"Stop wiggling," Calix grunted in my ear, the arm around my waist tightening to hold me in place.

"If you'd let me have my own horse, this wouldn't be a problem," I responded, my voice as angelic as possible, while I ground my ass against his crotch. "Are you okay? Is it painful to be that hard?"

I hoped it was, because the joy teasing him brought me didn't drown out the pure misery I'd been in since first feeling his erection pressing into my backside. The only thing keeping me from turning around in the saddle was the fact that his arousal wasn't for me specifically. Any healthy Fae male would get turned on in this position.

He yanked me against him, pinning me in place and putting an end to my squirming. Unfortunately for him, this new position only made things more intimate. Fingers splayed wide against my stomach, his skin felt like a brand through the thin material of my blouse, and his body curled around mine.

"We don't have an entire evening to waste searching for you."

I sniffed. "That was your fault. I'm perfectly capable of riding a horse into town."

"And if the fierig comes charging out of the trees? You'd be halfway to the Winter Court before your horse would slow." Hot breath washed over my ear as he chuckled. "Then again, at least you would be safe. I'm a fool for bringing you."

"Please don't."

"Please don't what?" He asked, moving the reins to his other hand and pushing my hair off my neck with the other.

Shivering at his touch, I swallowed. "Please don't keep me in a cage."

"Luna—"

I twisted and tilted my head back so I could look at his face. He didn't glance down, keeping his eyes on the road. "I trust you."

Three words. Spoken in a whisper, almost drowned out by the steady clip of hooves on the cobblestone road, but you'd have thought I set off a bomb the way Calix flinched. Heavy lashes fanned over his cheeks as he closed his eyes and drew in a breath, one deep enough I could feel his chest expand against my back.

"I will always protect you, little moon."

I nodded and turned back to the front, enjoying the cool temperatures beneath the canopy created by the treelined road. Here and there, the sun broke through, poking golden holes in the shadows that blanketed the road. The dense woods on either side of us meant there was little to see except for more road winding ahead and behind, but it was what we couldn't see caused concern. I'd put on a brave front about the fierig to convince the prince to bring me, but the closer we came to the village, the more I dreaded what we would find.

"Tell me more about your mother."

In all the chaos that ensued, it had been easy to forget our conversation in the library, but it came back to me now, reminding me that as much as Calix annoyed me, I'd enjoyed his company that day. And he was the only one who had been willing to share the secrets of Faerie.

He took so long to answer; I thought I had angered him. Laying his chin on my head, he exhaled and said, "She was human. Born in Greece. One of the last to be brought to Faerie without consent."

"But you said she was your father's true mate? How can that be if she was a human?"

The horse shook its head and stepped to the side. Calix expertly calmed the animal and held me tight. When she settled, he relaxed and let his arm slide down my body, stopping with his hand on my thigh.

"Calix."

"You started this game, little moon," he whispered. I held my breath, expecting his touch to wander. All it would take was a shift and gentle nudge, and he would have access to my most intimate parts. But he moved no further.

"Long ago, there were only humans in this world and only one realm. When the Ancient Ones arrived—"

"Ancient Ones? I've heard you mutter about them before." Every time he did, something sparked in my memory but never caught fire.

"You might call them gods. Powerful, otherworldly beings. They fell in love with humans, and their union created the Fae. So, it's really quite natural that we would find our mates among humans."

I relaxed into Calix and drummed my fingers against my lower lip while my mind whirled in a million different directions. "But doesn't that make most of the Fae more human than anything else? If you all are going around having babies with the Fae at what point do they stop being Fae and start being human?"

"Has my brother not told you anything about what happens if you stay and bind yourself to him?"

"No, not really. Only that there is a ceremony, and if I stay in Faerie longer than thirty days, I can never return home."

He rubbed my leg, but not in a sensual, teasing manner. It was comforting. "That idiot."

"Did he lie?"

"No. He didn't lie, but I don't know why he wouldn't tell you everything. It might make all the difference in whether you stay or go."

I put my hand over his and curled my fingers around it. "Tell me."

"When a human chooses a Fae mate, they go through a process that changes them. Makes them Fae. At least that's what they resemble the most. I've never understood all the complexities of that ancient magic. Some humans have Fae ancestry. Perhaps a great-grandmother who was seduced by a visitor and left her pregnant. Babes born with Fae blood in your realm might have heightened abilities. You call them witches or psychics. They become quite powerful after the change."

"Oh."

A hollow sensation spread through me. Every time I read a fantasy book, I'd wondered what it must be like to have powers or learn you were special, and I never related to the heroines who bemoaned their fate. But now I understood. Staying in Faerie had been hard enough to contemplate when I thought I was just giving up my realm, but now it sounded like I would lose part of myself as well.

"And your mother chose this?"

"She did. Father knew who she was the moment he saw her, and while it wasn't as clear to her because her human nature hid it from her, she still couldn't deny their connection." The sky became visible above us as the trees thinned, and up ahead, I spied smoke rising in lazy loops from rooftops. "Father said she was magnificent when she woke from the Sleep. She crackled with power. The shadows answered her call. She could slip into them and travel the continent, and she could conjure lightning from a cloudless sky."

His voice was lighter. Softer. Almost childlike as he spoke of his mother. I hated to ruin the moment by asking how she'd been involved in the Vow, but I feared we might never have another moment like this.

"Calix—"

Screams rent the air, and the horse reared back, pawing at the air as its nostrils flared. I slammed into Calix's chest, gasping at the impact and praying we didn't fall off, but my concern was needless. The prince's expert horsemanship saved us from being thrown into the dirt, and the moment the horse landed on its feet, he spurred the beast into a gallop toward the town.

"When I dismount, turn the horse around and ride back to the palace without stopping," Calix said as we burst onto the town square. Every building burned, black smoke choked the air, and charred bodies littered the ground as the survivors ran about wailing.

"No!"

"You promised," he hissed, bringing us to a stop. He twisted around me and gripped my chin, forcing me to look into his panicked eyes. "You said you would listen. This isn't the work of one fierig. It's an entire pack. I need to know you're safe."

"What are you going to do against a pack?" I protested and wrenched free of his grasp.

"More than you can." He slipped off the horse. The moment his boots touched the ground, lightning lashed across the cloudless sky. "Now go!"

He smacked the horse's rump. With tears in my eyes, I let it lead, knowing it would instinctually head home to where it was safe. I risked a glance over my shoulder, but Calix existed only in mist and shadows, flitting to villagers to whisk them to safety. Behind a crumbling house, a monstrous figure rose tall, its flaming hands swiping wide as it searched for fresh victims.

"Dear god," I whispered as its fiery teeth sank into the flesh of screaming woman.

"Mother!" a frail voice cried out as I galloped by.

"Wait," I said, pulling on the reins and scanning the street. We were nearly out of the village, but a few cottages with thatched roofs lined the road. Neatly trimmed hedges provided privacy around each humble home, and it was underneath one that I saw a trembling child huddled, her lavender eyes wet with tears as she called out again for her mother.

The horse whinnied as a fierig roared, and the ground shook as buildings collapsed. Whimpering, the child scooted farther into the bushes. I coughed as ash on the wind choked me.

If I didn't keep riding, Calix was going to strangle me, but if I didn't help this child, I would regret it every day for the rest of my life. Mind made up, I decided it was better to ask for forgiveness and dismounted.