“Neither were you.”
“You seemed so set in your opinion of me. I wouldn’t grovel at your feet just to give you an explanation.”
“Because of your pride?”
He shrugs. “Perhaps. It didn’t seem worth my time when you wouldn’t have believed me anyway.”
“So you were just going to let me unwittingly break the pact?”
“Better you than me.”
My fingers clench into fists. “How can you say that so casually when it would have meant war?”
“Because ifIwere to break the treaty, there’s a good chance I’d lose my throne as well. Besides, what were my other options? I could let you make your choices based on human prejudice, resulting in war with a people who might not deserve my protection in the first place. Or I could tell you the truth and make you feel forced to perform the ritual, resulting in a Bond with a woman who hates me, a woman who could use my name against me, use it to dethrone me.”
“I wouldn’t have.” My voice comes out small, uncertain.
He barks a cold laugh. “Not even you believe that.”
“Icouldn’thave,” I correct. “A human can’t use a fae’s true name against them. Giving me your name will do nothing. I don’t have any special hormones to secrete that mess with your brain. You’d be the one with all the power.”
His expression twists into a look of bewilderment. “Hormone? What are you talking about?”
“It’s what gives you the power to glamour others. It overrides parts of our brain.”
He shakes his head. “It’s our magic that allows us to use a glamour. The power of giving another your true name uses a strong enough magic for even a human to use on the Fair Isle. Haven’t you heard about the end of the war? The exile of the Fire King? The head of Eisleigh’s council exchanged names with the Fire King and banished him. The Fire King, in turn used the councilman’s name to promise he would never set foot on the Fair Isle again and would live on the mainland until his death. That’s what the Bond is about. The ultimate sign of mutual fear and respect. It can be forged between friends, enemies, allies, and—yes—humans and fae.”
I’m surprised to hear this part of the story, but it still doesn’t mean anything. There’s no proof the councilman had any power over the Fire King when he used his name. Still, I’m too exhausted to argue. “Aspen, I just want the truth. What happens next?”
“Nothing has changed on my side. I still won’t force you to do the ritual. The choice is yours. If we must go to war, so be it. If you choose to give me your name, I will give you mine in return.”
“I thought you were afraid I’ll betray you.”
He sighs. “If you were ever going to hurt me, you would have let me succumb to iron poisoning.”
I feel a flash of guilt, remembering the moment I considered doing just that. “Your mother said there is a timeframe determined by the treaty. When must the Bonding ritual be performed by?”
His expression falters, almost apologetic. “The treaty states the ritual must take place no later than a week before the human wedding ceremony.”
I do the math in my head. My mouth falls open, and the breath flies from my lungs. “Tomorrow is a week before the wedding.”
He nods. “That’s why the council is coming. I am to present you as my Bonded by midnight. If not, the treaty is broken, and the council will determine next steps.”
I close my eyes and turn away from him. All I want to do is scream, to pound his chest and berate him for letting things go so long without telling me the truth. But I’m still too drained to fight or argue. Instead, I feel like I’m going to be sick.
After a stretch of silence, I hear Aspen’s footfall behind me, then to the side of me. I can’t bring myself to look at him. “What did you argue with my mother about?” he asks.
“She…she wanted me to promise I wouldn’t perform the ritual.”
He curses under his breath. “Of course she did.” He goes still, studying me. “What did you say?”
I chew my bottom lip, eyes darting toward his face then away again. “I refused to give her my promise.”
“Because you detest bargaining with the fae, or because you’re actually considering it?”
“Both.”
“For your people?” he asks.
