“How did Elwen miss this?”
“It’s not her fault. I covered myself so nobody would notice. I couldn’t even hint at the deal.” I rubbed my neck, and he met my gaze. “Whenever I tried, my throat closed up.”
“But you can talk about it now.”
“I think because you know about it.”
“Yes,” he said gravely. “I heard everything. It was making you sick because you agreed to come to him if you survived. That’s a summons clause. He can call you to him.”
“Whenever he wants?”
“He would have to issue the command directly.” He sighed. “I’m guessing you can’t break the rune?”
“I tried. It felt like tearing through my flesh.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
“So…I’m chained to him forever?”
“Not if I kill him.”
I shuddered. “If you do, the realms will turn against you. They’re already scared of you.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do! I don’t want your realm to suffer because of me.”
He stroked my hair. “I can’t let him live knowing he can pull you away.”
“But your people won’t like it. If you start a war over a human, won’t they riot?”
His jaw tightened. “No. They’ll understand.”
“I seriously doubt that, Kairos.”
“They will. A fae eliminating another who used magic to enslave his…” His expression darkened. “Well, trust me. They’ll call it justice.”
His what?
I lifted my head to look at him. His eyes were dark, unreadable. Whatever he’d been about to say, he swallowed it back. What would happen when he finally admitted it out loud? And how much would it change once he did? Something was building between us, and it would demand a name eventually.
I wasn’t sure either of us was ready.
39
TERRIBLE TIMING
A fire crackled, casting dancing shadows across the cave walls.
Hours had passed, and my shift had finally dried, but my dress still hung near the flames. Kairos had left to forage when the tide pulled back. When he returned, he was cradling spiny black spheres.
He crouched in front of me, cracking one open with a squeeze. Then he scraped out gleaming orange flesh with his dagger, offering it to me.
“Eat.”
The meat pulsed on his blade, glistening like something half-melted.
My nose wrinkled. “What is that?”
