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"They're getting something out of it. That's what you're getting at, isn't it?" I asked, the wheels spinning in my mind, trying to think like the cult. Like the emperor. Like Robin.

"Absolutely," Robin said in a tight voice. "There were likely witches involved in the attack on your father. They may have even helped with the spell that misled Achlys. They helped the emperor snag a banshee warning system for himself, and they got a useful little tool of their own in the process when they took you, Ruya. If they were involved in the spell, the emperor knows that they have the ability to mislead his banshee alarm system. But he doesn't immediately kill the entire witch coven to hide his secret weakness."

"There is something else going on," I filled in, completing her thought. "Some other beneficial relationship that keeps the witches from giving away his secret and the emperor from killing the witches."

"It would seem so," Robin murmured. And she didn't sound happy. "If Ruya is open to the idea, I am all for her learning from you, Achlys," she said, sounding a bit distracted. Her clever mind was probably already busy figuring out all of the ways the emperor and the witches could be colluding, and what that might mean for her revenge plans. "But the choice is hers alone."

I didn't have to think about this. While I was somewhat afraid of the emotional impact of exploring my banshee side, I did want to know more about myself. And if I could actually control when I had these unsettling and uncontrollable visions, it would be worth it.

"I'll do it," I said firmly. "I want to do my part to end this insanity." And in the back of my mind, always, the words of the wild fae elder echoed in my memory, reminding me that I had a vested interest in this particular death.

I still hadn't told Robin, though I knew she suspected that whatever the fae had asked of me in their bargain wasn't good. I didn't know how literal the fae's request was. Or how Robin would take it if I told her that her life-long enemy had to die by my hand. Now didn't seem the time to bring it up. If I was being honest, I didn't think there would ever be a good time to bring it up. I would just cross that bridge when I got there.

If I got there.

A lot of things had to fall into place before it was even a question. We had to find the emperor first—again. And apparently, I needed to learn to predict death on a whim.

"If we're done here for the moment," I said with as much calm as I could muster, "I think I'll go check on Josh." The human had stayed behind this morning because of a headache. I had eased the pain and left him sleeping. But he had a calming presence and a knack for understanding when I was struggling with navigating all of the pitfalls of the paranorm world. I suddenly wanted to spend some time with him and hopefully regain some of the joy I had felt before this whole conversation.

I said my goodbyes to Robin and Achlys, then made my way to Josh's room, a strange sense of dread in the pit of my stomach.

Chapter 19

Sadavir

Isipped my tea as I watched Josh meticulously fold his laundry. The tea was good—better than any I'd been able to obtain while trapped in the vampire nest. But it couldn't match the quality of the tea we'd had back home, among the people I'd been meant to one day lead.

The clan had grown our own tea and herbs, and the couple in charge of the royal gardens were talented teamakers who transformed the experience of a simple drink into an art form. I inhaled the bergamot scent of the drink in my hand and shook off the homesickness. Even now, so many years later and so many experiences apart, I was still occasionally struck by a memory—a scent or a sound, some sensation—that made my chest ache with longing to return to the place where I was raised.

But the yearning was brief. It always passed. I was no longer the overconfident, sometimes arrogant, sometimes naïve naga prince who had left that place. I had changed. My new home was here, and I did not regret it. Not when I still had the only piece of my past that truly mattered—the handsome, infuriatingly calm man currently putting his socks in their drawer. My best friend. My attendant. My lover. The only reason I had managed to hold onto my sanity while I was the vampire queen's favorite chew toy and bed warmer.

Setting my tea aside, I cleared my throat and formed the only word I never minded vocalizing. "Josh."

He looked up, the distant, distracted look in his hazel eyes clearing as he focused on me with a slight softening of his previous frown. His hands danced gracefully as he spoke. "Yes? I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Did you need something?"

I sighed and signed back, not at all happy. I didn't have to have some magical bond to him to know that the man who was my reason for living was not himself. "What's wrong? Is your head still hurting you?"

He shook his head immediately, and I could tell he was going to automatically dismiss his problems, the way he always did. He was always so concerned with making sure everyone else around him was well cared for and happy. But he often forgot to extend that same care to himself. Seeing my narrowed eyes, he stopped whatever nonsense he had been about to spout, and his shoulders sagged on an exhale. Tossing the last pair of socks into the drawer, he pushed it shut and came over to sit on the edge of his bed, perpendicular to the chair I currently occupied.

"It's nothing serious," he signed, pushing his blond hair back from his eyes. "I'm just tired. I've been having dreams… nightmares, really." He shrugged and his eyes met mine, understanding passing between us. I had nightmares too, occasionally. You could hardly spend years as a vampire's possession or servant without seeing things that would haunt you.

Leaning forward, I put my hand on his knee. Then I lifted my hands to sign. "You haven't been sleeping?" That would certainly explain the headaches and the faint spell he'd had before. "I know Ruya helped with the headache. But… maybe you could ask the pixie for something to help you sleep?"

Yukio might act coldly toward Josh and I, but he was quite skilled at mixing magic and food. Maybe he could make a tea or other remedy that would help Josh escape his nightmares.

Josh scoffed. "Yukio hates me."

A soft tap at the door interrupted our conversation. Ruya pushed the half-closed portal open as she stepped inside. "Sorry to interrupt, but the door was open," she said as she stood just inside the doorway.

"You're always welcome," Josh said immediately, standing and crossing the room to take her hand and lead her around the laundry basket that he'd left in the path to the door. "Would you like some tea?"

She came to perch on the side of Josh's bed while he fussed over her, filling his own unused cup and handing it to her.

"Thank you. I heard you mention Yukio as I came in," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "Is something wrong? Did he do something to upset you?"

Josh sat beside her on the bed and patted her knee. "No, nothing like that. Sadavir said I should ask the pixie for a favor, and I simply pointed out that he doesn't care for me. For either of us, really."

She huffed a laugh, handing her tea to Josh so she could sign as she spoke. "He likes you both just fine. He just likes everyone to think he's an ass. It's the only way he knows how to express himself."

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