> "yes, and cel's prophet said that if someone of flesh and blood sat the unseelie throne he would die. he thought it meant your mortality, but it didn't." she looked at me, and there was something other than cruelty, though i wasn't sure what exactly. "cel screams your name in the night, meredith."

"he means my death if he can manage it."

she shook her head. "he has convinced himself that if he lay with you, you and he would have a child, and he would be king to your queen."

my mouth couldn't get any drier, but my heart rate could get faster. "i do not think that would work, aunt andais."

"work, work - it is fucking, meredith. the mechanics of it would work just grand."

i tried again, while doyle and rhys gripped me harder. even abe moved in at my back to put his face against my hair. touching to comfort me.

"i suppose what i meant was that i do not think cel and i would make a good ruling couple."

"do not look so frightened, meredith. i know that cel would not make you pregnant, but he has convinced himself of it. i suppose i am warning you. he no longer wants you assassinated, but he would kill every lover you have, if he could."

"is he... - " i tried to think of a way to say it, " - free to..."

"he is not imprisoned, but he is under guard at all times. i do not want my own guards to kill my only son to protect my heir." she shook her head. "go, call the goblin king back. i will try to find out if hugh's offer of the golden throne is true or false." she was walking back to the bed as she spoke the last few sentences. "but first i will take out my anger and frustration at you on your crystall. know that every cut is a cut i would make on your lily-white skin if i didn't need your body whole." she crawled onto the bed and reached for crystall. a knife had appeared in her hand, either by magic or it had been tucked into the sheets.

frost got to the mirror first and cleared it with a touch. we were left staring at our own images. my eyes were a little too wide, my skin pale.

"crap," rhys said.

that about summed it up.