Page 106 of A Bargain with the Fae King

I need to talk to Riven, to hear his side of the story. I clutch the armrest of the bench and push myself to my feet.

“Have a seat, Lia. That’s not all we have to talk about.” He pats the space I just vacated like a friend inviting company. The smile on his otherwise stunning face is heartbreakingly cruel.

The first night I’d met Riven, I wondered if he was the devil come to claim me.

This man, this fae, is far worse.

“Don’t you want to hear the rest?” His tone is light, almost playful, like a child sharing juicy secrets.

He likes to play games.Riven’s words echo through my head bringing with them edged clarity. He’s playing one now, baiting me to get me away from Riven.

Of course. Of course it would be to his advantage if Riven doesn’t have me by his side, feeding his magic and, by proxy, feeding the magic of everyone here.

A fire ignites in my chest, burning away the fear and insecurity of moments before.

Taking a page from Sigurd’s book, I brush invisible dirt off my pants and glance at him over one shoulder. “I think we’re done here.”

I whip my head around and stride in the opposite direction, not waiting to see his reaction to my curt dismissal. A cold sweat breaks out on my neck. I’ve just turned my back on one of the most powerful fae in Faery. Undoubtedly a bad idea, but it’s too late now.

A firm hand latches on to my arm and stops me in my tracks. The breath I’ve been holding leaves my lungs in a whoosh.

“We’re not done yet.” Sigurd’s eyes shine with the hardness of the stone they resemble. The casual attitude he displayed earlier is completely gone, replaced instead with something feral, dangerous.

“Oh yes, we are.” I yank my arm away.

Or rather, he lets me go. I’m not fool enough to think I can overpower a fae king. My hands shake, and I clasp them together, praying he doesn’t notice. It takes everything I have to stare him down.

“How dare you touch the Lady of the Forest?” I fling my title at him, wielding it like a weapon, savoring the slight snarl he gives in return.

Now he’s the one toying with starting a war.

“Don’t you want to hear what I learned from my spies watching the Unseelie?” he asks.

I turn and walk away.

No. We’re done. I’m done. If the title I hold carries any weight, if he has any sense, he’ll let me go. I hadn’t used whatever power it gives me, hadn’t needed it. But in this moment, I’ll use whatever tools I have. I notch my chin higher like the important human I claim to be—Lady of the Forest.

“They heard the most interesting tale,” Sigurd calls after me, “about a fae king who paid some of their tribesmen to perform a favor for him. He shifted the volunteers back to his land. To his capital. Only one week ago.”

Chapter 33

Ifreeze.Thefirein me gutters to ash as his words sink home with deadly accuracy.

No.

Oh, God, no. No. No. No.

“I thought you might be interested.” The words drip honey. Poisoned, wicked, awful sweetness that belies their intention.

The ground seems to shift under my feet. My knees wobble.

Sigurd stalks in front of me like a predator circling prey.

Tears sting the corner of my eyes. I blink, refusing to let them spill. I won’t give him that, not when he’s taking everything else.

“Didn’t you wonder how the Unseelie got so deep in Riven’s territory? How they got through one of his only doors, a warded door at that, so close to his capital? Or better yet, how they knew to take a very specific human girl?”

My knees hit the ground. The shock of the fall echoes up my body.

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