Alice did not hesitate to follow instructions. Hitching up her skirts, she took off down the path the way that she'd entered the woods. The basket bounced wildly, but the possum just hunkered down, wrapping its long tail around her wrist for stability as they ran.

"Go, go, go!" the possum encouraged her. "It's following!"

She could hear the sound of pounding hoof beats behind her, but she didn't dare look back. Looking back meant a chance to trip over something, and that was not a chance she was willing to take.

Alice didn't know why a stag made of living glass would encourage her to run only to chase her down. She didn't know why there was a stag made of living glass in the mountains at all! It was clearly something Other, but she didn't know what kind. Angels were so rare that she'd never seen one, and she'd never heard of an angel shifter. Kaz could surely sniff out another demon. Perhaps it was some other kind of shifter, maybe a fae, maybe a—

Alice nearly tripped over a root and her thoughts left her. She needed to concentrate on her footing right now.

Her bones seemed to vibrate as she passed the first ring of protections, but it wasn't enough to stop the animal chasing her. The best hope now was to break through the tree line and get to the heaviest layer of wards and traps, the ones that circled the main house.

"Ellie!" she shrieked, skirts up past her knees as she ran at breakneck speed towards the main house. Her hat flew off her head, but she didn't care, just trying not to tangle herself in her own boots as she sprinted towards the property line. If she could make it there, she'd be safe. From what, she didn't know, but they'd spent the better part of a year fortifying their protections. This was her best chance.

"Alice?" Ellie called, poking her head out the back door. "What's goin— holy shit!" She ran out of the house with Kaz only a moment behind her, hunting rifle in hand.

Ellie made a wide, sweeping gesture with her hand. Alice couldn't see what was happening behind her, but she felt the ground tremble. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the injured glass stag following towards her, but there was a barrier of tall, thorny brambles quickly growing between Alice and her pursuer.

The stag skidded to a halt just before the barrier, right on the border of the heaviest protections. It seemed to sniff at the plants a little, to examine the air around them, before it carefully took a few steps away. It didn't want to cross that barrier, didn't want to become entangled in their protections, and Alice wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"Who are you?" Ellie snapped, one hand in midair as she directed the growth of the thorny underbrush. "And why the hell are you chasin' one of mine?"

"Interesting," the stag's telepathic voice said. "Your magic is aligned with the mountains."

"Yeah, ain't that fun. Want to tell me 'bout yours?" she snapped.

Ellie could hear the stag, Alice realized. Ellie did not possess animal speak, which meant it was more than just an ordinary stag. Granted, that much was obvious, but it was quite likely that this creature was either a shifter or a familiar, possibly with a witch or Other speaking through it rather than being present.

"Not particularly, no," the stag said, tilting its head. "I would much prefer if you let me inside."

Alice's legs began to shake, either from fear or exertion or both, but her friend stood firm.

"You ain't steppin' one foot inside my property without my permission, I'll tell ya that right now," Ellie said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. She stepped protectively in front of Alice, staring down the ethereal Other across the borders like she was a hawk and he was her prey.

Ellie radiated utter fearlessness. It was something Alice had always envied. In fact, Ellie didn't even flinch when the living glass animal made one final attempt to cross the wards.

The stag took two steps back and then charged, barely prepping at all before taking a flying leap through the air. He was trying to clear the thorn barrier, obviously, but there were plenty of invisible protections he would need to cross even if he managed to get past the vines.

Ellie flicked her wrist once. That was all that was needed.

The vines caught him in midair, pulling him back down to the grassy ground outside the wards. More vines grew over the deer's shimmering body, effectively tying him to the ground. Though he thrashed against the greenery and tried to cut it with his antlers, the thorny vines did not move. They also did not seem to draw blood from the stag's glass body, no matter how tightly they twined around him, but he was clearly stuck in place, leashed to the ground.

"What did I tell ya 'bout steppin' foot on my land? Don't think ya heard it the first time," Ellie said, frowning. The stag struggled, but the vines only tightened around him every time he moved even the slightest bit.

Alice watched with wide eyes, only turning when she heard the distinct sound of a rifle cocking behind her. Kaz was just as prepared as Ellie, in his own way.

"Try that again, and we'll see if your glass body cracks like other glass does," Kaz said, shouldering the firearm. "I think a diamond-tipped bullet is strong enough to pierce the skin of most Others. Feel like gambling?"

Diamond-tipped? Alice wasn't surprised that Kaz, of all people, was able to get his hands on something like that, but she certainly hadn't known about it before now. Living out in the woods meant protecting yourself from anything you might come across, be it natural or supernatural.

"Impressive," the stag grunted, clearly straining against the plants. After another moment of struggling, he finally went still, the shallow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed the only motion that Alice could see. "Fine. If you would kindly release me from these vines, I would happily speak to you in my human form."

