Fanli kept her eyes cast downward as ogre after ogre walked past, ignoring her. Ved shielded her behind him.

"What's going on?"

At first unsure, Fanli willed her frantic heart to calm. Her gaze stayed on Pest. Everyone looked like dwarfs in comparison to him. And they swarmed him, but it wasn't for a fight.

Now out of danger, she could recognize what lured everyone. An ogre marriage ceremony. That was why these ogres were gathered—she and Pest had walked right into it.

"Do you know him?" Ved took a step back, ushering her closer to the trees as the crowd grew. "That huge ogre that held on to you?"

Said huge ogre looked around him, confused yet curious. Fanli was too far away to hear the exchange when the two hunters approached Pest. They hesitated and Pest had enough sense to touch his mouth then smile. After he spoke, the ogres around him calmed. He must have lied about his tusks.

"Do you need to join in here?" Ved asked.

Tucked safely at his back, Fanli watched Pest's interaction. On anyone else, Pest's size would be a thing of wonder—perhaps even admiration. Fanli imagined herself walking with an ogre that big and gaining fame from that alone. But the tusks. An ogre half his size with huge tusks would garner actual respect.

Fanli told herself to step from behind Ved and hurry to claim him.

She willed herself to.

But she couldn't.

Part of it was because of her own fear, but the other...was her parents.

First Bati, then the business with Lowgli. Now this? Could they survive anymore disgrace?

"No." The word left Fanli's mouth tasting bitter.

This was her friend—her responsibility. He had no idea what was going on. In all fairness, neither did she.

Somewhere close by, an ogre gathered others to anoint his wedding. And it was someone important enough to draw big numbers. It was probably a hunting male. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Pest's size made him ideal to offer up magic help.

Fanli mustered up enough courage to step from behind Ved with the intent to correct her disloyal actions and retrieve Pest. The moment Pest turned and went with the crowd, however, she lost heart.

For him, this was great fun—this was a joke.

Ved put his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the forest. Fanli walked on in a daze.

What had just happened? What had she done? At least he was safe but what if he made a mistake and came to harm?

She wouldn't have left if he were in danger.

No. Of course, she wouldn't.

Again and again, she argued against her decision to walk away. Then her parents' innocent and confused faces flashed before her eyes, and she couldn't find the strength to turn back. She'd wait. Perhaps Pest would leave on his own.

By the time Fanli came to a stop, she was already in front of Ved's home. There was no one else there. He opened the door but she didn't know when she stepped in.

"I'd thought for sure you had him."

Fanli kept her back to him. She had. She'd had him and he couldn't listen and now...now he was out and about, being seen, gone off—who knew where.

She didn't know how she felt but defeat certainly filled her veins as she scanned the room and focused on their makeshift bedding on the floor. Her fingers snatched up the blanket and she folded it.

"Where is he, Fan?" Ved asked her.

For a long while, Fanli couldn't speak; she couldn't look away from the fabric in her hands.

"Fairies are coming," Ved said. "They're coming here for him. Where is he?"

He...he was causing trouble, irreparable damage she'd be responsible for. How could she explain this to her family? It wasn't just his tusks but what he was—the fairy that had lit their village on emotional fire. Humans were on edge because of him. Ogres were being attacked because of him. Dragons were interfering with the weather because of him.

How could one man so adequately live up to his name?

What would this do to her family?

Pest knew where they were staying and yet went into the opposite direction on a lark. Something must have caught his eye. Perhaps one of the females....

"He's gone." Fanli let the words linger. She needed them for herself. After all the trouble—all the empty words of love lobbed at her, she hated herself for being here in this house with this sense of betrayal yet again.

"Why do you love him so much?"

The words were said gently enough but came with something else, disgust.

Fanli dared not face him. What was he asking? She searched herself for a proper response—one with dignity but came up wanting. So she confessed, "I want to say I don't—I shouldn't."

