'A crime punishable by death.'

I sat on a bench and stared into the empty space before me. Lorcan's words repeated in my head, as did Calix's reaction immediately after. My mate, always so cocksure, paled and flinched, his grip on me becoming so tight it was painful.

No amount of assurances from me could calm his agitated state, and I couldn't blame him. Faerie's politics and games were foreign to me, and all I did was prove how naïve I was. And as powerful as Calix was, we were in the heart of the Autumn Court—the heart of its power. The very land itself would obey if Queen Orla demanded it.

A rock skittered over the path behind me, and I turned wearily to face whoever approached. Weariness turned to wariness when I saw the princess strutting toward me, her long limbs clad in a skintight bodysuit of dark orange lace.

"Can I help you?" I asked, pulling my cloak tighter around me as if it could shield me from her magic.

How I wished I had already bound myself to the Coire. Not just to ensure mine and Calix's safety, but to come into my Fae powers. Even the smallest fraction of magic would make me feel safer in this world.

"I was passing by and saw you sitting alone." She peered about the courtyard. "Strange that they would leave you alone here."

"Why? Am I not safe here?"

It was a purely calculated move. One that had nearly driven Calix into a feral state as Lorcan forced him to answer a summons from the queen without me by his side. We had to pretend like we believed we were safe and among allies. Only Lorcan's promise to stay close by gave Calix enough to peace to leave me, and every so often, I checked the humming bond between us to remind myself he was alive.

"No one is ever truly safe in Faerie," Cyra said, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back. Her long hair swished below her butt. "But you are probably safer here than most places."

Her words bore the distinct note of honesty, and I straightened. Perhaps the males were wrong, and we did have allies here. Licking my lips, I forced a smile.

"Good. It would be sad to feel unsafe in such a beautiful place."

My eyes tracked her as she ambled around a tree, her fingers dancing over the gray bark like she was saying hello to an old friend. An impulse struck me, and I decided to take a risk.

"Do you think your mother is right?"

"About?" The princess stopped and tilted her head to the side.

"Me being her niece?"

Cyra's eyes widened, and she folded her arms over her chest. "That would be impossible."

"Why? Your mother claims she had a sister—"

"She did...does...well, did... Oh, I don't know. It's complicated, but you couldn't belong to her." She dropped onto the bench beside me and chewed on the tip of her gold painted nail. "I can see why she would think you would belong to the Autumn Court. You have the look and scent about you."

"The scent?"

"You smell like the rose apple orchards in the east on a rainy day. And something else. More wild and sweet. It's faint, but it's there."

"For that to be true, I would have to be part Fae." A bit of truth. Another risk, but with every word Cyra spoke, I grew more certain she was not a part of her mother's games.

The princess fiddled with a strand of her hair. Her shocked expression from earlier had turned to boredom. "That's not unusual. Before the Vow, many Fae crossed into the human realm. Not all the children those unions created were brought back to Faerie, and they sent a few Faerie born children back to the human realm as Changelings."

I forced my expression to remain neutral when she mentioned Changelings. "Then why would she claim I was her niece? That would make me a member of your royal court."

"I do not care to speculate on why my mother does and says the things she does. Perhaps she knows I have no desire to sit upon the throne, and since she only has a few centuries left to live, she wants to ensure there is an heir? Not you, of course. No matter how Fae your blood is, you will never truly be one of us since you were raised in the human realm, you see?"

Wincing, I nodded. I hadn't truly considered that, but it made a sad sort of sense.

"But as one born in the human realms and with quite a lot of fresh human blood, you'd be an ideal breeding partner." Cyra's eyes narrowed as if she was just catching onto the truth. "Which means she must have her eye on an alliance with one of the barons, and the fact that you're mated to the Summer King will certainly tie a knot in her plans."

So, Queen Orla did have a reason to claim me, and while that reason would keep me alive, it wouldn't ensure Calix's safety. I jumped up from the bench, and Cyra jerked me to a halt.

"Let me go. I need to find Calix." The queen had summoned him. He wasn't safe.

"Luna, listen to me." She pulled harder when I fought to free myself. "Where is he?"

"Your mother requested an audience with him. Alone. She's going to kill him, isn't she?"

"If you'd asked me that earlier, I would have said absolutely not. She would risk war by killing him. Niamh may sit on the throne, but the other rulers know Calix is the rightful ruler. The state of the land reveals that much is true, but now..."

"What?"

"On my way here, I saw an emissary from the Summer Court leaving. I thought perhaps it was just another request from Niamh to be recognized as the ruler, but what if they're working together? My mother gets an heir, and Niamh—"

"Gets the crown," I whispered.