Ellie loosened the thorns with a small nod, but didn't entirely remove them. Instead, they stayed in place in something like a thorny cage that moved as the stag shifted.

At first, the glass seemed to shine brighter, to glow from within, moving in a way that made it look molten as it seemed to melt into another shape. It was indistinguishable for a moment, but soon Alice could make out the ghost of arms, legs, and a humanoid head. As the glasslike figure stood, his skin seemed to cool and darken, taking on a softer texture as it formed into muscles and sinew, bones and blood.

It lasted less than thirty seconds, but the process was entirely mesmerizing. Alice had a thousand questions! How did animal organs shift to human ones? How did it feel having your entire being rearranged? Did it hurt? Did it feel cathartic? What were animal bodies like to control?

But then the shift finished, and those questions faded in the presence of the stranger who chased her through the mountain woods.

He was... big. Alice stared up at a mountain of a man, body rife with functional muscle. His skin was a warm, dark brown, and he retained the same glasslike antlers from his stag form. Black hair fell past his shoulders in neatly styled braids, the smallest hint of stubble on his jaw. His eyes were the most dazzling, though. His irises were eerily white, rimmed with long lashes.

Incredible, she couldn't help but think.

Kaz did not put down the gun, though, not even as the stranger bowed to them from the other side of the vine barrier.

"My name is Xavier," he said, bowing. "I am king of the Shadow Fae."

"Why did you run me down in the woods?" Alice asked, the words out of her mouth before she even thought about them.

"I am here for you, seventh daughter of a seventh daughter," he said simply, inclining his head towards Alice.

"I... shit," she whispered, knees shaking.

She was the seventh. Alice had five living sisters, but she was the second born of a pair of identical twins. The first didn't make it, barely breathing five minutes before she passed away quietly. That much she'd known, and she was well aware that was part of why her lack of magical power was such a disappointment. But... seventh of a seventh?

"M— my momma only had two sisters," she protested.

"She did not. It's easy enough to sense not only their lives, but their deaths," he said with a shrug. "They cling to you. It's a sheen over your own energy."

"You can... sense death? Or spirits?"

"We are fae creatures, born of nature and magic, but you could consider us death-aligned, if you like. If it makes it easier for you to comprehend."

Alice thought she was simply a seventh daughter. She didn't know her mother was also a seventh.

That made a world of difference.

Outsiders to witch traditions likely wouldn't understand the importance, but everyone watching the scene knew well enough to understand the gravity of the situation. A seventh of a seventh showed up in folk tales for a reason. A seventh son might be especially strong or skilled, primed to be a hero from birth. A seventh daughter was a brimming well of overflowing magical power, like a bubbling volcano looking for a moment to explode. A seventh of a seventh? Nearly unprecedented, unquestionably volatile, and potentially very, very dangerous.

How could that possibly be her?

"I'm certain you recognized this," Xavier said, holding up his arm. "I know you saw it before you ran. You have been promised to me since birth."

"Promised by who?" Alice asked instinctively.

"Your mother made a bargain with me when you were no more than a babe," he explained, pale eyes trained on Alice. "She secured an advantageous marriage for you."

"She cut ties with the woman who birthed her last year," Ellie said carefully.

"The bargain stands, as my part has been fulfilled," he said nonchalantly. "Even if it had not, these scars indicate a connection far deeper than any bargain could ever run."

Alice ran her fingers over the slightly raised scars on her arm without thinking, surprised to see Xavier smile when she did so. There was an eerie feeling of static to it, a strange pull that she couldn't deny, like an itch she couldn't reach.

"What the hell are you implying?" Hartley's voice came from behind, his footsteps swishing through the tall grass as he came closer.

"Nothing that need concern you," Xavier shot back as though the other man was a fly. "In any case, if I cannot go to her, I will simply wait outside your lines until my bride comes to me," continued calmly. He took two steps backwards, just enough to put him outside the range of activating the wards, and took a seat on the grassy ground with his legs crossed.

"It's up to you, Alice," Ellie said, blue eyes cold as steel as she glared. "You didn't make the bargain. You don't need to do a damn thing you don't want to."

"What do you think?" Alice whispered.

"I think you're safer on this land than anywhere with somebody who's known ya two seconds."

"I've known her for her entire life," Xavier insisted. "I have been watching. Waiting. Looking for the right time. She disappeared from my sight a year ago, and I was never able to find out why until now. Your protections are strong, mountain witch." He inclined his head towards Ellie in a gesture that almost seemed deferential, but the silver-haired witch's defensive posture did not change.

"Alice," Ellie said suddenly, placing a hand on her shoulder, voice low. Her eyes were wide, the sunlight flashing off her long, silver hair. "You asked me my opinion. This is a bad plan, trust me. You don't wanna be involved in bargains you didn't make for yourself."

