Midnight Star

I inhale his scent and enjoy the heat of his skin against my arm.

I stay in this one moment, where we are together and there is no blood or fighting or death. There is only us and a fire and a wolf and our feelings.

But these moments are made of dreams, and one must always wake.

"I cannot stay long," Fen says. "I must ready my troops for war. We march tomorrow at daybreak."

I lay my head on his shoulder, staring into the dancing flames. "Please don't fight. Please don't go to war against the Fae."

He kisses the top of my head. "I am sorry, Arianna. But the Council has decided, and I agree with that decision. The Druids nearly killed my brother, and he might die yet. They must pay for what they have done. They will not stop until we are destroyed, don't you see that?"

"It's not that black and white," I say. "Violence will only create more violence."

Fen shakes his head, and I raise mine, looking into his blue eyes.

"They killed Daison," he says. "Why do you care so much about peace with them? About their kind? I know you have their blood, but what does that mean? They kidnapped you. They killed the ones you love. They are not your people."

I open my mouth, prepared to tell him that not all Fae are as he imagines. That they have goodness in them. Love. Kindness. That they are hurting and scared. That their world was destroyed and they are angry and they want their people freed. That not all Druids want war.

Agony grips me.

I fall from my chair, grabbing my throat. But still I do not give up. I need him to know, to understand. So I keep trying, through the pain, through the choking, until blood dribbles out of my mouth and I am coughing it up.

Fen catches me as my body convulses. "What it is, Arianna? What's happening?"

Baron whines and licks my face.

I try to tell him, and the pain worsens. My lungs burn. And so, finally, I stop trying.

The symptoms abate, leaving me exhausted and covered in sweat.

Fen's worried face flashes into something darker, more sinister, as the truth dawns. "Who?" he growls. "Who made you sign another contract?"

Chapter 13

KARASI

Asher

"I'm glad you at least think I'm sexy."

—Asher

Everything has turned to a bloody mess and I, of course, must find a way to fix it before my plans go to rot.

Naturally that means sneaking back to Akaviri and trying to negotiate a truce. Now, how to keep my brother from waging war, that's a whole other beastly matter I'll have to sort out later.

But when I see Fen storming toward me, face-hardened by rage, I know I'll not escape the Realms unscathed by past sins.

His fist makes contact with my face, and I stumble back, rubbing my jaw. Why is he so much stronger than all of us, I wonder, not for the first time. "That will leave a mark, brother," I say. We stand in a cold, stone hall, the windows dark, the blue torches running low. The wolf is not here, fortunately. "But you needn't be so dramatic. It was just a friendly kiss. Nothing happened. You've captured her heart well and good."

Fen's eyes widen and his fist clenches again. "You kissed her?"

Well, hell. "I thought that's what this was about. No?"

"Now it is," Fen says, swinging again. At least he gave my other cheek a swing. Matching bruises and all. The symmetry is a nice touch.

"If this wasn't about the kiss, then what?"

"You made Ari sign another contract!"

"Right. That. How did you know?" I rub my jaw and stretch it out.

"She tried to tell me and it nearly killed her. I figured the rest out myself."

Strong girl, that one. Pity I can't muster up a good lust for her. We'd make a splendid couple, and fabulous rulers of this backward kingdom. But alas, she wasn't wrong in accusing me of pining for another. She wasn't entirely right, but she wasn't wrong.

Fen grabs my collar and lifts me in the air.

"Hang on now, you'll muss the clothing." I try to stay nonchalant, but the Prince of War is out for blood. My blood. It's hard not to take that seriously.

"I will kill you, Asher. What have you done to her and why?"

I've never seen Fen this angry. He raises a fist.

"It was our father!" I finally say.

That freezes him, and he drops me back to my feet. I use the pause to dust the wrinkles out of my lapel.

His eyes go wide. "Our father? But how? He's dead."

"He's not dead," I say. "He survived the poison. But he knew that what he wanted, what he planned, would never work the way things were, so he joined with the Fae and became allies, faking his own death in the process."

"He's been helping the Fae this whole time?" Fen steps back.

I nod. "He orchestrated the kidnapping of Arianna, organized the attack on you. I rescued her, but she had already signed a contract to not reveal his plans." A small lie, that.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me the truth, Asher? I trusted you."

I snort. "You trusted me? Really? Is that why you poisoned our father and then feigned shock when he died? Is that why you held a mock investigation into his death when you knew all along the one responsible?"

"You knew?"

I nod. "I saw you that night, leaving his room. I waited for you to tell me the truth, but you said nothing. So… why didn't I tell you? Because he was our father, and you hurt him. I saw how the thought of his death pained you, and I wanted you to feel that pain a little longer."