I had every intention of keeping to this rule. Additionally, when I began my conversation with the king, I had absolutely zero intentions of actually allying with him.
The thing is, when people mention fae bargains, they describe terrible bonds, blood-curdling curses, and deadly punishments. No one ever mentions a bargain that benefits the human involved, perhaps more so than the fae.
And that’s exactly what I’ve crafted in my mind.
Excitement bubbles in my chest at the possibilities, but I do my best to maintain my composure, keeping a straight face before the king.
“What kind of bargain?” he says, taking a hesitant step back.
I clasp my hands at my waist, standing at my full height. “Like I said, to get a human to break your curse, you’ll need something that makes them stupider than fear, but more invested than friendship.”
He narrows his eyes. “Go on.”
“And if the person must sacrifice that which they treasure most to break the curse, then you need to find someone who has only trivial treasures. Material things. For that, you need to know the right person.”
Quirking a brow, he says, “And you happen to know the right person?”
I can’t fight the smile that stretches my lips, and it’s all I can do to suppress the devious laughter that begs to erupt from inside me. “I do. Her name is Imogen Coleman.”
“All right,” he says slowly. “How do propose to get this Imogen Coleman to break the curse? The sacrifice must be made of their own free—”
“Their own free will and volition, I get it. Trust me, subtlety is not your strong suit.” I take a few steps closer to where he stands. “That is wheremyphase two comes in. Where you make her both stupid and invested.”
“You say it like it’s simple.”
“It is. Because you’re going to make her fall in love with you.”
“Love!” He scoffs, lips pulling into a grimace. “I’m going to make a human fall inlovewith me?”
I purse my lips to keep my grin from spreading wider. “Precisely. Love is that which makes humans absolute fools while making them equally and irrationally attached to another person. You were right when you said you needed to entice the sacrifice during feelings of great impulse. That’s exactly what love does. It turns people into reckless idiots, both blind to reason and ignorant of their own folly, even as it stares them in the eyes.”
“You sound like someone with personal experience.”
That wipes the grin clear off my face, but I don’t let it hold me back. “I do have experience in this department, which makes me the perfect ally. While I am no longer susceptible to the guiles of love, I can still recognize them. Better yet, I know Imogen Coleman and her petty wants and needs. I know what powers love and matrimony have over her, and I know exactly what kind of man will tempt her into the pits of stupidity.”
He studies me with that intense, predatory stare, one that tells me he knows very little about propriety and interacting with humans. It makes my pulse quicken, and a wave of panic rises within me. What am I getting myself into? Do I honestly believe I can get anyone, much less Imogen Coleman, to fall in love with this untamed creature?
He has money,I remind myself. Plus, he’s a king, for saint’s sake. That alone should have Imogen desperate for his favor sight unseen. But for her to sacrifice her greatest treasure for him…for that, she’ll need to truly fall inlovewith him.
“We have a lot of work to do,” I mutter.
“Wehave no work to do, for I am not going to agree to such nonsense. I will not have you pairing me with a human mate. I have no use for a lover, much less a human one.”
“Oh, you’re not actually going to take her as a lover,” I say. “You will make her fall in love with you, in the same way you tried to trick me into breaking your curse. But we’ll do it my way, using deception mingled with truth. After she breaks your curse, you can send her off and never see her again.”
The king glowers for a moment, then his eyes widen in something like…admiration. “What did this human girl do to you?”
His words stun me silent, my stomach sinking. I consider my scheme anew, thinking about it from Imogen’s side. I know how eager she is for a husband, how desperate she is for a favorable match that will bring her wealth. For a royal title, I’m certain she’d jump through hoops and flip backward. But how will she feel when all of that is stripped away? When she sacrifices her greatest treasure for someone who abandons her?
I know how that feels. I know what it’s like to give a man everything only to have him take it away. Every promise. Every kiss. But instead of sparking empathy, it hardens my heart, for I can only recall the words she said to me when we left the bookshop yesterday morning, her tone all but a threat.
It may have been acceptable to play the harlot in Bretton…
No one wants a ruined woman as a wife…
You’d become a stain on this town…
My fingers curl into fists, my resolve turning to steel. “Imogen could use a lesson in humility,” I say, surprised at the ice in my tone. “Besides, it’s like I said. You need someone who cherishes trivial things. I’m sure her greatest treasure is some fancy dress.”
