Keenan opened his mouth, but before he could utter a misdirection or perhaps an apology, she said, “The fey in the desert have their freedom now even though it cost me mine. That is the choice I made. This time I chose to sacrifice my freedom knowingly, not as a result of lies.”

“Faeries can’t l—”

“Shading the truth is the same as lying, Keenan. Failing to tell dozens of girls what they are truly risking is the worst kind of lie.” She felt tears on her cheeks. “Don’t pretend that faeries are truthful. I am one now. I know exactly what we are capable of doing.”

For a moment he said nothing, and she had a sliver of softening in her anger. Then he spoke. “You rage that the ice was so horrific that you retreated to the desert for years, yet you chose Donia’s court. Wouldn’t you rather have the sunlight? We can work this out. Offer your fealty to me instead. . . .”

Even now, he focused only on what he wanted. She shouldn’t be surprised, not really. She’d said for years that he’d never change. Rika looked over her shoulder to see Donia. The Winter Queen didn’t look worried. She knew Rika too well to think that Keenan’s words would convince her.

“Keenan,” Rika started.

He reached for her wrist.

“No.” She pulled her hand to her stomach to avoid his touch, and then flung it forward and up to strike his face.

Keenan captured her fist in his hand and kissed her knuckles. “You’ve made a bad choice.”

This time the Winter Queen did speak. “Don’t touch her again.”

The possessive anger in Donia’s voice made Rika grateful that the Winter Queen knew that Rika no longer loved the flirtatious Summer King. He was not made for constancy; his court was one of frolicking, not faithfulness. When Rika had been forced to spend decades in his company watching him woo mortal after mortal, knowing that he spoke words of forever to them as he once had to her, she’d hated him. She’d hated herself more for having once believed that he meant those pretty promises. Since then, she’d thought that he could not mean them, had never meant them, but as Keenan’s gaze fell on Donia, Rika realized that she’d been wrong. Every beautiful dream Keenan had ever whispered was true—just not for the hundreds of girls before Donia. The Summer King truly loved the Winter Queen.