Kiran had seen Cara's mother standing along the fence near their cottage, but Cara mustn't have noticed. When she had grabbed his face and kissed him, he had been stunned. The day after their bargain, she had insisted she wouldn't kiss someone she wasn't married to. Her mother's eyes had burned with anger when they parted, but that was something Cara would have to deal with. Probably was dealing with.

He had to return to Tatiana's little court, to have his face seen among the Fae and to avoid any more human contact. Most human contact was so dull, so straight and narrow. It was always the same questions.

Where are you from?

Are you a traveler?

How did your hair get so pale?

The only one who hadn't asked any of those questions was Cara. She had called him out immediately as Fae and then insisted on bargaining. And even in their later conversations, she hadn't been afraid of him. She had stood her ground with her demands, despite his insistence their joining wouldn't happen.

And then she had kissed him. He could still feel her lips on his own, had to resist the urge to press his fingers against them to portray their softness. He had kissed and been kissed before, but for some reason Cara's had taken him by surprise. Not just in her manner, but in the feeling. His heart had nearly stopped beating, and then it had started racing. He couldn't remember the last time his heart had beat so fast.

He had grabbed her waist in an effort to push her away from him, but his hands betrayed him and pulled her closer instead. His body had yearned for her to be nearer, a want he hadn't felt in ages. Easily a decade. It was a very strange feeling. So strange, he hadn't wanted to be alone upon his return to court.

Breena chattered about nothing in particular, sprawled out on his couch, hands moving animatedly, passing the time in her own way. Her human pets had bored her so she sent them to hide for her twisted game of hide-and-seek. She'll look for them eventually, most likely after they die of starvation and reek of piss and shit. Because they'll stay in the spot they hid until she found them, regardless of natural urges or needs. Breena had commanded them to do so.

Frowning, Kiran recalled how he had tried to have Cara kiss him that morning she had denied him. She hadn't fallen victim to his whim, which is the only reason he had told Breena her name. But the question remained of why she wasn't affected when every other creature was? Faeries could compel any simple minded creature to do their bidding. It was why the Fae collected humans on the full moon, because some humans weren't as simple. With the power of the full moon, though, even the strongest mind could be controlled by a faerie.

"Do you remember when Oberon had that affair with a human?" Breena asked suddenly.

"Oberon never had an affair with a human. That's strictly against his code. Only Fae."

Breena sat up on the couch, leaning her arms on the armrest. "She was part human then. A halfling at best. Surely you remember?"

"The halfling affair was over two decades ago. Titania had her banished to the human realm," he responded, uninterested.

"Wasn't there a child from that union?"

Kiran glanced at her curious face, his own brows knitting. Her amber eyes looked at him pointedly. "I don't remember. There were so many rumors, twisted stories with half truths."

"Come on, Kiran. There was a child. Oberon searched for it until Titania put a stop to it. How do you not remember?"

"I didn't care. I still don't. Human and Fae coexist. It's only natural for our species to intertwine every so often. And Oberon consorting with a halfling is no business of ours." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"When the king of the Seelie Court has an affair, it's kind of a big deal, regardless of if it's our business or not. There's nothing wrong with a little gossip to liven up boring moments in our lives."

"I never cared for the antics of the Courts."

Breena cast him a sidelong glance, watching him pace around his room. "You'd better be careful who you say those words to. What if someone tells Tatiana your opinions?"

"Let her hear them. Tatiana isn't the real queen anyway. Mab is. Mab is the queen of all Unseelie. She's only humoring Tatiana until she tires of her."

She glared at him. "Then why are you here? Why separate from Mab in the first place?"

"To watch over you, dear sister." He stared at her, the silver specks in her eyes shimmering through the amber. He had surprised her speechless so he took the opportunity to continue. "I can't stand any of the Courts. I have no interest in their political whims or why each ruler can't stand the other. I broke away from Mab when you did to ensure you didn't do anything that would bring her wrath and to get myself out of Court. But this life gets boring, so I figured I would try something new with you."

"That's why you approached that human? Because you were bored?"

