She didn’t hesitate as she reached both hands up this time, and with a relieved smile, he lifted her to stand beside him.

Letting go of one hand, they took another step—together—to stand on the roof.

On the ground behind them, faeries had assembled in silence.

“Rika will be beside me keeping order here,” Sionnach said by way of introduction. “As co-Alphas we will be happy to keep you safe, at cost to ourselves.”

“We will not forgive betrayals easily,” Rika glanced at Sionnach. “We would rather not have to have any betrayals, but if you do . . .”

She released Sionnach’s hand, and he hopped down with far more ease than they had ascended, looking animal-graceful, and ambled up the hill to the shack. It was once part of the aboveground mine structure, so there were tracks that began near the door. Sionnach pulled the mine cart out and shoved it onto the tracks. Then, he proceeded to push it down the hill and into the dusty street.

The assembled faeries looked alternately amused and curious, and Rika suspected that they were quite aware of which faery was being pushed into the crowd.

Once the cart was almost in their midst, Rika raised her voice and told the crowd, “I’ve sworn myself to the Winter Queen in order to keep the Summer King from meddling in our desert. Winter will keep him in check, so Sionnach and I can keep our home safe. I surrendered part of my own freedom for you.”

Sionnach dumped Maili onto the dusty ground in the middle of the street. He untied her, but she still looked rather bruised and dirty.

“This doesn’t mean we will be gentle,” Sionnach said. “Rika is every bit as cruel as I am when our home is threatened.”

“Or more,” Rika added quietly.

“Perhaps.” Sionnach shrugged.

“For betraying your Alphas, Maili, we banish you from our desert until such time as you are judged worthy to return.” Rika lowered herself to the edge of the roof, sitting so that her feet were dangling, and then placed her hands on either side of her legs. Pushing off while simultaneously spinning around so as not to injure herself, she came to the ground. It was a bit showy, very gymnastic in the fluidity of it, far more so than Sionnach’s graceful dismount, but she figured that if she was going to co-rule the desert, she’d best start acting like it. With that in mind she crouched down and jerked Maili to her feet. “If I thought you could remain here—”

“As your dog?” Maili spat the words, her expression haughty. “No. There are other deserts and—”

“You’ll be going somewhere else.” Sionnach stepped closer to Rika. “You stabbed me. You brought the Summer King to our desert. You conspired to injure all of us.”