In a surge of movement surprisingly quick in the midday heat, the faeries skittered away from Rika and Jayce. Their expressions were clouded with mistrust and doubt as they stared at the mortal boy beside her. Rika couldn’t truly blame them; it was unusual to be seen by mortals. There were those rare few born with faery Sight, but she couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen such a mortal.

“He sees us,” one faery accused.

With more patience that she wanted to have, Rika put her hands on her hips. “I gave him faery Sight. It seemed only fair.”

The faeries scurried away muttering about her disregard for the rules, and Rika was momentarily glad that the faery regent she was going to see that day had reputedly broken that very same rule recently—and had done so for the new Summer Queen’s beloved. If the regents were allowing mortals to have the Sight, it was harder to argue that she shouldn’t have done so.

Jayce draped his arm over her shoulders. “I’m not your pet, but I am yours. I know you’re upset over what Sionnach did, but falling on you was the best thing that I ever did.”

“You didn’t fall. They pushed you,” she corrected him. “Sionnach probably told them to do it. Solitaries are not civilized. They’re manipulative.”

“I know.”

“And the same faery who helped Shy stabbed him.”

“I know,” he repeated.

“Maili tried to injure me earlier. She said all she wanted to do was talk, but she hurt me to do it.” Rika moved away from him, hoping that distance from his touch would strengthen her resolve to leave him in the desert. She held up her bruised and burned wrists. “She did this.”

“I know.” Jayce followed her. “I listened when you explained it—and when you yelled at Shy. I heard it all, but I’m not giving up on you just because we were manipulated or because you’re a faery.”

“You should. You know that, don’t you?”

“Don’t let Shy or Keenan or any of them”—Jayce gestured into the direction the faeries went—“make you give up on us.”

“Faeries can’t keep mortals,” Rika said sorrowfully. “And now that Shy . . . and Maili . . . and Keenan have put me in this position. . . .” She looked away, unable to bear the tangled frustration and determination in his expression.

“So tell me you’d be happier without me. Tell me you haven’t had more fun these past few weeks than you have had in a very long time.”