Page 21 of A Bargain with the Fae King

My mouth forms a silent O. Suddenly, the stone beneath my feet is very interesting. In all the times I’d fantasized about him, what it’d be like to touch him, to kiss him, to maybe do something more, I never dreamed he’d done the same. Did he though? This…

Something is missing. A big something. This isn’t seduction or a chase. It’s a demand, a promise—a bargain fueled by desire.

Supple leather boots enter my field of vision. Close. Too close. My retreat is stopped before it can begin by a strong arm pulling me close. I push against his chest, trying to get away, panic and fear strengthening their hold around my racing heart. I can’t move him an inch. Riven holds me until I succumb to the uselessness of my efforts and finally look at him again.

“Some time with me in exchange for your sister’s life and safety.” His voice is almost gentle, a seductive half-smile playing about his features. “Surely that’s not a bad bargain? Her whole life for just a little bit of your time?”

He sounds generous when he phrases it that way. The benevolent king in front of his congregation, and even I have to admit he’s convincing.

“How long?” I bite out, barely audible. “How long is a little bit of my time?”

“One year.”

One year. Forever and no time at all. Much less than the fullness of my life, which he could have asked for, and which I would have given to save my sister.

I owe her that for what I almost took. Besides, she has more of a chance at life than me. I almost killed her, drove Mother away, and I’m so sure Dad and Elise are just waiting it out a little longer to tell me how disappointed they are in me for, well… everything. The accident, dropping out of school, not to mention all my other faults. Really, I’m not that important to anyone at all.

“If I refuse?” I can’t, of course. Saving May alone is too impossible a task for me, and I’d definitely find a way to ruin things again. I need all the help I can get. But the way he’s holding me so close, acting like an asshole version of himself, chafes my nerves. There’s enough of my stubborn-ass self left that I can’t just give him whatever he wants without a fight.

He ponders this a moment, elongated brows wrinkling, his ears even twitch kind of like a dog. Triumph lights in his eyes, and I know he has his answer before the words are even out. “Well then, perhaps I’d find your sister and wait on her to grow up.”

Unchecked fury wells up inside me, fueled by the chorus of laughing fae. How dare he imply that he’d capture and keep my little sister? I lift one hand and rear it back to slap the grin off his face, but he catches my wrist in his and holds it firmly in the air. So fast.

My teeth grind.Damn it.

His face grows serious–all humor fleeing his features. Everything in me stiffens as he leans in, his lips a hair’s breadth from mine. “Do we have a deal then?”

There’s no way on God’s green Earth I’m letting him or any other fae get near my sister ever again once I get her back. She’s going home, even if I’m not, at least not right away.

One quick nod seals my fate.

The assembled fae stare in rapt attention as Riven glances around the circle. Clearly, they don’t want to miss a moment of the spectacle playing out in front of them.

His voice echoes with authority and something else I can’t name, as he begins his oath. “I, Rivenean Lutheon Silvanus, shall promise to find and free May and return her to her rightful human world with no mental or physical harm or alteration. I shall also promise that she shall not be sought out, spoken to, captured, or otherwise interfered with by myself or my people in the future, other than any action of her own free will. In return for this pledge, Lia shall willingly be my consort and reside with me for the next human year. Upon completion of her pledged time, she shall be free to return home without interference.” He pauses and looks down at me, as if this part of his pledge was for me alone. “I shall also promise that I will guard Lia while she is here, and she will come to no harm at my hand or at the hand of any under my authority. She will bear my mark and my protection so long as she stays by my side.”

The crowd goes deathly silent, but they’re no longer waiting. Looks flash from one to another. Curious. Questioning. A few, maybe, angry? But why? It’s all I can do not to squirm at the feel of prying eyes roving over my skin. Had they planned some torture or trickery for me that had just been cut short?

Part of me is grateful for Riven’s clarity and for the protections he promised that I didn’t think to ask for. The bigger part, however, still tries to process whatever unexpected thing just transpired without me truly knowing what it was.

I chew my lip, trying to reason it out, and come up with nothing.

“If Lia agrees to enter into the terms of this bargain, let it be known.” His words snap my attention back to his serious, composed face, lacking in its normal cocky, amusement. Well, normal for this evening anyway. This man, the one looking at me now, waiting for my response, is the Riven I know.

Fine then.

“I agree,” I say.

As the final syllable leaves my tongue, the air around me constricts, cocooning me in a thick blanket. A chill slides down my spine. Just as I begin to panic, the bubble of pressure pops like a balloon and slithers away in every direction.

Magic. My soul knows it without really knowing. The bargain must be bound by magic.

Hope replaces the chill that washes over me. Riven squeezes my hand. He’s still my Riven in this moment, staring at me as if I’ve given him the world.

And then he changes, like taking off one mask and slipping on another. He tilts his head. Lust-filled half-mast eyes stare me down far too intently. A moment later, Riven’s thumb slides across my lower lip, tracing a path that’s the mirror of wicked tongue he slides across his own.

The reminder is clear: I’m the consort to the fae king. But which one—the one looking at me now or the one I treasure?

Chapter 6

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