Baird fit in surprisingly well amongst the Night Court posse. From the impression he'd given in their evenings at the palace, Fiona had expected a reserved and proper High Lord's son when she slid along the booth beside him. Instead Baird was chatty, generous with his smiles and drinking nearly enough to match Bella glass for glass – which was saying something. If he was surprised to see Zayde, High Lady of the Summer Court amongst the young Illyrians, he did not show it, an observation that had Fiona wondering if the ties between Night, Summer and Winter were much stronger than other courts realised.

The time ticked on but Fiona's rush of careless joy had waned with the moon; as it passed midnight, she made to leave. Riordan, however, was cemented in his seat, and made his feelings crystal clear without ever saying a word in the way that only he could.

You have a job to do. His eyes flicked between her and Baird. Not until you've made some progress.

He shot her an encouraging smile that made something twist in her gut as Fiona shifted closer. Baird's hair glimmered like freshly fallen snow in the faelight, but his teeth were brighter as he smiled.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight."

Fiona accepted the wine he passed her with a gracious nod. "Nor I you."

His eyes trailed to Tristan and Gabriel, who were laughing loudly over some joke about Peregryn wingspan. "I've known this lot for quite some time," he said, his pale eyes shining fondly. "Some of us grew up together.

Fiona nodded absent-mindedly, her gaze straying to Riordan. "It's nice to hear that your parents' friendship has passed on to the next generation." She was watching Riordan blatantly ignore her pointed stare. Bastard.

"What's wrong?" Baird nudged her gently. "You're acting like a stiff old courtier tonight."

Fiona tried to answer him with a smile, though it fell somewhat short of convincing. In truth, she had been distracted since Xander left, and spent much of the night sifting through her memories of the last week. He'd rushed off at the mention of Keir and Aidan – affirming her fears that he had only been entertaining her trips to Velaris for information about Eris' son. Had she missed something key, she wondered? Something that might reveal his true motive to her? Fiona had been so distracted by the beauty and promise of Velaris that she'd forgotten everything the Autumn Court had taught her.

Everyone had a motive; and if you weren't the motive, you could be sure you were the means.

And looking at Baird while her brain whirred, Fiona became painfully aware that he was hers. Her stomach twisted again, and she realised the feeling was guilt.

"I'm sorry." She shifted in her seat. "I'm not feeling well – I think I need to go."

Riordan be damned, she added silently, getting to her feet.

As though he'd heard, Dan's eyes shifted to hers with a warning glint. His easy smile faltered as Baird caught her wrist.

"Wait, he stopped her, gathering a blazer in one arm as he stood. "I can take you back, if you'd like?"

Fiona allowed herself a smile, a real one, and tried not to notice how Baird's gaze snagged on it. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

She hardly gave Dan a second glance as the pair of them walked back up the dingy steps to street level, passing a winged fae slumped against the entrance who snored loudly. They fell into easy conversation strolling down moonlit streets and squares lined with holly for the coming of winter. Baird was happy to fill the silence himself, and as he talked, Fiona remembered just how much he'd had to drink. Though he did not slur his words or stumble on the cobblestones, his eyes were unfocused when he turned to bid her goodnight.

His winnowing had come on a pale blue mist that left Fiona shivering a little in the marble hallway outside the Autumn Quarters. The Mountain Palace was silent, and no winged faerie guarded the door. But despite the late night calm, a heavy sense of dread settled in Fiona's gut, like a rock sinking in a pond.

"I suppose this is goodnight then," her tone was rather more final than she meant it, but Baird didn't seem to care or notice. His eyes fell to her fingers, which had started to tremble, from the cold or dread she wasn't sure. Baird stepped forward, and Fiona inhaled sharply as he slid his fingers between hers.

"I'll let you go to bed," he promised. "But I wanted to ask – would you do me the honour of attending the ball with me?"

Fiona blinked for a moment before she realised what he'd said and she beamed.

"Of course!" she said, and laughed. "Though now it's you who sounds like a stiff old courtier."

Baird seemed to relax at that, and the laugh that followed was merry in a way she hadn't heard from him. "That's fair," he grinned, and lifted her hand to his lips. "Until then, Vanserra."

Fiona's pulse jumped a little as his flushed pink lips brushed her knuckles. He pulled away and lingered a moment in the hallway. The looming set of golden doors seemed to throb at her side, humming with ominous energy. For a moment, she considered asking him to stay, but he was soon vanished in that pale mist.

"Until then," Fiona murmured. Though his absence left a chill, she took light steps past the threshold of the Autumn quarts. If Baird was willing to take her to the ball, as his public escort, then he wasn't ashamed of her status. He wanted to be seen with her, he wanted to be with her...perhaps there was hope.

Something cold pressed against Fiona's throat and glinted in the darkness. She halted in her tracks, and frowned. The thing pressed closer, and it was only when she felt the warm trickle of blood down her neck that she remembered to scream.