"I have to second," Kaz said under his breath, looking back and forth between Alice and the massive man waiting patiently just outside Ellie's wards. "It would be safer to stay in the wards until you find a way to break or wiggle out of the bargain."

"Alice," Hartley asked, "would you allow me to look at your scar?"

Alice looked over at him briefly, pulling down the sleeve of her dress to cover the scar before she turned away. Hopefully that would be enough of an answer to him. After that morning, she wasn't fond of the idea of letting him anywhere near her, even if he was trying to help. The last thing Alice wanted was pity from anyone, anyone at all... but especially Hartley.

Instead, she took two steps towards where Xavier sat, ready to question him herself.

"Why did you tell me to run earlier?" she asked, hands on her hips. In the basket she had yet to sit down, the possum squeaked in agreement.

Xavier's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "I never said such a thing, I assure you."

He sounded incredibly assured, but... Alice wasn't convinced. She lacked confidence in herself in some ways, but animal speak was not one of them. She knew what she heard. He'd told her to run, and then... chased her down?

Xavier stood slowly, and Alice was once again struck by his towering figure.

"I swear to you that you will be cherished at my court. You will be my bride— Queen of the Shadow Fae," he said, bowing to her. "You will have a home with me in the palace, and you will want for nothing."

"Palace?" Alice asked, nose wrinkling. "Never heard'a anything like that way out here."

"It's well-hidden, but still a part of the mountains you call home. I have no intention of taking you away from the land you are obviously tied to."

Interesting.

As much as this offer seemed a little suspicious, the plan was more and more appealing by the minute. She wouldn't have to leave her mountains, but she would still be free. Separate, to some degree. Able to make her own way and choose her own life.

"I don't like it," Ellie hissed under her breath.

Some part of Alice agreed. Her mother had always said to be suspicious of things that seemed too good to be true... but her mother wasn't here now, and her mother was a bitch anyways. As she thought, Alice's hand crept to her jaw, fingers tracing over the place where long healed slashes from her mother's nails across her cheek once were.

She had the opportunity to be loved. Choice or no choice in the original bargain, Xavier was here chasing her down. He wanted to make her a queen— more powerful and pampered and adored than she ever dreamed she could be. It didn't matter how well her sisters married. It didn't matter that all those years she'd been pressured to marry a full Other, to have powerful children, and it didn't matter that those years of conditioning still rang out somewhere in the back of her mind. This opportunity was her victory.

She'd always wanted to leave, Alice told herself. Some small part of her mind whispered that she'd already left the witch village, but she could justify that. This way she could leave Boone entirely, see a new world and get a fresh start.

You have a fresh start here, her mind whispered.

A fresh start where you'll still be all alone, her heart shot back.

As much as she liked the people she lived with, Alice wanted more. She wanted love. She wanted someone all her own. Xavier was offering her the connection she'd been craving so desperately her entire life, and the prospect was beyond intoxicating.

"I..." Alice paused, lips parted slightly, hand half reaching towards the man with sparkling, glass-like antlers. She bit her lip, shoulders tensing for a moment, and dared to look back over her shoulder.

Hartley's expression was somber, and she could see the barest movement as he shook his head. He didn't think this was a good idea.

... but he also didn't want her.

Alice turned back to the fae standing on the other side of the wards, reaching out to fully place her hand in his. She was surprised to find that his dark skin was cool to the touch, harder than she thought it would be. It was almost like taking the hand of a living statue.

"I'll go," she said firmly, green eyes fixed on the face of her future husband.

He smiled, though she couldn't tell if it reached his eyes or not. It was a little difficult to read his expression, and knowing he was fae, Alice wasn't sure if he would even show emotion in the same way humans did. It was enough for her, though. It was enough to know that he wanted her enough to come for her, to wait all this time for her.

It was intoxicating, in a way.

"Come to me," Xavier said, holding out his hand.

"Alice..." Ellie hissed in warning, brow furrowed, but it was too late. She'd made her decision.

When she stepped up to the wall of thorns, they parted to let her through. The magic around here knew her, knew to let her out, and even if Ellie disapproved of her choice, Alice didn't think she would forcibly stop anything.

She was twenty-five years old, more than old enough to make her own decisions. Obviously, the town and their little village didn't have anything left for her now, but here... here he was. Xavier came for her.

Alice placed her basket on the ground and put her hand in his. He pulled her forward, wrapping her in his arms and holding her against his chest with a speed that made her gasp. Xavier was much taller than her, but much stronger, too. It seemed like nothing at all to scoop her up in his arms like a princess and press his mouth to hers.

A dizzy rush ran through Alice at the feeling of her first kiss. She felt like she could melt or collapse right there, but Xavier's strong arms kept her in place.

"My bride," he murmured against her lips.

His skin was as cold, but his hold on her was gentle. His mouth on hers was soft.

And, most importantly, he wanted her. He loved her.

Everything else would work out from there. Alice was absolutely certain of it.