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That earns me a sharp glance.

“The stone you wear is not a simple bauble. It was born from the Moonwell and marked Elionn’s ascension to Prince of the Silver Sithe. Each of us, my brothers and I, has one. There are lesser stones.” I touch my braid, where many such are woven within. “But these specific ones are not interchangeable or decorative. They are fragments of who we are.”

She shifts in her chair, eyes narrowing. “So what, like soul magic?”

“Yes. And because it is soul magic, it does not respond to bloodline alone. Not even to mine, the chosen ruler of our sithe.” I press a finger to the embroidery at my wrist, and the silver constellations there glow in answer, but the stone at her neck remains inert.

“Then how did I⁠—?”

“You stole it while in intimate contact with his blood,” I say. “Usually, there is a ritual exchange, but it is a formality. Your method, while unintentional, did the trick just fine.”

“Intimate contact?” The fingers of her gloved hand twitch before stilling. “The scrap of shirt I stole? You can’t be serious.”

“The scrap of shirt with his blood, pressed to your skin, over your heart,” I correct, having watched her careful removal of the stolen prize through the mirrors. “It was enough for the sithean stone to form a bond with you that is rare. Unintended, certainly. But powerful enough that even I cannot sever it.”

“That wasn’t the plan,” she mutters.

“Magic does not care for your plans, Amalia Wolf. Nor mine.” I lean forward, resting one hand on the silverwood table between us. “You created a life-bond in the ancient sense. Not through oath or ritual, but through blood and breath. You claimed him, whether you meant to or not. And now the stone has claimed you.”

Her fingers loosen around the amulet as if it burns.

“It recognizes you as its anchor,” I continue. “Only Elionn or you can wield it. And since he is missing, it falls to you.”

She swears under her breath, a human word I don’t recognize but understand all the same. “What about your stones? Couldn’t yours lead you to him? You share his blood.”

“If it could, we would not be speaking.” I incline my head. “Each stone is exclusive to the soul it mirrors. I cannot track my brother with mine, nor can Caelan with his. Elionn’s presence has vanished from all channels, magical, divine, or otherwise. The only tether that remains is this unlikely one with you, a human not from our world.”

Her throat works as she swallows. “And what am I supposed to do? Close my eyes and hope for a vision?”

“The stone will guide you, though not in a way you may expect. It resonates with longing. With need.” I pause. “It will respond to what you feel for him.”

“I don’t feel—” she starts, then catches herself.

I let the silence stretch, not out of cruelty, but because the truth always rises in silence.

She flushes and turns her head away.

“He trusted you,” I say, quieter now. “Enough to leave you alone in his private chambers. Enough to lie to protect you. Whatever exists between you, whether you acknowledge it or not, the stone believes otherwise. That is enough.”

She doesn’t look at me. Nor at Caelan, either. “So if I do this, and I find him, what then?”

“Then you will have done what none of us could,” I reply. “And the Silver Sithe will be in your debt.”

“No offense, Your Majesty, but your sithe is already in my debt, and Elionn stole a small fortune from me the last time I was here.”

Caelan stifles a laugh.

I do not. “You desire to speak of recompense.”

“I am a mercenary,” she says dryly, but I am not fooled by her deflection.

Amalia Wolf cares for my brother, or she would have fought Caelan harder to escape back to her world. She would not be sitting here if she did not intend to help. But she does not want to appear weak, which I can understand.

However, I am a king and cannot appear weak, either.

“One could say what you have stolen is already worth more than you are owed,” I murmur, gesturing to the stone she wears. “You have taken the place of Elionn’s life mate. There can be no one else while you live⁠—”

Before I finish, the cudgel is in her hand, the blunt tip pressed up under my chin. “That is the second time you have threatened my life. I suggest you try a more original method to entice me this time, Your Highness.”