She knew he was going to react that way before she ever said anything. How could he not? He had known his men for far longer than she had been alive. They were his compatriots, his brothers and fellow soldiers, and he had already shown the depth of his commitment to them and to his people.

“Maybe it’s a horrible misunderstanding,” she said. “Maybe he didn’t realize I’m on your side. Really, truly, I’m on your side. I’m helping you, and I want to help you. If we make that clear to them when they arrive, there won’t be an issue, right?”

He stared at her almost as if he hated her, and that look in his eyes really hurt, but she had the smallest inkling of what he must be feeling, so she sucked it up and took it.

“You said, what are the vulnerabilities we have that we do not know?” he said through tight lips. “Right?”

She nodded.

“What did the man look like?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

His dark eyes snapped with anger. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I mean, I do not know. Someone came up to me from behind, and he started choking me. We were inside the manor house. The only ones inside were you and your men, me, and Robin.”

“Robin,” he growled, looking around with fresh rage.

His expression was frightening. She pulled out of his arms, rolled to her knees, and stood. As she turned to face him, she found that he had stood as well. “Why are you so angry at Robin?”

“He interfered with your vision somehow. I don’t know what he did. He enhanced it, or he directed it. Maybe he twisted it.” Nikolas snarled at the direction of the sitting room. “Come out here, you little bastard.”

“Nikolas.” She took hold of his wrists. “Stop. You’re reacting emotionally, and why wouldn’t you? My God, I’m reacting emotionally. I didn’t want to say those words to you, and I can only imagine how you must be feeling.”

“Can you, really?” He confronted her fiercely. “Those men are my family.”

“Okay,” she said in a gentle voice, her fingers tightening on him. “It was a mistake. The vision went wrong, that’s all. We can let it go. I don’t know what Robin intended, but I do not believe he would intentionally hurt me.” She raised her voice. “Would you, sweetheart?”

As if in reply, Robin crept into the kitchen. Giving Nikolas a wide berth, the monkey raced toward Sophie. When she held open her arms, he leaped into them. The puck buried his face into her chest, and she hugged him tightly.

Glaring at Robin, Nikolas started to pace like a caged, wild creature. “Tell me what you saw.”

“No. It’ll only make things worse.”

He rounded on her, his face blazing. “Tell me what you saw.”

She took a step back while she searched his face for any sign of understanding or belief. He was reacting like a wounded animal, and gods, she didn’t blame him.

She told him, “I don’t believe this is the right time to have this conversation.”

Nikolas opened his arms wide. “When else, Sophie?” he snarled. “My men are going to be here soon. We’re all alone, just you and I. Tell me, when else should we be talking about this?”

She looked down into Robin’s eyes. He looked so sad. Stroking the puck’s head, she said softly, “We were all in the manor house, and I knew we’d been looking for the answers to the broken pieces of crossover magic. It’s just background to the vision, that knowledge. It puts everything in place, you know? Then I was on my own, somewhere in a big room, or maybe a long one. I was really excited about something, but someone came up from behind, put his hands around my throat, and started choking me. I fought, but he was really strong, as… as I’m sure you can imagine. He was tall too, maybe as tall as you are or even taller. A big man, with big hands, not someone as small as a puck.” She kissed the monkey and whispered to him, “It wasn’t you, was it?”

Ooh-ooh, the monkey mouthed, eyes wide and solemn. He shook his head.

Telepathically, she asked, Robin, why did you interfere with the vision?

She didn’t expect a reply. By then, she had stopped expecting Robin to answer anything she said to him, so it was with a sense of immense surprise that she heard a voice, dry like the rustle of autumn leaves, say in her head, Because you needed to know. Though he may not forgive Robin for it, he needs to know. Some of us are not who we seem, dear love. The puck patted her throat with both hands. Robin did not realize his interference might hurt you.

Some of us are not who we seem. What did the puck mean by that?

It’s okay, she whispered back. But don’t do it again.

His response was fervent. No, never again.

Robin, did you interfere with my first vision of Nikolas? As the monkey hung his head, she said, You did, didn’t you? What were you hoping for?

Help, the puck whispered. A puck was hoping for help. The Queen made him do things he didn’t want to do. Create fog, hide murders, dance like a monkey to her wicked whims.

“Hoping for help…,” she murmured aloud, staring at him. Once her mind started piecing things together, it wouldn’t stop. “Robin, did you have anything to do with my car breaking down the night I found you on the road?”

Because it really was unusual for her technology curse to cause something as big as the car to stop working. And it was even more suspect that the car had started again perfectly, right afterward.