Lorcan held my hand as we walked. I had to admit; it felt nice. But it also amused me to be doing something so mundane as holding hands with a Fae King. Then again, for someone who'd spent most of their life single, maybe it wasn't so mundane, and what did that say about me? I had to cross into another world to find someone who wanted to hold my hand.

"Luna?"

We paused at the base of a tree whose trunk width was three times bigger than any I'd ever seen before. Around us, other trees of similar sizes grew. All of them with massive branches that crisscrossed with their neighbors until it was hard to tell which tree they belonged to. Interlocked that way and cloaked by deep green leaves, the canopy blocked out all but the tiniest droplets of sunlight. They became golden glimmers that winnowed through the long-stemmed grasses when the breeze blew.

"It's beautiful," I told him, squeezing his hand and smiling up at him.

His return smile made my knees weak. Maybe there was something to blondes after all. Or maybe it was just Lorcan. He was truly beautiful. Incomparable... Calix's face flashed through my mind, but I dismissed the thought before at once. Comparing the brothers wasn't fair. They were as dissimilar as night and day.

"Not nearly as lovely as you."

Cheesy. Overused. The compliment shouldn't have worked, but a blush stained my cheeks as pleasure spread through me.

"But," Lorcan continued, putting his arms around my waist. "It's not what I wanted to show you. Hold on tight."

I threw my arms around his neck moments before the ground beneath our feet moved. Shrieking, I buried my face into his neck, fingers tangling in his long hair, as we shot upward. His intoxicating scent flooded my nose, but my body was too overwhelmed to react as it had before. Lust still singed my veins, but now fear and exhilaration warred for dominance, one urging me to hold on and the other demanding I let go and enjoy the ride. The latter was a voice I had not heard in a very long time. So long I believed she didn't exist anymore.

We came to a stop. Lorcan's grip on me tightened, and I opened my eyes just in time to see him step onto a platform attached to the tree while the mound of earth receded.

"What... how?" I gasped, stumbling away from him and gripping the wooden railing surrounding the platform.

"Summer magic is deeply in tune with the ground and the sun. I willed the ground to rise and so it did."

"Mmhmm, I see." I drew in a shuddering breath.

Lorcan rested his elbows on the railing, closed his eyes, and lifted his face toward the sun. The golden rays made his pale skin shine and turn faintly pink. "This is my favorite view in all of Faerie. My mother helped me build this tree house when I was a boy, and we would come up here to watch sunrises and sunsets."

The view from my bedroom paled compared to this one. The forests, fields, river, and roads stretched before us for an eternity, every inch bathed in summer sunlight. It was a perfect view for a king.

"Everywhere the light touches," I muttered to myself.

"What is that from?"

"You heard that?"

Lorcan grinned, his canine slipping over his bottom lip and giving him a devilish air. "My hearing is much better than yours, Luna."

"Noted. And it's from a movie. Back home." I rocked back on my heels, keeping a tight grip on the railing as I looked from side to side. To the south a mountain rose, its cold peak and barren face at sharp odds with the warmth and rich foliage of the Summer lands. "That's not the same mountain the palace is on, is it?"

Lorcan's brows flattened, and his jaw tightened. "No. That is not. It is a place most Fae avoid, and you needn't worry about it."

"But—"

"There," he pointed toward the road Eira and her crew had taken, "is the road to the other courts. Spring and Autumn are through the forest. Winter is quite a bit farther and near the Northern Sea. It's a miserable place filled with miserable Fae."

This wouldn't be the best time to mention I quite enjoyed winter. Instead, I asked, "Niamh and Eira... They both mentioned the Coire. What is it?"

The Fae King shifted away from me, his boots thudding softly on the wooden planks as he wandered to the opposite end of the platform. "The Coire is... complicated."

Irritation twisted inside me. "Lorcan. If this is to work, then you have to be honest with me. I cannot fall for someone who lies."

"I do not lie. There are things about Faerie that I cannot share with you unless you decide to stay here. If you know too much, then leaving is no longer your choice. I will not take that away from you."

He spit out the last sentence, and my ire softened. "I'm sorry. It's just that you're the only one who seems to be pleased that I'm here. How do I know I'm safe?"

Lorcan was at my side in a flash. His hands were soft against my face as he cupped my cheeks, holding me in place while he looked into my eyes. "I pledge every breath I take from this moment to the next full moon to keeping you safe."

It wasn't the promise I wanted to hear. I wanted assurance that there was no danger to me in this place. But Lorcan told me he did not lie. The last few hours were proof enough that, beneath the beauty and magic, threats lurked.

Putting my hand behind his head, I rose on my tiptoes and pressed my lips against his. Lorcan stiffened, his pupils widening until black nearly swallowed the glimmering irises. Just when I was about to pull away, embarrassed by the lack of reciprocation, his eyelids dropped and he groaned against my mouth. He pushed me backward until he pinned me between him and the railing, the evidence of his desire pressing into my stomach as he took control of the kiss.

"Lorcan," I moaned as his hands worked their way through the slits of my dress, the pads of his fingers like burning brands against my ribcage.

"You taste as sweet as I imagined," he murmured, nipping along my chin as his thumbs brushed against the swell of my breasts. "But I bet the nectar at your center tastes even sweeter."

He dropped to his knees and gathered my full skirts into his fists. Cool air brushed my thighs as he lifted the fabric, going slow enough to torture me. His lashes fluttered over his cheekbones as he closed his eyelids, inhaling deeply as his face neared the heated space between my thighs.

"You're so wet for me. I smell your desire."

Later, I knew it would mortify me, but right now I was too turned on to be embarrassed. All I wanted was his mouth on me. His tongue inside of me.

"Are you sure, Luna? Once I taste you, I will do everything in my power to make you mine. I will play dirty."

That long missed voice that had emerged on the ride up here awoke again. This time, she was far louder than the cautious creature I'd become, and all I could think about was that in this moment, I wanted nothing more than to take what he offered and never return to the girl with too many holiday pajama sets and books.

"Luna—" Lorcan's voice was tight with strain.

Incapable of speaking, I let my body answer. Elbows on the railing, I dropped my head back and arched my back, legs spreading wider for easier consumption. His dark chuckle reached my ears, and then there was a whisper of his breath against my aching center, and a spark of pain where his fingers dug into the soft flesh at the back of my thighs.

"You are mi—"

I screamed. But it wasn't with pleasure. Something sharp sliced through my arm. Lorcan was on his feet at once, roaring when he saw blood welling from a deep cut. Behind him, still vibrating, I could see an arrow embedded in the tree trunk.

"What's happening?" I demanded, putting pressure on the wound.

"We need to get you back in the palace," he replied, all traces of desire and kindness washed away. Right now, he was every inch a king.

"Okay."

I wouldn't argue with him. This platform was too exposed. Wood cracked. The world tilted as the railing gave way, and I fell over the side. Lorcan dove for me, his hands desperately clutching at the material of my skirt. It slowed me for a second; the bodice tightening around my waist until I couldn't breathe.

Our eyes met as the fabric tore, and then I saw nothing but sky and treetops as I hurdled toward the ground.