"Yeah," she breathed, snuggling closer. "See, I can take magic from him. No, we don't know how. Ms. Rhodes doesn't understand it either. Our theory is it's because we weren't supposed to be two. Our father did one spell. He needed one child so the Mad Queen would stop killing the Winter Court. Instead, he got two."
"Shadow!" Jack cawed.
Which made both of us look over. "Excuse me?" I asked.
"Court. Shadow. Jack-Morrigan. Shadow. Shadow, Shadow, Shadow!" Then he rattled in frustration. "Bitch!"
Which made both me and Aspen giggle. "Who's a bitch?" Aspen asked.
"Shadow!" Jack clarified.
"Yeah, and I have no clue what that means," I told her, tugging her up against me again. "I'm more worried about you and Hawke."
"The rumors?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, people know you're a princess now."
"And they're wrong," she said.
Which made me suck in a breath. "Oh! You're not aprincess.You're a queen! That means we can deny it while telling the truth?"
"Exactly!" she praised. "But if I'm a princess, and Torian's my brother, they'll know he's a prince, and that part is true."
"He's enough of an asshole to be one," I admitted.
She giggled. "He really is. But Rain? If he's not a jevadu..."
"Hawke," I realized.
Aspen nodded. "This is all going to come out."
"So own it," I told her. "Aspen, Hawke is a duke. Torian named him one. It means he's Summer, right? So if you're not a princess, then he's not technically a wildling. He chose a season."
"But he also didn't," she countered. "He's still a wildling. His magic is still based on wild magic. He will still need to feed, and that's more awkward than you know."
"How so?"
She made a face. "He has talons on his thumbs. You know how in the movies a vampire bites someone's neck and gets blood? But it's always shallow and never ripping apart their necks?"
"Yeah?" I wasn't sure where she was going with this yet.
"He has to pierce skin to draw out the magic in a fae body. It's a real puncture, Rain. It leaves a mark. That's why Wilder doesn't take off his shirt."
I felt my entire body go limp. "He feeds on Wilder?"
"With permission," she hurried to assure me. "Usually when naked."
Which made me giggle this time. "Oh, I see! But it'll be easier for him now, right? I mean, with all of us knowing?"
"I don't actually know," she said. "Keir could be weird about it, and Hawke willnotfeed from Torian unless there's no other option. He says it's not his place."
"And Keir thinks Wilder's the traditionalist," I grumbled. "No, I get it. But still. We can help him too. I don't know how, but I mean, aren't the six of us supposed to be working together? And if the Hunt comes back..."
"Yeah," she breathed. "That's the problem. But with all the rumors? We have to be careful, Rain."
"Or," I said, "we can rub their faces in it. You're royalty, Aspen! So is Torian. I'm the Morrigan, and my job is to restore balance, right? So aren't we balancing things our way? Who says we have to do it like everyone else expects? Who says you have to be the kind of queen your father was? And I fucking hope Torian won't be a king like his mother!"
"Oh, he won't," she insisted. "But Rain? He doesn't want to be king at all."
