Page 21 of The Fae Kings' Bargain

It was madness,but Ria couldn’t stop herself from following the kings from the room. Aside from the guard—his expression blessedly blank despite what he must have heard—outside the door, the hall was empty. Only when they reached another, larger corridor did they encounter any courtiers. Ria fought the urge to smooth her hair and dress, though she’d already done so before they’d left the audience chamber.

Stares followed them until they turned down another private hallway kept empty by a warrior who stepped aside as the kings approached. Neither Toren nor Mehl appeared to notice the arch glances and smirking lips, but Ria felt her cheeks warm. The heat didn’t fade from her skin even after they were out of sight, the way behind them blocked by the warrior once more. Could the courtiers tell what had happened between them?

She’ll sign the contract with my seed staining her thighs.

That errant thought from Toren haunted her with each step, and not, unfortunately, in the unpleasant way she might have expected. Normally, she would hate not being able to clean off immediately, but now, she could only remember the harsh possessiveness of Toren’s mental voice. It built within her until her own desire blazed with it.

What was wrong with her? She’d enjoyed sex ever since she’d been old enough to take a lover—it was the one freedom her father had allowed her, so long as she didn’t dare to form an emotional attachment. Any hint of that was harshly punished, but he’d openly hoped she would produce a child with the same talent. He didn’t know about the enchantment she’d sought from a midwife that prevented conception, one she’d only had removed in preparation for her escape since she hadn’t known if there would be anyone capable of doing so wherever she ended up.

But although she’d missed the freedom of taking a lover the last couple of months since the enchantment’s removal, she hadn’t craved another the way she did now. Her breathing hadn’t hitched at the thought of a man’s seed inside her. And two men? That she never would have imagined. Yet here she was, her heart pounding eagerly as she followed the kings into a large, airy office with a massive desk in the center.

Ah, the potential uses of that desk.

Her cheeks heated at the thought, especially when King Mehl cast her a knowing look. Unfortunately, a scribe sat to one side of the desk, papers spread out in front of him. That cooled a bit of her ardor. When High King Toren sat and gestured toward the chair across from him, she was able to settle herself into the seat with a reasonable amount of grace.

Then the true negotiations began.

* * *

Mehl leaned casuallyagainst the wall, his gaze trained on Ria as she listened to the terms of the contract. Toren must have given the scribe the details before meeting them in the receiving room earlier, for it was mostly complete. The provisions were fair, the expectations clear. None of them had reason to complain so far.

It didn’t feel right.

They shouldn’t be offering her a mere breeding contract—that was what his instinct screamed. Something deep inside urged him to demand more. To ask her to be their queen. Yet such a thing made no sense. Mehl knew what the hum of her pleased cries around his cock felt like, but he didn’t knowher. What did she enjoy in life? Hate? Fear? Did she have a favorite food? A preferred season? It was madness to marry someone you’d barely conversed with.

“Now,” the scribe said. “Did you mean for the contract to have an unlimited amount of time for her to conceive, Your Majesty? I see that it is also exclusive. Considering your brother’s threat, it might be wiser to consider more than one—”

“No.”

Toren’s hard voice cut off the man’s words, but it made Ria frown. “Wait,” she said. “What if something is wrong with me? Not that I want to share you with anyone, except for King Mehl, of course, but you don’t have much time.”

At her inclusion of him, Mehl’s heart warmed. He’d wondered if it would be awkward to share a woman again after so long, but it had felt quite the opposite. Natural. But he couldn’t deny his conflicted feelings about being unable to fully take her himself. The first child had to be Toren’s, and Mehl wasn’t exactly needed for that.

Yet neither had forgotten him.

Toren’s expression softened. “I doubt there is anything wrong with you, Ria, but you are welcome to ask the palace healer to examine you at any time.”

“Did he…?” Ria’s voice trailed off, and she licked nervously at her lips. “Did he note anything when he healed me last night?”

Mehl straightened from his place against the wall, but he didn’t rush forward to comfort her as he wanted. There was a brittleness to her demeanor any time her father or his actions were alluded to. Even now, her breathing was shallow, her body as motionless as prey caught out in the open. He couldn’t help but fear that the slightest movement might make her bolt.

“I did not order him to examine you in such a way,” Toren said softly. “Nor did I ask him what he might have found when he healed your bruises. Did you expect bad news?”

Ria relaxed against her seat, but her worried frown remained. “No. I confirmed with a midwife only a month ago that I could bear children once I escaped. But hearing it put so bluntly how much rests on me… I will check with the healer to be certain.”

“Your Majesty,” the scribe interjected, “If you might consider contracting with others in the meantime, I do believe—”

“If you think I want to gather multiple women for this endeavor, you are mistaken,” Toren said, his eyes narrowing on the scribe. “And you will not add such to the contract. If Ria has not conceived within the year, I’ll reconsider then. Since any of us can end the contract at any time so long as Ria isn’t pregnant, I see no need to specify otherwise.”

Ria’s frown hadn’t entirely eased, but she nodded.

The scribe scanned the paper before turning the page. His throat working, he glanced up again. “The only other unusual clause, Your Majesty…”

“Yes?” Toren demanded in the imperious tone that never failed to make Mehl semi-hard.

Even now.

“Ah. Well.” The scribe’s throat bobbed again. “It is unusual to require King Mehl to bed the woman once the healer has confirmed her pregnancy. Normally, such contracts are only between the High King and—”

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