I wasn't entirely sure I was breathing. If my mother was his mother's sister than we were… cousins. I glanced at his hair, the same shade as my mother's. And then Keir cleared his throat.

"Shall we get to the real business at hand?"

"Of course," Logan said but he glanced at me, warily. I didn't need to turn around to know that Elric was watching me too.

"We would like some of your warriors dispatched here," Keir said. "Some of your best."

Logan folded his arms, "You already had some of my warriors sent here decades ago."

"Before Amarantha."

"And you're telling me that they're all dead?" He raised an eyebrow.

"As her sympathizers they were hunted down and killed by our High Lord and his dogs." Keir narrowed his eyes.

"So you wish me to throw away some of my best warriors for when you next pick the wrong side?"

Keir sneered, "I expect you to keep your end of the bargain so this treaty your father started may continue."

"I'm still rebuilding my army from the war." He said, "And we lost twenty-odd of our novices in the Blood Rite this year." I blinked. That was a larger number than I'd expected.

"Perhaps your new Captain could join us here," Keir's voice was slimy and I held in a shudder, "Seeing as she did complete that pathetic competition of yours."

"No," Logan snarled, "I'll send you a few warriors," He said, standing up, "But I will not send you all of my best ones and leave my camp unguarded." With narrowed eyes, he sauntered from the room with all of us trailing behind him.

Logan was irritated and I could practically feel the anger rippling off of him as we headed back out of the Hewn City. Erein was pouting, grumbling about wanting to go shopping, but we passed the buildings until we were back out.

"Why didn't you just leave me there?" I asked, "Instead of your best warriors?"

"Despite what you may think, Mayar, I'm not a complete prick." He hissed and he took to the skies. I flinched but launched myself into the air nonetheless, Erein close behind me.

"He's not pissed at you," She said as she caught up. "He knows that if he turns Keir down, then the treaty our father formed with them is over and as we're so close to the city… well it's too much of a risk."

"Why doesn't he speak to R… the High Lord?" I corrected myself.

"Because our High Lord plays games too," She murmured, "And the Hewn City are allowed to do whatever wickedness they want, providing they keep themselves in that mountain."

"Then you're all safe."

"Not all wickedness can be contained," She murmured and looked ahead. "You're related to the High Lord of the Autumn Court's family."

"So it would seem." We banked and the cold breeze made my already-damp eyes sting.

"Have you ever visited your mother's family?"

I frowned, "No and I don't intend to."

The journey back to Mountiel Camp had my stomach and shoulder in knots and tears threatening to leave my eyes. Logan hadn't handed me over. Whether for selfish reasons or not, I wasn't sure, but for now I was… as safe as I could be. And I knew who my family was. I looked down at the siphon on my wrist as we readied for landing, the Sun starting to set. If my family were important then they had powers which meant… perhaps the shielding hadn't been a coincidence on the battlefield. Perhaps I did have magic within me after all. I banked, following Logan and Erein down and down, until we were back on the ground. Frost crunched under my heeled boots as we landed and I caught Erein as she wobbled in hers.

But then a silhouette of a muscled Illyrian warrior, wings flared out behind him, caught my attention at the end of the path. My breath caught in my throat as the siphons, seven of them, glowed blue. I forgot the whole pretense I was keeping and ran as fast as I could. When I reached Azriel, I leapt and he caught me, holding me there as I pressed my face into his neck and breathed in his scent.

"I promised I'd see you soon," He whispered and my throat burned as I moved my forehead to rest against his forehead. His hazel eyes looked into mine and then he seemed to realize what I was wearing and the warriors who were no doubt still stood behind me. "We have an audience," He murmured, setting me down. Swords were drawn, but Azriel's remained strapped to his back as he moved to stand at my side. Never in front of me, always my equal. But as he reached my side his fingers laced with mine in a territorial gesture. Mine.

"Interesting," Logan murmured, stepping towards us. He turned to his warriors, including Elric, "Stand down, unless you wish for the shadowsinger to end you." Their swords were sheathed and Erein was blinking at me, her mouth ajar. Logan looked at me as he reached us and he tilted his head, "So this is why you kept batting me away. Interesting." A low snarl came from Azriel and I squeezed his hand, trying to send some of the shadows away. Logan caught the scent then and raised his eyebrows. "Your mate?"

"Yes," I replied and Azriel nodded too.

