Fists clenched, Siobhan threw her head back and howled, her cries of anger and anguish echoing off the damp and dingy stone walls of the underground labyrinth. "How can the prophecy still be true? My son has feelings—genuine feelings—for that girl. She should be mine by now."

Nicolette stood before her, seemingly unmoved. "Love is a powerful force, my queen. It can cause one to do things they would otherwise not do."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Siobhan quipped, her lips thin with impatience. She scowled at the girl and then began pacing the passageway, massaging small circles at her temples with her fingertips. "It is because I love this kingdom that I go to such great lengths to protect it," she said. "It is because I love this kingdom that I risk my own life!"

"Is it truly the kingdom that you love?"

Siobhan stopped moving and rounded on the girl. "Do you question my motivations?" She raised her hand as though to strike Nicolette once again but then stopped herself. She brought her hand down slowly and straightened her spine. "Perhaps you have been telling me a false prophecy these many years," she said through narrowed eyes.

"To what end?" Nicolette asked, unperturbed.

The queen raised her brows. "Perhaps you have your own motivations."

"Or perhaps you are unwilling to accept the truth. That the faery-born girl will assume her rightful place and you will be queen no more."

Siobhan waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, yes! I have heard this prophecy for eons."

"As did the queen before you. She knew."

"Deirdre was weak," Siobhan said. "She indulged her son."

"She spared your life." When Siobhan made no answer, Nicolette went on. "There is a reason behind every action, even when it is not obvious to all."

Siobhan uttered another cry, this time in frustration. "Am I to sit idle and do nothing to protect my subjects? Am I to let that girl annihilate us all?"

"Is it your subjects you wish to protect, my queen, or is it simply that you cannot abide seeing your son love another, more than he loves you, even more than he loves himself?"

Siobhan spoke through her teeth. "If I had wanted insolence, Nicolette, I would have called on my handmaiden."

"It is not my position to tell you what you wish to hear, my queen. I speak only the truth. It does not matter if you keep me at or your side or use faery magic to sequester me in this labyrinth for all eternity. You cannot stop Fate."

Siobhan stared at the faery. Though she appeared young, Nicolette was older than she, older even than the last queen. "Then what was the purpose of all this," she said, gesturing around her. "If our kingdom is to be destroyed in the end, what was my purpose?"

Nicolette's answering smile wasn't without pity. When she spoke, however, she did not provide the queen a direct reply. "Love that is all-consuming is powerful in its destructiveness."

Siobhan made a sound of disgust. "Even now you answer me in riddles. You mock me!"

"I do not mock you, my queen," Nicolette replied. "And nothing is puzzling about my words."

Siobhan glared at the girl and then flicked her hand. "Go. Leave me alone now. I cannot bear the sight of you any longer. You are giving me a headache."

Without parting word or emotion, Nicolette turned and disappeared into the dark depths of the labyrinth. Siobhan had banished the faery to the maze early on in her reign. She had inherited the girl from the first queen, Deidre, without knowing who or what she was, though it had quickly become apparent. In her naivete, Siobhan had relished in the prophet's proclamations—that Siobhan would know true love, that she would come to great power, that the kingdom would prosper and grow.

Siobhan had, indeed, known true love, as disappointing as it turned out to be. Brendan, after all, had turned away from her in the end. Still, she had discovered great power, and she had taken heart in the fact she had ruled her kingdom well.

But then Nicolette had started spouting nonsense about some faery-born girl who would be the end of her kingdom. How could that be? Other faeries knew of Nicolette, from her time spent with the former queen. None other than Siobhan, however, knew of the prophecy. When Brendan had asked to leave, she did not realize that moment was the beginning of the prophecy coming true. She watched over him for many long years, marveling at the man he was slowly becoming. She felt her heart harden and shatter as she witnessed him fall in love with a human and father a child of his own. She had been a fool to let him go.

Siobhan beat the stone wall with her fist until her skin broke and bled. The faery child was a stain that must be eliminated before she could destroy what Siobhan had built, but she must be taken at just the right time and with deliberation. She would have her own child do to Maura what Brendan had done to her. Lucas would make her fall in love with him. They would come full circle, only there would be no reprieve for Maura in the end. She did not believe in the absolute certainty of one faery's prophecy. No matter what Nicolette said, she would alter Fate's course. She would remain queen forever.

Siobhan stormed down the corridor, winding her way back to the entrance of the maze. What she had not counted on was her son actually falling in love with the girl. He had but one job to do—one! For centuries, he had wooed scores of girls to collect Essence to keep her and their kingdom alive. Never once had he fallen in love himself. And then the one girl she needed to snuff out of existence to prove the prophecy wrong . . .

Siobhan screamed again, making several faeries lingering in the courtyard turn her way. She ignored their prying eyes.

What was so special about Maura? Why did Lucas love her?

And where was her blasted son now?

Siobhan made her way back to her room and slumped into her chair, her thoughts and emotions frenzied and chaotic. Only when she was sure she had control over herself did she call for her handmaiden. Evelyn entered looking visibly wary, which was understandable, given the circumstances. Siobhan did not mention the vial or the girl's betrayal. There would be time enough for that.

"Where is my son at this moment?"

Evelyn bobbed her head. "I . . . I believe he is with Maura, my queen."

"You believe." Siobhan's blood boiled, even though his involvement with the girl was what she wanted. "Are things between them . . . advancing?"

Evelyn's complexion paled. "I do not anticipate it will be much longer."

Siobhan stared at the girl until her shoulders hunched. "No," she agreed. "Not long at all."

*****

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