"I don't really know," Susan said after a moment. She gave me a small shrug. "The Beast is the most feared man on the Western Continent, and most people aren't going to try to mess with you much, lest they catch his attention. The only reason I can think of why people might hurt you would be if it would really do some damage to him, like if the two of you were trueloves, but..." She flashed a smile at me. "You seem like a reasonable sort of woman, and he's a monster. Even if you can't put a knife in him, it will be okay."

"I don't really love that your answers were all ways that I might get hurt or killed," I drawled.

She laughed this time, which made me give her a dark look. "It's not as bad as it sounds," she said. "Stag Court has been unstable for a while, but the Beast is the source of the problem, and nobody wants to be near him. You'll have to navigate high society, but you're pretty safe right now."

I closed my eyes, my throat going tight. "I want to go home," I said, the words coming out shaky. "I've got a life. People who love me." I shook my head, a sharp motion, trying to drive away the grief and terror. "My boyfriend, he... he didn't make it. Someone has to... tell them." A tear tracked down my face, and I swiped at it, opening my eyes to look back at Susan. "I can't stay here. I don't care about being Dain's soulmate. I need to go home."

"You were going to die," Susan said with care, as if she was trying not to provoke a wild animal. Maybe I was a wild animal to her, temperamental and with mysterious motivations. She'd chosen service in Faery instead of death, and I hadn't missed the wistful desire in her voice when she talked about having a soulmate. She wanted what I had, even though I had it with someone known for brutality and murder.

"But I didn't," I said. "I'm alive, and I have a life to get back to."

She pursed her lips. "That's... not your decision," she said. "The crown prince saved your life, and he gets to decide if you stay or go."

I lifted my lip in a snarl. Strike three, Fairyland.

"Sounds like I should talk to him about that, then," I bit out.

Susan opened her mouth to answer then went dead white, freckles standing out on her skin. She leapt to her feet and I didn't turn to look where she stared, delaying the blow for as long as possible.

"I was supposed to be told if she was awake," came a purring, dangerous voice, one I recognized instantly. It seemed to twine around me, almost caressing, like a friendly cat greeting its owner.

"Y-your highness," Susan squeaked out.