On cue, magenta eyes flicked toward her, unreadable. Perhaps there was some sort of relief there, but it was gone in an instant.“You requested my presence?” she asked.Lavender eyes flew toward her too. “That was me. My brother thinks I tried to kill him. I figured a torture machine shouldn’t be the only thing questioning me.”Uncertainty simmered within her and Brian’s silence was dreadful. But the small, subtle nod from him had her feet moving closer toward them until she was standing beside Alicia.“I will ask her the same questions. Over and over,” he said. “Do what you must.”There were no further instructions, and instinct rioted at releasing her magic when the court hadn’t been the most welcoming of it. But she nodded, too, and knelt, easing energy into her fingers. They glowed, dimmer than the device’s glow. She bit her tongue when the larger energy in the room sensed hers and crowded around her, a crawling sensation that pushed her back.Mabel directed more into her feet unt

“Lavender and magenta are the court’s official colors, other than the icy blue we often show to the public,” the woman explained. “This is a shade in between and would show respect to our future ruler, whichever of the two takes the crown in the end.”“It’s too short.”A cool sensation touched her knees. Mabel watched as the hem lengthened, fluttering around her skin and draping to the ground.“Too long,” Mabel said, biting back a grin at Emma’s eyeroll.“You’re lucky I like you,” the woman declared before shortening the dress until it was just below her knees. Mabel twirled again, the layers of sheer material moving with her.“Even if I’m not a magic?”“You know what to say and when to show your emotions. You know when to push your agenda and when to back off, and you can hold your own against our more malicious peers. You can be vicious, too, when it calls for it. You’re already acting like a magic.”“Oh,” she said, unsure how to react. It never sank into her mind that the qualities

No.”“Brian—”“Not now. I’m so close and your mouth is top-tier fantasy. I want you to come first.”She blinked when she was flipped, then frowned when her legs were nudged apart. She opened her mouth to protest and melted into a puddle of blankness when a head moved in, then a tongue, licking her from end to end before diving in. Then there was more licking, lapping, and even a few fingers thrusting before he sucked. Her feet pressed against his back when he encouraged them to rest there, opening her further until he was feasting on her with his mouth, tongue, and fingers. She writhed from the pleasure, then stilled when his hand pressed against her stomach to lock her in place. His fingers curled and his lips latched on to her clit, sucking even harder—The orgasm took her apart, rocking her world with stars and a spasm of pleasure after pleasure. When she came down from her high, their positions were different again and Mabel was kissing her, smug and pleased with himself. But the

“We can ask, not order. Later. I’m sure she’s with Yu now…”He trailed off when he glimpsed a figure out of the corner of his eye, flying in a frenzy. The pixie would have slammed against his head if he hadn’t sidestepped. He reached out to pluck the guy’s wings when Yu was about to hit a tree, gently redirecting him.“Yu, what are you doing here? What—”“Mabel. Help.”Fear coated Yu’s tone. It fed Brian’s enough that he didn’t bother to ask questions, already running until Yu was leading the way. Alicia followed behind them, a frown marring her lips. She gasped when they reached a clearing, but he barely heard her as he took in the cracked icy pond and destroyed tree barks.Traces of blood led out of the clearing, along with footprints. He quickened his pace, leaving the two behind and feeling sick to his stomach when the blood drops grew thicker and the tracks became sluggish. Then up ahead was the shoreline, which their court avoided as too many creatures liked to portal in and out

“This is our entertainment wing. This room is for special guests.”“A whole entertainment wing?” Excitement flickered in her tone. “That sounds fun. The Winter Court is so strange. I expected formalities and prudishness, not parties and…”Her voice trailed off, the excitement freezing as she stood near the glass wall. He sauntered over to look and froze. The glass wall separated them from another room below, one where writhing bodies were visible.“Sexcapades. We have lots of rooms for those too.” And he had forgotten that those activities still happened, even in broad daylight. He cursed his carelessness, already fretting. He watched her swallow.“Sex rooms,” she whispered.There were men and women, all magic, some he knew well. They were in various states of undress, as well as sexual positions that ranged from just starting to get into it, already reaching their climax, or slumped in a state of sexual fatigue. He followed where her eyes were glued and landed on a couple on the floo