"My soulmate is beyond your swords, and I'm not willing to leave them between us. If you want to die today, I am willing to see you satisfied," Dain purred back. He rolled his shoulders, his wing-arms flexing. "I've only killed four people for her thus far. I wouldn't mind making it five." He glanced across the guards. One of the swords trembled. Dain smiled, an expression of such cold malice that sweat prickled down my spine. "Or eight."

The guards didn't move, and Dain's smile turned into a snarl. He lowered himself into a fighting stance and put one hand on his sword. "One last chance, friends," he said, anger creeping into his frame. "I'd rather not spill the blood of good soldiers for such a petty reason as protocol."

The Queen sighed. "Do you see what the gods have decreed I must suffer? It is as if he can sense when he will disrupt the things I desire." Dain shifted, and the Queen raised her voice. "Let him in," she said in a bored tone. "He's had enough blood on him in the past two days."

All but leaping out of his way like gazelles from a lion, the guards snapped to the sides.

The crown prince came in through the gap the instant it appeared, bringing the thundercloud with him. He walked towards us with a pretty great murder strut, half saunter and half deadly intent, and when he reached us he stopped and got down on one knee, pressing a hand over his heart. "Mother."

"Need I even ask why you're here?" she asked, sounding weary. "I am entitled to time with whomever I desire to speak with, and she cannot remain in the palace without my approval."

"Of course," Dain said, with a deference in his voice I hadn't expected. He stood again, then held his hand out towards me. "But surely you did not expect me to want to share my soulmate freely, when I haven't even had the chance to get to know her."

Shit. I didn't play politics, but there was a pretty obvious choice in front of me: snub Dain by remaining seated, or snub the Queen by standing and taking his hand. I didn't exactly have time to prevaricate, either; waiting would be the same as snubbing him. I went with my gut and stood, reaching out and placing my hand in Dain's.

He... froze. I could feel his body go still, and all at once I realized that I'd only imagined the fae guards as being statues. Dain made them look like fidgeting kids with ADHD. There was something uncanny about how completely motionless he could go, as if he had truly turned into stone—something that trespassed far beyond inhuman. Very slowly, his fingers closed around mine, warm and strong.

The Queen wore a small smile, something that looked like fascination and deadly interest.