Page 48 of A Bargain with the Fae King

What happened to the arrogant king I met last night? I snag a fruit twin to Riven’s and sit on the cushion next to him with my bare feet curled up on the cushion. Sticky sweetness with a hint of spice dances across my tongue. I wiggle the orb with its missing bite in the air between us.

“Our world is entangled with yours and has become dependent on it,” Riven begins as if settling in for a long tale. “Long, long ago, they were separate, and each existed on its own. But one day that changed, and the doors, like the one you came through, opened up, linking our worlds together. Over time, our world became dependent on yours, and similarly, our people became dependent on humans to sustain our magic.”

Does he know his description makes the fae sound like leeches? I take another bite and listen as he continues.

“Human spirits are different than ours and enliven our magic. Without the presence of humans, our magic grows stale and weakens over time. Having a human with the gift reside with us increases our magic.”

A gifted human. Like me.

“If just my presence here helps, then there was no need for a certain… element of our bargain,” I state frankly.

“It’s not enough just to want you?”

I swallow, hard. It’s so tempting to throw the fruit at his smirking face.

“Anyhow, the closer the bond between fae and human, the stronger the effect. If you accept my mark, it will further strengthen my magic and, since I lead my people, all of them as well.”

I flush and look away. But a different thought nags at the back of my mind. “Is that why they want May? Because she’s a human and will help their magic?”

“Perhaps. Though she’s so young, her presence will not improve their magic much, but they may not know that.”

“They’d risk going to the human world”—what did he call it?—“fading, to get her?”

His gaze darts away then back to me. “Those who are desperate will do anything. And the Unseelie… Yes, for a human, they would risk that and much more.”

“You risked yourself then. For me?” That very first night, the first time he met me, he’d taken me home from the circle of stones, tucked me safely away on the porch of our cabin.

Some emotion I can’t name races across his features. “You wouldn’t come with me, and leaving you there felt…” He seems to taste words on his tongue, searching for the right one. For truth? “Wrong,” he says at length.

His vulnerability draws me like a magnet. I scoot closer until my leg barely touches his.

Riven brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, causing a little shiver to race across my skin. “Do you remember what I told you when you stepped into Faery with me?”

I give myself a little shake, trying to clear my racing thoughts. Faery. He had said something, words that caused me to ache amidst so much beauty. “It’s dying? But it’s so beautiful here.”

A sad smile pulls at his lips. “I’m glad you like it. But yes, Lia, the Court of the Forest is dying. Our magic has been fading. Dangerously so.” He sets the fruit aside and wipes his hand on a fine cloth napkin. What a proper gentleman. “The last of our humans passed recently. They were old, their lives run through. Their spark gave us little power, yet they were beloved all the same. It’s been many years since a young human has come here—their gift bright and bold. And…I’ve never marked one.”

A bite of fruit lodges in my throat before I choke it down. Never marked a human. Of all the things I expected, a fae virginity discussion was not it.

“The Unseelie, Sigurd…none of them should be able to get here without me noticing. I should be able to protect my people. But with our magic fading, I haven’t been able to. It’s taken all I have and it’s not enough. I didn’t have the slightest hope”—he takes my hand in his—“until recently.”

The sorrow in his eyes twists my heart, the dull ache sliding through me in a slow wave. “Because I’m here.”

“That’s why I can’t let anything happen to you. If we lose you, ifIlose you, so soon…” He shakes his head, giving my hand a squeeze. “Our fate would be bleak. But with you here, even for a little while, we have a chance.”

The sweet fruit turns sour in my mouth, and I jerk away. “I get it. You want me for the magic.”

Should have known. Why would someone who knew all my broken parts want me?

The fruit core clunks to the table. I shove to my feet. That’s why he’d been so adamant in pursuing me. All those times he begged me to come, said I could save his people… It was all for the sake of his magic, not really for me.

“Yes.” The word carves a groove in my heart.

My shoulders hunch around the blow as I turn away from him.

A calloused hand wraps around my wrist. His light tug asks me to stay. A plea but not a demand. “At first, when I met you all those months ago, that was all I wanted. You were lovely, gifted, but hurting. I could take you away from that pain and bring you here to help us. It seemed perfect at the time, if you’d wanted to come. But then I truly got to know you, and the magic is not all I want anymore.”

I suck in a breath.He can’t lie. He can’t lie.I want to believe it. So, so much. My head whips around, meeting the sad green eyes staring up at me.

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