PROLOGUE
‘So you see, Faye Morgan, you have nothing else left to bargain with, and I will not allow you to leave. Unless…’ Levantiana looked appraisingly at Faye and held out her hand. ‘There might be something. But you will not like it.’
Faye could hear the distant pounding of feet. Someone was coming.
‘If this is the only way, then I’ll do what has to be done,’ Faye answered grimly. ‘Will you help us get home? If I agree to your bargain?’
‘Of course.’ Levantiana’s smile twinkled brightly.
‘What is it? What do you want in return?’ Faye took Levantiana’s hand, and the queen waved her other hand at the approaching soldiers; they slowed as if they were running in syrup.
‘Something you can make, but I cannot. A child.’
Faye frowned in disbelief.
‘A child?’ she repeated. ‘What? No! That’s…inhuman.’
Levantiana laughed.
‘I am not human,’ she agreed.
‘Why…a child?’ Faye stammered.
‘I have my reasons.’ Levantiana regarded Faye impassively. ‘Or, I can wave my hand and they will take you. And they will put you and your lover in the darkest place in this castle and leave you to rot there. It is your choice.’ She smiled icily. ‘And believe me,sidhe-leth, the dungeons here are filled with horrors you cannot comprehend.’
‘It’s no choice!’ Faye cried. ‘Please don’t ask this of me.’
‘Another plea. You humans are full of wants, and yet when your pleas are answered, you do not like the solutions,’ Levantiana snapped. ‘You are human. You can have other babies – as many as you wish. You will not miss one. And I assure you that it will be well taken care of. It will live as a prince or princess of Murias.’ There was no compassion in Levantiana’s eyes; no understanding that a baby was anything other than a possession or a pet. ‘Choose. Quickly.’
I managed to get Rav away from Finn, Faye reasoned.SoI can make this right, too. For now, I can agree to the pact. I don’t have to do it.
‘All right. I agree to your pact,’ she said. ‘Now. Get us out of here.’
RULES FOR INTERACTING WITH FAERIE
One.Never eat or drink in the faerie realms. Taking in their food and drink, while delicious, will alter a human body forever and make it more of the fae, less of the human. This can result in a greater susceptibility to illness and bad luck while in the human world, though it can confer great power in the worlds of faerie.
Two.Following on from One. The Rule of Balance applies between the faerie and the human worlds. Each world depends on the other to exist, and there is a natural ebb and flow between the realms. If one realm seeks to overpower the other, chaos reigns. If they work harmoniously together, peace reigns.
Three.Faerie powers must be propitiated by the humans assigned the task, who we call witches. To maintain peace with the faerie realms, witches must care for their places of power in nature, leave regular offerings and remain in communication with the fae.
Four.Do not ask special boons of the fae. The Rule of Balance demands payment, and if a human asks the fae for help, knowthat it will be given, but the price demanded in return will be high.
Five.Observe the rites of the seasons: Beltane, Samhain, the solstices and the equinoxes.
Six.Study the faerie realms and know them before entering them. Keep your wits about you at all times when in the realm of faerie. The fae realms are not like the human world; the fae do not operate as we do. Morality does not exist in the faerie realms. Tread carefully there.
Seven.Wear charms to resist faerie enchantment, or risk being lost. The fae, though they confer power to witches, are perilous and will seek to seduce, possess and impregnate witches for their own ends.
Eight.Know that the longer a human spends in the realms of faerie, the more difficult it will be to return to the mortal world.
Nine.A faerie cannot force a witch to stay in its realm, and a witch has free will. If you enter faerie, it is because you choose to, and you can leave when you wish, as long as you have not partaken too much of the faerie food and wine, or stayed away for too long. The fae will lie to you and tell you that you are their prisoner. You are not. But the fae are persuasive and can make it seem that you cannot leave. Beware.
1
His breath was hot on her neck, and her skin was electric against his.Faye, sidhe-leth,bruadarach, neach-gaoil. His words were honey, his lips velvet on hers. Her pleasure came in spirals of golden light, deepening to red in a soft throb between her legs. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in deeper.Finn, Finn. She called out his name, kissing the golden skin of his sun-warmed chest.Please, more.
He called hersidhe-leth: half fae. It was an identity she was still coming to terms with.
