I couldn’t afford to believe anything else.
24
THE NOOSE
The next morning, the pain worsened.
A twisting knot in my gut, sharper than before. I woke tangled in sheets, my face damp. I lifted my nightshirt and froze.
The fae deal rune burned on my stomach. The skin around it was charred, the raw red edges fading into ashen black. Thin veins of darkness spread from the mark, curling toward my ribs, dipping down past my hip.
The bargain was killing me.
The constant ache, the nausea, the weakness—it wasn’t stress. It was the deal Vaeris made with me. I’d been so stupid, letting myself soften toward him these past days, wondering if I’d overreacted.
I barely made it to the chamber pot before I retched, emptying what little I had in my stomach. Faerie deals were lose-lose. Everyone knew that. I’dhopedthat because it was Vaeris, maybe this one would be different, but no.
I pressed my forehead against the floor, shaking. I'd been in Sanguir eight days, and already the deal was killingme. How long did I have? Days? Weeks? The blackness was spreading. What happened when it reached my heart?
I needed information about deals, and there was only one person I trusted with the answers.
I peeled myself off the floor and got dressed.
Then I found Kairos in the warriors’ hall. Golden coins were scattered across a scarred table. A warrior cursed as the others roared with laughter. At the head of the table sat a broad figure in a loose black shirt, silver-white hair brushing his collar. Runes banded his forearms, dark against pale skin.
I’d spent all night turning over his words, searching for the trap in them.
Vaeris had been a master at manipulation.You’re special. I need you. No one understands me like you do, sweetling.I’d inhaled every sweet lie he’d whispered like it was sustenance. He made me feel valued and beautiful when we were together, and then there’d be weeks of silence where I’d second-guess myself…wondering if he loved me at all. Rheya always said—if you have to wonder, it isn’t real. I’d ignored that warning once. I wouldn’t make that mistake with Kairos.
Starting with me.
That part didn’t fit. Vaeris had never admitted he didn’t deserve me. He’d positioned himself as my savior. But Kairos had looked me in the eye and said he wasn’t worth destroying myself for.
Why would he do that? What did he gain by?—
Slowly, Kairos turned his head. His sharp gaze found mine across the room, and his lips twitched. He shoved his pile of gold into the center of the table. His warriors scrambled for the coins as he rose from his chair.
Heat crawled up my neck as he prowled toward me.
I stepped back into the corridor, turning away before he could reach the doorway. My pulse kicked up as his footsteps clipped behind me. His hand caught my elbow, spinning me around.
“You came all the way to the warriors’ hall just to run away?”
“I changed my mind.”
He leaned against the wall, blocking my path. “About what?”
“I had some questions.”
A group of male fae gathered closer, but a low growl from Kairos made them scatter. The sound rumbled through me, sharp as a crack of thunder.
I startled, my breath catching.
He smiled lazily. “Ask away.”
My stomach pulsed with pain. I needed to understand what was happening to me, but I couldn’t ask directly.
“Does your magic ever hurt you? In Skalgard, I heard that some runes came with a cost.” I licked my lips. “Like faerie deals.”
