"So what? He's like any male." She waved a dismissive hand. "He'll sleep with any female in the vicinity."

The genuine indifference in her voice helped to soothe his restless beast. And ensured the frost sprite would live. At least for now.

"Untrue," he muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Some men are far more choosy than others," he growled.

She arched a brow. "I suppose you intend to claim you're one of those choosy males?"

He stilled, belatedly realizing why he'd been so uninterested in females since he'd officially put his mark on Rya.

His dragon had accepted that he had his mate. No other woman would do.

Astonishing.

Not that he was about to admit as much to the female currently glaring at him. Instead he folded his arms over his chest. One way or another he intended to get her back to the comfort of the harem.

This cold couldn't be good for her.

"If Finn isn't your lover then why are you here?"

She hesitated, as if she was trying to decide whether to tell him the truth. At last she blew out a resigned sigh.

"Because I'm looking for my mother."

Her mother? His brows tugged together in confusion.

"I thought she had a home in Hong Kong?" Torque said, vaguely recalling Synge sharing his annoyance that the mysterious Shinto fey preferred her own home to the luxurious rooms in his harem. "Why would she be here?"

"Finn contacted her when his people started disappearing."

Torque snorted. He wasn't surprised the sprites would be fleeing from the overly-pretty prince. He was no doubt a terrible leader.

"If his people were leaving he should have devoted more attention to his tribe and less time trying to seduce females."

"Not leaving, vanishing," she corrected with a frown. "As in, they were there one minute and gone the next."

Torque studied her in confusion. Okay, that was strange.

"Magic?"

She shrugged. "That's the a.s.sumption."

"Why contact your mother?"

"She has the ability to reach out with her shadow and locate people."

Ah. A powerful gift. Is that why Synge had taken the Shinto as a lover? Did he think she could use her shadow to track down whoever had stolen his treasure?

Or was it simply the hope for a glimpse of the future?

"Did she find them?" he demanded.

"I don't know." Her eyes darkened, her fear for her mother scenting the air with a sharp tang. "She disappeared over a week ago."

Torque sucked in a sharp breath at her confession, instantly furious.

"And you came here knowing that fey were being mysteriously kidnapped?"

Easily sensing his fierce reaction, she tilted her chin to an aggressive angle.

"I have to find out what happened."

"By deliberately putting yourself in danger?"

She met his gaze squarely, refusing to be intimidated.

"What would you do if it was your mother?"

"Nothing," he admitted with blunt honesty. "I have no contact with my mother."

Her eyes widened. "None?"

"None." He shrugged. "I'm not even sure what sort of demon she was, although I have some magic, so she must have been fey."

"Your father never talked about her?"

Torque shook his head. "All I know is that she bartered some sort of deal with my father. I a.s.sume she wanted money. Or maybe Pyre took care of one of her enemies." He kept his tone indifferent, as if he hadn't spent endless nights wondering about the female who'd given birth to him. "Once she produced a male child, she'd paid her debt. She left only hours after I was born."

Her delicate features softened, emphasizing her exotic beauty.

"I'm sorry."

Torque took a step forward. He'd seen Rya demure and compliant in the presence of her father. He'd seen her gloriously infuriated when he'd entered the cavern. And now he was offered a fascinating glimpse of her as a tenderhearted consort.

"Why?" he asked.

"Every child should have a mother."

"My father's servants made sure I was adequately cared for."

She shook her head. "Adequate care is not the same as love."

Love.

Torque flinched. Her soft words touched a vulnerable place deep inside him. A place he'd buried when he was just a young hatchling.

Only fools allowed themselves to be blinded by their emotions.

He believed in honor. In loyalty. And strength.

And l.u.s.t.

He was a big believer in l.u.s.t. At least when it came to this female.

"We were discussing your reckless disregard for your own safety, not my mother," he said, a grim edge in his voice.

She hesitated, as if considering whether or not to press him. Then she gave a shake of her head, as if annoyed by his refusal to mourn what he'd never had.

"What does my safety matter to you?"

Torque scowled. "That's a ridiculous question."

"It's not ridiculous," she countered. Abruptly turning, she paced across the icy floor, the fairy light gleaming off the ebony darkness of her hair. "If I disappear, you no longer have to worry about our mating."

Torque was instantly outraged. What the h.e.l.l was she talking about?

"Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true."

"Don't presume to know what I want," he ground out, not bothering to add that he didn't know what the h.e.l.l he wanted.

Instead he moved forward so he could grab her shoulders and turn her back to face him. Only that wasn't enough. He needed...more.

With a muttered curse, he yanked her tight against him.

Her eyes widened as their bodies melded together, a gasp wrenched from her throat.

"Torque."

He glared down at her perfectly formed face. "Why didn't you contact me?"

She blinked. "Contact you?"

"I'm your betrothed," he growled. "If your mother was in danger you should have asked for my help."

Rya tilted back her head to stare into the stunning eyes that smoldered with sapphire fire.

This male had pretended that she didn't exist from the day she was born. Even after their formal betrothal. Now he was glaring at her as if he was genuinely irritated that she hadn't rushed to him for help.

And even more disturbing, he had her intimately pressed against his rock-hard body.

How was she supposed to think when his heat was searing through her clothing and his intoxicating scent was clouding her poor brain?

Giving a shake of her head, she tried to remember all the reasons this male was a jacka.s.s.

Starting with the fact that he was pretending to be interested in her life fifty years too late.

"Is that a joke?" she demanded.

His lips flattened. "I don't joke."

She rolled her eyes. Yeah. No c.r.a.p. This male was a stoic warrior. All duty and loyalty and blah, blah, blah.

So why did she find him so s.e.xy?

Sucking in a sharp breath, she hastily squashed the renegade thought. Along with the treacherous image of his slender fingers sliding over her body with desire instead of annoyance.

"Obviously I didn't think you would be interested in helping to rescue my mother," she said.

A tendril of smoke curled from his flared nostrils. "If it's important to you, then it's important to me."

She made a sound of disbelief. "Since when?"

"We're soon to be mated."

"And?"

The question seemed to stump him. "And it's my duty to ensure that my consort is content," he at last muttered.

"Content?" she repeated as a stab of disappointment sliced through her. Stupid, of course. Did she expect him to say that he actually cared about her?

"Yes."

"Then let me make this easy for you." Taking an abrupt step backward, she broke free of his grasp, sending him a warning glare. "It would make me content if you would return to Baine and let me concentrate on locating my mother."

His hands clenched at his sides. She suspected it was the only way he kept himself from grabbing her and physically hauling her out of the cavern.

"I'm not leaving without you," he said between clenched teeth.

"Well, I'm not going."

They were glaring at each other, neither willing to back down, when a shrill scream echoed through the air.

Rya sucked in a startled gasp. "What was that?"

Torque scowled. "That stupid gargoyle."

"They must be in trouble," she muttered, a surge of fear clenching her heart as she ran out of the cavern.

"Rya, wait. Dammit."

Rya ignored the angry male voice. Instead she hurried through the narrow tunnel that angled upward.