Page 111 of The Fae Kings' Bargain

By rights, Toren could have denied his entry to the kingdom after his exile, but that would have been the wrong choice for several reasons. For one thing, Ber rode under the flag of the kingdom of Centoi, which was still technically an ally, and there was no telling what position he held there after Tes’s supposed death. Toren wasn’t yet prepared to challenge their treaty. Aside from that, Ber knew the palace’s secrets as well as Toren did.

Better to face him in the open than find his knife in the dark.

“Are you unwell, Toren?” Ria asked with concern. “You’re not picking up my nausea through our link, are you?”

He startled a little at the question, and chagrin flashed through him. Truthfully, he’d forgotten Ria and Mehl were even at the table. They didn’t always share the midday meal, but that was hardly an excuse. This was the smaller, more intimate dining room used for family meals, not some formal banquet hall. Though he sat at the head of the rectangular table, Mehl was in the first seat to his right and Ria to his left.

Not exactly easy to miss.

“Forgive my inattention,” Toren said. “I was lost in thought.”

Ria’s brow wrinkled. “I’m not worried about how much attention you’re paying me. You’ve barely touched your food.”

“She’s right,” Mehl said.

Ah, excellent. Now Mehl was studying him with a concerned frown, too.

Might as well confess.

“My stomach does feel a little uneasy,” Toren said, stabbing one of the purple leaves almost rebelliously. “I suppose it’s possible I’m picking up on your nausea, Ria, but I suspect it is mostly stress. Not only is your presentation tomorrow, but Ber made a formal request to meet with us in two days. I worry over what he has planned. We still have a few years before he can complete his challenge for the throne, so what is behind all this effort?”

Having been at morning court, Mehl had already known about the missive, but Ria had been too tired to attend. Gods, Toren hated to tell her anything that would cause fear or concern. But what else could he do? She needed to prepare for this as much as they did. In the worst case, she could be a target.

Her hand shook as she lowered her fork, and he found he couldn’t bring himself to eat the leaf he’d speared. “Out of curiosity,” Ria said, her voice trailing off on a note of hesitation. “What happens to Prince Ber’s challenge if you marry a second time?”

“A second time?” Toren asked, startled. That was an odd response to his news. “Do you think my brother will attempt to harm Mehl? That would not serve his purposes since, yes, I could remarry. That would give me another hundred years.”

Mehl’s gaze flickered between them, but his emotions were unreadable.

Unlike Ria, whose blush betrayed her embarrassment. “No, no. I didn’t mean… I don’t even want to consider something happening to Mehl. I was more thinking… If the three of usdoformally marry at some point, how would that affect the challenge?”

Toren’s mouth dropped open. What was she suggesting? That she would marry them to stop Ber? His hand tightened around his fork until it bit into his skin. He wantedher, not political expediency. He’d once thought he might be willing to convince her by nearly any means necessary, but apparently, he’d thought wrong. Such a thing had not occurred to him, and he was surprised by how much it hurt.

On top of it all, he couldn’t even answer her question.

“I don’t know,” he replied, more sharply than he’d intended. “I could search through the royal archives for the records about the full law and the spell used to bind it, but I won’t. Because I would never marry you forthat.”

“Marry for…” Ria’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry, Toren. I’ve been contemplating the future, and that question occurred to me in the process. It would never be why I married.”

Toren’s heart skipped a beat. She’d been seriously considering a future marriage? After her initial reaction, he’d feared she would never be ready. Had he been wrong? Though he wanted to demand she explain, he clenched his teeth together to stop the impulse. She hated when he pressured her, and no matter what, any inquiries from the High King could be considered that, even when he spoke only for himself.

He cast a helpless glance at Mehl, but his husband was already staring at Ria. “Should we ask questions,” Mehl said, “Or are you keeping your thoughts and feelings about this close?”

Her blush deepened. “I should have known I couldn’t dance around this, and I suppose it isn’t fair to do so. Yes, you may ask, but I could simply tell you. I’ve been trying to decide what to do about marriage. The truth is, I want to be bound to you both more than I could ever have imagined, but I’m struggling with my worry. Ryssa said it would be impossible to embarrass you. But what if she’s wrong?”

Toren barely heard anything beyond “I want to be bound to you both.” What could be more important than that? Yet he hesitated to say what was in his heart—that he would haul her to the temple right now if his high-handedness wouldn’t upset her. It would be easy enough to accomplish. He’d already had his scribes draw up the proper contracts in case she ever changed her mind.

“If I didn’t embarrass Toren, then you won’t,” Mehl said, his brow lifting in Toren’s direction.

“Ah. Yes. Or rather, no, you wouldn’t.” Toren cleared his throat and prayed he could produce a coherent sentence or two. “You could never cause such an emotion in me. Rather, I would happily banish any who dared to mock you.”

She gasped. “Toren! You can’t simply banish people for something as small as that.”

“Mockery of our beloved queen would not be small,” he said. “But perhaps a demotion would do. Any noble that foolish shouldn’t be in charge of others, at the least.”

As Ria stared at him in shock, Mehl laughed. “I don’t know why you’re surprised, love. The only thing I find unexpected is that Tor hasn’t hurried us both to the temple already.”

Toren tapped his finger against his lower lip. It was such an appealing thought. But… “Ria deserves a full royal wedding, complete with all the pomp and celebration she desires. As I said, I am not marrying her for expediency’s sake. We may take all the time she wishes.”

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