The rest of the day dragged in a way I hadn’t experienced for a while.

  Alys didn’t exactly turn cold when we left the town behind us, but she was definitely quieter and more contemplative. I had almost been expecting an explosion of some sort, or for her to drag me off for a private conversation.

  Instead, we proceeded with our day the way we’d planned it. She resumed her task of processing logs for the new houses being built, with Amara and Soren assisting and chatting as usual. This meant I also needed to work outside, to allow our child ongoing proximity to my mana. Since an outdoor setup was not the best place to experiment, I set about making more of the routine products I could never produce enough of.

  Neither of us said a word.

  I was briefly distracted from my brooding dread by Shaessath offering her assistance. She had quickly grown bored of sitting around and watching us work. Upon Alys’ request, she took on her true form and flew out over the forest.

  Seeing a dragoness of The Molten Expanse’s power gingerly carry a pair of trees, like she was trying not to squeeze too hard and crush them entirely, was comical enough that I could enjoy the moment.

  Alys was amused, too, if the rumbles that escaped her were any indication. I savored the experience of simply watching my dragoness find joy in the presence of her family.

  The atmosphere was a little lighter after that. At least, until work finally wound down for the day and we made our way inside.

  Cooking together while Alys was clearly upset with me was a uniquely unpleasant experience. Everything was the same on the surface, but there was a small spark, a warmth, that was missing.

  Emotions bubbled right under my skin, most of them centered on self-recrimination with a touch of loathing. I had always tried to be mindful during social interactions. I had carefully monitored my behavior to avoid falling into old habits. With the elders, though, I had loosened that grip… and immediately lost myself.

  And there were a few other emotions at work. Feelings I buried as deep and as quickly as possible, trying to throttle them in their cribs the moment they snuck into my mind and heart.

  Possessiveness. Indignation. All laced by a deep need to ensure Alys wouldn’t pull away from me. Those feelings bred thoughts I didn’t even want to consider: the myriad of ways I could present my case just right, distracting her and wrapping her up in narratives that would shift blame away from me.

  I knew, with absolute certainty born of watching such jostling at Court, that I could even turn things on her. Nothing served to cement your hold on someone quite like convincing them everything was their fault, and that their legitimate grievances were petty, childish complaints.

  There was a particular Countess back at Court who had a whole collection of mortals she liked to show off. They were so wrapped up in her manipulations, they would cut their own throats if she ever so much as hinted that they had personally displeased her. And she hadn’t even taken their names.

  It might take a while, whispered a voice I hated simply because I knew it belonged to me, but you can erode her confidence. Chisel away at her certainty. Shift the mold of who she is, so that it is incomplete without you. And then she would be yours, no matter what. Forever.

  I did not listen to this voice, of course.

  Thankfully, a smarter, more likable voice inside my head was also speaking. It assured me I was overreacting. Alys would not shut me out and throw away our relationship over a single mistake. She would give me a chance to apologize, to explain myself, and to earn her forgiveness.

  Yet even the sharp tang of potential loss was enough to make my chest constrict, to the point where a mortal might have found it difficult to breathe.

  I, to my shame, fell back on my training and clutched onto it like a lifeline. My expression might have been fake and my composure a sham, but I was successful. I shuttered myself off so completely, I doubted even Shaessath could see beyond my pleasant smile and impeccable manners.

  Grandmother knew something was amiss, of course. I noticed how carefully she watched me throughout the evening meal. Even so, I was certain that my true emotions were known only to me.

  Then dinner was over and done with, and Alys’ family retired to their rooms for the night.

  I almost invented an excuse to keep them around for a while longer. My control slipped for just a moment as my fingers twitched after them, but I did no more than that.

  “Hrm. The dinner was as pleasant, as always,” Shaessath said as she followed her daughter and son-in-law. Pausing at the door, she threw us a look over her shoulder. “Prepare yourselves for tomorrow. I may have delayed things today, but as I told you before, I have something to show you. We need to have a talk, too. Now, good night… and I hope you’ll have sorted out whatever is bothering the two of you by tomorrow morning.”

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  She turned around and left, leaving me to flush as I remembered what she’d said before we left for town. Shaessath had looked, dare I say it, excited when she’d sent us off. Clearly, neither Alys nor I had been as subtle as we thought when we first returned from town, if Shaessath had silently decided to delay whatever it was that had put her in such a mood to begin with.

  The thought was accompanied by a flash of warmth, because The Molten Expanse had decided to delay her own excitement in order to let me and Alys sort things out between us. But that warmth was swiftly buried by the maelstrom currently in possession of my emotions.

  With nothing else to do, I turned to face my dragoness fully.

