“I’m sorry there was no one there to protect you when you needed it.” She told me, “But we are here now, we’ll always protect you.”

I had expected him to ask the color of my hair or a strand of my soul. I was flabbergasted for a moment before I collected myself enough to assure him I would.

“I love her with all that I am. I will destroy anything and anyone who tries to harm her.” He went on, making sure I understood how far he would go to protect his fragile wife. “If you loose control and she is harmed or if you fail to protect her when the time comes I will end you…Do you understand what I am telling you?”

“And look at what a incandescent little star you have become because of it.” He grinned, “Someday you’ll burn so brightly the entire empire will sing of your glory.”

“I’d prefer to hide my glory.” I chuckled, “Being the center of attention was never my ultimate goal, I think hiding in your shadow is more fitting for me.”

“I believe you’re the type of rarity that creates her own shadows. You are definitely too bright of a spark to ever get away with hiding in the dark.”

“You don’t need to carry that burden.” He told me gently, “It’s not your place to be the link between our two races. It doesn’t matter how or why we are different. We should be looking at our differences and celebrating them, not picking them apart to compare statistics.”

“But I could be useful.” I replied, “If we stayed than-”

“We aren’t staying.” Ash cut me off, “You’re obviously unwell, this place has taken it’s toll on you. It’s past time we left. The only reason we haven’t left already is to make sure he didn’t drop dead.”

“I’m the one that should be apologizing. I had wanted to prepare you before we even arrived to court but nothing turned out how I had planned.” He murmured as he clenched his eyes shut as painful memories flashed. “You are the first formal lover I have taken, but there have been others that I couldn’t bring to court,” he admitted to me in hushed tones. “A year ago Goldwyn threatened someone I cared about to turn against me. I narrowly escaped but not without taking their life instead.”

“I no longer sensed their souls nearby. My kind has a fancy for souls.” He grinned, his arm was around his wife’s shoulder as she leaned into his side. His fingers tracing gentle patterns on her bare skin as he spoke. “I imagine you sensed they left as well but by entirely different means.”

The prince nodded, “Am I wrong to assume that you’re a species of dark fey then?”

“No, you are not wrong.”

His gaze shot to someone behind us and gestured for them to approach us. “Ah, Spy Master Phineas. Thank you for gracing us with your presence.”

The flustered man bowed lowly as he neared, “My sincerest apolo-”

He didn’t get any further after that because his head separated from his shoulders and his body toppled to the floor in a bloody heap. I had barely blinked but I had somehow missed the king brandishing his sword and slicing off the advisors head until blood suddenly covered the walls and ceiling.

“You failed as Spy Master, your services are no longer needed.” He told the headless body before turning to the blood speckled advisors around us. “If anyone is interested in the vacant position I would be keen to hear your qualifications.”

“No one deserves to live like this.” I told him, watching his eyes study the intricate pattern carefully. “A dark faerie took me and gave me this. He told me I should be honored he chose me and I should thank him for the pain he inflicted. He cut open my head just to dig around in my brain to see what he could find…”

“I can’t control this.” I admitted to her, “I thought I could but whatever happened to me. Whatever he did to me. I can’t control this. It’s a living monster underneath my skin.”

“Stop it.” She demanded, “You are not a monster. You are powerful. This is powerful.” She gestured to the bright blue flame that twirled between my fingers like a fluttering ribbon. “I can never hope to harness the power you have. I will never have the strength that you carry in your bones. But I will be damned if I let him crush your spirit and make you believe you are weak.”

“I don’t know what a Khalasiwane is.”

He muttered to himself, sorting through his vast vocabulary for the right word he wanted but was coming up short. “Sirens?” He offered to me.

“Mermaids?” I questioned, “Do you mean mermaids?”

He nodded, “Yes, but don’t let them hear you call them that. They’ll think you’re disrespecting them.”

“But I suppose I’ve been preparing for this for years.”

“Preparing for what?”

“For the reality that this could all end very abruptly and very violently.” She murmured, her expression somber. “I’ve known since the night I met Hendryx that this could all end before I could blink. I’ve tried to steel myself for that possibility ever since.”