So…I never start stories at their actual beginning. I always start in the middle. So, welcome to the beginning of the middle of this fan fic! If you end up confused, sorry. :/

Also, for anyone who has read the Iron Fey series (which I hope you have otherwise you don't need to be here) there are a couple characters that were killed off in the official series that are (currently) alive in this fan fic. Some will end up dead anyway, others will remain active participants. You don't like the changes, then I would recommend you look to an author who keeps with Julie Kagawa's official time/plot line.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Iron Fey characters, ideas or other copyrighted pieces belonging to Julie Kagawa. I was merely inspired by her literary genius and felt the nudge to promote it through this fan fiction for purely entertainment purposes.

Catherine would never complain of cold again. Assuming, that was, if she ever made it out of Winter Territory in one solid, still breathing piece. As things were, with her injured leg bandaged so securely she was amazed she could still circulate blood, and with her access in and out of her current resting place even more limited by the fact that the Winter Prince's hunting wolf sat sentinel just beyond the door, she didn't see a very good chance of leaving the Unseelie Court anytime soon…

Heaving a sigh and resigning herself to lying back against the innumerable throw pillows and yanking the heavy quilts up to her chin, Catherine stared almost blindly out over the large expense of ice blue sheets and black quilts, her eyes drifting once over Demon's sleeping form as the Cait Sith lay curled comfortably at the foot of the bed, and frowned. She hadn't spoken to the cat since they'd arrived in Winter for the second time since he'd led her to the Nevernever and gotten trapped—again—and though she knew it was just as much her fault as Demon's that they were now virtually imprisoned in the Unseelie Court, she was feeling a little less than gracious to the cat. After all, the little fur ball had made some kind of deal with the eldest Winter Prince, Prince Sage, and though she didn't have the faintest idea what it was, she didn't like it.

Demon had given his word that he would assist her in finding out who her true father was. The Cait Sith that had sired her, rather than the human man she had thought to be her father for the past eighteen years, but now with her injured and he in the debt of the prince for not turning them both over to his more sadistic younger sibling, it seemed it would be a long time coming before they managed to get back on track to finding the fey who had fathered her. And it irked her beyond belief.

Heaving a deep sigh, she fisted her hands under the comforter, suppressing a shiver as another inevitable chill crept through the room as seemed commonplace in the palace, Catherine turned almost violently onto her side, her anger and frustration starting to build the more she thought things over, and regretted the sudden movement as it landed her bad leg hard against the edge of the mattress, causing her to squeal in pain and jerk upright, her hands going immediately to flutter helplessly against her throbbing ankle.

"Damn it," she hissed, resisting the urge to pound the mattress, lest she wake Demon, but that didn't seem to be a problem anymore…

"You're getting awfully rowdy over there," the Cait Sith said with a wide yawn, opening one yellow-green eye to contemplate her tiredly. "And there's no need to go cursing…"

"Shut up," she snapped at him, and then regretted saying it when both of the cat's eyes stretched wide with surprise at her brazenness. "Sorry," she mumbled, turning away with a small groan, raising her hands to press her palms against her eyes.

White spots danced across her vision.

"I'm tired," she muttered, "And sick of being here…and I'm kind of mad at you, to be honest."

"Oh?" Demon didn't sound in the least bit surprised as he rolled onto his stomach and stretched immensely, claws unsheathing briefly and pricking at the coverlets. "Do tell. What have I done to make you mad? Something bad, I'd imagine, since it seems to take forever to get the better of your temper. A trait no doubt handed to you by your father, I'd imagine…"

"You made a deal with that Prince," she sniped at him, lowering both hands and glaring at him, her emerald eyes burning with frustrated tears. "You promised to help me find my real father and now we're stuck here because 1: I'm injured, and 2: Because you're bound by your word to the Prince! And how do we know he isn't going to hand us over to his brother anyway?"

"Because he vowed he wouldn't turn us over," Demon said immediately, and his eyes were narrowed at Catherine as she sat there fighting sudden angry tears. "Fey are bound to their word, girl, and he is no different. He is fey. He will honor his vow to us so long as I carry out my end of the bargain. And I have every intention of doing so."

"And if he asks for you to hand me over for execution or imprisonment?" Catherine asked angrily, wiping furiously at her damp cheeks as the tears started to flow over. She didn't even know why she was crying…and she wished she could stop but the tears were becoming relentless.

