Seven months.

I grasped a branch on a small tree. It detached with a dry snap, and the single crinkled leaf on its tip crumbled when I touched it. I knew time passed differently in Faerie, but still...for this much to have changed in only a few months was almost as boggling to imagine as it happening in three weeks.

Jones and I walked through the woods without speaking. It was rare for him to remain silent for so long, but he was allowing me to take everything in and compile a list of questions. Ahead, the road split. One path would take us to the palace and the other to the little village that had been attacked by the Fierig. Was it still there? Had Flora and Fawn survived that day only to perish in whatever catastrophe had happened since I left?

Tears blurred my vision as I wavered at the crossway. The smart thing to do would be to tell Jones to take me back to the human realm and pretend this wasn't my problem. But I couldn't. Not just because I might die, withering away to nothing, if I returned, but because now I knew the truth. Faerie was my home.

"Luna," Jones said, grabbing my wrist to stop me when I took the first step down the path toward the palace. "That's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

He sighed and shook his head, making his dangling earrings swish around his face. "Because there is a price on your head."

"Mine?" I pointed at myself. "Why? The spell to break the Vow didn't work. What more could they need from me now?"

"I don't know, but the king declared it so. And then he put a price out on every human in Faerie.There are literal bands roaming the Summer Courts in search of humans to bring to the king."

"You could have mentioned that a little sooner." I shuffled off the road and into a small grove of trees. Jones followed. "I thought any humans that were still in Faerie had been here before the Vow, and they were all bound through the Coire. And come to think of it, I never saw another human while I was here."

"You wouldn't. After the Vow, many of the humans who had been forced to stay in Faerie disappeared. There are rumors that they settled in the mountains to the south- Diabal. Some have tried to track them there over the years, but there is dangerous magic in those mountains. Those who make it back do not speak of what they saw. Ever."

I swallowed hard, remembering the day Lorcan told me to stay away from that mountain. He said it was a place few Fae would go, but what would drive defenseless humans to risk settling there?

Jones, following my thoughts, continued explaining, "The Vow doesn't make Faeries treat humans well. The magic limits what they can do to them through magical means, but it doesn't stop them from physical abuse. It's something most Courts pretend they're above, but everyone knows who is guilty of that. I'll be honest, though, I never would have expected it from the Summer Court."

"I wish you would have been honest with me a long time ago."

I scrubbed my face and fought against the urge to cry. Weakness had plagued me for so long, and I refused to let it rule me anymore. Only the strong survived in Faerie. That's what Calix taught me.

"What would you have done if I had told you the truth? Laughed in my face. Called me delusional?"

"Talking to a Faerie Queen through the 1-800-Ley Lines might have been proof enough."

Jones rolled his eyes. "Trust me. If I could go back to a time before Eira knew of my existence, I would gladly do so. She's one of the few who knows the truth about Changelings, and she keeps it quiet because she likes having the upper hand. They would exploit us."

"Just don't come back anymore. Problem solved."

A sad expression crossed his face. "If it were that easy, I would stay away. We may be able to live in either world without penalty, but it doesn't mean a part of me isn't always aching when I'm away from Faerie."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the humid breeze soured. I understood what Jones was saying, but right now it was hard to see the appeal. Nothing about the Summer Court was like before. It was a barren hell scape.

"Luna." Jones' voice was full of panic. "That's not thunder. Run."

The smell had grown worse, and the ground shook beneath our feet. Over the hill, a large group of soldiers galloped toward us on lizard like steeds. Big as horses, but with scales and horns, fire burst from their mouths whenever they opened them to unfurl long, sinuous tongues. Those tongues lashed through the air, sniffing out prey. Sniffing out us.

"Lagairs," Jones groaned, pushing me further into the woods.

"Does everything breathe fire in this freaking Court?" I shouted, jumping over a log and dodging a bush of thorns that hissed.

"A fair few."

"This is why I think I'd be better in the Winter Court or Autumn Court."

"Just a different kind of danger, love," Jones replied.

"That may be, but—Jones?" A sudden thrill shot through me, cutting off my words.

I spun around. Lying on the ground, bound by vine and thorn, Jones widened his eyes and looked to the left. Before I could comprehend his message, a blade flashed in front of me, nearly cutting into my throat. Only the quick reflexes I'd honed during my training with Calix saved my life, and I dropped and rolled, coming up with a swipe of my leg against the back of the assailant's legs.

He fell, but rolled gracefully, surging back to his feet before I could stand. We circled one another warily. A mask covered his face entirely, and leather armor protected his body. The armor did not hide how finely shaped his long, muscular limbs were, and he moved with deadly grace. I would not land another hit.

"Let my friend go," I said, holding up my hands in surrender. "You want me."

The Fae froze, and the blade in his hand trembled. Jones thrashed and called me a dozen names that were not the least bit flattering. But before the soldier could take me up on my offer, the Lagairs descended into our small clearing.

"Don't fight," the masked Fae hissed, grabbing me and pushing me forward.

"Well, well, well," the soldier riding the largest Lagair said in a familiar purring drawl that made my spine stiffen. He nudged his animal forward and pulled off his mask. "Look who couldn't stay away."

"Calix," I spit out.

His familiar starlight eyes were dimmer than I remembered and far colder. A twinkling crown of green and amber rested on his head, his pointed ears rising just above the golden band binding the jewels together. He'd discarded his plain but well-made clothes for a gaudy ensemble of blue silk and gems.

Lightning flashed through the gray sky as he approached, and he grabbed my chin hard enough to make me cry out. The soldier holding me in place tightened his hold on my arms, and I focused on that pain rather than the one caused by Calix. It was easier to accept pain from a stranger than from the male I shared my body with.

"From here on out," Calix whispered, his thumb digging into my lip. "You shall refer to me as your king."