"I'll leave you two alone to talk," Niamh said, bending her elegant neck toward her brother as she backed away.

"I don't believe there's anything left to talk about," I said, refusing to believe he could tell me anything that would make me stay. At least...I looked at the ground. At least, not for him.

Lorcan settled on the bench and patted the empty space next to him. It was such a simple, human gesture, and it caught me so off guard, I sat down without arguing. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and tipped his head back to bask in the tree's white, shimmering glow. T

here was nothing human about his beauty and grace, and beneath those distracting things, was an air of danger. It was easy to miss because it wasn't obvious like his brother's, but I felt it now, sitting so close to him and knowing what he was capable of.

In fact...I scooted a few inches away and breathed through my mouth. Better safe than sorry.

"Do you remember the night your horse took off with you, and you spent the night in the Middle Lands?"

Prepared for a declaration of love, this abrupt shift caught me off guard. "I do."

"The next morning, when I asked you where you spent the night, you said you stayed in a temple. You mentioned statues."

I hadn't given much thought to the temple in weeks. So many of my memories of that night were fragmented, all violet light and freezing temperatures, and the fever that followed made it hard to distinguish between what was real and what was a dream.

"What about them, and what does this have to do with me staying in Faerie?"

Lorcan pursed his lips and ran a hand through his long, golden mane. "That temple marks the place where the Ancient Ones first appeared on earth. It has great power and means a great deal to the Fae, but since the Vow, we no longer go there."

"The Vow...Calix mentioned that. He said some also call it the Curse." I inched closer as my curiosity overtook my anger and distrust.

At the sound of his brother's name, Lorcan tensed and flexed his jaw, but when he spoke, none of his irritation showed in his voice. "Long ago, the Fae had unfettered access to the human realm. We came and went as we pleased, taking humans back to Faerie."

"To breed with them?" Niamh's explanation came rushing back to me.

"Often that was the case. The Ancient Ones deeply desired humans, and that attraction passed onto their offspring. Some merely enjoyed exerting their power over the humans, and they turned them into slaves and amusements. But nearly all of them wanted access to the humans because—" Lorcan cleared his throat and clenched his fists in his lap. "Because being around humans extends our lifespan."

"I-I don't understand. How?"

"In the human realm, we feed off their life source. Fae are drawn to creative types usually. Humans called us muses. In Faerie, it looks a bit different. When they bind themselves to the Coire, it gives all Fae a boost."

I jumped up from my seat. Tears flooded my eyes. What a fool I had been.

"So that's why you wanted me to stay? Needed another boost, did you?"

"No!" He grabbed me and pulled me between his legs, pinning in place with two firm hands on my hips. "Whatever you think of me, do not think that."

His touch did nothing for me. Not even a spark of the usual lust passed between us, and I pounded at his hands, desperate to escape him. He held tight, refusing to let go and waiting out my temper tantrum.

"My father sacrificed his life to enact the Vow. It cut the Fae off from the human realm. We must have a human's consent to bring them here, and our magic can not glamour or control the humans that remain in Faerie. I would not dishonor him by doing something so terrible to you."

I stared into his golden eyes, searching for the lie. It had to be there because for that to be true, then it couldn't be he who poisoned me with the flower.

"Then why will you not let me go?"

"If that is what you wish, I will do it, but I need to tell you the real reason I risked the wrath of the entire Fae Realm to bring you here when you asked."

He released me. I stepped back, testing him to see if he would stop me, and when he didn't move, I stopped. "Tell me why, Lorcan."

"The spell keeping the human realm safe is failing. Part of the Vow required a blood sacrifice from an earth born human. It has to be a willing sacrifice, and once the blood is offered, the human will be bound to Faerie forever. There will be no going back."

"You said your father died, and Calix said his mother was dead because of him. Was she the earth born human who sacrificed herself for this spell? Are you asking me to die for this?" My voice remained steady even as my heart thundered inside my chest.

"It wouldn't be like that. We've studied the spell for years. It would only require a bit of blood since it's maintaining the spell, not creating it. Please, Luna. If you don't do this, then everything my parents gave up will be for naught, and your world will be exposed to dangers beyond imagining. I'd hoped this would be easy because you would come to love me, but now I must beg you to understand there is no choice. Either you stay here and help us, or you go home and wait for the Fae to return."

He stood up, drawing himself to his full height. Backlit by the fading sunlight, he looked like an angry angel preparing to strike me down. Until his lips curled up in a sneer, and his fangs slipped over his bottom lips.

"And the Fae...they're ravenous."