"He won't," Demon said quietly, his eyes widening a fraction as he became witness to her pathetic display of waterworks, though he made no comment on them. "Our deal was that he could have whatever he asked for so long as you went unharmed and were released the moment you were well enough to leave the Unseelie Court. He will honor that vow or I am no longer bound to honor my end of the deal."

Catherine sniffed miserably, still wiping at the tears on her face and feeling ashamed. She knew all of this. Demon had told her since before he'd first taken her into the Nevernever, so she knew every word he spoke was as true as true could be, but for some reason she just didn't feel at ease, regardless of what he said. She didn't know what it was, other than perhaps knowing she was in such terrifyingly close proximity to the sadistic Prince Rowan while his brother sheltered her that made her so testy. After all, it was Rowan who had imprisoned her on her first unpleasant trip into Nevernever. And he'd been keen to do it again after she'd escaped but come back. Though how the bastard had discovered she'd returned was beyond her… She might have suspected Demon to be culprit, but she knew better than that. Demon had vowed his protection of her for whenever she stepped into the Nevernever, and he was bound to that oath.

So why couldn't she seem to get a grip on herself and just trust that Demon would come through for her? And why couldn't she believe that Prince Sage was really a good person and was earnestly trying to help her? It just didn't make sense to her why… But, then again, she was half human, and humans had an awful tendency to get overworked and stressed out over things they didn't entirely comprehend. And she was no closer to comprehending anything in the Nevernever than she was to understanding her Calculus II class in college…

"I just wish I could grasp it all," she mumbled, drawing her good leg up closer to her and dropping her forehead tiredly against her knee, wrapping her fragile arms around her shin and hugging it tightly like that would somehow anchor her. "It's just so much stuff to take in all at once, and you know I'm only human…"

"Half human," Demon corrected idly.

"You get the point, Demon," she snapped.

"Yes, I do, I apologize for that smart remark," the cat apologized quietly, dipping his head and watching her through slitted yellow-green eyes. "I understand what you are trying to say, girl, but at the same time, if you can't come to terms with what is happening here and now how can you have a hope of making it through the wyldwood to find your father?"

"I know," sighed Catherine, rubbing her forehead roughly against the icy coverlet, eyes closed tightly with small tears still dripping from her lashes. "I know…I'm trying, Demon, but…I've never been the strong person."

"Funny," Demon said complacently, "You seem pretty damn headstrong to me… Though, of course, that is just my opinion."

"You're not helping me at all," she grumbled at him, not lifting her head. "I'm trying to tell you I basically have no backbone and that being here is probably the worst and best thing I could have done to myself…"

"You want to find your father, don't you?" the Cait Sith asked, bending his head to lick at his chest with casual ease.

"Yes, I do," Catherine said helplessly, "But just because I want something doesn't mean I have the guts to go for it. If you've been watching me as long as you say have, I would've thought you'd have already seen hints of that in the mortal world."

"Don't get so uppity with me," Demon sniffed indignantly, pausing in the insistent washing of his forepaw to glare at her. "Long to you is entirely different from long to me. Your mind processes several years as a long time when to me it's like the passing of a season. And, all things aside, you are ludicrously difficult to read as a person. I'm lucky if I can predict your mood from day to day. Most humans are much easier to contemplate."

"I feel so special," Catherine sighed tiredly, not lifting her head, even when she felt Demon get to his feet and pad along towards her from the edge of the bed. "Not only am I a hybrid child, I'm supposedly too old by mortal standards to be able to see fey, and I'm a blank slate that you can't make heads or tails of."

"That would about sum it up," Demon agreed, sitting himself down at her feet and tilting his black head backwards to scrutinize her hidden face, though it didn't come as an easy thing. "And, while we're talking, would you mind bothering yourself to look me in the eye when I'm speaking? It's even more frustrating when I can't see you, you know."

"So sorry to inconvenience you," she grumbled in apology, though she compliantly lifted her head, pushing a shaky hand through her dark copper tresses so he could get a full view of her teary eyes and cold nipped nose and rosy cheeks.

"You look god awful," he informed her, his eyes raking up and down her face with a slightly disgusted expression.

She grimaced at him and might have been tempted to flick him right on his little pink nose if not for the fact that at the very moment when she would have reached down and let him have it, there was a loud, authoritative knock on the door, causing her to jump and Demon to turn his head, ears pricked alertly.

