"You would freeze to death in this storm, firstly. And second, while vampires can feed on each other, it doesn't give us the nourishment that human blood gives us. It can help us heal from certain wounds though, which is useful, but not something like this."

"Then you need to feed on me. Who forbade it? It's my blood and my right to give it to whom I choose."

"Let's talk about this in the morning," he says, his body too limp under my hands. "You need to rest."

"Now who's being the stubborn one, huh?"

"I'm not being stubborn, there are just things at play here you don't understand." He flinches as he adjusts himself against the stone, and I grab the bag Kayla prepared. "Your wounds need tending. Stay still."

He grabs my hand. "They will heal in time."

"But they aren't healing now," I say. "So I need to clean and bandage them so they don't get infected, or whatever happens to vampires when they are injured."

I pull out bandages and a cream meant for cuts, scrapes and burns. We get a lot of those at the forge. Fen doesn't show any expression as I inspect the wounds on his chest, my fingers prying gently to make sure he's not getting an infection. I use some snow and an extra cloth to wipe away any extra debris from the forest and then apply a thick layer of cream over each wound before securing it with a bandage. "So what things are at play that I don't understand?" I ask as I work.

"You ask a lot of questions," he says.

I roll my eyes at him. "Yeah, I'm irritating that way, always wanting to know things that have a direct impact on my life and well-being. Must be a silly human thing."

"You're right," he says. "It does affect you. And you'll need to be careful. My brothers and I have been around a very long time. You couldn't even fathom how long if you tried. We have seen the rise and fall of many empires and kingdoms and we have fought many wars. We have killed more than you can imagine. We have done horrible things, deserving of our demon curse. These are the men you will be spending time with in the coming months. These are your choices for the next king. We are dangerous, Ari. More than you know. And there are some who would stop at nothing to become the next king. When you are dealing with an immortal species, you don't often see change in leadership except by violence, and even then, we are hard to kill, as I've said. What is happening now is unprecedented. And you are at the center of it all. The High Council decided on rules to keep you safe."

"Like no feeding from me."

He nods. "Yes. However, other things were left open. And that's where you have to be careful."

"Other things like what?" I ask, securing the last bandage.

"There are no limits on physical intimacy," he says, glancing away.

My hand freezes on his chest. Our faces are just a few inches apart. Outside, the snow falls so fast and hard it turns the world into a cacophony of shrills and howls, dimmed only slightly by the crackling fire in our small cave. Baron sleeps next to us, his body close to the flame for warmth, but his head facing the cave's entrance, presumably to keep guard. All of this registers in an instant, but none of it matters, because all I can feel is the pressure of this man's hand on my hip, his fingers gripping me harder than necessary. "So anything goes then?"

"Essentially, yes."

"With my consent, of course."

"With me that would always be true, but that's not the case with others."

"So they would force me?" My voice quivers at the thought of the violation. "How do they think that will convince me to choose them in the end?"

"If they can impregnate you first, then they will have to be the one you choose. The heir must come first."

"So if I get pregnant, I have no choices left?"

His hand squeezes my hip. "Correct. That's why Levi isn't worried about his earlier display. He doesn't need you to like him. He just needs you to carry his child. Also, there are other ways to manipulate you into sex that aren't so... clearly forced, but which you would still consider a violation of the consent that is so important to you."

I frown. "Ways like what? Drugs?"

"In a manner of speaking. You've experienced the effect Dean had on you. He is the demon of lust and he can make you want things... feel things... that would be hard not to act on." Fen turns his head away from me, his jaw clenched.

I put a hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble of hair on my skin as I pull his face up to look at me. "Dean can use all his tricks on me, but I am not ruled by desire or lust. I'm smarter than that. And I gotta say, his recent alignment with Levi left him low on my list. I felt nothing when near him that night."

"They are strong, Ari. Powerful. We are the Fallen. The first of our kind to come to this world. The original cursed. You wouldn't stand a chance against them. Against any of us."

A buzz grows between us. This electric charge I can't pull away from. "Then you'll have to stick around and protect me. That's your job, isn't it?"

"Yes." His voice is deeper than normal. More gravelly.

"Then don't leave me," I whisper. "I know it's only been a few weeks, but I can't imagine being in this world without you. You have become my rock."

"Oh, Arianna. You don't know what you're asking of me."

"Then tell me. Help me understand. Am I wrong in thinking what I'm feeling between us is mutual?"