The soldier watched me scarf down the meal he brought me. I didn't need to see his face to know he was amused by how quickly I ate. Hands folded over his stomach and legs stretched out in front of him. He sat in an armchair next to the bed, and when I set my fork down without finishing every bite, he cleared his throat.

"You need to eat everything."

"You brought enough to feed an army," I protested, dragging my fork through the white sauce that had covered the meat dish and licking the tines clean. The closest thing we had back home to compare was an Alfredo sauce, and no Alfredo sauce I'd ever eaten had been so rich and creamy.

"You're too thin."

"Did no one ever teach you not to comment on a woman's body?"

He lifted a shoulder. "Probably. I was also taught to be honest. Have you not eaten in the months since you've been gone?"

Months. Not weeks. Either he wasn't aware of the time difference, or he was under the impression I'd been hiding in Faerie the entire time. Since I didn't want to be questioned about how I came back before the full moon; I didn't correct him.

"I've been...unwell," I said instead, eating the last bite of the berry tart."

Jumping to his feet, he crossed the small space between the chair and the bed and sat down on the soft mattress. Food and drink were pushed aside, and he did a thorough examination of me, checking my pulse and peering into my eyes.

"You're better now?" He asked at last, voice barely above a whisper and rough around the edges. It reminded me of something...of someone. The name weighted down my tongue, but it could not move past my lips. And then the knowledge slipped away.

"I think so. My appetite is back, at least." How could I tell him my body might be healing, but my heart was broken?

"Good."

"No," I said when he reached for the ropes. "I won't jump from the window."

"Why is that so concerning?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because," he said, tapping the rope against his gloved palm, "if you're no longer planning on jumping, you're still planning something...and I don't like not knowing what it is."

I grinned, lips stretching so wide it hurt. "Poor thing."

"L—"

"I would like to see Jones."

The mood shifted in the room. Electric tension bounced between us, and if I removed his mask, I wouldn't be surprised to find him snarling, his Fae fangs pressing over his lips.

"The king does not want another male in your room. It's widely known you have a wandering eye."

"I have a wandering eye?" I shouted, picking up the cup on my tray and flinging it at him. It bounced uselessly off his broad chest and clattered to the floor. "Your kind literally host orgies, but I guess there isn't much difference between Fae and human males. Everyone applauds you for your sexual appetites, but because I was intimate with more than two males, I'm a whore, right?"

"The difference is that you had pledged yourself to one."

"No. I told one of them I would get to know him and decide if I was going to stay. I knew things weren't going to work out between us when I—when I..."

When I gave myself to Calix. I couldn't say it. Wished I couldn't remember it.

"When you what, Luna? When you fucked the then prince so long and loud, everyone in the palace could hear your screams? And that was just weeks after you came on the king's lap."

Embarrassment coursed through me. Crossing my arms beneath my breasts, I lifted my chin, hoping I came across as impervious and haughty. The blush staining my cheeks probably ruined it.

"How do you know these things?"

He tilted his head. "So, it's true?"

"You bastard!"

The male dodged my fist and walked over to the window. Leaning against the stone walls, he said, "I don't have a name. That doesn't mean I don't have ears. Fae gossip almost as much as they fuck. And you were the primary topic of conversation. The little human who had the king and prince all worked up."

"Smith."

"What?"

"I'm calling you Smith because I have to call you something."

"And that's as creative as you can get?"

"That's all you deserve. In the human realm, Smith is one of the most generic last names you can get...Next to Jones."

"No."

"Please. He's my friend, and I don't want him hurt."

"Even if he wasn't trespassing by being in the Summer Court without the king's approval, he wouldn't be allowed in here."

"Oh, my god. He's not interested in me, okay? I bet he wouldn't turn you down, though."

"Many Fae enjoy the company of all sexes."

"Jones only likes males."

Smith drew in a ragged breath and exhaled sharply. "I swear to the Ancient Ones, if I let him visit, and I walk in and find you two together, I will kill him."

"I absolutely promise that won't happen."

"Tomorrow." He raised a hand when I opened my mouth. "Tomorrow. Tonight, the king is too on edge, and I quite like my head attached. Jones is safe and unharmed. I promise you this."

It would be useless to argue, so I nodded. The brief stint tied up had chafed my wrists, and I rubbed the raw spots as I walked to the window. Smith was at my side in a flash.

"I told you I wouldn't jump."

My words reassured him enough to ease back a few steps, but he hovered close behind. I looked over the Summer Court lands and tried not to cry. Everything was dull. All brown and gray where once the world had been vibrant and jewel toned. I spied a small blue feather buried in leaves and dirt on the balcony. One of Niamh's perhaps? It, too, looked faded and dull.

"How did it get this bad?"

"The Courts are a living thing. They mourn the loss of the rightful king."

His assessment shocked me. Not because I didn't believe him, but because speaking that out loud could get him killed.

"Why are you helping him, then? If you know this is wrong?"

The leather over his face flexed, and he turned to leave. "Get some sleep, Luna. I do not know what the king has in store for you tomorrow, but you need rest."

"Smith, help me." Maybe it would be easier than I thought to convince him to be a part of my plan.

Halfway across the room, he paused and looked back. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm keeping you alive."