"It's the prince," he said after a moment of silence, and leapt lightly off the bed to make his way to the door. "I'll let him in…"

Catherine, suddenly very aware that she was stranded in a bed with only blankets and a not-so-conservative nightgown to cover her, hurriedly yanked the blankets up to her chin once more and shrank back against the headboard with a small groan of unease as Demon finally reached the door and rose up onto his hind legs to paw at the doorknob, which clicked as it came open.

If she'd had her way, Catherine would have disappeared into the blankets and everything else just to avoid the piercing, jade green gaze that settled so solidly on her face as the towering figure of Prince Sage, eldest Prince of the Winter Court, swept in through the door, his loyal gray wolf trailing close behind. But disappearing was not an option, even though she felt a flicker of glamour circle her as she peered hesitantly over the edges of the quilt at the intimidating and inhumanely beautiful face of the Prince as he stepped to the side to allow his wolf into the room before reaching back and carefully shutting the door behind him. And as the heavy wooden barricade swung closed with a solid click of finality, Catherine felt her heart do an uncomfortable somersault in her chest.

"Your Highness," Demon greeted the prince softly, leaping back up onto the bed and inclining his head respectfully.

Sage's eyes swept almost carelessly over the Cait Sith, but he returned a brief nod of recognition before returning those soul-seeing jade eyes to Catherine's face, which drained of color as he stepped deliberately around the bed to approach her. Feeling her stomach drop to ground zero in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't stop herself from retreating even more under the blankets, so it was nearly only her eyes that stared up in fear at the Winter Prince as he came to a steady halt just at the side of the bed, gazing back down with one eyebrow raised, and a flicker of amusement glowing in his eyes.

"Idiot," Demon muttered from the end of the bed, or at least that's what Catherine thought he said, but when she glanced at the Cait Sith it was to see him attentively washing his hind leg with little to no interest in her.

Sage gave a small cough, drawing her attention immediately back to him, and she nearly choked on her own alarm when she saw him settling himself quite comfortably on the edge of the bed, even going so far as to kick of his boots as the mattress dipped slightly beneath the added weight. He was still watching her attentively, but the amusement that had merely flickered before was now distinctly clear in his gaze as he eyed her expression. She couldn't see herself, obviously, but she highly suspected that she looked like a deer in the headlights. Could anyone expect less of her?

She was stranded in bed, and the heir to the Unseelie Court was getting cozy not even two feet from her! And if that wasn't bad enough, the guy looked like he could have made every male model on the face of the planet break down crying because he made them look like skinny little stick figure wannabe's. With a face like his, even the moon would have fallen straight out of the sky for him. And without even shedding his fashionable white pea coat she could see the faint rippling of defined muscles in his arms and back as he bent to pull his boot from his foot and set it aside with its twin before straightening up and turned to look at her once more.

To her indignation—and the faintness of her heart—his perfect lips curled in a deliberate smile.

"You could look less like I'm about to eat you, you know," he told her in his soft voice, his eyes fairly glowing with his laughter. "I've promised your warden that I won't cause you harm or let harm befall you while you're here and I stand by my word."

"I know," she feebly, and then wished she hadn't said anything as Sage cocked a jet black brow at her.

"Then why the pale faced expression of terror?" he asked her casually, propping himself on the mattress with one arm, further narrowing the distance between them to a scant foot. At least his face was farther off…she wasn't sure what she'd do if that particular part of him got within a foot of her…

"It's cold," she said lamely, hoping to get away with the slight bluff. It was cold, after all, but that wasn't at all the reason she was huddling under the comforters like a mole.

"Mm-hmm," said Sage thoughtfully, eyeing her with a not quite convinced expression on his gorgeous face, and heaved a small sigh, rolling his eyes. "Cat," he said, turning his attention briefly to Demon, who paused to glance up at the prince with a questioning gaze.

"Sire?" the Cait Sith said, lifting himself into a more regal sitting position, though he drew a paw over his ear to clean it.

"You have explained to the girl the rules of Nevernever, I would assume," Sage inquired casually, "That the fey are bound to their word?"

"I have, your majesty, yes," Demon conceded with a small nod, and an entirely cat-like look of amusement crept into his yellow-green gaze. "Though, I wish I could guarantee that the girl believed it. She has heard me repeat myself a thousand times over, but, as she is only human, I can't say that she believes me a thousand times over."