A deep blow to her gut knocked any breath out of the sound, and she was instead left gasping on the marble.

"Somebody's had quite the late night, haven't they?"

Fiona yelped and scrambled away from the voice that sounded from the darkness. He was too close -his lips had brushed her ear, just like last time-

She looked up but her vision was hazy, her head swimming as she tried to remember how to breath. Aidan, of course it was Aidan again, he had seen her leave. She'd known he was watching, had known she'd have to be careful... and had drunk and danced through the hours anyway, not caring about the time. Stupid, stupid girl!

Fiona's heart fluttered with panic as her eyes adjusted and she noticed another figure standing beside him. This fae was shorter and slimmer, but his eyes glinted with the same malice as he strode over to kick her in the side.

"Donovan-" she grunted, gritting her teeth through the pain. His answering smile was accompanied by another brutal kick.

"I had almost given up hope, Fiona." Aidan's drawl muffled her cry of pain. "I knew you cared little for female dignity, but I thought even you wouldn't stay out all night." he added, taking slow steps towards her. Donovan sat her up from her hunched position on the floor and held her rigidly by the shoulders. His fingernails bit into her skin but she refused to look away as Aidan kneeled to her level.

"What poisons have you debased yourself with tonight?" He frowned, russet brows lowering over eyes that were too dark, even in the starlight. He took Fiona's chin between his long, thin fingers, and forced her lips apart with his thumb. She tasted sweat and something sickly sweet.

Fiona was too horrified to move as he leant in, his lips so close to hers that for one wild moment she thought he might kiss her. Aidan's eyes remained locked on her own and his nose wrinkled as he pulled away. "Faeblood," he said, his breath skittering across her cheek. "You really have become one of those mongrels."

He stood up somewhat abruptly. Donovan yanked her to her feet, his grip unyielding.

"You've been away from your family for far too long." Aidan sighed. "Forgotten your manners, your place...and above all it seems you have forgotten your duty to my father."

He whipped around to face her, his eyes blazing with fury. "The gall you have to run around the Night Court like a wild beast, as though your actions do not reflect on this court, on your Lord-" he snarled. There was a horrible moment of silence in which Donovan stepped away, some silent sign from his cousin vanishing the bite of his grip from her arm. She almost wished him back as Aidan stepped closer.

"You will not disgrace this court when I am Lord. You will not disgrace me." he declared with lethal calm. "I told you to stay away from the Night Court, and you disobeyed. A proper lady does not disobey her lord, Fiona." The knife glinted in its sheath at his side. "It's high time you learned."

She blinked, eyes wide with terror. "Aidan-"

A kick from Donovan behind had her buckling at the knees. Both males laughed as Fiona fell upon Aidan, who caught her. She tried to wriggle out of his grip and failed, a moan of desperation passing her lips as he pulled her to her feet. Her lips parted to speak again but all that came out was a choking sound, as Aidan's hand slammed into her windpipe. A single tear fell down her cheek as his grip tightened, fingers closing in around her pale skin.

She couldn't breath, she couldn't breath- and he was too close-

She clawed at the hand that held her but Aidan was immovable, her nails leaving harmless little scratches across his knuckles. He barely blinked, those eyes glinting wickedly as the sound of her choking stuttered the silence of the night.

Bella would fight, she told herself. Zayde would never let someone speak to her this way, even gentle Gabriel would have fought back. Swing a punch, she commanded her trembling limbs. Make a fist, do something!

But as the corners of her vision began to darken, any will to fight evaporated. Aidan knew the truth, he knew that she was too weak. Her only weapon was her tongue, a blade too easily silenced. She had no hope of beating him. All she could think about was a desperate scrap of air, a single breath, the taste of her salty tears on her tongue.

Donovan's laugh sounded very far away.

"You will never disobey me again." Aidan growled, suddenly in her ear. She stared at his jaw, trying to nod around the merciless vice at her neck.

"Say it!" he barked. "You will never disobey me again. You will never go back there again. You will learn. Your. Place."

His fingers squeezed harder. Fiona thought her eyes might bulge out of their sockets as she spluttered her assent. Aidan's face reappeared in her fading vision, and a cruel smile spread across those lips. In an instant, he let go, and she heaved a gasp.

Donovan cackled as she bent double, trying to fill her burning lungs with air. Aidan wiped a string of drool from her lips and chuckled in that mirthless way of his.

Humiliation burnt hot, skittering across her skin like embers. Her fingertips seemed to crackle with heat against her sweat. Fiona felt certain she would combust with shame or fury, she wasn't sure which. But the blinding white heat of it all gave her the courage to raise her head and look Aidan in the eye.

For a moment, the expression that shadowed his sharp face might have been fear. For a moment, the sneer disappeared.

But then a vicious blow to her side sounded with a crack, and her scream was swallowed up by an engulfing wave of black.