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“But a mortal in the Twilight Court? Roan, you know it will give others an advantage if they wish to take your throne. She would be at risk,” Rath argued.

He shrugged. “Not if I make it clear the consequences someone would face if they dare to even touch her.” He would see that she was protected as well and would appoint a bodyguard for her.

However, the true threat to her would not be from his people, but from the Seelie.

If there was one thing that unified his court, it was their distrust toward the other Fae.

He had never cared about the plight of mortals before.

They breathed but for an instant, and then they were gone and forgotten soon after.

But this woman would be his for centuries once she tasted the honeyed breads of his lands, and so long as she stayed here with him she could live a Fae life.

And he would spend those centuries untangling the puzzle of why she, out of all mortal women, held him in such a thrall.

Rath politely intervened, sliding his arm around Eudora’s waist. “Come, Eudora. Let’s leave Roan to bathe. He stinks of the Seelie, and you can put those healing hands on me instead.”

Eudora smacked Rath’s shoulder but let him escort her to the door, which he opened. She paused in the doorway, her gaze once more beseeching as she looked his way.

“You are the lord of the dark woods, king of the Twilight Court. But even you can be blinded by the beauty of mortality, brother. Tread carefully.”

Roan nodded at his sister’s warning. Then he shut the door behind them and, with a wave of his palm, sealed the lock.

He did not wish to be disturbed, nor did he wish for his little mortal to wake and escape while he bathed.

The Twilight Court was not a place for mortals to run about freely.

His sister was right about that. Another man might claim this woman for his own—or worse, use her to harm Roan.

Roan waved his hand, and the windows in his bedchamber closed and sealed tight.

After a moment, he retrieved his dark-blue coverlet from the foot of his bed and spread it over Kate. His realm was temperate most of the year, unless he wished it to be otherwise, but she carried the chill of traveling between worlds and needed the warmth.

As king, he could control both the skies and the earth.

But sometimes, a simple blanket was the best solution.

Once he’d seen to the woman’s care, he turned and stepped into the moonlight that filtered through the glass of his balcony doors.

The moonlight always gave him strength, and for a time he absorbed its soothing rays, his eyes closed.

Beyond the bedchamber, his private dressing room contained a large marble bathing pool that could hold a dozen naked dryads. The memories of past pleasures should have made Roan smile, but right now his thoughts were dark, turbulent.

He thought back to the attack he’d suffered moments before crashing into the mortal realm and, soon after, this woman’s car window.

Roan had to figure out how the Seelie had come to his land without him sensing it.

He’d always been able to sense them before, but not this time.

It was both puzzling and disturbing in its implications.

The Seelie had appeared at the edges of the hills, violating the ancient treaty his father, Bahden, had made when he had taken Thalia Moondove, the Seelie princess and sister to the old Seelie king, to be his queen.

The union had put an end to centuries of feuds between the two Fae courts.

But the old Seelie king had passed, and his son, Culan, the new king, hated the idea that his aunt had spawned Roan and Eudora, giving them access to the magic of both the light and the dark Fae.

It wasn’t unheard of to have unions between the members of the two courts in order to produce children.

It was the fact that those children were directly in line to the thrones of both courts that had provoked the new Seelie king into action.

Culan wanted to destroy the Twilight Court and wipe out every last dark Fae.

Roan clenched his fists as he turned his back to the sleeping human woman, this distraction that he should not allow yet couldn’t resist. He needed to focus on the war that would soon be coming, not bedding the mortal.

With a frustrated growl, he stepped into the bathing chamber and whispered a spell.

Water sprites answered his call, forming a sudden waterfall at the edges of the large marble bath.

Through the open bathing room windows, dryads sent petals from their sacred trees.

Once they touched the water, they would dissolve into a healing nectar.

The pink-and-white crystals that grew in patches along the edges of the windows drew in the moonlight and glowed like frozen candles, making the room shimmer as he stripped out of his clothing.

He set the clothes on the floor, knowing that Babbitt, the brownie who oversaw his quarters, would retrieve them and see them cleaned.