"I see," murmured the prince, glancing back at Catherine with a slightly weary expression, though he smiled that small smile of hilarity as he caught her eyes. "Then I suppose there is nothing for it. She does not trust me…"

"She does not trust your brother," Demon corrected, and Catherine felt a small twinge of annoyance that the Cait Sith hadn't even allowed her to speak her mind before butting in to speak for her. "I think knowing he is so near to her is putting her on edge."

"No, you don't say?" Catherine said icily, then groaned inwardly at her own stupidity as both cat and prince turned an appraising eye on her. Even Sage's wolf, sitting patiently in the corner, turned a questioning amber gaze on her. "Sorry," she muttered, glancing away immediately before she could embarrass herself further.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Demon asked in an almost incredulous voice, as though marveling at her idiocy.

"If you weren't," she began darkly, then stopped herself short as she considered nothing she said would endear Demon to her and she didn't really need him mad at her at this point.

"If I weren't what, girl?" Demon asked, unfortunately catching on to her muttered words. His ears went back slightly as she met his narrowed eyes across the bed, and his tail tip twitched in annoyance.

"Nothing," she muttered. "Just forget I said anything, Demon. I'm sorry…"

"Hmph," snorted the Cait Sith, lifting his nose at her and lashing his tail. "Ungrateful whelp…"

Alright, that was too much, thought Catherine, and the next second she'd thrown the covers down, baring her skin to the icy coldness of the room, but she was past caring as she glared down at Demon and snapped,

"Hey, I never asked you to bring me here! I never asked you to come in to my life and turn everything so ass backwards that I can't even make sense of myself anymore, and I had a pretty good idea of who I, as a person, was, until you came marching on in all high and mighty and important and told me I actually don't know jack about myself. And, might I remind you, you were the one who brought me to Nevernever to try looking for answers about me and getting me caught in the first place! So excuse me if I feel a little ungrateful right now, but you've been so iffy with me about every little thing I do wrong that it goes past hypocrisy if I'm not allowed to be even a little irked with you!"

The room fell into immediate silence following her little tirade, and the moment she'd gotten her breath back a few seconds later, she felt immediate and overbearing guilt and shame as she stared into Demon's wide eyes, never minding that Sage was staring slightly aghast at her. Groaning aloud, she buried her face in her hands, feeling like a total witch for no other reason than she'd lost her cool.

"I'm sorry, Demon," she apologized miserably. "Really…I'm just tired and confused and really, really out of my element here…I didn't mean to snap like that…"

No one spoke, and she felt her face flush hot with embarrassment as she imagined the way that all three fey were now staring at her. She felt even worse when she peeked through her fingers to see Demon's ears flat against his head, but not in anger. More like fear.

"Sorry," she mumbled again, pressing the heels of her hands hard against her eye sockets and wincing as they caused white stars to pop and wink across her vision. "This is just not a good day for me…"

"I don't blame you for that," Demon said suddenly, his gentle tone surprising her so much that she lifted her head to stare at the Cait Sith as he watched her calmly from his end of the bed. "You are stressed by everything that's going on, though, for a human, you are handling it extraordinarily well, and I realize half the fault of your dilemmas is through my own inability. I apologize."

And he bowed his dark head low so his whiskers grazed the bedspread while Catherine gaped at him, and Sage simply looked in amazement at the cat as though he'd never seen anything quite so interesting.

"Well, how unusual," the prince murmured softly in astonishment, his jade eyes still locked on Demon's bowed head. "I have never heard of a Cait Sith taking the blame for anything, let alone apologizing to a mortal."

Catherine felt a jolt of surprise at his words, as well as a surge of annoyance at the slightly condescending note that accompanied Sage's tone, as though, by apologizing to her, Demon was made weaker by it.

But before she could leap to the cat's defense, the prince had smiled as Demon raised his head slowly to meet the jade gaze head on with his own yellowish eyes, and Sage inclined his head.

"You have great pride about you, Cait Sith," he murmured. "Not many would think so, given the standing that is commonplace for your kind, but many also do not realize the dignity it takes to have the strength to take blame for one's actions."

"Hmph," snorted Demon. Averting his gaze as his ears swiveling back again and his tail twitching uncomfortably he muttered, "Just do not think you would get away with calling me out as anything less for my actions, prince."

