Four days passed and when morning dawned at the end of the week, the ground was white with frost. Evren pulled her gown from Mor out of the back of her closet. Today. She would tell him today.

    She would tell him that she wanted his arms around her again. She wanted her hands in his hair. She wanted his on her waist. She wanted his lips on hers. She wanted him. She wanted to try to be with him.

    Evren drew in a deep breath and pulled the dress on. It fit her just as well as it had in the Night Court. She pinned up a few locks of her hair and let the rest fall over her shoulders. She wore no makeup, not even a smear of lipstick. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

    There was a gentle knock at her door. Evren cracked it open and hid behind it. Eris smiled in amusement. "I want you to wear this too."

    Her gaze fell to the crown in his hands. It was made of gold and formed a pattern of flames and leaves. Rubies were embedded in the patterns. "I can't. The court thinks I'm your whore. Whores don't wear crowns."

    "Wear it," he said. "You are not my whore."

    "Who usually wears this crown?" She asked.

    "It comes from the jewels of the Lady of the Autumn Court." His smile grew. "The High Lady."

    "I can't," she said again.

    "You can." Evren swallowed, eyeing the crown. "Wear it, my Lady," Eris said.

    "I'm not your Lady or your High Lady."

    "You aren't," he agreed. "But no one but you could ever be my High Lady." He pressed the crown into her hands and left before she could protest again.

    Evren closed her door and returned to her vanity. She stared at the crown in her hands. It was beautiful, obviously crafted by the hands of Fae. Who was she to wear it? She was a Human, not High Lady of the Autumn Court.

    Evren closed her eyes and settled the crown atop her curls. She opened her eyes and she was not looking at Evren Bastile, the Wraith, a human assassin. She was looking at Evren Bastile. Just Evren Bastile. Only, there was nothing just about her. When she arrived at the festival with Eris, no one would be able to question her presence there. No one would be able to question her place at his side.

    She lifted her chin and left the room. Eris was waiting at the foot of the stairs. He wore a crown matching hers. Evren came down the stairs quietly. She touched Eris' shoulder. He turned and let his gaze roam over her. Evren didn't balk.

    "Let me see your thoughts," she said.

    Emotion flooded his eyes, warmth, pride, and desire. "I have never seen someone like you," he said. "Someone so devastating." He took in the crown that rested on her brow. "My Lady."

    "I think that title could grow on me," she said. Evren took his offered hand and they headed out the door.

    Eris winnowed them to a bustling city beyond the forest. Red, gold, and orange lanterns hung across the streets. The scent of several different foods and drinks wafted through the air. Music played and couples draped in fine clothes danced around a brightly lit square.

    Evren took in the sights and sounds curiously. It was exactly like she'd imagined. People began to return her stare as she and Eris walked further into the street. Many of the people began to bow.

    She heard reverent whispers float past her ears. "The High Lord has come."

    "The Lady, who is she?"

    "Is she our new Lady?"

    "Is she the High Lady?"

    Evren refused to let the stares of the males around her make her feel threatened. Many of them watched her with open mouths. Eris snarled at them, tucking a hand around her waist. His touch was light, but the meaning was clear. She was under his protection. She was his.

    "The scars on her back..."

    "Who is she?"

    The whispers began to spread. Evren kept her chin up. More people bowed to them. A male and female approached. They bowed together. "My Lord, welcome," the male said. He tipped his head to Evren. "And you as well, my Lady. I am Zavian. This is my wife, Rheva. I oversee the happenings of this town."

    "And you appear to do a good job," Eris said. "The preparations for the Festival are wonderful."

    "We weren't expecting you," Rheva said. "It has been centuries since a High Lord attended a Frost Festival celebration."

    "It's an important holiday in our court. I hope my presence makes up for the absence of my predecessors."

    "Yes, my Lord." Both Fae bowed again.

    "Zavian, explain to me the process leading up to the Festival," Eris said. He brought his lips close to Evren's ear. "I'll be back in a moment," he whispered. She nodded and he followed Zavian a short distance away.

    "You are a Human, my Lady?" Rheva asked.

    "I am."

    "Are you just a Lady or a High Lady?"

    "I'm neither."

    "But you wear the Lady's crown. You accompany the High Lord?"

    Evren pursed her lips. "It's difficult to explain. I am not his High Lady, but he has said that he will not see another in that position."

    "So you may become High Lady yet?" Rheva asked.

    Evren hesitated. "Perhaps." If things continued to progress well between them. Would the Fae accept a Human as their High Lady?

    Rheva smiled and bowed to her. "May I be the first to offer my congratulations, then, my Lady. I will pray that the Mother blesses you and our High Lord." Evren inclined her head and took Eris' arm as he returned.

•~ ❘ ۞ ❘ ~•

    Eris smiled as he and Evren danced around the square with the other Festival goers. The moon was already past its highest point but the celebration showed no sign of stopping. The Festival would last for three days in total.

