“This whole thing has been about them. I was desperate. They were literally days away from starvation when I made the bargain with the Earthwife. We all were. I didn’t know what it would entail. If I had, I never would have agreed to it.”
A long moment passed before Pharis responded. “If you’re expecting me to react like my brother and go all gooey, pouring sweet forgiveness all over you, you’re in for some disappointment.”
“I didn’t expect you to believe me,” I said. “But whether you do or not, the truth is the truth—I had no intention of hurting any of you. I could never killanyone.”
“I could,” he said flatly. “If they were truly threatening my family, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
A knot formed in my belly. It was hard to take a full breath. I couldn’t let myself forget for a moment that this man was not a friend. He wasnothis kind brother.
We were literally in the middle of nowhere, and he was vastly larger and more powerful than me. He was helping me out of obligation to his brother—nothing more—and I had no idea how far that motivation went or how long it might last.
“Why did you agree to help me?” I asked. “You hate me.”
His breath huffed against my hair again as he let out a small laugh.
“I don’t hate you. I just didn’t think my brother should marry you. You’re not… well-suited for him.”
“Because I’m ‘just’ a human?”
After a protracted pause, he said, “Well, you are human, aren’t you? And he’s Elven royalty. Doyouthink you’re a suitable mate for an Elven prince?”
I answered immediately. “No. I tried to tell Stellon that—many times.”
Pharis made a satisfied sound, a little hum in his throat.
“My brother was spellbound.”
Now I did turn and look at him. “Therewasa love spell?”
I knew it. Why else would someone like Stellon fall for someone like me?
“What did Sorcha tell you?” I asked.
“Not much. The woman speaks in riddles,” Pharis said. “But I got enough out of the old witch.”
He made a growly sound that sent shivers down my spine. “I should have killed her on the spot when she confessed what she’d done. I was in too big a hurry to get back to Stellon’s suite and stop him from—”
He stopped speaking abruptly.
“From bonding himself to me,” I finished for him. “Stellon told me how it works for Elven people, how you can only have one bond-mate for a lifetime.”
“Yes,” was all Pharis said.
“So Sorcha’s still in the dungeon then?”
While I also would have preferred her dead, I was relieved she was at least still locked away. For now.
“She’s still in there. I confirmed it with the jailer before I sent him to free you.”
“She won’t give up, you know,” I warned. “She was adamant that your whole family needed to be eliminated. And she’s crafty.”
There was a smile in his voice. “I’m not afraid of an elderly human woman, no matter how many parlor tricks she may know. Besides, it’ll be hard for her to plot regicide once her head is disconnected from her neck.”
“She’ll be executed?”
“As soon as I return to the palace, I’ll tell my fathersheis the assassin they’re looking for, and she’ll pay for her crimes,” Pharis said. “It’s true enough that I’ll pass any lie-detecting glamour he might wish to use.”
Lie detecting glamour? “Your father wouldn’t take your word for it?”
