“Can you keep it down?”

Her eyes moved up, up, up the layers of black silk to the Fae male towering over her in her doorway. It was a sin for someone to look like Prince Fordham Ollivier this early in the morning. He was six and a half feet of solid muscle with black hair that fell forward into his gray eyes, which were currently set on thunderstorm as they glared down at her. He radiated sinister energy, as if something dark and malevolent were trapped under his skin, so pale that it was near translucent. But Kerrigan had promptly gotten over the anger when he didn’t immediately try to kill her. Though he looked like he might try today.

“What are you still doing in bed?” he demanded.

She put her hand up and waved it downward in the general note of keeping it down. “Too loud.”

His grip tightened on the door until the wood creaked. “What in the gods’ names did you do last night?”

“I might have had a drink.” She let her emerald-green eyes meet his, squinting into the hallway light. “Or two.”

“Or ten,” he growled. “You’re a mess.”

“I’m going to sleep for a couple of hours.”

She started to close the door in his face, but he slammed his hand on it, keeping it open.

“We were supposed to leave twenty minutes ago. If you’re not ready in a half hour, I’m leaving without you.”

“Fine. That sounds nice.”

He blew out an exasperated breath. “Why are you always so much trouble?”

“It’s what makes me so endearing, princeling.”

He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Half an hour, Kerrigan, and then we’re going to the House of Shadows. You need to be ready.”

Then, he stalked away from her, leaving her floundering with the door. She glared after him. It would have been nice to stay within the confines of the mountain, where she was safe. Except she wasn’t safe. If there was someone working with Basem Nix within these walls, no one was safe.

Not that it’d be better in the House of Shadows. She’d be lucky if she ever came out of there again. She could snub Fordham, but despite their problems, she owed him. He’d offered her a spot in the House of Shadows when he could have left her to languish in Bryonican high society. It didn’t redeem him of everything else though.

He’d lied to her the entire time they were together. He’d been exiled from his people and decided to join the dragon tournament to earn a place back in the House of Shadows. It was the only reason he’d been able to leave the magical spell that had trapped them. Neither of them knew what would happen next. If they’d welcome him back. If he’d be able to leave again. Where it put them.