as rude, and rude can be dangerous here. Babbitt will answer your questions.”

The child stared at the brownie, who gave an eager-to-please smile. Babbitt and the boy were of similar height.

“Fairies... wow ,” the boy murmured, still in shock but not as frightened as before. That was good. Unlike some of the courtiers in his court who relished their dark gifts, he was not a Fae who thrived on fear and darkness. His father had said he had too much of his mother in him.

“What’s your name, little human?” Babbitt asked in a chirp, holding out her hand.

“Caden.” The boy shook the brownie’s hand, and the brownie led the child away.

Roan smiled at the thought of his sister playing nursemaid to a human child. At least it would give her something different to do with her days other than tease poor Rath.

He returned to his bedchamber, and with a twirl of his wrist, he conjured a glowing orb the size of an apple, which soon grew larger than his head. He let it hover in the air, milky-white smoke spiraling off the orb in illuminating tendrils.

“Show me Kate,” he murmured.

The smoke filling the orb vanished, and he glimpsed the girl jogging through the labyrinth.

It amused Roan to watch her futile efforts for a time.

She was still on the outer edges of the labyrinth, far from its dangers.

If she stayed along the fringes, she would come to no harm.

He would be able to visit her nightly and take what he wished from her.

He waved his hand, and the orb vanished.

The girl was safe, and that was all he needed to know for now.

There were more pressing matters to attend to. It was time he visited the Black Hills and met with Hagni to assess the strength of their alliance with the dwarves and the dryads.

Roan walked to the edge of the balcony, spread his arms wide, and leapt off.

He embraced the wild Fae within him and once again became a barn owl.

He flew high over the labyrinth, letting the wind carry him on the Fae roads toward the distant entrance of the labyrinth and beyond.

But as he passed over Kate, he couldn’t resist seeing her again.

He flew well above where Kate’s human eyes could see him. He tracked her progress as she ran run through the labyrinth. If she continued on her current path, she would spiral around the outside of the maze for days.

Then she will be mine forever... The thought filled him with a dark delight.

To have her all to himself, to own her thoughts, her heart, her body, even her soul.

She would be his to kiss, to take to his bed, to explore and pleasure until they both were too tired to move.

It had been too long since he’d allowed himself to have such a creature at his beck and call.

Taking one of his courtiers to bed was never wise.

Everyone expected him to take a queen consort, and many of the Fae females vied for his attention.

But their naked ambition left him cold and unmoved.

He had eyes for none of them. The games and power struggles that went on in his realm were predictable, tiresome, and boring.

But Kate, Kate was new. She was interesting. She didn’t do what he expected.

Perhaps that was what fascinated him about her.

She defied him at every turn, even when it would make far more sense for her to comply with his wishes.

She was always herself. He wasn’t even angry when she continued to defy him.

Rather, it heated his blood and made him want to catch hold of her and kiss her senseless.

Confident she would get into no trouble for a time, Roan was about to leave when he saw her crash into a kobold coming from the gemstone mines on the eastern border of the labyrinth. Roan flew down to the top of the wall and observed what Kate would do with the kobold.

To his surprise, she seemed to befriend him, and the two traveled together for a time.

Roan flew along every few minutes and perched on the wall to keep pace with them.

The meeting with Hagni and the dwarves could wait.

He focused on Kate and the kobold and silently chuckled as Kate questioned the little creature for information about the labyrinth.

The kobold was one he recognized as a gem deliverer from the mines.

He would know to stay away from the dangerous areas of the labyrinth.

If Kate stayed with him, she would be out of danger.

You will find no answers from him, little one. The puzzle cannot be solved by anyone but me.

Content with the knowledge that Kate would be distracted by the kobold, who would keep to the outer edges of the labyrinth, Roan settled down to rest, his feathers warm beneath the soft Fae sunlight.

Being near Kate made him feel so calm, so at peace, that his natural restlessness just faded away.

He actually dozed off and only woke to the sound of a scream several miles away.

With a frantic flutter of wings, Roan took flight, his keen animal eyes seeking the source of the cry.

It was Kate.

She was at the morgen pool. Surely the kobold had warned her not to drink from the pool? Roan bobbed his head, his eyes seeking any sign of the kobold, but he was nowhere to be seen. Had he already been taken by the vicious morgens?

Kate stripped out of her clothes and plunged into the water.

For a long few moments, nothing moved beneath the surface.

Roan prepared to transform, ready to dive in after her.

Then Kate burst out of the water and shoved the kobold onto the stone ledge surrounding the pool.

She struck the creature’s back, making him cough violently, and water poured out of his mouth. The kobold lay still, but he was alive.

Roan released a tight breath. She just dove in to save the kobold’s life! Foolish woman, she could have been killed over someone she didn’t even know.

Kate gasped as something jerked her back beneath the surface of the water.

“Kate!” Roan roared, shifting back to his natural form faster than he ever had before. There was no one around to save her, no one—except him .

From high on top of the wall, Roan dove, arms stretched over his head.

The momentum carried him down farther and faster than the morgans could drag their prize.

The shafts of sunlight wavered and dwindled as he descended into the bottomless pool.

Strands of the morgens’ song traveled through the water, reaching his ears.

He ignored them for as long as he could.

Deep in the dark of the cursed waters, he glimpsed a flash of pale skin. Kate .