The Fae King abruptly halted. Long, graceful fingers teased the end of his hair while he arched a perfectly shaped quizzical brow. "I am not overly familiar with human expressions, but your tone suggests you find that distasteful."

"N-no." Hands raised, I waved them side to side, uncertain if I was fending off his accusation or his resumed physical approach. "It was so dark last night. I didn't see you, and I suppose I assumed you'd have dark hair."

He sniffed. "I am a creature of summer. We have no use for darkness or shadows here."

"Summer. Oh."

In all my daydreaming, I imagined being taken to the Winter or Autumn Courts. Maybe even a solar court. The absurdity of being upset about being taken to the wrong fictional court of the faeries was not lost on me, but if I was going to be stuck in a fantasy, shouldn't I at least get to go where I wanted? And being stuck in eternal summer was not it.

His red, red lips curled up, revealing pointed canines. "There's that tone again."

"Why am I here?"

Maybe it was best to distract him. That graceful brow raised even higher, but this time he did not stop. I stepped back until I felt the ledge of the great window brush against the back of my knees, which immediately buckled. Eyes wide and scream trapped in my throat, I tipped backward.

But I did not fall. The Fae King looped his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. I clung to him without shame, burying my face into his tunic, dragging in gasping breaths as I sought to calm myself, and in the process, dragging in his intoxicating scent. Some woodsy, floral combination that shouldn't have worked on a man but did.

Dear lord, did it work.

What had started as reflex turned into purposeful sniffing, and my hands slipped down, fingers curling into his clothes so tightly I could feel my nails through the fabric. A desperate ache formed between my legs, and only the sudden gust of outside air through the window saved me from asking him to take me there.

"Thank you," I muttered, forearms braced against his chest to keep my nose away from it.

His arms stayed around my middle, his palms flat and fingers spread wide so that I could feel the points of each fingertip pressing into my lower back and butt. Without the heat of the moment distracting me, I could feel the dampness in my panties, and I stiffened, casting a worried look toward his face, wondering if what I'd read was true and he could smell my arousal.

"Are all humans so clumsy?" he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Probably compared to you," I admitted before repeating, "Why am I here?"

A chill settled over me as he stepped away, the edges of his cloak whispering against the stone floor as he inspected the room as if he'd never been in here before. "Because you asked."

"Yes, well..." I faltered. He wasn't wrong, but it made little sense. "So you take every person who asks?"

He passed the fireplace, and flames erupted from the ends of the previously cold, unlit wicks. I watched them for several seconds, mesmerized by the way they flickered and danced. No different, really, from fire back home, but nothing at all alike because magic had conjured this fire.

"No," the Fae King answered, stopping at the chaise lounge and frowning. His starlight eyes went from it, to the bed, around the room, and back. I wanted to ask what he was looking for, but also didn't want to distract him. "Though, the more I think on it, I must admit human women have been asking to be taken far more often of late."

Stifling the giggle that remark caused, I moved to the bed and perched on the edge, delighted to find the comforter cool against my skin. As the morning hours gave way to midday, the room had warmed, but the bedding was as chilled as if I had left it outside on an early spring morning.

No doubt more magic.

I touched the skirt of my pink dress, noticing for the first time I was still wearing it. A bit of dirt stained the hem where I'd fallen in the mud. "So why me?"

"Why not you?"

He approached the bed, and the purple petals of the flowers almost seemed to quiver in his presence. In fact, a few broke loose and fluttered toward him, stopping on his shoulders. The mattress dipped underneath his weight as placed a knee on it, and I couldn't help but appreciate the way his forest green trousers tightened around his thigh as he leaned closer.

"That's a non answer."

"It could be that you intrigued me. That I heard your invitation and quite liked the idea of those long legs wrapped around me." His scent assailed me again as he straddled me and pushed me onto my back. Good lord, the man smelled delicious. My body did not put up the slightest fight, even as my mind rebelled against such intimacy with a stranger. "You did propose to me and offer to carry my children, did you not?"

I nodded like a fool. A horny fool. He grinned, and it was not a comforting grin.

"Maybe it was your hair."

"My hair?" My hand flew to my head and touched the slightly greasy strands in confusion. "What about it?"

The Fae King removed my hand and pinned it against the pillow. He held them there as he devoured me with his eyes. The intensity of his gaze made it feel as if he was already inside me, but when I glanced down, I was shocked to find the only other place we touched besides our hands was where his inner thighs pressed against my outer thighs.

"Well, as disappointed as you were in the color of my hair, I'm quite delighted by yours. It reminds me of the apricots in my orchard. When they're at their ripest and flushed pink. That's when the juice is the sweetest."

"Oh," I managed. "It's probably just because it's dirty."

One of his canines sank into his bottom lip, and he pulled hard on my arms until they were so straight I had to arch my back to relieve some of the pressure. The neckline of the dress slipped against my straining breasts and exposed the pink lace trim of my bra. "I think I might like to have a taste of you. For comparison."

"M-maybe later," I sputtered. Some of the light went out of his eyes, reminding me that the breathtaking beauty of the Fae existed only to hide how dangerous they were.

"I don't think you mean that," he said, his hips lowering slightly, closing the gap between our bodies.

"Maybe I don't," I agreed, mouth watering as his scent became stronger and his body pressed into mine.

"Brother!"

The Fae King rolled off me with a curse. I sat up, clutching my chest, and gaped at the glamorous Fae woman who'd entered the room. Navy hair hung down in her back in tight coils, and her skin was the color of a raven's wing in sunlight. Her silver beaded gown clung to every curve but revealed nothing, the scalloped neckline ending just below her pointed chin and buttoned with seed pearls. And even though they were opposite in almost every way, I would have known she was related to him even if she hadn't called him brother because of the golden glow of her eyes. Which were currently filled with rage.

"Go away, Niamh," the Fae King said, resting his head on the bend of his elbow far too casually for someone who was stopped moments before ravishing a mostly willing woman.

"I will not," she shouted, her crystal earrings bouncing as she shook her head. She would not look at me. "You must take her back at once."

"I will not."

"Actually," I cleared my throat. "I'd like it if–"

"Lorcan! What do you intend to do with her? Humans cannot be kept–" Finally, she glanced at me, sorrow replacing the rage. "Kept as they once were."

"I don't plan to make her my servant or use her life force."

I jumped off the bed and pressed myself into the stone wall. "My life force?"

"Then what do you plan to do with her?"

He sighed. "I plan to marry her."