“Is all this really necessary?” Looking back, the only sign of their camp was the pillar of smoke rising into the pink and orange sky.

He said nothing, just led inside.

What the hells was so secret? And what glow?

Shaking her head, she followed. Once she was inside, it wasn’t as dark as it had first appeared. In fact, where the cave doglegged left, a dim golden light came from around the corner.

When she followed him around that corner, she gasped.

The last of the sun poured in through a hole in the roof. Its shafting light reflected in a still pool and scintillated off the walls and ceiling.

The cave’s surface—she frowned and ran her fingertips over the nearest wall—it was covered in rough, glittering rock, almost like salt crystals left by the sea.

Knigh stared at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, lips parted.

“Is this what you wanted to show me?” With that clear blue pool, the sparkling crystals, and soft sandy floor, this cave was undoubtedly beautiful, but it didn’t seem to warrant his concerns about secrecy.

He blinked and shook his head. “No, I—it wasn’t like this earlier, it must be the angle of the setting sun.” He turned that disarming smile of his upon her and raised his eyebrows. “This is an unexpected bonus. Now, show me this injury that’s bothering you. We can’t have you unable to dance all evening.”

“Huh?” Her hand went to the spot where bandages looped inexpertly around her torso. Wild Hunt, the drink was wearing off—the cut throbbed, making her stomach turn.

“You asked about this”—he stepped closer, touching his shock of white hair—“afraid I lied about it being a nasty surprise.” He raised his hands defensively. “Not about my father—that part wasn’t a lie, just where this came from. It’s my fae mark.”

A fae mark. No wonder it was so bright and precise.

He cocked his head. “You’re not the only one around here who’s fae-touched.”

Fae-touched. His strength, his charm—yes, it made sense.

Of course he’d assume she was touched rather than blooded. So few people outside the royal family were descended from fae, it was a natural assumption. Most people who had magic had been blessed by the fae for their own mysterious reasons. Like him.

She glanced at his white streak again and snorted, shaking her head. “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises tonight?”

Grinning, he lifted one shoulder. “Hopefully this one will impress you more than my singing. But, I need to touch the wound to heal you, so, show me.”

Great. Alone with Knigh in a breathtakingly beautiful cave with his hand on her bare flesh. There was definitely no way this could escalate.

She swallowed, throat suddenly tight, and lifted the hem of her shirt until it revealed the bandages covering her from bellybutton to breasts.