"Nei. That I failed her. My first duty was to protect my mate, and I did not. It will not happen again." His expression hardened and he turned to face her. "Which is why you will never again attempt to leave your home unescorted.”

"But—”

"Nei! You are my truemate. Harm to you is harm to me. The Eld know this, and that puts you in great danger, Ellysetta. The world is no longer a safe place for you.”

His eyes were starting to glow again, and she could feel his anger beating at her. She should just meekly agree and go home. That was the smart thing to do. He was a powerful Fey who'd already lost control of his wild magic once before. Only a fool would actually argue with him.

And yet … something would not let her just meekly murmur her obedience and allow the Fey to lead her home like a prize dog on a leash. "I realize your concern is genuine, my lord Feyreisen, but even if Eld Mages really are hiding in the city, plotting evil, they have no reason to harm me. I am betrothed to another man.”

"Bel told me of the butcher's offspring. His desires neither hold sway over our bond nor protect you from the Eld. Your soul called out, Ellysetta Baristani, and mine answered. That one moment made you a prize the Eld would kill to claim. Nothing can change that. And that means you must never again attempt to wander the streets alone.”

"But—”

"No buts." His hands seized hers in a tight grip. "If you will not consider your own safety, consider the safety of others. Sariel was my mate. I should not have survived her death. But I did, and you know the results." He gestured to the fiery, violent paintings surrounding them. "Whether you want it or not, you are my truemate. Even though our bond is not yet complete, if the Eld managed to kill you, I should not survive it." Sudden intensity burned in his eyes, and his voice dropped to a low whisper. "But what if I did?" Ellie's mouth went dry. Her skin burned where Rain's hands gripped hers as images and emotions flooded into her. The blinding grief of Sariel's death. The hot, wild rush of rage, driving him to rain fire and death upon the world. The haunting screams and terror of those who died in the face of his madness.

She yanked free of his grip, and the onslaught ceased.

She pressed one shaking hand to her mouth and the other to her belly. "What was that?”

"A tiny fraction of what I live with, Ellysetta, every day since I scorched the world.”

"I'm going to be sick" She spun on her heel and raced for the nearest waste bin, barely making it before the contents of her stomach heaved out of her.

When she was done, he was there beside her, a glass of cold water in his hand. She could have cried with humiliation. Instead, she took the glass, rinsed her mouth, and spat. Not meeting his eyes, she handed the glass back to him. It melted into nothing. All signs of her brief, violent sickness vanished as well.

She stared at the empty space and couldn't even summon surprise. Of course the Fey could make vomit vanish. All that power had to have its practical uses. She forced a laugh. "Where were you when Lillis and Lorelle had the stomach ague last year?”

He didn't laugh or even smile at her weak joke. "Sieks'ta. I should not have shared that with you. I have shamed myself. Not even fear for your safety excuses me." He gestured, and Bel stepped closer. "Your quintet will take you home. As I've just demonstrated, my control is not yet what it should be." He bowed, his face a frozen mask.

If he'd meant to impress upon her the gravity of her situation, he'd succeeded. His tactics might have been brutal, but they were effective. She couldn't even summon any anger. How could she blame him for wanting to avoid reliving the horror he'd just shared with her?

She started to reach out to him, but caution made her drawback before touching him. One taste of his torment was enough. "I won't leave the house without escort again," she promised.

As Bel led her away, she paused at the entrance of the Fey wing and glanced back. Rain stood looking up at Chelan's painting of Sariel's death, his face pale and drawn.

The young boy darted silently through the shadows of the West End's quiet merchant district. A block ahead, the pretty blond girl he'd followed from the museum turned down a narrow cobbled lane that led to a modest residential district. The boy smiled. He could practically feel the gold sovereign warm between his fingers.

Follow her, Master Manza had ordered when he'd realized the blonde was Ellysetta Baristani's friend. Find out where she lives. She may prove useful.

Rain remained in the museum for almost a full bell after Ellysetta's departure, sitting on the bench in the middle of the room, staring up at the countless images and remembering.

He'd loved Sariel. With all the unfettered, consuming passion of youth, he'd loved her. He'd been a young Tairen Soul, full of the power of his gift and the promise of endless skies, and she'd been a beautiful Fey healer, not as powerful as Marissya, and no match to his own strength, but so gentle and compassionate there were none who did not love her.

She'd been first in his heart since boyhood. He'd never wanted another.

And now he did.

It felt like betrayal. As if his own body, his own soul, had betrayed his heart.

Spirit swirled around his fingertips. Swaths of mystic magic poured out in a sparkling cloud that slowly began to spin. He watched it, guided it, as the magic condensed and took shape. Long, straight strands of silky black hair blew back from a luminous oval face of stunning beauty. Full, red lips smiled at him with exquisite tenderness, while eyes like blue forget- me-nots watched him with endless patience and love.