"I would think of doing no such thing," Sage said in a soft but earnest voice, even as his wolf gave a low growl at the subtle threat that Demon had issued. Sage held a hand out to stay his companion, then glanced back at Catherine, who had felt relief until she felt his gaze upon her once more. "As for you, girl—" the prince began in his quiet voice, but Demon cut him off.

"Catherine," he said idly, and when Sage turned to raise an eyebrow at him he shrugged and said, "She does have a name, sire, and since I suspect we will both be here for quite some time I thought it best to let you know of it now rather than have her lose her patience again later. Though, it is quite difficult to get her quite so riled up."

"Stress, undoubtedly, as you said," Sage said with a small nod at the cat. "So, Catherine," he turned back to the girl with a politely inquisitive expression, but she immediately felt diminutive and vulnerable under his intense gaze and had to work hard to keep from looking away in embarrassment or from yanking the covers back up around herself like the child she felt herself to be.

"I was hoping we might have a short conversation on certain matters," Sage was saying, "Since I doubt I will have either the time or recollection to speak with you later."

"Okay," she said tentatively, uncertain of what was coming. She felt it must be important, given the Winter heir had taken it upon himself to give up whatever free time he might have otherwise had to come and talk to her about whatever they were getting ready to discuss. Especially if he believed he'd either forget later or wouldn't have the time if he did remember. "What can I help you with, your majesty?"

"Well, to first matters, you don't have to call me 'majesty'," the prince chuckled, smiling at her. "You are not a subject of the kingdom and therefore not under the restriction or guide of our laws. You may just call me Sage."

"…Right." Catherine glanced over at Demon, more confused than before, but the cat was not looking at her. He was washing his tail…typical. So she was on her own for now. Turning her gaze reluctantly back to Sage's, she swallowed the lump in her throat and prompted him, "Was there anything else?"

"Yes." He nodded slightly, and a small frown appeared on his handsome face. Tilting his head as though to better see her, his long ponytail sliding over his shoulder, he spoke slowly, as though carefully choosing his words, "The Cait Sith owes me a favor in return for saving your life and keeping you out of sight of my brother and mother, as well as the rest of the Unseelie Court. He has promised to pay it to me when I ask for it, and I expect him to keep his word. You are aware of this bargain, yes?"

Catherine nodded mutely. How could she not know? Demon had to remind her almost daily about the deal just to keep her from losing her mind over worrying whether or not the prince would come demanding a favor of her as well, like surrendering her first born child or something similarly outrageous.

"Now, what I wish to discuss with you is this," said Sage quietly, leaning forwards towards her so she felt the immediate urge to lean back, but the prince caught suddenly at her wrist, holding tightly, and she couldn't hope to escape, and as his face drew even nearer to hers, clearing the less-than-one-foot marker, she felt her heart slam into her ribcage and her stomach began turning in uncomfortable knots. The frosty jade eyes of the Winter prince bored into her as his stopped with his face a scant five inches from hers, solemn and unreadable, and for a heart stopping moment Catherine almost believed he might just lean in the remaining five inches and kiss her. Stupid thinking, of course…but there it was.

"I have kept you out of the eye of the court and those that would cause you harm," Sage murmured, his dark bangs falling into his eyes, creating enchanting shadows in the glowing jade depths that nearly robbed her both of breathing and of good sense. "That is my deal with the Cait Sith… However, I have done more than simply keep you hidden. I could easily have done so without risking bringing you into the castle and calling on my trusted healer to see to your injury, but I brought you into the stronghold of the Unseelie Court and have permitted you sanctuary here."

Catherine's stomach plummeted, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Demon freeze, mid-lick, and saw the glow of his luminous yellow eyes pin the Prince, though whatever the cat's expression, she couldn't currently tell as she couldn't tear her eyes from the fey before her. Her heart tapped out an unsteady rhythm of fear and excitement against her ribcage as she remained trapped in his gaze, and her mouth went dry as she realized what was coming. She owed him a favor. Some kind of bargain for letting her stay in the castle—in his room—and she was obliged to give him what he asked for, or else he could easily turn her day into the worst nightmare in two seconds.

She had been praying ever since coming here that she would never have to face a deal with a faery, least of all the Winter Prince, heir to Unseelie throne, but that prayer didn't seem to have gone over very well and she was very much feeling like she was facing death's door as she stared helplessly into the endless jade orbs before her. She couldn't do a thing to stop him, and sat silently as he took a short breath and said the words she'd been dreading,

"You owe me a favor, Catherine. Anything I ask you must give to me in exchange for the kindness I have extended to you."

