Son?

But Des’s father was supposed to be …

“You died on my sword, Galleghar,” Des says. He stares at the fairy like one would a ghost. By all rights, he is a ghost.

His father—Galleghar—tilts his head. “Did I?”

My eyes dart between the two men. The similarities between them are uncanny. No wonder there were so many rumors of Des being the last person seen with the missing soldiers. His father has been haunting these woods.

“Desmond!” Mara shrieks from somewhere in the distance. “Coward! Come back and finish the fight.” She sounds like a broken woman.

Galleghar uses the momentary distraction to disappear. A second later the air behind me stirs. That’s all the warning I get.

The fairy’s arms wrap around me. A second later I’m jerked off my feet and into the sky. He propels the two of us high into the night air.

“What do you think your mate desires more—love or life?” he whispers into my ear as my mate charges after us.

I struggle against him. Higher and higher the two of us shoot into the sky.

“Why don’t we find out?” Des’s father says.

His arms open, and abruptly I slip from them.

I hear Des shout as I pinwheel in the sky.

At the moment my wings might as well be useless. I can’t get my bearings, and the oak grove is growing bigger and bigger beneath me.

All at once I’m scooped out of the air and into Des’s arms.

“I’ve got you,” he says.

No sooner does he speak than Galleghar appears at the Bargainer’s back, his hands braced against Des’s wings. He jerks sharply on them, and I hear the snapping of bones.

He broke my mate’s wings!

Des roars in agony and anger, those massive wings folding at an unnatural angle. And his father, his damnable father, laughs, disappearing just as quickly as he appeared.

The Bargainer tucks his broken wings around me as the two of us tumble, trying to shield me from harm despite him being the injured one.

Several seconds later, we slam into the treetops, and Des grunts as he takes the brunt of the force. The two of us tumble from branch to branch until we finally hit the earth below.

I moan as I stare up at Des. His eyes are unfocused with pain, but he rises to his feet without hesitation, pulling me with him.

“Going so soon?” Galleghar appears on a branch before us.

Even battered and broken, I feel Des’s fury. My normally contained mate is losing his long practiced control.

The shadows gather and spill over the forest.

The man above us may have sired my mate, he may even know a few tricks that Des doesn’t, but right now the darkness is bending to the Bargainer’s will, not his father’s.

Des’s entire body hums with pent up rage. I can feel that unnatural wrath churning beneath his skin.

“How did you escape death?” Des demands.

Galleghar gives his son an indulgent look. “As the Lord of Secrets, you should know better than to ask.” He hops off the branch, and I get my first good look at the wings spread out behind him.

They could be carbon copies of Des’s own wings except Galleghar’s talons look a little bigger, his wingspan might be a little narrower, and the skin of his wings is soot black, not silver. They fold behind him as his feet hit the ground and he begins to stride towards us.

“How I have longed for this reunion,” he says. “How I will savor killing you.” His eyes land on me. “Maybe I’ll be merciful and keep your mate for my new harem—I’ll save her for only my most unspeakable acts. Kings have their needs.”

Okay, this fucker needs to go down.

Des releases me slowly, stepping forward. Darkness pours off him in waves.

Galleghar disappears in the next instant, reappearing right in front of Des, his arm cocked.

The Bargainer dodges the hit, then, grabbing the collar of Galleghar’s shirt, thrusts his own fist into Galleghar’s face. Before he lands the blow, both men disappear. They materialize in the sky above me, grappling as they fall. And then they vanish once more, winking into and out of existence over and over again.

My already trembling heart lodges itself in my throat. My mate is mighty, but he’s fighting the one man who might be his match. And unlike his father, Des’s wings are broken.

I hear the two leviathans roaring as they fight, the world shaking with claps of their power as their magic meets.

Never have I felt so useless as I stare up into the sky.

“He’ll be fine.”

I jolt as the Green Man steps out from the dark woods, his green skin glowing softly in the moonlight.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, edging back a little.

I came into the forest looking for answers. So far, I’ve only been met with questions.

He comes right up to me, reaching out to stroke my dimming skin.

“You are utterly singular,” he says, his finger moving over the scales that dust my arms. His eyes flick to mine. “I find I’ve become quite … enthralled by you.”

I step away from him, grimacing a little. “Where’s Mara?” I ask, looking over his shoulder.

Something about this situation is off, but what?

“Mourning her beloved trees,” he says, not taking his amber eyes off of me.

“I admit, I was utterly titillated when you struck down those oaks.” He shakes his head. “That brute human logic of yours does indeed stir things up around here.”

The Green Man reaches for me again. I slap his hand away. That earns me a nefarious smile. “The one wife I couldn’t have, the one soul I couldn’t claim.”

My skin goes cold. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you miss me while I was away?” He begins to circle me. “I’ve looked forward to chatting with you since our last little encounter in the Fauna Kingdom.”