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laughed and took his arm. “Fine. Feed me and I will forget that you were thinking about tipping me off.”
    He gasped at the idea but led her into the restaurant with all seriousness.
    The host smiled graciously and led them into the seating area where pools of light illuminated tables and left the rest of the room in shadow. Seated in the light, it would be difficult to notice other couples.
    Ashko held her chair for her and caressed her shoulder as he moved to his side of the small table. “You look lovely.”
    She touched her hair and grimaced. “Thank you, but I suspect my hair is in a state.”
    “I am admiring it. The colour and texture are delightful to look at and hold.”
    Berry smiled. “You have lovely hair as well, but you already know that. I have no doubt you have been hearing it for centuries.”
    He sighed and picked up his menu. “The fey are attractive. It is what enabled us to survive as long as we have. As long as we could breed halflings in and out of our bloodlines, we would be able to manage a decent population. The moment that we insisted that magic match magic, everything began to degrade. Our married couples expanded, but the magic fizzled out. Some blame the old mixing of humans into our population, but most realize that our magic has been dependent upon the world itself, and magic in the world is harder to find.”
    She smiled as a glass of water was set in front of her. A tiny plate of lemon wedges accompanied it.
    “Which is why the shifters and their contrary magic is so confusing for the fey.” She laughed. “When the old magic touches the new, the sparks are hard to dismiss. No wonder it was thought that we were toxic to each other. Without the balancing ceremony, the constant contrast would begin to wear on the nerves.”
    “Especially as both of our kinds are sexually focused. But, the balance has created some of the most adorable mixes, and the court is excited. Our king is even looking forward to the day that his bride comes of age.”
    “How old is she now?”
    “I believe she is close to two. The seers pointed out the approach of the king’s bride, and he has set up a security detail around her and her parents. There are some of our kind that are not fond of the idea, but if she is half of what is promised by the seers, she will be a great queen.”
    Berry was surprised and focused on the menu. Two years old and he was willing to wait? This definitely was a different society that she was willing to jump into.
    She opted for the chicken, and Ashko took the beef. After a moment, she blurted out, “Do you fear the change that the balance ceremony will bring about?”
    He cocked his head and tented his fingers. “I have been what I am for a very long time. I am ready to embrace change, especially if it comes wrapped in a package that looks like you.”
    She twisted her lips. “Well, for me, things can only move up the food chain, so to speak.”
    “Do you have any idea why your beast is what it is?”
    Berry blinked. “Yeah, we have a pretty good idea.”
    “We?”
    “My family. Didn’t my brother tell you?”
    “No. He said it was your business.”
    “Ah. It sort of is. I was a preemie. I was born two months early and was an early shifter. Normally, the first shift doesn’t occur until you are up and walking, but I suppose I wanted to move, so the moment they put me on the floor to crawl, I shifted and flopped toward my toys. My beast never aged, so we are guessing she was damaged when I came out early.”
    He frowned. “That was what caused your mother the medical issue.”
    “It was. There was a vehicular accident, and she went into premature labour. They pulled me out, but her body couldn’t hold another child. Too much scarring.”
    It wasn’t really the right topic for a romantic dinner, but he was genuinely curious, and it wasn’t a huge secret. All of her friends and family knew, and she thought of him as a friend already.
    Fuck. He had gotten past her