“Believe what you will,” I continued, staring her down. “Call me what you want, hate me if you will, but I’m still a faithful servant of the Summer Court. This is my home, and I would do anything to protect it. And when it comes to my attention that we’ve been invaded by an enemy, I can’t sit by and do nothing, even if it means warning you.”

“What are you—” The queen straightened abruptly. “Leanansidhe,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes. “She sent someone. Someone to steal my human pet. Where—”

“Right under your nose, my queen. Just like I told you.” And before either of them could react, I spun on Torin and stripped away glamour, shredding his Summer disguise and revealing the form of the Winter prince to the Summer Queen. “There’s your enemy, Queen Titania. Do with him what you will.”

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

IF WE SHADOWS HAVE OFFENDED

Betrayal.

That was the first look Ash turned on me, his silver eyes wide with shock and disbelief. I grinned at him, crossing my arms, as Titania’s outraged shriek rose above the howl of the wind. Before Ash could do anything, she swept her arm down, and a streak of lightning slammed into the prince’s chest, hurling him away. He smashed into the mermaid statue and crumpled at the base, dazed.

“Ouch.” I winced. “That looked painful. Hit him again, just to make sure he stays down.”

Titania spun on me. “You!” she raged, her eyes seriously scary now. I blinked at her innocently and took a step back. “I do not know how you did this, or why, but this is one of your pranks, I know it! What foul mischief do you have up your sleeve this time?”

“Me?” I grinned and laced my hands behind my head. “You give me too much credit, Queen Titania.”

“I am not a fool, Robin Goodfellow.” Titania loomed over me, lightning flashing threateningly overhead. “The Winter prince is cunning and strong, but he could not have acted alone. You snuck the prince into Arcadia—you are the only one whose glamour is strong enough to hide him from me. Before I make the son of Mab beg for mercy, I want to know why you did this! You were friends once, long ago. Why this sudden change of heart?”

I stuck my hands deep in my pockets, looked the Seelie Queen right in the eye and muttered, “Because. He fell in love with my princess.”

Silence for a few heartbeats. At the base of the fountain, Ash stirred, but the Queen’s attention was solely on me.

“Ah.” Titania actually smiled, the scary look in her eyes fading slightly. “And now, it makes sense. Robin Goodfellow, you do have a bit of a nasty streak in you, after all. Oberon’s little dog has some bite.” The queen tittered, giving me an appraising look. “I’m almost proud of you.”