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Exactly the way a bear’s purr would sound, I imagined. So much of his countenance reminded me of the animal. Vaguely, I wondered if that was common to all the shifters. Joseph was thin and dextrous and his gaze seemed to always have the crafty look, like he was actively planning something sly right under everyone’s noses. Just like a fox, now that I thought about it. Maybe I’d ask Callum about it later.

“Now your turn, Mimi,” Sloane said, bringing the frame back to focus on her. “We don’t even know his name, just that he’s from Marish.” She paused and tilted her head back to Jacob again. “That’s the place, right? The one that’s north of us?”

Jacob’s murmured agreement was so low, it buzzed through my bones even through the mirror. It almost distracted me from my confusion.

“You weren’t given his name? We were given yours.”

It was Jacob who answered. “We were validated first the evening after Magefall, so the Votarists hadn’t confirmed your pairing. When we completed our own marriage rites, the topic only came up long enough to confirm you were in Marish.”

Sloane’s flush was bright again, enough to make me want to pester her about what exactly happened in those rites. I thought through some of the possibilities that would make my sister not want to talk about it in front of her… her husband. Even in my mind, the phrase felt strange. It was probably something to do with sex, honestly. Sloane was pretty private with things like that. That wasn’t really something I wanted to bring up in front of Callum. Not with his whispered promise sitting between us and the elephant of my assaults crowding out the rest of the space.

I adjusted until there was little room between Callum and me, our knees brushing. If there was that six inch gap, Sloane would ask about it. His breath caught for a heartbeat, and the wisteria of his scent grew more potent. Then I moved the mirror, flipping it so it sat on its side rather than the handle, and carefully propped it up against the book I’d been reading, finding a spot that was mostly dried out already.

“Oh my gosh, that fountain is so pretty, Mimi!”

My laugh this time was lighter. “Of course you’d notice the fountain and not the man.”

She scrunched her nose as Jacob’s laugh boomed through the mirror.

“Well, to be fair,” she groused, “I can only see his knee.”

Crap.

“Oh, shoot. There’s no preview showing what you can see, so I thought I had the frame right. Hold on. Tell me when it’s better.”

I leaned forward and moved the mirror more toward Callum. Jacob’s sudden, sharp intake of breath was enough for me to know they could see Callum now. Sloane frowned and focused on her husband, tilting the mirror up, too.

“What’s wrong?”

Jacob’s voice was much more cautious than I’d heard it before, even on Magefall. He inclined his head as he said, “Your Highness.”

Sloane gasped and sat up, the movement fast enough the mirror’s view blurred.

“He’s a prince?” Her question was shrill, nearly a shriek. “How did you not start with that?!”

Callum’s laugh was softer than Jacob’s, but it warmed me down to my bones. His knee brushed against mine with the movement, and I struggled to keep my breathing steady. That inner part of me, that nature I was still struggling to accept existed, wanted to climb into his lap and bury my nose in his shoulder until I melded with him and became one entity. The desire hit me with all the force of a freight train, stronger than any desire I’d ever felt with the few men I’d dated in college or after.

My voice was a bit too hoarse for the dry humor to come across, but I tried anyway.

“It’s not like you really gave me a chance to say anything at all.”

Sloane rolled her eyes. Jacob closed the distance between them, kissing her shoulder. “You made an iPhone joke instead of mentioning you’re engaged to a literal prince,” she said with a sigh. “You had plenty of opportunity, thank you very much.”

“Iphone?” Jacob asked.

Callum turned toward me, curiosity the only expression on his face. “You mentioned those when we listened to the messaging stone. They are something from your Arizona?”

All I could manage was a nod while that overwhelming urge to climb him like he was a tree was still pulsing through me.

Callum’s gaze sharpened. Somehow, it felt like he knew exactly what was happening in my head, in my body, even though I’d made sure to wear the lapis lazuli pendant religiously since that first morning and my fear-tinged scent had nearly sent him spiraling. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and then let his touch trail down my jaw. My cheeks flamed, hot enough I was sure the employees of the house cleaning various rooms upstairs could see it if they glanced my direction.

Callum dropped his touch and turned his attention back to the mirror and my sister.

“I wasn’t made aware that you carried the expense of the mirrors’ commission,” he said. “I’ll have the cost sent to you. There’s no need for you to shoulder that burden.”

I expected them to protest—I certainly would—but Jacob only dipped his chin in thanks.

“So… do I get to know his name? Or is he just going to be ‘Prince of Marish’ for the rest of time?”