"Three hours to consider," the Queen announces. "Choose wisely."
As we're escorted out, I catch sight of Yasar's reflection in one of the ice walls. He looks like a man whose carefully laid plans are finally coming to fruition—but his eyes keep tracking back to Elçin with an expression I can't quite read.
Which raises the question—whose plans, exactly?
The Fae guards are beautiful in that terrifying way that makes you want to stare and run simultaneously. Perfect features, but their smiles are too sharp and their eyes hold the kind of hunger that suggests they find screaming entertaining.
"Well," I murmur to Nesilhan as we walk, "that was illuminating."
"How so?"
"My dear cousin seems remarkably comfortable with the idea of Elçin being trapped here monthly. And Elçin herself wasn't exactly shocked by the proposal."
"You think there's something we don't know?"
I glance around at our little group—Banu muttering curses in multiple languages, Elçin walking with that perfect posture that screams 'I'm hiding something significant,' and Yasar matching pace beside her, murmuring something too low for me to catch that makes her shoulders tense.
"Oh, I think there are quite a few things we don't know," I say softly. "The question is whether we'll live long enough to figure them out."
Behind us, I hear Yasar's voice, pitched just for Elçin: "When you're ready to tell me what you're really protecting, küçük peri, I'll be listening. Some secrets are too dangerous to carry alone."
Her response is too quiet to hear, but the way her hand moves to her sword hilt tells me everything I need to know about how welcome his concern is.
This is going to be interesting.
CHAPTER 27
THE HOT SPRINGS
NESILHAN
Back in our rose quartz chamber, I barely make it through the door before Kaan's shadows slam it shut behind us and he's on me.
"Where were we?" he growls against my throat, teeth grazing the sensitive skin. "Before politics so rudely interrupted."
"You were about to?—"
"I was about to make you scream," he finishes, spinning me to face the wall. "And now I'm going to make you pay for every second I had to sit in that throne room pretending I wasn't thinking about bending you over the Queen's table."
"Oh, this should be good," the mirror chimes in. "Round two, everyone. Places, please."
Kaan's shadows freeze mid-caress. His head turns slowly toward the ornate mirror, and the temperature in the room drops several degrees.
"One more word," he says with deadly calm, "and I'll shatter you into a thousand pieces and scatter them across the Void."
"Noted. Shutting up. Mostly."
"Mostly?" I can't help the laugh that escapes.
"Well, I do havefeelings," the mirror protests. "Centuries of watching fae fornicate and not once have I?—"
A hairline crack appears across the mirror's surface.
"Right. Silent now. Completely silent."
But before Kaan can return his attention to me, the armoire in the corner clears its throat—or whatever sound enchanted furniture makes when trying to get attention.
"If I may interject?—"
