Sometime later Ronan roused me. I opened my eyes to see the trees around us were somewhat thinner, though the darkness still hung around us, a thick dark curtain. He helped me off Nea, and I rubbed my hands down my arms. Even without Ronan's body heat, the warmth along my skin remained. Moisture hung in the air, thick and humid.

"How far have we gone?"

It was like I was in a completely different climate than before. The trees were tall and thin with thick leafy branches. Somewhere beyond them, I heard a distant animal call. The tree beside us was a thick mass of knotted branches, like a swarming mass of tangled snakes that reached up to the sky. For a moment, I swore I saw it move.

Ronan smiled. "We made good progress. We are much closer to the Sand sea now. I suspect we will be there in two weeks, maybe less. We will have to take it a bit easier from here on out and move on foot for a few days." 

He patted Nea. My eyes widened. The horse was visibly steaming, some of the fire fading in his eyes. "Nea rode the best he has in a long time to get us to safety." Ronan stepped away, leading Nea to one of the trees next to a thick copse of vivid green grass.

"I see," I replied, looking out over the verdant forest. 

The scent of coming rain hung in the air, and the moon was closer than before. I gazed up at it, clenching and unclenching my hands. I could still feel the lingering tendrils of air wrapping around my fingers, though I wasn't sure how to make sense of it. My blood thrilled at the idea of what I could do, but at the same time...

Where had it come from?

My blood had dried, but I could still feel the long gashes that had been ripped into my flesh. They had started to heal, but as I moved I felt them pull and sting under my tunic as I pulled off the thick coat I had been wearing since leaving Ashthorne Castle. I didn't need it now.

"Come here," Ronan said, gesturing to my arms. "I still have the salve that Cath gave you for your feet. Let me apply it to your wounds."

I remained where I was. "That's okay, I can apply it myself."

Ronan lifted a brow and studied me, crossing his arms. "You don't trust me."

We only stood a few paces apart, and I could still feel the memory of my body nestled in his arms as we rode on Nea, but something about what I had seen in his eyes after I used my Craft lingered at the back of my mind. Perhaps I had been starting to forget who Ronan really was.

"I barely know you."

Ronan's expression didn't waver. "You know I cannot lie. I meant what I said about you, I don't like you feeling pain." He held out an arm to me. "Let me see your wounds. I have dealt with many of my own."

I remembered Ronan's confession back before the sluagh separated us, the almost kiss, and I averted my gaze. I wasn't sure how to feel about Ronan. There were two different sides to him, and neither of them made any sense.

"I'm bleeding."

Ronan smiled. "You've been in my arms for many hours." He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing as his nostrils flared. "If I was going to hurt you, it would have been easier back then. You have nothing to fear from me."

I hesitated. It was true, he could've hurt me at any time since the moment he claimed me in the Hunt, but he hadn't. For once his eyes didn't remind me of fire or blood. Instead, they were dark and weary. The attack had taken a toll on him as well.

I didn't know his intentions, but the part of me that was unmistakably drawn to him felt less conflicted as I took a step towards him.

"Fine," I said, rolling up my sleeve. "If you must."

Ronan's fingers were gentle, careful to not let his long black tipped claws scrap my broken flesh as he looked at my ripped skin. A small frown pulled at his mouth, but he didn't take on the sharper, more dangerous look I was accustomed to seeing when danger was near.

He retrieved the salve from his bag, and then had me sit on one of the large twisted roots from the nearby tree. The moss was thick and fluffy under my fingers, covering nearly everything.

Ronan was quiet as he tended to my arms, only the light of the moon shining down on him. His expression was drawn, focused. Flickers of warmth spread across my skin from his touch, soothing the pain better than if I had done it myself. I looked up to study the sky. Other than the bright violet Faerie moon, stars twinkled in and out overhead.

The sky was different, yet familiar at the same time.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Over a day, I think. It is hard to tell this close to Stellaria." Ronan answered. He finished up one of my arms then started on the next. A deep, pleasurable sensation ran through me at his lingering touch, and I closed my eyes.

But then what he had said registered, and I opened my eyes. "That long?" I asked, surprised. "It doesn't feel like time has passed at all." The thick night didn't look any different than it had before.

Ronan nodded. "Well, yes. That is why Nea was able to get us so far. Even he cannot travel such a great distance in only a few moments. But time in the Dark Courts is warped. It does not change like other places. It is perpetually stuck in a instant, night never leaving its lands."

"You mean to tell me..." My pain was momentarily forgotten. "We are stuck in time?"

Ronan considered my words. "Yes, that is one way to put it. There are many places like it in Faerie. The Dark Courts chose this one because one of their previous Kings was enchanted by the night sky. He built their castle up there so that his court could live among the stars and never have to leave them."

I looked around with new eyes. It was hard to put a finger on it, but I had sensed the shift back when we had left the Ashthorne Mountains. Time had seemed to flow differently, and now that we were inside the quiet darkness, I could sense it, stilled around me. Though things still changed and moved, none of it was going forward like how I was used to.

It just...was.

Ronan finished applying the salve, and then looked up at me. He was close, closer than he probably needed to be. I could see the dark lashes ringing his eyes. I pulled away.

"Th--" I started, then caught myself. "I feel better now."

Ronan gave a smile, pleased. He then moved away, and set about making a small fire. Within moments it crackled, but I saw him wince as he hovered his hands over the flames. When he took his hands away, I noticed they were raw looking and red.

A sharp, unpleasant sensation coursed through me, and before I could catch myself I moved forward, ignoring his claws as I turned his hand over in mine.

"You are hurt as well."

He grunted, inspecting me curiously. "It is nothing. Like I said, there is a price to pay for using our Craft. Mine is not yet fully restored either."

I looked down at the red blisters of his palms, biting the inside of my cheek. I picked up the salve Ronan had discarded, then opened it. I carefully applied it to his hands, hoping it would help his injuries as it had mine. Ronan tilted his head, but didn't protest. When I looked back up, his expression was amused.

"Is this what it is like having a wife?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. "I think I could get used to it."

I dropped his hands with a frown, a small blush warming my cheeks.

"You tended to my wounds, so I tended to yours. It is only fair, now I don't have to worry about owing you anything."

Ronan's eyes glinted, some of the mischievousness returning to his face as his lips curled into a smirk. "A pity, I would have enjoyed coming up with ways for you to repay me." He leaned forward, his smirk turning into something else. "But I can think of other ways you might still owe me."

I swallowed, then pulled away. He wasn't wrong. He had saved my life, and I wasn't sure what kind of debt that carried. But Ronan must have noticed my unease because his expression blanked over and he turned away from me. He focused his attention on the trees around us.

I thought I heard a distant caw out in the trees.

"We still have far to go." Ronan patted the mossy ground near him. His features sharpened, a threat that wasn't directed at me."Rest. I will keep watch. Nothing will disturb you this time."