Through the breaks in the forest canopy, I could see the silver shimmer of starlight. It was the first time since returning to Faerie that the sky had been clear enough to see the stars, and even though we were a long way from righting all the wrongs that had been done, knowing the storms had moved on for now gave me a sense of peace.

I rolled to my side, sliding my hands under my cheek to protect it from the rough ground. More than a foot out of reach, Calix slept. Deeply from the looks of him. His lashes brushed over his high, tan cheekbones, and the smallest snore escaped him on every exhale.

The corner of my mouth twitched as I fought off a smile. I'd watched him call lightning from the sky, battle a fire monster, and challenge a king. But I think I liked this version the very best.

The urge to smile disappeared. I would like it the best if he was closer. Close enough to snuggle into the curve of his body and rest my face against his chest. Sleep would have come long ago if I had been able to listen to the gentle thudding of his heart.

A shadow fell over my body, and I turned slowly to see who or what approached, only to relax when I spied the former king. Lorcan had been in the temple when we returned. I half expected him to sleep in there to be closer to his mate. He tossed a new piece of wood into the fire, sending a spray of orange embers into the air. The new wood snapped and cracked as it heated.

"You can't sleep?" He asked, not needing to look at me to know I watched him.

Glancing at Calix, I draped my blanket around my shoulders and joined Lorcan at the fire. "I thought I would pass out the moment I closed my eyes, but I'm wide awake."

He tucked a strand of his golden hair behind his pointed ear and offered me an apologetic smile. "A worried mind is a powerful thing, and..."

Lorcan trailed off. He cleared his throat and poked the fire with a stick. I rolled my eyes and exhaled dramatically.

"And what?"

Tapping the blackened stick against the ground to knock off the charred ends, Lorcan wouldn't look at me when he spoke. "What do you mean?"

"You said and after you said 'a worried mind is a powerful thing.' And indicates another thought to follow. Come on, Lorcan. Don't be like this. We might not be in this mess right now if you hadn't been so determined to keep things from me."

Snapping the stick in half, he tossed both pieces into the fire and turned to me with a smirk that reminded me of the male he'd been on my first night in Faerie. Confident. Charismatic. A bit too smooth for my tastes, but I was glad to see him again.

"While I admit you're right, I was not keeping a secret. I simply decided that what I'd been about to say wasn't appropriate."

I coughed to cover a laugh. "Well, now you have to say it, because I'm intrigued."

"I was only going to say that sleep was likely going to be an issue until you seal your mate bond. At least if you two don't intend on fucking each other senseless whenever you have the chance. It takes the edge off."

A hot flash went through me that had nothing to do with the heat coming off the fire.

"I don't think it takes the edge off. It just makes it worse," I replied, thinking of how Calix had made me come in the woods and how much worse my need for him had grown since.

"You're referring to what happened earlier?"

"Did you watch?" I asked with a horrified hiss.

Lorcan's fangs pressed into his bottom lip as he shook his head. "I didn't need to. I could hear and smell you. And I know my brother well enough to know he didn't take his own pleasure from you tonight. Did he?"

"Am I really talking about this with you?"

I dragged my hands down my face. The fact that I was discussing this with my mate's brother was bad enough, but it certainly didn't help that not all that long ago this conversation was reversed. Calix had overheard me coming on Lorcan's fingers in the palace.

"I did try not to have this talk..."

"Shut up." He chuckled. Calix rolled to his side, and I waited a few seconds to be sure he hadn't woken before speaking again. "No. He didn't. I'm shocked he even touched me because he said if we had sex, he would seal the bond. But we've had sex before. Did that not seal the bond?"

"Sex doesn't seal the bond," Lorcan explained, stretching his legs out. "Sometimes sex reveals a bond. Every mate bond is different. Some are weaker than others. Easy to mistake as attraction until the couple actually has sex. Then it explodes, and sometimes mates will seal the bond in a moment of ecstasy."

I nodded, still not understanding how the bond was sealed, but hoping I would find out some day. "I was attracted to Calix at first. I didn't want to be because I thought he was a jerk, but the more time we spent together, the more intense the attraction became. But it wasn't until after we were together, together, that I knew he was it for me. That there couldn't be a me and you."

Lorcan didn't appear offended, and I suspected it was because of the respect Fae had for mate bonds. He wouldn't see it as me choosing his brother over him. I chose my mate.

"I suspect the only reason it was like that for you is because you grew up in the human realm. Your Fae half has been suppressed. I think if you met him as a Fae, it would have set Faerie on fire. From the moment he met you, Calix changed, and whenever you two were around each other, I could smell your desire. Why do you think I cheated?"

"Was that how it was with you and Rian?"

"I met Rian on a hunting trip. The stag I was tracking led me to the Spring Court borders, and as the heir of the Summer Court, I couldn't enter their lands without permission. Not without creating a political nightmare, even though we are close allies, and my mother is from their court. Queen Aster granted me permission to travel through with an escort."

"Rian?"

"Yes. We spent the entire first day bickering, and the entire night making love."

"Was your bond sealed?"

"Eventually. But not at first. He was the first Ancient One to be mated, and he was afraid of the way it would bind us together. To possibly doom me to true immortality." Lorcan looked at me. "So you see, I know something about the chafing of a unsealed bond."

"Clearly, it doesn't bother him." I gestured at the sleeping male. "He fell asleep at once."

"Give him a little grace, Luna." Lorcan put a finger under my chin and forced me to look at him. "Since you...disappeared...he has not truly had a moment of rest. I—I thought we were going to lose him, and then when you returned, he has spent every hour ensuring you stayed safe. This might be the first time in over seven months that he has slept. Truly slept."

"Oh."

"Oh," he echoed. Then removed his hand and stood. "Now, please try to get some rest. We are safe here, but tomorrow we will begin a journey that is anything but. You will need your strength."

I crawled back to my spot next to Calix. As I pulled the blanket over me, I paused and asked, "Where are we going? Calix mentioned the journey as well, but neither of you have said where we are going."

"To the Coire. To have Calix formerly declared as King of the Summer Court, and if you wish it, to bind you to Faerie."