Catherine's eyes sought Demon, and this time the Cait Sith met her gaze head-on, and his black fur was standing all on end, his yellow eyes enormous with shock and horror as he stared at her. He had apparently not foreseen this, though he could not have was beyond her. She had thought Cait Siths were supposed to be intelligent beyond reason, possibly even mind readers, but apparently Demon hadn't been clever enough to realize this one tiny flaw. Oddly enough, she wasn't angry with him for this one. It was her own stupidity as well that had kept her from insisting they be moved from the castle to an outside area nearby…She was just getting what she deserved was all.

Looking reluctantly back into Sage's glowing eyes, Catherine heaved a shaky sigh, curling her hands into fists—for an instant reminding her that the prince still had a firm grip on her wrist—and closed her eyes tightly for a moment to collect herself before saying in a subdued voice,

"And what would you ask of me in return?"

Mentally, she was preparing herself for the worst. Firstborn child: gone, her name: gone, a precious memory: gone, possibly her virtue: gone, an arm, leg, hand, wrist…

"Vow to me that once you have gone from this place I will never lay eyes on you again."

The solemn murmur caught her completely off guard, and her emerald eyes snapped open wide to stare in total disbelief back into Sage's neutral jade ones, almost identical hues with completely different expressions. It took Catherine a moment to realize that her mouth had also fallen open, and she hurried to shut it before she could look too foolish. Casting a frantic glance at Demon, she saw that the Cait Sith looked blissfully relieved as he looked at the Winter Prince, then turned his eyes on her, imploring her with his gaze alone—along with the tiniest of nods—to hurry up and accept the terms of the Prince's condition before he could change his mind to ask for something else.

"I," she stammered, looking back at Sage, who's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her. "I…of course. You'll never…never see me again. Deal?"

The last word was said meekly, as though she half expected him to immediately take back his word and demand something less pleasant. But he didn't. Rather, he drew back almost instantly, finally giving her room to breathe, released her wrist from his grasp and smiled softly in clear satisfaction.

"Deal," he agreed in his quiet voice, and rose from the bed, so quickly that she almost cringed away from his now towering figure. She kept forgetting how monstrously tall he was sometimes…at least compared to her…

"A moment, your majesty," Demon said as Sage made to pull on his boots. "There is one thing I would like to clarify in your bargain with the girl."

"Yes?" Sage turned to scrutinize Demon with narrowed eyes as his wolf rose from its corner and plodded up to his side, also eyeing the Cait Sith cautiously.

"You have made her vow that you shall never lay eyes on her again after we have left this place," Demon said slowly, looking contemplative, "And I only wish to confirm whether you meant never to lay eyes on her again in Winter territory or in all of Nevernever."

Why hadn't she been smart enough to consider that small but very crucial detail of the agreement? Catherine cringed inwardly as she realized it was because she'd been way too busy basking in the glory of Sage's face being so unbelievably close to hers.

While she considered her lowliness of obsessing, Sage contemplated Demon with a thoughtful gaze, one hand on his hip, the other hanging loosely by his side so his wolf bumped its large nose against it with a small whine. Sage gently batted the large canine away and sighed as he faced Demon.

"It would not be my place to say the girl could never be seen by me in the Nevernever," the prince said. "So, to the terms of our agreement, I am never to lay eyes on her in Winter again. She is not of this world, but it is not my place to cast her out of it. More importantly, she is not of this court, and I do have the authority to reject her from here."

"So, never let her be seen here by you again, yes?" Demon confirmed calmly, and Sage nodded. "Very well, your majesty, it will be done as soon as she is well enough to leave here."

"You should be warned of another thing, Cait Sith," Sage said then, his eyes darkening, "There are two possible ways for you and the girl to leave Tir Na Nog. Either, when she is well enough to travel on her own, the two of you may attempt your escape on your own time without my aid."

Catherine's mouth fell open, horrified. Not only was she hearing Sage say that he wouldn't aid them in escaping Winter Territory, which would leave them at risk for discovery by the very people they were trying to avoid, but it also sounded horribly like he was trying to bribe Demon into another contract. Looking over at Demon, she could see by the cat's expression that he knew exactly what she did, and he didn't look happy about it.

