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couldn’t quite understand, causing Misty to feel skittish.
     
    She was nervous. Good. It would make her more likely to tell the truth. Did this human truly understand how important the Alliance was to non-human races? To test her, he murmured, “I would like to know more about certain matters of defense.” Lysander was stunned when she nodded back at him.
     
    “You’re wondering what kind of aid the other races would provide to help defend your realm, right?” Misty started to fidget when it took Lysander a long time to answer.
     
    Lysander slowly dropped Misty’s hand before taking a step back. This time, he took a really good look at her.  
     
    Her hair was dark and straight, somewhat old-fashioned with its style and length, reaching almost her waist now. Her gray eyes were made bigger by her long fine lashes, and her heart-shaped face, with its tiny nose and rosy red lips, was wondrously feminine. When he took it all in, with her peasant-styled blouse and skirt, there was just one fairytale character that came to mind:
     
    Snow White.
     
    A naïve princess lured into the forest by the huntsman – and he was that huntsman, but the difference was that he wanted her body and not her heart. He had thought she would be another easy conquest, another woman to seduce from her so-called “love” for another man.
     
    Milo was an honest man, or so Lysander had thought until now. His mouth twisted cynically as he gazed at Misty. A cynical twist to his mouth, he finally realized that Milo had been teaching him a lesson. Milo had known he was one of those who strongly doubted Misty Wall’s abilities, and now he was hearing for himself how much he had greatly underestimated the girl before him.
     
    “I’ve read as much as I can about your race’s history and this realm that you created,” Misty was saying earnestly. “I know I still have much to learn, but even this early I know there are issues that have to be addressed.”
     
    He lifted one brow at her. “Like what?”
     
    “I know the Realm is shielded. No one uninvited can come in, which takes care of vampires. But what if – for some unknown reason – they do manage to come in? What then? How will Faeries defend themselves? And what about the Faeries who do leave the Realm once in a while? Can they protect themselves?”
     
    Misty peeked at Lysander’s expression, fearful that he’d be insulted by her questions. But he looked somewhat astonished instead.
     
    “Those are extremely good points, my pretty,” he conceded.
     
    Her lips formed a spontaneous grin. “You make me sound like Gollum’s precious ring.”
     
    In spite of himself, Lysander chuckled. “And you are the first one who does not appear enamored with the endearment.”
     
    The sound of his dark chuckle sent mental warning bells ringing in her ears again. Was he really gay?
     
    Lysander snapped his lace fan open then, and the sight and sound of it immediately put her at ease.
     
    One look at her expressive face and Lysander knew he had Misty Wall completely fooled. Ah, my pretty, you will be naked and groaning in my bed very, very soon.
     
    Misty tried imagining Domenico Moretti using the same lace fan. Her lips twitched even as the thought pinched her heart. Just thinking of him was bittersweet, and so incredibly dangerous to her sanity that she quickly pushed the thought away.
     
    “If I were to ask you to rate the abilities of my people to fight against our common enemy, how would they fare?”
     
    She couldn’t answer right away, not when the truth wasn’t something they both wanted to hear.
     
    A faint wince went over his frame. “That bad?”
     
    “Milo has intensified their training,” Misty answered with usual optimism. “I’m sure in no time everyone will get better.”
     
    “Have you gotten better?”
     
    Misty answered slowly, “I have to say ‘yes’. But it’s only because my younger brother was one of their victims. I want to be strong enough