She climbed into the Jeep, and Sionnach hid his hand behind his back so she couldn’t see that touching the steel of the door bruised it. He kissed her lightly and stepped away.

“See you soon?” Carissa asked hopefully.

“As soon as possible.”

She nodded and drove away into the desert, leaving him to ponder his weaknesses.

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Donia invited Rika and her mortal into the least formal of the sitting rooms. She suspected that the last Winter Queen had intended to have this room renovated, but the shabbiness of it was oddly comfortable. The rug that covered the hardwood floor was almost threadbare, although the muted greens and golds still somehow seemed opulent. More than once, Donia had thought that the rug was more suited to a museum than daily use. Delicate snow globes lined a shelf on the wall, proof perhaps that the dead queen had possessed a sense of humor. The only vibrant thing in the room was the bright crimson chair where Donia now sat with her bare feet curled under her. The rest of the furnishings were all muted with age, reminding her of the cottage where she’d lived when she was the Winter Girl. She felt like this room wasn’t as tainted by her predecessor’s often disquieting taste. The rest of the house she’d been slowly changing, but here she felt at peace.

Rika’s mortal, Jayce, sat on a faded floral divan. Rika, however, was pacing angrily as she said, “Keenan is trying to force allegiances.”

“With your solitary desert faeries?”

“Yes!”

“Which is unacceptable,” Donia said.

“I can’t let him force the desert under his control.” Rika paused in the middle of the rug and caught Donia’s gaze. “I won’t be under his control, not again, not ever again.”

Donia remained motionless. “I see.”

“The Summer King is too focused on strengthening his court.”

“That hasn’t changed.” Absently, Donia smoothed her skirt over her ankles, thinking about the long-gone days when she’d needed boots in the cold winter. Now, the cold radiated from her very skin, and footwear was a nuisance.

“It won’t change, and others will continue to pay the price. Maybe not like we did, but it’s still all about him.” Rika folded her arms over her chest.