"The dragons are fit to attack us on his behalf. And you—you know what he did to those women—"

"I know it! I more than know it!" Tears stung Fanli's eyes, and she forced herself to calm. Getting into a rage and throwing blows was nothing new for an ogre but that would do her little good as of now. He was out there now, running around as if this were a joke. And...she'd let him...like she always did. She needed to make sense of it. The storm of thoughts swirled in her head came crashing down but one fact gleamed against the despair—shame. "I let him dictate what my life was. At ten years old, I had plans. They weren't great, but they were mine. And even days ago, I had something I wanted. Now all of it's vanished and I didn't even put up a fight. You know the worst thing?" She scoffed as she confessed, "What he did to those women.... I felt slighted—I felt slighted that he hadn't done it to me, too." She let out a bitter laugh. "How pathetic is that?"

A gentle hand held her shoulder. The touch was like fire, filling her with warmth. It was also alarming, made all the more so when Ved stepped closer to her.

"Plenty were interested in you, Fan. You just never let yourself see it. And not just ogres."

Body stiffened, she risked letting her eyes slide to the side until they settled on a sad smile.

"Guess I could have been more direct."

That sense of alarm intensified. Heart pounding, Fanli took a step back, breaking his hold.

She also leaned away.

Ved cleared his throat and tried to laugh. "I mean—I've...I've been trying for a while now. To—to get you to notice. Even invited you out, sorta. And wanted to ride with you, sit with you." The smile widened but didn't amount to much. "You never noticed, huh?"

Noticed? How about imagined? She'd never fathomed it.

"Since when?" she blubbered.

His mouth opened and closed again and again as he shrugged. "I dunno. Forever."

That one word made her flinch.

"I mean, would you have noticed? Could you have? Because nothing and no one ever compared to your fairy." He was hesitant at first but reached out to stroke down her shoulder until he reached her hand. His fingers brushed hers, but she didn't have the strength to pull away a second time. "I came to warn you—to make sure you didn't do something stupid like—like sacrifice yourself, at least not for him. Because that's what you'll do. The fairies are coming, an army of them, and they're coming for him. And they'll plow through whoever they need to. Don't shield him anymore," he begged. "I want to say for...for my sake, but at least for yours."

There was a numbness that came with Ved holding her hand. She looked at their grip. Till now, she couldn't remember ever touching anyone, not even her family, anyone but Pest.

Life had been so stilted. Cold. Without promise of anything light and gentle.

She tried to make sense of what was happening but when she picked her head up, Ved was already before her. Under different circumstances she might have admitted it—before Pest had been even an afterthought, Ved had been her only interest. But whether it was for a chance to join his perfect family or for any real admiration, she couldn't say. This close, he was even more massive than she'd perceived. So why was he suddenly leaning in. And why was she tilting her head up to meet him.

"And you don't have to be human with me," Ved whispered, "because I like the way you look now."

Fanli's response caught in the back of her throat. She meant to say something but instead, those words stripped her bare. Helpless. She felt helpless and wasn't sure why until he spoke again.

"And I'd walk proud with you. Not hide away."

The first touch of their lips surprised Fanli enough that she stepped back. She raised her hands to his chest to shove him away but why hadn't she?

Instead, he held her face in both hands and kissed her in earnest.

Fanli lost power. She wasn't sure when she decided to kiss back. Her lips parted to tell him to stop but his tongue slipped into her mouth, and she sucked it in kind.

He wrapped his arms around her, brushing the nape of her neck and she remembered herself and turned her head.

Breathing still heavy, Ved whispered in her ear, "What?" When she couldn't answer, he begged, "Won't you consider someone else? Someone who won't harm you?"

Forehead pressed against his chin, Fanli fought to compose herself. This was what she wanted. Deep down it was. Ved was a leader's son, not some fairy mishap made flesh. He commanded respect, not the scorn of others, and though she'd die before admitting it, in the physical, he was both handsome as he was strong.

He was perfect.

And she hadn't seen. For how long? Since forever?

