and placed in a museum for mortals to admire.
Strands of his shoulder-length hair fell over his forehead and clung to his cheeks, the water making it darker than usual. In fact, everything about him was dark—his eyes, his countenance, and even his voice when he spoke.
“Why is she here?”
I shivered at the way he said she, immediately realizing the glamour wasn’t effective when it came to the princes. Though the spell was intended to hide me from other fae, Ronan’s magic must have been powerful enough to see right through it.
Coughing through one last chuckle, Flynn answered, “Because you demanded that I get down here.”
“Not. With. Her.”
Flynn turned his head this way and that to look around the enclosed space. “It’s not like she’s going to escape.”
Unless I want to drown myself in the lake, I added mentally.
Both men twisted to stare at me, and I wanted to kick myself in the rear. I kept forgetting that internal dialogue wasn’t safe when I was around them.
I forced a grin. “Just a little joke.”
As though I hadn’t spoken, or wasn’t even present, Ronan asked his brother, “Why didn’t you leave her locked up?”
“She wasn’t comfortable in your room, so I was working on finding her a new place when you summoned me.”
At that, Ronan finally addressed me. “What? Is my room not good enough for your oh-so-delicate sensibilities?”
Before I had a chance to respond, Killian appeared, all but his leather boots dry. “Whatever this is, can it wait until later? I need a break, and you two are up.”
I noticed Flynn studying him with a concerned expression, but he didn’t voice whatever he was thinking. “Sure. You can keep an eye on Genny for Ronan. Make sure she doesn’t run away. Or drown herself,” he added under his breath with a dark look in my direction.
I barely resisted rolling my eyes at him. Could no one take a joke?
Once Flynn and Ronan were out of earshot, Killian nodded toward a grassy area. “You want to sit?”
“Sure.”
He groaned as he sat, clearly exhausted. I studied his still-flushed face, wondering how much of his fatigue was due to the training, and how much of it was due to his illness, for lack of a better term. Thinking back, I could hardly remember a time when I’d seen him—or his brothers—more than slightly drained.
If it wasn’t such a sensitive subject where I was concerned, I would have asked him. Killian may not be as suspicious of me as Ronan was, but that didn’t mean he had any interest in discussing the thing that might be killing him.
And I didn’t exactly blame him.
So, I chose another line of questioning. “You have no problem seeing me as me?”
He smiled that smile I remembered so well but hadn’t seen much of since he’d reappeared in my life. “I couldn’t see past the glamour at first. Even after Ronan dunked himself, I thought you were just some girl. Which surprised me, since I don’t think I’ve seen Flynn with anyone since Father died.”
Huh. That was surprising.
“But, once Ronan came over and started yelling, I figured it out and was able to see past Flynn’s glamour.”
His smile fell as he huffed out a sigh and stared out over the water. I would have assumed he was watching his brothers, but his gaze appeared cloudy. Unfocused.
Unable to stop myself, I placed my hand over his. “Killian?” I didn’t know what else to say. Asking if he was okay seemed pointless. Callous, even. But I wanted him to know I was here to listen, if he wanted to talk.
He slowly turned his head, and his eyes glowed gold for a split second before returning to blue. “My magic is fading. That’s why I didn’t see the real you immediately and Ronan did.”
I sucked in a breath. Though he was obviously struggling physically, it never occurred to me that his magic would be impacted as well.
“I’m so sorry. I—I don’t even know what to say.”
He laughed, though there was no humor in it. “Don’t worry. You’re not the only one. Flynn is walking on eggshells around me, and Ronan seems intent on pretending like it’s not happening.”
“But, the tournament...you can’t compete.” My stomach twisted with rising panic. “You could get yourself killed.”
Killian shook his head. “I don’t have a choice. I’m the crown prince. Tournament or no, everyone expects me to take the throne.” He flipped my hand over and squeezed it lightly before drawing away. “Tuatha needs me.”
“So, what will you