Page 35 of Court of Lies and Deceit

“Watch your mouth,” he warns.

She curls her fingers into a fist on the floor.

“She’s right, Orion,” Draven says before Isera can respond. “We did have a deal.”

The Unseelie King slides his gaze to him. “Yes, we did.”

“You always honor them.”

“Yes, we Unseelie fae always keep our end of the bargain.” His smile sharpens. “Which is why you need to be very careful how you word them. The deal was for you to kill Danzo Wolfstalker and be seen doing it.” His eyes glint. “I never promised that I was going to let you get away with it.”

Chains rattle as Alistair kicks out his leg in anger. “You son of a?—”

“Go ahead,” Orion cuts off, his voice like sharpened steel, as he levels a stare full of challenge on Alistair. “Finish that sentence. See how that works out for you.”

For a few seconds, it looks as if Alistair plans to do just that. But then he forces in a breath, swallows, and glances away. Orion snickers.

Draven locks eyes with him. “I will kill you for this.”

A chill rolls down my spine at the way he says it. It’s not a threat screamed in anger. It’s a statement of fact. Cold and hard as a knife slipped between the ribs.

It only makes Orion’s wicked smile widen. “Tread carefully, Shadow of Death.” He holds up the dragon steel and spins it once in his hand. “Or I might make you kill your friends.” His gaze slips to me. “Or your mate.”

A low snarl rips from deep within Draven’s chest.

Orion just lowers the dragon steel again and flicks a glance over all six of us. “But I am not without mercy. I could allow you to win your freedom back.”

“How?” Galen demands. He has been silent up until now, and it almost feels as if he is trying to draw Orion’s attention away from Draven before the Unseelie King can make good on his threat.

Orion’s eyes gleam in the faint light of the few faelight gems that have been set into the stone ceiling, and the smile on his face is so sharp that it could’ve drawn blood. “Care to make another bargain?”

“What kind of bargain?”

“Every few months, we host the Great Games. People come to the capital from all across the Unseelie Court to watch six teams play against each other.”

The image of that massive amphitheater in the middle of the city flashes before my eyes.

“Like the Atonement Trials?” I ask.

He slides his gaze to me. “No, not like the Atonement Trials. That is a punishment. This is a national sport. This is entertainment, betting, faction loyalty.”

“It’s a distraction,” Isera cuts in, her voice smug and vicious, as she levels a mocking stare on the Unseelie King. “An event created to distract your people from the fact that you are alltrappedin here.”

Lightning flashes in Orion’s eyes as he snaps his gaze to her. She just stares him down from the other side of the iron bars. A muscle flickers in his jaw, but he doesn’t deny her mocking accusation.

Instead, he simply turns back to the rest of us. “This is the deal. If you play the games and win, I will allow you to leave the Unseelie Court. No tricks this time.”

Silence falls across the darkened underground prison. For a few seconds, only the muted sound of dripping water breaks the stillness.

“This was your plan all along,” I say as understanding finally clicks into place.

Isera is right. The Great Games that Orion hosts are a desperate scheme to keep his people from rioting. They have been trapped inside these wards, completely cut off from the restof the world and unable to leave, formillennianow. It would drive people mad. Unless they have something to distract them.

And what better way to distract the entire Unseelie Court from their stifling reality than to have dragon shifters and Seelie fae play these Great Games for probably the first time ever. It will be the talk of the century.

“The assassination was never the real price,” I continue. “You just wanted an excuse to arrest us.”

“I wanted both.” He slides his tongue along his teeth. “So why not get two bargains for the price of one?”

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