    Evren was breathless with laughter and exertion. A smile pulled on her lips. Eris hoped he could coax it out of her tonight. He was pleased to see that no one had disrespected her since they arrived. They all bowed and addressed her as a Lady. No one had questioned the fact that she was Human.

    Eris looked away from her and found several males watching her every movement. Instincts welled up within him. Eris flashed them a warning snarl and they looked away. He quickly stamped down the possessive instincts as best as he could. They'd been growing stronger in the past few days. As had his other instincts. Fighting them was proving more difficult than he'd thought.

    As their Bond grew stronger, so did his instincts. Eris knew it would be even more difficult to fight them when he acknowledged the truth. He needed to explain it to Evren. He didn't want her to feel scared or threatened by him. How could he explain it to her though? She wouldn't understand the strength of his instincts. She wouldn't be able to feel them, feel the Bond, like he could.

    Evren rested her head against his chest, drawing him out of his thoughts. He took in the crown that rested atop her dark curls. It was hers. No other female would wear it while he was High Lord. And if she didn't want it, it would sit in a vault, unused, until the next High Lord found a High Lady. The Vanserra bloodline would die with him if she didn't want to someday bear his heirs. That would be her choice entirely.

    If she decided that she didn't want him, he would have to find a way to live with it. He would find a way to live with the gnawing instincts that told him to stay with her. To protect her. To serve her in any way she desired.

    "What are you thinking about?" Evren asked. "You seem so far away."

    "I was thinking of what I would do if you someday decided you don't want me like I want you."

    "What have you decided?"

    "I will find a way to live with it. I am not my father. You can make your own choices, and if I'm not one of them, I will respect that." It would kill him to let her go. To watch her find someone else. He would do it, though, if that's what she wanted.

    "Why did you want me to wear this crown?" She asked.

    "Because it is yours, if you want it."

    "I know what I want," Evren said.

    "What?" Eris' amber eyes searched hers. "Tell me and I will give it to you."

    "I want to go home." As soon as the last word left her lips, wind roared around them and they stood before the Forest House. "I want to know your favorite color."

    "Green."

    Evren pulled away from him and entered the house, leaving Eris in the doorway, utterly confused. He followed her up the stairs and saw her disappear into her rooms. Eris entered his own and set his crown on a table.

    He ducked into the bathroom and bathed quickly, trying to figure out what exactly had happened. When he left the bathroom, he found Evren on his bed. His eyes widened. She was wearing a rich emerald green nightgown, if it could be called that. It barely covered her porcelain skin. And that crown still rested atop her curls.

    Shit. He was in so much deep shit. "What are you planning?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

    "Nothing," she answered innocently. "I'm ready for bed."

    A game. This was a game. A game to see which of them would break first. Evren curled her toes over her calf, propping up one leg. It would be him. He already knew it would be him, but he sure as hell would give her a run for her money.

    "So am I," he said, and dropped his towel with a smirk.

    Evren's breath hitched. Her gaze roamed over him, lingering just below his hips. Eris stretched his arms over his head. She sat up. He watched her eyes, waiting to see her reaction. There was no fear in her gaze. Only simmering anticipation. He could smell it in her scent too.

    "Do you taste as good as you smell?" He asked with a husky growl.

    A mischievous, beaming smile spread across her lips. She was smiling. He blinked, fearing it would disappear. It didn't. Evren pulled herself to the edge of the bed and sat there, with her legs spread apart. "Why don't you come find out?"

    Mother above. He stared at her. That brilliant smile on her lips. The crown on her hair. The nightgown that hardly covered her skin. She was waiting. She was willing. "Are you sure?" He dared to whisper.

    She laid down, arching her back as she stretched her hands above her head. "Go slow," she said.

    Eris' chest heaved as he approached her. He went down to his knees and pulled her legs over his shoulders. He pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. "Do you know how long I've thought about this? I've plotted so many ways to please you. To make you see stars. To treat you how you deserve to be treated."

    Evren's breaths were short and jagged. "I've thought about the sounds you'll make." He kissed her leg again, a little higher. "How you'll feel. How you'll taste." A shield fell over the room. "How I will do whatever you ask, just to hear you moan my name." She was still smiling. "How I'll bring you over the edge, bit by bit, and how you'll do that for me. How I'll beg for you. I will beg for no one but you."

    He ran his hands over her legs and up to her hips. "Evren," he murmured. "Cauldron fucking boil me. You're beautiful."

    "Eris," her voice was little more than a whimper. "Stop talking. Please."

    "Yes, my Lady." He was more than happy to oblige. His mouth had better things to do anyway.

•~ ❘ ۞ ❘ ~•

Now, before you say you were robbed, please note that when I first wrote this story, I was NOT comfortable writing smut. My style has changed in the past few months and I decided to make a little something for my Eris and Evren shippers.

Please see the part Lord and Lady in my bonus book titled Beyond the Books. You can find it on my profile.