The lazy smile vanished. His eyes turned to ice, and crimson mist began leaking from his skin.
“Who offered you a deal?”
The shift was so sudden it stole my breath. One moment he’d been playful, dangerous in that teasing way. Now he was ready to rip someone apart.
“No one.”
“Don’t lie to me. You don’t ask about deals unless someone’s dangled one in front of you.” His eyes blazed. “Was it someone in the camps?”
“Kairos—”
“Tell me who,” he snarled, each word clipped. “Or I’lldrag every fae in this castle before you until you point them out.”
My heart hammered. “Nobody offered me anything!”
He stepped closer, bristling. “If someone in my court approached you, if they so much aswhisperedabout a bargain, I’ll rip them apart.”
“Why?”
“Deals are the oldest magic we have. Ruthless. Precise. They give exactly what you asked for and take what you never thought to guard. Sometimes the cost is what you offered. Sometimes it’s everything else.”
I had to know more. “What was your deal like?”
His jaw worked. “Pure, unrelenting agony. Is that what you want? To be in constant pain?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Why?” he growled.
“I want to understand why the cost is always so high.” I inhaled a shaky breath. “I met someone once who’d promised a fae they’d count all the stones in the city in exchange for a coin purse. They hadn’t thought to ask for conditions.”
Kairos’s expression darkened.
“The fae hadn’t specified a time limit, but they also hadn’t allowed any reprieve. The poor fool couldn’t stop. No sleep, food, or water. Just counting. They died, slumped over a cobblestone path, mumbling numbers through cracked lips.”
“Skaldir fae are vicious,” he said, his lip curled. “They take pleasure in watching humans destroy themselves over impossible terms. It’s a game to them.”
“What about here?”
His jaw clenched. “My people know better. A dealshould have clear terms and defined limits. What happened to that human was cruelty.”
“But it was still binding.”
“That’s exactly why they’re so godsdamned terrible. You have no choice but to obey. Your body keeps moving, even when your mind is screaming to stop.”
My stomach twisted. “Could you fight it?”
“No. Once the terms are set, you’re bound until you fulfill them or die trying.” He dragged a hand through his hair, looking exhausted. “I have enough to deal with right now. The party is tomorrow night, the summit right after that, and every realm will be demanding answers about why I broke the treaty. The last thing I need is someone in my own court trying to trap you in a bargain.”
“No one approached me.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
If Kairos couldn’t fight off a bargain, then what chance did I have? I’d tried to break it already, but the agony had dropped me to the floor. The rune’s threads were wrapped around my organs so tightly, unwinding them was impossible. Breaking it meant breaking myself.
Kairos eyed me beadily. “Never make a faerie deal. It’s a noose. And once it tightens around your neck, you’ll spend the rest of your miserable life choking on your own stupidity.”
My hand drifted to my stomach, the mark pulsing like it had heard him.
