Author's Note: Interesting that chapter 24 was several people's favorite. :)

I'm glad you brought up your point, Bigby the Big Bad Wolf. I had a couple random chapters that completely erased several times when I finally figured out my Save button in Word is glitching-I could have sworn Milori had an apology during their conversation. I get frustrated rewriting chapters by the third time, and I probably missed retyping the apology in this chapter. (I agree that it's not right when only females apologize in stories.) Hopefully that was the only casualty in my Save button war. I actually ended up making his apology different than in my original (the beauty of having 15 more chapters developing the story first :)). I tweaked chapter 9.

She didn't give a gentle brush over the lips but a deep, passionate kiss.

He stiffened, and she pulled back after a moment when he didn't respond.

His eyes were wide and he was still, as if he was a scared rabbit. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Kissing you," she answered and leaned in to kiss him again.

"Why?"

Looking into his gray eyes, she replied as if confused by the question, "I still love you." Then she leaned forward, cupping his jaw with the hand that wasn't applying pressure to his leg, and kissed him.

Immediately, he was returning the kiss with a hunger that both startled and thrilled her. He breathed heavily, but this time not from pain or weakness. His chained hands cupped her delicate face, and he demanded with a primal urgency. Slipping his hand down, he wrapped his arm around her waist the best he could and pulled her against his body.

Her body hummed with need, with anticipation. Running her hands through his silky hair, she felt him stealing her heart as he kissed under her ear and in the hollow of her neck.

"Clarion," he panted against her jaw.

She had never felt anything like it-she had a desire to be conquered. Never did the Queen submit to anyone or anything. But she wanted to for him. Her hands ran down his broad, hard shoulders that were as strong as the mountains surrounding them. She arched against him, desiring something. A restlessness filled her. And then she realized what it was-her body wanted to mate with him.

Someone cleared a throat.

She shot up off him and spun around with wide eyes.

Gliss stood there with downcast eyes and a smile. "The guard said you wanted me, Queen Clarion."

She was dizzy and her mind was a bit numb. Setting a hand absently on Milori's shoulder to steady herself, she drew a deep breath to stop the pounding of her heart in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Milori smiling to himself. She squeezed his shoulder a tad hard. "Yes, um..."

"My leg?" he offered, the humor evident in his voice.

She threw him a look. "Can you help do whatever it is to heal his leg?"

Gliss looked at her a bit oddly. "Of course." She walked over and knelt to pack snow on the wound. Then she stood and turned expectantly.

"Oh," Clarion said in surprise. "Thank you."

Gliss nodded and left.

"Lose your head a bit if I'm hurt, my lady?"

She sighed and turned to find him grinning from ear to ear. "You knew to pack it with snow," she accused. "You could have said."

"I have been packing it with snow. Like I said, nothing life-threatening," he smiled. "I must say that I don't much mind being your prisoner if I'm to be seduced as torture. Just be gentle with me," he chuckled.

Her eyebrow cocked. "If a guard had found us, he probably would have beaten you for trying to have your way with me."

"Sweetheart," he said huskily. "Genuinely trying to have my way with you would leave you more than a tad dizzy."

A shiver of delicious electricity ran down her spine. Kneeling beside him, she replied saucily, "This serves you right for quizzing me." Then she set her lips to his and blew gently.

Milori and Sled were moved to a cave nearby for better protection from predators. She wasn't yet sure if those predators included Bernard.

She stood at the entrance with her arms wrapped around her middle, afraid if she was making a grave mistake. "You realize if you're lying to me, Pixie Hollow would fall apart?"

Milori stood tall and calm. "I fully comprehend the repercussions of violating your trust, Clarion. I give my word that Sled and I will not move from this cave unless you come yourself saying otherwise."

Searching his eyes nervously, she seriously wondered about her judgement. She had restored Milori's and Sled's full strengths, although not their talents, so they could protect themselves from dangers. Furthermore, she was leaving them in a cave unguarded because she did not yet know which of her guards could be trusted.

"If any fairy knew what I was doing, I'd be declared a traitor of Pixie Hollow," she said softly. "Chaos would erupt-"

He set a hand on her arm and held her eyes. Then he let go and knelt to one knee and bowed his head. "I pledge loyalty to Pixie Hollow...if not to my queen," he finished softly and looked up to meet her eyes with a solemn vow.

Sled walked up and dropped to his knee too.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she battled with herself. "You're being held for murder and treason. How do I justify to Pixie Hollow that I trusted the two who are said to have betrayed us?"

Milori slowly said, "If you doubt, then take back the pixie dust. No one can fault you for doing what you believe is best for Pixie Hollow." Then sat back on his heels and bowed his head, ready for her to withdraw some of his strength.

She looked to Sled.

He looked nervous but followed suit.

"You are to be banished and will lose your wings in less than a week. What do you have to lose if you are lying?" she asked quietly, her heart breaking at the thought of draining some life from them but unable to justify not doing it.

Milori lifted his head and those beautiful blue eyes that she hadn't seen in so long met hers. "I lose you," he answered softly. "At least in exile I will have some remote measure of your love. If I betray you in this, you are lost to me forever."

She stepped forward and held his face in her hands to look down at him. "We hold each other's lives in our hands. Do not destroy what little trust I have left," she whispered.

He cupped one of her hands on his cheek. "I swear to you, my lady."