“But?” Jayce prompted, enjoying watching him squirm.

“But I told Maili and the rest that we ought to be a bit less invasive with the mortals and maybe consider being more respectful. She thinks it’s because of my mortal.” Sionnach looked defensive, tilting his chin upward and staring directly at Jayce, as he continued, “I think treating mortals like toys is just not where we need to be. The world’s changed and—”

“So have you. Good idea,” Jayce interjected with a faux-somber look.

Rika looked stunned and a little speechless.

“It’s not just because of Caris— . . . the mortal,” Sionnach added hurriedly with a look at Rika. “Now that the Summer King has power for the first time in centuries, there will be trouble. He’ll be trying to be strong enough to overpower the Winter Court.”

“So it’s about Keenan? Or mortals?” she asked.

“Both. I said that he’d come messing around. He has already. He’s always been fond of mortals, so I figured we’d avoid trouble by treating them better. It wasn’t because of Carissa. It’s you too.” The fox faery’s voice dropped with his last admission, and Jayce felt a little sorry for him.

“Me?” Rika sounded like she didn’t know if she should cry or hug him.

“I saw when you were a mortal, princess.” Sionnach looked heartbroken. “I hated what he did, but then I knew you and . . .”

Rika stepped toward Sionnach. “That’s why you became my friend. Because of what I was before?”

“Not just that,” Sionnach said.

Jayce watched them, not with jealousy but with curiosity. Whatever the two faeries shared needed to be discussed. Jayce suspected that Sionnach had manipulated his relationship with Rika—and he suspected that the fox faery had far deeper feelings for her than he admitted to any of them. The same history that made the two faeries friends was what had kept them from having a relationship. Jayce picked up his sketch pad and began drawing Sionnach and Rika.

Rika leaned over and kissed Sionnach’s forehead. “So you fought over mortals.”

“Not entirely. I’m the Alpha; I imposed some rules.” Sionnach took her hand, squeezed it, and then gave her a mischievous look. “Some of the others objected to my suggestions.”

“Objected?” Rika echoed. “You were stabbed. That’s not objecting to suggestions.”

Rika paced away, her mood turned from sad to angry in a moment. “I’ll go to her and explain—”

“Explain? Princess, explain is a verbal thing. I think you mean beat.”

“I can use words.”

“‘Can’ and ‘will’ aren’t the same.” Sionnach turned to Jayce. “Faeries can’t lie. You need to listen carefully to what we say and don’t say.”

“Oh, I have been,” Jayce said levelly.