Page 110 of A Bargain with the Fae King

A smirk twitches on my lips, aching to break free. My title. My weapon. One Riven gave to me and oh how good it feels to use it now.

Determined steps carry me through the halls of Arbrean, back to the courtyard where Sigurd promised to send his emissary. It would have been hard to find, had it not been so close to the library where I spent much of my time. The quiet section of the castle, the fae called it. One dedicated to peace and learning. I choke back a laugh at the irony.

I send the few fae I pass away from the courtyard, away from this area. They’re happy to obey me.

All too soon, I reach the flowering purple trees marking the courtyard entrance.

My throat tightens, my steps turn heavy, but I push onward. I won’t back down now.

But just as I pass under the laden branches marking the threshold, something catches my eye that draws me to a halt.

No.

A mental scream of fury and frustration echoes through me.

Galen sits on the bench Sigurd and I had shared, his head in his hands.

My fingers dig into the bark of the nearby tree. So close. How do I get him to leave? The others I can order without question, but him? He’d ask questions. He’d know the order to be strange—I’d never used my title with them, never wielded it like I have today, not once.

His head turns in my direction. “Lia?”

Shit.

I smooth out my features and step from the shadow of the tree. “You’re back already?” Hadn’t he gone after Sigurd with Sylvie?

He nods. “Come sit with me.”

My feet draw me closer against my better judgment. “Was your, um,questsuccessful?”

“In a way.” His shoulders hunch as if the weight of the world rests on them.

“Sylvie? Is she all right?” My eyes widen. Despite all that’s happened, the thought of her being injured—

“She’s fine.”

Relief floods me. “Then what’s wrong? Why sit out here?”

Galen pats the bench next to him.

I purse my lips and stare at the spot, the place where my world started to crumble. Reluctantly, I join him. I need him to leave, and if playing along makes that happen sooner, then so be it.

“Why here indeed,” he echoes, shaking his head. “You still don’t know. Haven’t realized.”

Dark threads float through my head, just out of reach. My skin prickles. Galen smiles a sad smile, and I gasp, my hands flying to cover my mouth.

Galen is the spy in Riven’s court.

He’d told Sigurd about my bargain, my sister, the door key…everything.

He nods in silent confirmation.

And Riven has no idea. Despite everything, my traitorous heart aches for Riven. A member of his own elite guard, one he trusted to guard even me, betrayed him.

I hoped to get Galen to leave, thought to order him to do so, and yet, he’s the one I need.

But…if I go with Galen, Riven will be betrayed twice today. He deserves it if Sigurd’s words prove true, but if somehow they aren’t…

I shift on my seat and stare at Galen, not bothering to hide the emotions that must be apparent on my face—panic, misery, confusion.

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