I see motion at the far end of the cave, stirring in the darkness. Amelie stands, looking at me through tearstained eyes, the head of the sealskin resting over her scalp. She pulls the rest of the skin tight around her body, but not before I recognize the dress she’s wearing. It’s the one I slipped out of this morning.
Cobalt turns to her. “Go,” he says, voice surprisingly gentle. “Wait for me. We must prepare for the council meeting.”
She meets my eyes, lower lip quivering, then stalks away and out of sight.
I burn Cobalt with my scowl. It wasn’t Melusine that Amelie had made the bargain with, but Cobalt. “What have you done to her?”
“She won’t always feel this way,” he says. “She’s upset that you forced her hand. Hurting you was the last thing she wanted to do.”
“Because you made her do it. Didn’t you? You glamoured her, ordered her to take me from the palace. To kill me if I refused.”
He gives me a sad smile. “Sometimes we have to make difficult choices to do the right thing. Before now, she was happy with me. She will be happy again.”
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Why capture me after everything that happened? You saved me from the kelpie, you, you…” I don’t want to say what I’m thinking.You were kind to me. You were caring. You…kissed me.
“I thought you would trust me if I saved you from the kelpie, thought you’d ally with me if you understood the dangers of the unseelie.”
My eyes go wide with realization. “You arranged the kelpie attack.”
He nods, eyes full of regret.
“You told me not to do the ritual with Aspen.”
He takes a few steps closer to the bars of the cage. “And you refused to promise me you wouldn’t. Refused my help. Refused to heed my warnings about my brother.”
“Your warnings were lies.”
“No, my brother is dangerous,” Cobalt says. “I tried to tell you, but you didn’t believe me. Youstilldon’t believe me.”
“No, I don’t.”
His brow furrows. “Why? I offered you my protection, my affection. You rejected me time and time again. Yet, I see you had no issue accepting my brother.”
I deepen my glare. “Is that why you took my sister?”
His expression softens. “Your sister was much more eager to listen. All she wanted was love and I gave it to her. When she realized we could be together if only you’d marry Aspen instead, she was willing to do what was required. She came to me willingly, left the palace on her own accord, all without even a glamour. It wasn’t until today that she realized things weren’t going quite as she’d expected, and I was forced to use the power of her name.”
“You did this before, didn’t you?” I ask. Everything makes so much sense now. “You bargained with the Holstrom girls and glamoured them to try and assassinate the king. What did you take from them?”
“The same thing Amelie gave me in return for my love,” he admits. “The ability to lie. All the Holstrom girls wanted was protection from the king. Unlike you, they heeded my warnings. I offered my protection in exchange for their lies. They agreed, as long as I promised to put my lies to good use against the king. Then I promised I’d have Aspen dethroned if they gave me their names. Again, they agreed. I knew sending them to assassinate Aspen would serve well whether it failed or succeeded. If they managed to kill him, he’d no longer be a problem. If he killed them, he’d show his instability as a ruler and bring the council one step closer to forcing him to step down”
“If the Holstrom girls already gave you the ability to lie, why take it from Amelie too?”
“The power of the bargain wears off after a while if the bargainer dies. I needed that power, either from you or Amelie. Like I said, Amelie was more than willing.”
“Is that why you’re keeping Amelie alive, to keep your ability to lie? Is that why you didn’t send her on some foolish errand to kill Aspen this time?”
He opens his mouth, flustered. “There’s more between Amelie and me than there ever was with the other girls. I’m keeping her alive because she’s my mate and soon-to-be wife. We are Bonded.”
A chill runs through me, and nausea churns my gut. They performed the ritual.
Cobalt continues. “I can’t let you and Aspen Bond. That’s why I sent Amelie for you this morning after I realized you and my brother had seemingly grown close. I can’t have you and Aspen bringing the treaty any closer to being fulfilled.”
“Why? Is it war you want?”
“No, not war. I want Aspen off the throne.”
I consider his words. “If Aspen and I don’t perform the ritual by midnight, we’ll break the treaty.”