"I approached her because she intrigued me," he explained. Boredom wasn't the word he would have chosen. Not when he had such a strong desire to get to know her. She had interested him from her unusual way of behaving, so different from a typical human. And every encounter since had only increased her mystery.

"You may not care about the Courts but Queen Tatiana cares about the development of your deal. She could've just killed Cara, like she should have. Humans in a Fae court, allowed to walk free." She scoffed. "What have we become?"

Kiran shrugged, knowing she wasn't looking for an answer.

"What are you going to do? You can't abandon the Court now. There's too many eyes on you."

"I don't know yet. But when I figure it out, will you help me if I need it?"

She met his gaze steadily. "Of course."

♦♔♚♕♛♢

The last night of the full moon was always the most chaotic for faeries. It's the night their powers were strongest, just before they started to wane going into the new moon. Kelpies swarmed the water like gnats, anxious to overcome the most resilient victim. Pixies went off to find any living thing they could torment. Minotaurs, glamoured as humans, started bar fights to express their superior strength.

Breena had left hours ago to find a new human–or several–to entertain her, leaving Kiran alone to figure out how best to get out of Tatiana's spotlight. He laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he contemplated ideas. He knew better than to write anything down. There were too many nosy creatures in this mock court, and writing left evidence. If word got back to Tatiana he planned on bailing, leaving would become impossible or require chaperones. If she didn't lock him for punishment. He didn't tolerate followers and house arrest had never sounded fun.

A buzz of energy trilled through his veins and he knew the moon was almost at its highest. There wouldn't be any sacrifices tonight but his presence was expected regardless. In Tatiana's lesser Unseelie Court, everyone celebrated the full moon.

Heaving a groan, he headed over to his closet, picking out black leather pants and a white tunic. Nothing too fancy, but Tatiana demanded class when her Fae acted like animals. As if their fashion choice made them less sinister. He settled on moccasins after a long internal debate to go barefoot out of spite. He didn't want to deal with wrath quite yet.

In the Great Room, several humans intermingled with the Fae. As with every full moon, he wondered how many would go home in the morning. There were no official sacrifices–that was last night to encourage the full moon–but sometimes humans still ended up dead.

Kiran glanced around, keeping to the wall. He noticed Breena dancing in the crowd with a slack-jawed human, drool rolling down his chin. The raunchy spider silk dress she wore barely covered her breasts or butt. Male Fae looked at her in disgust but Kiran knew a few of them to be her former lovers. He knew Breena never fully fornicated with humans, but he let the males simmer in their jealousy.

Along the eastern wall, human women were strung up naked, laughing gaily as they got cakes, fruits, and drinks thrown at them. Fortunately, there were no children present. Although it was mostly the Seelie Court that took children, sometimes replacing them with changelings, Tatiana's Unseelie would take them once in a while for an added thrill. If Kiran happened upon any children, he would command them to return home, which usually resulted in a fight with the Fae who brought them.

Seeing how the humans had already enjoyed some refreshment, which was why they were so compliant, Kiran decided to get some of his own. If he was to be forced to attend these parties, being drunk helped. By the spirits, he hoped there was something stronger than wine.

Upon his arrival at the glamored bar–fashioned to attract unsuspecting humans–he heard a familiar laugh. For the briefest moment, he thought his eldest sister, Orla, had come to visit them, but she hadn't laughed since they were kids. I didn't know anyone else who's laugh he could identify.

His blood froze. There was another. He was almost too afraid to look, barely turning his head so he only saw her from the corner of his eye.

There she stood, garbed in her unflattering farm dress but still managing to glow with beauty. Her auburn hair was down, falling down her back in coppery waves. She was talking to the cat Fae again, Gaelish. A crystalline glass of wine was held delicately in her hand as she laughed again at something he said.

Anger surged through Kiran so quickly his vision turned red. "Cara!" he roared, stomping toward her.

Gaelish backpedaled in fear before disappearing into the crowd. Cara took a moment to turn around, the laughter fading from her emerald eyes when their gazes collided.

***Oh, man, I am really loving Kiran's POV. This was a long chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it!***