  My mask cracked and fell. I slumped as my dread shone clear and true.

  Alys spent several seconds simply taking me in. Nothing showed on her face other than a narrowing of her eyes. Then she threw her head back and let out a long, rumbly sigh, mixed with a groan of pure frustration.

  “Follow me.”

  The words were not a suggestion so much as an order. I rushed to obey as she made her way up to our bedroom.

  Once there, however, Alys did not settle into her nest or change into something more comfortable. Instead, my dragoness started to pace right in front of her hoard chest, tail lashing in frustration and jaws chewing on words that didn’t manage to escape.

  I had no idea what to do. With no etiquette to follow or experience to fall back on, I just stood there awkwardly, fighting the urge to wring my hands.

  Finally, Alys stopped and turned to look me right in the eye.

  “What were you thinking?”

  I might have been a Belladonna, but that single word was venomous enough to tear right through my resistance and make me flinch.

  It was my turn to speak. Several perfectly valid points rose up, too.

  I had only used tactics I knew would work, without ever committing to anything at all. Half of every fae negotiation consisted of implications, threats, and allusions to what either side could do. Both sides knew these threats were unlikely to be carried out, unless things truly broke down and conflict was inevitable anyway. That was simply how it worked.

  But this approach was applicable to the Courts, rather than a conversation with frontier town elders. I could acknowledge that much.

  Once more, those invasive thoughts rose up: temptation and damnation wrapped in a neat little package. And, once more, I pushed that part of me aside. I shuddered to think what I would become if I gave into such ideas. Even more important, my current self absolutely loathed the idea of breaking Alys just for my own peace of mind.

  So, I let out a long breath and gave the only answer I could.

  “I wasn’t.”

  My dragoness snorted, embers flaring into the relative darkness of our bedroom.

  “Clearly! I think you know me well enough by now to know what I value, Thorn. Why I left my home to begin with!” She crossed the distance between us and gripped my jaw, tilting my head so I had nowhere to look but into her eyes. “You do, don’t you?”

  I did.

  Alys valued her independence fiercely. She burned with the need to prove herself. That had been undermined when she learned her grandmother had been supporting her quietly behind the scenes the entire time, and I’d seen the direct result of that undermining. I had helped her move past it, too.

  And then, even if I had been bluffing, without any intention of ever following through, I had made a decision for her all on my own. One that could have resulted in her getting stuck in her grandmother’s lair once more.

  The words left me in a whisper. “I do.”

  I gladly would have taken shouting, recriminations, and violence over the shuddering sigh that escaped her, or seeing her eyes twinkle with unshed tears.

  Letting go of my jaw, she turned away, tail still lashing and wings fluttering in agitation.

  “Then why would you do that?” she whispered back.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I hesitated. I wanted to do something, to hug her as tightly as I could, but I wasn’t sure if she could stand me at the moment.

  I took a step forward anyway and wrapped my arms around her gently, because I was weak and could only ignore my instincts so far. Thankfully, she leaned back into me with a sigh, rather than throwing me across the room like I deserved.

  “I didn’t… I would never…” I closed my mouth with a click, gritting my teeth until they hurt. “I can only promise to be better in the future. I will always talk to you before I make a decision that impacts both of us. I swear to you, Alys: I’ll never make the same mistake twice.”

  She gave a sudden, sharp laugh. “You are not going to swear to me that you won’t make mistakes at all?”

  A wry smile crossed my lips. “No. I am a fae. I will only make oaths I actually have a chance of fulfilling.”

  What I didn’t emphasize was that my promises were a tad more binding than those made by mortals. I had certainly sunk enough of me into the promise I’d just given her that I felt the core of my being latch onto the words, burning them across my very essence.

  I was determined not to take any chances with Alys’ happiness. If that meant being painfully reminded of my oath whenever I went too far, then that was a price I was more than willing to pay.

  Alys spun in my arms, the motion sudden and aggressive enough that I nearly flinched away from her. Her eyes were burning as she gripped the front of my shirt and pulled me closer, until I could feel the warmth of her breath fan over my face with almost uncomfortable intensity.

  “I want you to know I was furious with you. Furious. You’re lucky I know you well enough to know you would not hurt me on purpose. You’re also lucky that family always comes first. I will always support you, Thorn, so long as you share your plans with me. However, if you pull something like this again, I will make you regret it. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, dear,” I mumbled, feeling far too much relief and tension mingling in my chest to process either properly.

  “Now, I was tempted to tell you to go sleep downstairs alone for the night, since you clearly like making decisions on your own. But I am a loving and forgiving mate, so you can stay. If this happens again… don’t let it happen again, love.”

  Once more, there was only a single correct response.

  “Yes, dear.”

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