He eased into the hot water until he was chest-deep in the fragrant bath, a slow groan escaping him as he felt the healing start to work.

He allowed his head rest on the edge of the pool and moved his arms and legs through the hot water, letting it sluice over his arm, which was still tender.

If he could stay in this bath a thousand years, he would.

The feeling of being utterly naked as his muscles soaked up the healing magic of his land was a bliss only second to taking a woman to bed.

As he bathed, he ran through a list of things that he must do.

Rath would want to scour the Black Hills for proof of the Seelie’s incursion, but that was not wise.

As Roan’s personal guard, Rath should remain in the palace.

His priority was to protect Eudora, though she was trained for battle and did not appreciate the special treatment.

Rath would remain vigilant, however. Culan would have no qualms about kidnapping Eudora to use as a bargaining tool, and he might even kill her if it suited his purposes. Roan suspected the man would not care if her capture cost him more than one of his Seelie warriors.

Outside the window of the bathing chamber, a star lark sang, its soft song filled with wonder and mystery.

He loved the birds and the beasts of his lands, even those that were dark and dangerous.

Roan let the lark’s song soothe him for a time, until he turned his thoughts back to the Seelie problem.

Roan should send for Hagni, the head of the Shadow Guard, to search the Black Hills.

Hagni had served with Roan’s father in the Arthurian wars.

He was one of the few aside from Rath that Roan could both trust and know he was capable of defending himself should the Seelie attack while he was on patrol.

Settled on the matter, Roan flexed his injured arm in the bath, testing the healing his sister and the bath had performed.

Aside from a slight twinge, it felt as good as new.

His thoughts then turned to the mortal in his bed.

A slow, wicked smile curved his lips as he imagined just how much he would enjoy introducing her to the world of pleasure in his arms and in his bed.

* * *

The dazzling dreams of ice palaces and owls flying in the night sky faded, and the cloak of deep sleep slipped away from Kate. She yawned and stretched, feeling the satin against her skin. She sighed in heavenly pleasure at the silky sensation.

Then she froze.

She didn’t own satin sheets.

Kate’s eyes flew open. A ceiling mural of moonlit woods with dancing women in translucent gowns met her startled gaze, bordered in silver-and-gold crown molding.

Her eyes swept down the walls, which were made of white-and-black marble.

Tapestries hung in the center, depicting battles between silver-winged men and women.

Her lips parted as she struggled to breathe.

She tried to keep fear from clouding her mind as she took in her surroundings. This wasn’t her home. It wasn’t like anywhere she’d ever been in her life. It was like something out of a dream. Only she was awake. Wasn’t she?

The faint sound of splashing caught her attention. The door opposite the lavish bed she lay in was half open, and the faint shimmer of light reflected off water could be seen on the ceiling.

Kate pushed back the dark-blue coverlet and slipped out of the enormous bed.

“Miss-triss.” A whisper came from beneath the bed, making her jump.

“Who’s there?” she hissed, crouching a safe distance away from the bed, trying to glimpse what was underneath.

“Be not afraid, mistress.”

This time, when Kate peered into the darkness, a pair of golden eyes stared back at her.

“Shit!” She scrambled back in a panic, then ran toward the tall gilded door. But the silver handle wouldn’t budge.

Oh God, where the hell am I?

Was this one of those dreams where she had woken up into another dream?

A light popping sound came from under the bed, and the golden eyes beneath the bed frame vanished. Kate didn’t move for a long moment until she felt certain that whatever had been beneath the bed was gone. Then she studied the bedroom again.

It was very large, with the biggest bed she’d ever seen.

The white wood of the headboard was intricately carved with detailed figures.

She took a closer look and gasped. The figures were slowly moving, as if she was watching a play.

Men and women in elaborate clothing danced in swirling patterns of white and silver. The wood itself was moving .

“I’m definitely dreaming,” she whispered to herself.

The sound of water drew her focus again. This time, she crept on bare feet toward the half-open door where the sounds were coming from. She peered through the space between the door and the frame to glimpse the glowing moonlit room beyond.

“I know you are there,” a deep, sonorous voice said to her. “Come in.”