"Or," the prince continued softly, his tone even, "You may accept my aid once more in leaving Tir Na Nog…"

"And owe you another favor," Demon finished coldly, his eyes mere slits of yellow. "You seem awfully fond of collecting favors from me, Prince, despite your reputation for avoiding as many deals as you can—regardless of whether you are on the delivering or receiving end."

Sage smiled a humorless smile that turned Catherine's heart momentarily to ice.

"Not many of my dealings have been with a Cait Sith," Sage said, "And given your kinds' reputation for ringing up as many favors as possible, I only saw fit to return some of your own dealings so you might better understand it is not so wonderful when you are the one in debt of another."

"Consider the lesson well learned, highness," Demon practically hissed at the Ice Prince, his hackles bristling and his tail lashing. "Though I think the girl and I can manage fine on our own without your assistance. We have done it once before, and we can very well do it again."

Catherine wasn't entirely convinced on that, but said nothing to the contrary as Sage bowed his head to Demon.

"As you wish, cat," the sidhe murmured, "You and the girl are free to depart as soon as she is able to move about, and you shall do so without my aid."

"Peachy," growled Demon, tail still lashing irritably back and forth. "Now, if your majesty will grant pardon of me, I would like to rest, and I am sure the girl would as well, since we will need all of our strength for the journey out of Tir Na Nog."

"Of course," said Sage and swept a low bow to Demon. "I shall let you rest. Though the healer has since advised me this morning the girl will be in no state to move for another week, at the very least, and even by then she will only be capable of limping."

"We will manage," Demon said curtly, yellow eyes flashing dangerously. "Thank you, Majesty, for your consideration and care. I will await the time when you reign in your other two favors of me."

"Very well." And after beckoning to the massive grey wolf, Sage swept away from Catherine and Demon, and out the bedroom door, closing it quietly behind him, but with an almost ominous sense of finality, and Catherine couldn't help but think they wouldn't be seeing the Prince again.

"Cheek," grumbled Demon, clawing fretfully at the coverlet beneath his paws before circling and settling down with his tail over his nose.

"That seemed unusually caustic of him," Catherine commented uncertainly, not entirely sure if her observation was a stretch of her faulty knowledge or an accurate judgment of the Ice Prince.

"For anyone else, it would have been completely called for," Demon snorted from the foot of the bed, not opening his eyes. "But you are right. For Prince Sage I would say that was uncharacteristically cold of him, even for a prince of Tir Na Nog, the Winter land."

"He's probably as high strung as we are," Catherine suggested, glancing at the large black feline, "All things considered, he is putting his life on the line protecting us here."

The Cait Sith snorted again, sounding disbelieving.

"It wouldn't have been nearly half the risk if he'd stuck us in a cave on the border," he said waspishly, sounding both bored and annoyed at the same time. "He only brought us here because he knew it would put you or I in his favor. I'm just stunned he made you the one who owed him. I would have considered before now that he would collect on any favors if you owed them to him, especially given how he seems more than pleased to sweep them up from me. Perhaps he wanted to ensure that neither of us would consider returning to this territory after we'd gone."

"Couldn't you have made the deal with him to make sure we never came back and it would all be the same?" Catherine asked, a little disconcerted. She was suddenly not so sure why Sage had made her responsible for the deal of leaving Tir Na Nog for good.

"I could have, yes," Demon agreed with a mighty yawn, flashing white fangs. "But I suspect that he wouldn't have trusted me to keep you from returning if you wanted to."

"Why on earth would I even want to come back?" It was a serious question, too. She had never enjoyed the cold of Tir Na Nog, not from the moment she'd set foot in it, despite the ethereal beauty of the snow and ice, and especially not since it was home, sweet home to the very faery she was so keen to avoid: Prince Rowan. She didn't get why Sage had seemed so intense about making sure she vowed never to come back.

Demon seemed to be reading along the lines she was, except he seemed to have an answer as he said calmly,

"You can't have failed to notice the effect Sage has on you when he is around, and that's minus all of the glamour. All types of fey, whether from Summer or from Winter, are drawn to the beauty of Winter fey, especially the royalty. Despite the fact you are half Cait Sith and not so prone to being swayed by the beauty of others, your human half plays a bit of a troublesome part in all of that, and he was probably making certain you didn't come hunting for him if your human heritage got the better of you and led you to pining over him. As you also might have noticed, he doesn't make a habit of playing the lady's man."

