Being reborn felt a lot like how I imagined dying peacefully would feel like. From the moment the cool liquid touched my tongue, my breathing slowed, my senses faded, and at the very end, darkness swallowed the starlight and me.

There were no dreams in the darkness or sense of self. Just a nothing world to wait in while time ticked by as the Coire wrought its changes to my body, and when I awoke in my bed the next morning, cocooned in velvet and fur, I thought for a second that the light and Coire had been the dream.

But then everything moved in reverse. My lungs expanded and sent so much oxygen to my bloodstream that I grew dizzy. My senses sharpened and overwhelmed me. The morning light, muted behind gray clouds, was blinding. Silk that had once been so soft and smooth now chafed, and every drip of water falling from the leaves to the earth rattled my eardrums.

I pressed the heel of my palm into my eyes and groaned. Then immediately regretted it as the vibrations irritated my already sensitive ears.

Ears.

My hands flew to my ears, and my fingers slid up the shell until they reached the pronounced point at the top. The tip was hard. Almost as if it was made of bone. I'd never noticed that before when I touched Calix's ears, but if my hands were on him in such an intimate fashion, I was likely distracted by other things.

The bedroom door banged open. Cyra's sultry voice blasted across the space as she stormed to my side. Her amber eyes drifted over my body, and only after the second route from my head to my toes did she relax.

"Where have you been?"

"Why are you yelling?" I whimpered, cupping a hand over one ear and pressing the other into my pillow. A pillow that was suddenly lumpy and scratchy.

"I'm not yell—"

She froze and snatched my hand off my ear. A stuttering breath escaped her as she touched the pointed tip of my ear. An involuntary moan escaped me and my back arched. Good god...that was almost as intense as a tongue between my legs.

"Sorry," Cyra muttered, yanking her hand away and blushing. "Don't mention that to Calix."

This time, her voice was much quieter, and I suspected she was whispering. Some other time I might marvel at the sensitivity of my hearing, but right now, my thoughts were consumed by my mate.

"Has something happened to him? Is that why you were looking for me?"

"I came back last night to check on you, and your door was open. You were gone." She fiddled with the citrine necklace around her throat. "For a moment, I thought you might have fled, but a mate would never abandon their partner. That only worried me more, but I couldn't ask anyone to help me look for you. If my mother thought you had left, she would harm Calix."

The princess lowered herself onto the bed, and I sat up only to nearly topple over. Apparently, moving didn't require as much effort as before. These limbs were stronger and more fluid.

If Cyra noticed, she politely didn't mention it as she continued. "I waited outside your room until first light and only then did I leave because I heard the bells tolling. Thrice. Two short and one long."

"What does that mean?"

"It sends a message to the nobles to come to Court. Because the queen has an announcement. A royal one. I went to my room to dress and decided to check your room one more time. And you were here. And you're very changed."

Our eyes locked together. Had there always been so many shades of orange and yellow in her eyes? And she smelled like cinnamon and clove and rainy days. A perfect package to lure me in.

But with Calix imprisoned and Lorcan AWOL, I needed to trust someone.

"Cyra—"

"Did you travel the Ley Line?"

I flinched. "You know about that?"

Hadn't the light said the knowledge of that was lost? No, she had said the power and way were lost. Not the knowledge.

"I read about it once, long ago. Mother said no one could travel those roads any longer. Most of my power is..."

The princess trailed off, searching for the right words, and when she spoke again, it was so quiet that I had to lean in to hear, even with my new ears.

"Most of my power is useless. Beauty and seduction. Coupled with other magic, like fire wielding or animal control, it might have been enough to appease Mother. To convince her I could be a worthy heir."

"Cyra."

"No, it's fine. I made peace with it centuries ago, but...sometimes, I sense the Ley Lines. A glimmer on the edge of my vision that disappears when I turn to look, and now I know I was right. Did it take you to the Coire?"

"It did, and I drank from it."

"Did you declare your Court?" Cyra trembled with excitement. "If my Mother does not free Calix now that you belong to Summer, then it is an act of war. No one would dare back her."

"I—"

My vision unfocused as I sought through the haze. I'd chosen to listen to the light and let the Coire choose for me, but surely I would have some sense of where I belonged.

"What is that look for?"

"I let the Coire choose."

Cyra covered her mouth. Her brows climbed her forehead. "Why would you do such a thing? You could have saved Calix with a single word."

"She told me to trust the Coire."

"Who is she?"

Three peals of a bell saved me from answering. Two short and one long. Hissing, I covered my ears.

"Will I ever get used to it?"

Cyra shrugged. "The humans who bound themselves usually did, but their change wasn't nearly so dramatic. They still looked more human than anything else, unless they had a substantial amount of Fae blood in their lineage. You...well."

"Well, what?"

She threw back the covers and dragged me out of the bed. I cinched the robe around my body to conceal my nakedness beneath. It was an utterly useless motion considering the material was see-through.

"Look," Cyra said, pushing me in front of a mirror.

Memories of Niamh doing the same choked me, but the moment my eyes fell on my reflection, all thought of her fled.

"That cannot be me. It's an illusion," I whispered, touching the glass. Thick lashes fluttered over emerald green eyes. Peach lips parted in shock.

Cyra curled her fingers into the neck of my robe and pulled it down. Inch by inch. Exposing luminous skin that was free of any imperfections and sparkled as if someone had dusted it in gold. The stretch marks around my heavy breasts had vanished, and the scar from my appendectomy was gone as well.

"These are truly a thing of beauty," Cyra said.

She stood behind me and hovered her hand over my breasts. They were as full as before, but they were higher and firmer. My waist tapered in sharply over my wide hips, and when I turned slightly to get a glimpse of my backside, I gasped.

Cyra clicked her tongue. "Honestly, I don't know which I prefer more. Your ass or your breasts. Or maybe it's your hair. That shade is divine. Such a lovely red. Like ripe—"

"Apricots," I finished for her, recalling Lorcan's words from what felt like another lifetime.

My hair did look different. Richer and more varied in shade. There were strands of gold and pink and copper amongst the darker red. The ends also brushed the top of my ass when it certainly hadn't done so before I went to bed.

"You look like the pictures of the Fae queens of old." Cyra pulled up my robe and stepped back. "The daughters of the Ancient Ones. The first Fae. You might be the most Fae looking Fae I've ever seen."

When Calix saw me, he would lose his sanity. Queen Orla's only salvation would be the chains binding my mate, and once they were off, she better pray to whatever gods she worshipped that he wanted me more in that moment than he wanted revenge. Otherwise, she would never escape.

I wrinkled my nose and frowned. Cyra mirrored my expression.

"What's wrong?"

"This."

I gestured at my beautiful new body. While I certainly enjoyed the upgrade, it was pointless. Calix had made it clear he loved me the way I appeared before, and I didn't intend to seduce anyone else with it. What good would perkier breasts be against the Autumn Court Queen if I had to fight her to free my mate?

A flicker of hurt flashed in Cyra's eyes, but it was replaced by understanding before I could apologize.

"I'm sure you have magic. With that much Fae blood, you will have something."

"How will I know?"

"For most Fae children, it appears during a moment of stress or need the first time. Some particularly cruel parents will place their offspring in dangerous situations to get it to appear."

"Lovely." From the flat tone of Cyra's voice, I suspected Orla had done just that to her daughter.

"Come. Let's get you dressed before Mother sends guards after the both of us. We have to be present for her announcement."

"But," I started to protest as she shoved me toward the wardrobe.

"No. You have two more days before you must declare your choice. By then you'll either know your Court or your magic, and we will pray to the Ancient Ones that one of them will save Calix."