Sionnach could feel her tremble as he held her. Seeing Keenan had always upset her, and the helplessness Sionnach felt every time hadn’t faded. He couldn’t undo the hurt, the self-doubt, the sorrow that Keenan’s actions had caused her. He couldn’t even strike out at the faery king. All he could do was stay by her side, and try to help her when he had a chance. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, reminding her that she was not alone.

“There are other faeries who would be strong enough to run the desert for me if you won’t, Rika.” Keenan’s words were spoken softly, but the threat in them was implicit: he would control the desert with or without her.

Sionnach’s eyes snapped open as his temper flared, but even the strongest Alpha was no match for a faery king. Years ago, when Keenan was a bound king, Sionnach might have considered attacking him. He would’ve lost, but he might have survived it. Now, though? The Summer King was unbound; he was all but invincible. A fight would likely end in death, or at the least, such a severe defeat that Sionnach would be useless to Rika. And attempting anything while he had poison in his body would be a potentially fatal act.

Rika, however, didn’t seem to have even reacted to Keenan’s quiet threat. She said only, “You need to go, Keenan. I don’t have anything more to say to you, and I don’t want to see you.”

The Summer King, however, was nothing if not persistent. He was a faery who had spent nine centuries seeking one girl. He didn’t surrender easily. “Think about what’s best,” he said. “The solitaries here don’t need to be without protection. The Summer Court has a plan to create sub-regions with local rulers and—”

“No,” she cut him off. “We are strong enough without you. No one bothers us out here.”

“But if there’s trouble from one of the other courts—”

“Why would they bring their conflicts here? Our only troubles are from our own, and Shy and I are strong enough to mete out discipline. You made me stronger than most every faery when you stole my humanity. I didn’t need your help these past years.” She faltered then, looking bereft for a moment.

“You were already strong inside. That’s why he chose you,” Sionnach murmured gently, giving her the encouragement she deserved. “Still are. You can hold order over the desert, Rika. Without him. Without me.”

Rika glanced back at Sionnach. An all-too-familiar look of worry crossed her face. “Am I? You were always Alpha here.”

“Only because the stronger faery didn’t take it from me. You’re strong and brave and smart,” Sionnach told her honestly, not caring that they had an audience. “You know that. We don’t need him here.”