What would have happened if Pest had never come into her life? What might have happened to her? To them?

"I made a promise to him," Fanli confessed. "I accepted his offering."

"Then relinquish that promise." Ved stepped back to give her space but not much. "At least to give others a fighting chance—a fair chance." His voice was a whisper when he said, "Give yourself a fair chance. I feel like you never got that. He just jumped in and changed everything to fit him—conditioned you to fit him, and I never had a fair shot."

Ashamed, Fanli kept her eyes on Ved's chest. Despite the spacious house, the walls closed in. What was she doing with herself—with her life?

A crack of thunder had her flinching.

Ved held her shoulders. "The dragon.... A dragon he slighted. A dragon that's likely to burn our valley while he runs off."

"He wouldn't do that."

She waited for Ved to chide her or even state the obvious tat Pest already had but instead, he squeezed her shoulders.

Faced with the question of why she did what she did next, Fanli could not answer—she shrugged Ved's hands away.

He made a sound, but she was the one truly defenseless.

"I wanted to go to that mountain for a wish," Ved muttered. "I was going to wish to make you free of him."

Fanli turned away, she couldn't face him. "He'll come back and we'll find a way to fix this."

But even she didn't believe her own words.

"Well, where is he now? Whose bed is he in while you wait here for him?"

Those words hurt. They stung all the more because the thought had run through Fanli's mind as well. No, it wasn't likely Pest found a human woman to answer the need he'd requested of Fanli. But an ogress, one who cared more for the size of his body, the bass of his voice, his dumb charm....

The thought made her sick.

"Do you know where he is?" Ved asked. "You can give him over."

His hand was back again, stroking her shoulder. Everything in her wanted to turn to him. But equally, she longed to be away.

"Fan," Ved whispered, "it's okay to want something for yourself. And—and why not give me a try? If you change your mind, I won't try to take revenge on you. But fairies will, because that's what he is deep down—a fairy."

This time when he stepped close, she allowed him to turn her in his embrace.

Ved held her face until she found the strength to look him in the eyes.

"You're loyal, I get it, but why? When's he ever been loyal to you?"

No words had ever hurt her as deeply.

This time, when he leaned in, her resistance fell. She would kiss him, she decided, and she'd allow him—guide him to do whatever else he wanted.

She searched herself for some excuse for her behavior. What she found...was nothing. In that instance, she hated herself all over again. What was she doing? What was she expecting? Why was she doing this to herself? Pest was long gone. And she was a fool for pining for someone who even admitted to hating what she was—that meant he must hate her to the very core as well.

Ved broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together. "I'll help you search for him."

"No." Fanli lowered her voice from the shout. With him this close, she felt weak all over again. "No. Please.... I think I'm ready to finally let go now." Fanli made a hard choice and opened the door. Before stepping out, she turned and hesitated before giving Ved a kiss. A shocked gasp from him reached her but Fanli didn't care. She wanted to tell Ved a myriad of things—mostly thank you.

But she didn't need to say what he knew himself. "If you leave without me, he'll drag you down with him. Let me—"

Fanli touched his chest then his face and said, "I won't be coming back here. Please explain that to your mother."

Ved stared at her, stunned.

"Fanli.... Wait." Ved fought for something to say. "If I came on too strong or—"

Fanli wanted to give him an answer, but she didn't have one. Nothing came to her until she stared at his chest and admitted, "I've loved your family for a long time. Being a part of it was a dream because you all were so perfect. But I figured I couldn't, so I tried to make one with Pest but...it was foolish. Because I probably could have made it anywhere."

Ved took hold of her hand. "But I'm right here. And I'm not perfect like you thought, but...I'm here."

Fanli focused on the black of his clothes then his grim expression. "I know. But I'm not like Pest; I can't use someone to make me feel better."

His look of surprise gave her the needed chance to escape, and she dashed out. A hard body at the doorway made her recoil. The look of confusion mixed with woe on the large ogres face deepened little by little as Pest lowered the flowers in his hand.