Catherine had blushed furiously at the cat's mentioning of her blatant weakness and attraction to Sage, but as he continued speaking, she realized the ultimate truth in his words. Sure, she was no man hunter to go stalking some guy because he happened to be the best looking thing this side of the Milky Way, but Sage definitely had a powerful effect on her, and she could understand why seeing him again would not only be a bother to him, but also a danger. She and Demon were basically refugees from Summer and the Mortal Realm, and none too friendly with his brother and mother. He was already taking a huge risk keeping them there and allowing them to leave when they pleased. If they ended up coming back for whatever reason, it would put more than their lives into jeopardy.

"Well, it's done, then," she said finally, shrugging. "We'll leave in a week, and he'll never see us again. That was the deal."

"You mean he'll never see you again," Demon corrected her in a bored tone. "He'll still see me once he calls in those other favors."

A sudden realization hit Catherine at his words and she gasped. "That's why he didn't make you the one to agree to the contract!" she said in amazement. "He couldn't banish you if he has to call you back for favors!"

Demon blinked his large eyes once. "You know, you aren't quite as dim witted as I'd been leading myself to believe, girl," he told her, sounding impressed. "Very observant of you."

"Why didn't you notice that before?" she asked without stopping to think, then hitched her breath when Demon's ears went back immediately and his eyes narrowed.

"Probably because I have too much on my mind such as babysitting you without worrying about trifles like that," he growled quietly, then rolled himself over to face away from her, grumbling something about "cocky mortals" as he did.

Feeling slightly guilty over having upset Demon, Catherine sat there on the bed for a moment, not moving, chewing on her lower lip, then sighed as she realized there was really nothing else for her to do except to snuggle back down under the multiple layers of quilts and sheets, only realizing as she did so how cold she really was, and close her eyes. As she willed sleep onto her, knowing there was nothing better to spend time doing until someone came to deliver their nightly meal, she felt a sharp chill circle her wrist abruptly and jerked her hand up to her eyes, staring at it in alarm. There was nothing on her skin to suggest anything unusual had touched it or harmed her, but she still felt the unusual, radiating chill from her skin, even while underneath her blood seemed to increase in temperature until she felt her neck and cheeks grow hot as she stared stupidly at her hand. Only after a moment more of ogling her fair skinned wrist did she remember that it was the wrist that Sage had taken hold of to keep her from moving away, and felt her cheeks flush even more hotly with embarrassment as she fisted her hand.

Damned Winter prince, she thought irritably, turning over onto her other side, this time more careful so as not to upset her injured leg, and clamping her eyes firmly shut, trying to ignore the unusual tingling her wrist. It was a good thing he didn't make a habit of leaving Tir Na Nog, and especially not Nevernever, or he'd be a threat to every living female in the Mortal Realm, and a few choice males, as well.

Muttering incoherently to herself, Catherine eventually tired as she lay in the soft bed, in spite of the persistent bite of cold that remained in the room, and her eyes grew heavy and finally fell closed in sleep. Soon after that, the sounds of her steady breathing filled the otherwise silent room. All the while, Demon lay on the edge of the bed, his narrowed, yellow-green eyes fixed on Catherine's sleeping form, watching the steady rise and fall of the sheets as she quietly inhaled and exhaled. After a long, long time of watching her, he rose to his paws and padded slowly up to the head of the bed to stare down at her face as she drifted, fast asleep. He considered she looked much more fey-like in her sleep, noticing how her natural glamour seemed to seep off of her the more she dreamt, circulating through the air until it was almost dizzying, and once he saw the flicker of a pair of dark brown cat's ears atop her head as she rolled over, away from him.

There was no longer a doubt in his mind that this girl was, indeed, a descendant of a Cait Sith, though why he'd doubted it for so long was a wonder even to himself. Perhaps because it was so outrageously uncommon for a Cait Sith to not only assume human form, but also to join with a human at all. Whoever Catherine's sire was, he was either very powerful or very senile. Either way, Demon had already promised her he would discover her true heritage, and he was prepared to carry out on that contract. There was only a slight problem with the plans…one he had not had the foresight to predict. Ah, well, he thought, heaving a quiet sigh, padding his way down to the crook of Catherine's knees and settling himself there where it was warmest, curling his tail over his nose. Come the end of the week, that problem would hopefully no longer be a problem.