He made an amused sound as he felt me grin. I'd seen enough of his fighting to know that he could still have dealt a world of hurt to people with one hand, armed only with an antler.

"I think the King of Mercy underestimated my skill and... stamina," he said, almost purring the last word. When I flushed, Dain laughed and released me, settling back onto the bed with a smile that hid far fewer shadows. "Nor do I think he realized that I'm ambidextrous, or that I can cast complex glamors with my will alone. Plenty of the blood on the floor when the sun rose was mine, but not even close to all of it. The fourth revel may have given people... weak points," he said, not looking into my eyes. "But the fifth may have convinced them that it won't be simple to exploit them."

I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry," I said in my perkiest voice. "I'll defend you. I think I might have something of a possessive and protective streak, myself."

"Then I get to keep the snarling?" Dain asked, his golden eyes as warm as sunlight when he smiled.

"All part of your dubious charm," I assured him, and laughed as he snarled for me.

36. Diplomacy

Chapter 36

Diplomacy

Things didn't exactly return to normal with Dain's return. The presence of the delegation from the Court of Mercy changed the patterns of the palace, and the patterns of High Court events. Faery diplomacy, I discovered, had a lot more in common with businessmen making deals on the golf green than human diplomats discussing things seriously and passing around sheaves of legalese. As Dain's soulmate, I was expected to participate, despite having zero knowledge about the Court of Mercy or how to do diplomacy. I did my best, but I never had any idea how well I was doing.

After that first night, I locked the adjoining door and returned the key to Dain, choosing to sleep in my own bed again. I had loved going to sleep next to him and waking up with him in the morning far too much. There were other ways to become balanced soulmates besides becoming lovers, and I had no idea how to gauge them.