The scene below me was one straight from my favorite books and something I thought I'd only ever experience through paper pages and movie screens. But I wasn't the same woman who came to Faerie three weeks ago. It didn't hold the same appeal as before, because beneath the golden shine and glitter, danger lurked, waiting for the weak and ignorant to spring its trap.

I touched the mask of pearl and silk that covered my face and drew in a deep breath. I might not be as ignorant as I used to be, but I remained human. A frame of brittle bones strung together with flaws and frailty.

"Here," Niamh whispered, coming up behind me. She pushed an earring post through my ear and secured it, then moved to the other ear. "Do not remove these during the party."

I smiled at her and rubbed the tip of my finger along the smooth surface. "I was worried you had changed your mind about letting me wear these when I didn't find them laid out for me."

She crinkled her nose and smoothed the silk scarf covering her dark blue hair. She wore a mask fashioned to look like her bird form, and the base color of her mask matched her hair, hiding all but her ruby painted mouth.

"My brother and I promised to ensure your safety tonight. Lunasta can give the wearer the scent of the Fae, but it cannot hide your human scent. So, I took it to the Enchanter, and he soaked them in lavender and lemon balm. As long as you wear them, no one shall suspect you're human."

"You think no one will wonder who the stranger is when everyone will have heard the rumors by now?"

Niamh sighed and pushed me against the railing, pointing into the crowd. "Most Fae are very rigid in their beliefs. If you do not look like they believe a human would look, then they will conclude you are not human."

"I do not look like them, though."

"No, you do not. Their beauty pales compared to yours."

I spun around. Lorcan approached with Calix a few steps behind. He was garbed in a deep green, high-necked coat and matching trousers. His mask was simple and made of the same green material. A black ribbon held his long hair back from his face. Calix wore a similar suit, but his was black with silver embroidery, and he wore no mask.

The king held up my hands and let his eyes travel the full length of my body, tracing the visible swells of my breasts twice before dipping lower. A growl rumbled in his throat as he took in the generous amount of skin on display.

"That dress is going to result in the death of at least one Fae this evening," he said, pressing the tip of his pointer finger against the emerald stone above my navel. He cut his eyes at his sister. "This is not the original dress you brought to me for approval."

"When I found that necklace, we had to make changes," she explained.

And by changes, she meant we threw out the old dress and replaced it with a single strip of diaphanous white silk. It was looped over my neck like a scarf and carefully arranged to cover only my nipples before crossing behind my back and around my hips, where she pinned it to cover my lady bits, leaving every inch of my legs exposed. All for the sake of putting the body chain on full display.

A gust of chilled air swept over me, causing my nipples to tighten beneath the thin material. That wind was far too cold to be natural in the Summer Court. I looked over Lorcan's shoulder to find Calix staring at me. Last night's hunger was gone. In its place was something far colder than that wind, and it sent shivers through my bones.

I stared back, refusing to let him intimidate me. It might have worked before he revealed there was something softer beneath the cruel prince persona. Before we had laughed together and danced together. Before he had stood up for me and my freedom. I didn't know what had changed in the brief span of time since then, but he couldn't scare me away.

Then again, what did it matter? I was going home.

"Lorcan," I said, tugging him away from his siblings. "We need to talk."

A rakish grin pulled at his lips. "As much as I would love to talk to you in that dress, we have guests waiting."

"That's not—"

A cry rose from the crowd below, and I heard a familiar woman's voice rise above the clamor. Eira. "Where is our king and host?"

"See," Lorcan whispered, tipping my chin up to catch my lips in a quick kiss. "Let us enjoy our night."

"Lorcan, it really can't—"

He ignored me and walked to the stairs, raising his hands in the air in greeting. The thousands of vines covering the ballroom ceilings and walls burst into bloom in response. I stumbled back as the first notes of the Druil blossom hit me and slapped a hand over my nose to keep from breathing in.

"Luna, here," Calix said, pulling me against him. Niamh rolled her eyes and followed Lorcan.

Calix wiped something around my nose. It was moist and cooling, almost like menthol, and it was now the only thing I could smell.

"Thank you," I said, with tears in my eyes.

He searched my face and nodded. Then stepped away and gestured toward the stairs. "Your king waits for you."

"Calix..." I sighed, wishing I could tell him my decision, but Lorcan deserved to hear it first.

"Luna."

Hand hovering above the gilded railing, I looked over my shoulder. "Yes?"

"Whatever you do this evening, don't eat any of the flowers you're offered. Understood?"

If the scent of those blossoms drove me wild, I could only imagine what eating them would do. "Of course not. A blossom will not pass my lips."

If only I had been a little less ignorant and a little less human, I might not have sprung the trap waiting for me.