"Well, I certainly didn't see that coming," He looked thoughtful for a moment, "A threesome, after finding you hunting, well I imagined that, but not something so… unbreakable." Azriel looked as if he might kill him there and then, I realized and I rubbed my thumb against his hand. I understood then what Elric had meant about the shadowsinger wanting to rip his head off and sure enough, where he stood, his skin was pale. "Will you be staying as our guest?"

"Yes."

"Hopefully the tavern will suffice."

"It will," I nodded, trying to break the tension. Mates were territorial. My mother had always warned me of that and now I understood.

"Well then, have a good evening," Logan bowed his head before sauntering away, the guards following him.

I turned to face my mate then, my eyebrows raised, "I always thought Rhys was the dramatic one."

I was grateful when we reached my attic suite in the tavern. Grateful to be away from the eyes that had watched us walk through the camp and away from the hushed voices that watched us and whispered as we made our way upstairs. I locked the door behind us and sighed as Azriel scanned the room. It had been nearly three weeks. Far too long to not have my mate at my side. My heart thudded in my chest in agreement.

"You've been to the Court of Nightmares," He said, turning back to face me where I still stood by the door. His eyes wandered, taking in every inch of my body.

I wrinkled my nose, "I don't intend on returning."

"What did Keir want?"

I poured myself a glass of wine and took a long, slow sip. It seemed it would be questions now, reacquainting ourselves later. "He wants Logan to send him some warriors to the Hewn City for security."

"And you were there because..."

"I'm a novelty," I shrugged and he let out a low growl that would have sent most Illyrians running. Most fae running, perhaps. "Well I am, aren't I? A female Captain who has completed the Blood Rite," I waved my hand.

"Was Eris in attendance?" He practically spat out the name and I remembered why he hated him so much- for what he'd done to Mor. What she'd told me about when we'd gotten drunk just days before the mating ceremony.

"Yes…" I finished the drink and put it down. His eyes tracked my movement. The spymaster knew there was more. "I found out… my mother… well… she was Eris' mother's younger sister."

His nostrils flared, "You're cousins."

"It would seem so." I ran a hand through my hair, I looked up at him under my dark eyelashes and his stance softened. The shadows at his wrists curled, tucking themselves away as I walked over to him. "Is my interrogation over now, shadowsinger?" I asked as my fingers traced the carvings on the leather armour he wore. He caught my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the palm.

"It might be," He murmured, eyes on mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his in a gentle kiss. My body tingled and hummed in response, a feeling I'd missed and he wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me in closer.

His lips moved to my neck, leaving kisses spread across it, up and down and around my ear, releasing a sound from me that made him smile. He backed us up until I was against the wall and then his lips were on mine again, my wrists held together above my head by just one of his hands. Hungry. His hand caressed my thigh where the slit of the dress was and this time he was the one who let out a sound. I watched him as he knelt down, looking up at me as he unzipped my boots. One, two, they were tossed onto the wooden floor, but he stayed down there, watching me.

"You are a Queen," He whispered, his hazel eyes catching the light.

"I think our High Lord might have something to say about that," I murmured.

He huffed, "We've not had a warrior Queen before. My Queen." He paused for a moment, "Perhaps when we're next in Velaris I'll buy you a crown."

I rolled my eyes, "Dramatic."

He grinned, flashing his teeth, and then his lips started to move up my thigh. Slowly. Until they reached the place my knives were strapped. He knew they were always there, even under the beautiful ball gowns. He undid the straps slowly, leaving the holster on the dresser beside us, and then his lips returned to mine.

We had destroyed the room. I looked at it whilst he was in the bathroom, freshening up for dinner. Furniture had been knocked over, thankfully not damaged, although the same couldn't be said for the vase of flowers that had fallen onto the floor and smashed. I straightened out the rug by the fireplace and slipped the silver sapphire ring back onto my finger, where I intended to keep it.

"You're going to get us thrown out," I told him as he came out of the bathroom.

"It was you as much as me," A wicked smile that made my toes curl. He was right, I supposed. I was just as much to blame, but I had missed him. He righted the table and the two wooden chairs whilst I smoothed out the sheets and I smiled as he planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Are you sure we can't just have dinner in here?"

He poked my nose, "I need to show you off."

I laughed at that, signaling to the leather trousers and blouse I now wore. "The time for that has passed."

He tangled a hand in my curly hair and pressed his lips to mine, "The time for that will never pass." He tucked a loose curl behind my ear, "Besides, it might knock Logan down a few pegs." I raised an eyebrow and he continued, "Do not pretend that you are not aware he finds you attractive… Elric too."

I rolled my eyes, "Jealous male. Are you going to behave yourself if we go downstairs?"

"I make no promises."