“Do you have it or not?”
“Of course I have it,” he says.
With slow, steady steps I close the distance between us, stopping only when we’re mere feet away. “Then do we have a deal? I’ll help you break the curse by getting Miss Coleman to fall in love with you. In return, you will provide room and board and pay me the agreed upon salary and follow my plan. Give up your ridiculous schemes of kidnapping and ransom notes and do what I say instead. When your curse breaks, you pay me the rest. Afterward, we never have to see each other again.”
His jaw shifts side to side, and he brings his hand to rub his beard. “The fae are supposed to be the ones to craft the bargain,” he mutters, a hint of petulance in his tone.
I hold out my hand.
His predatory gaze burns into me, brow furrowed as if he’s puzzling over a complicated mathematic formula. One only I know the answer to. Then, with a reluctant sigh that turns into a grumble, he places his hand in mine. “I agree to this bargain.”
13
Just like when I walked between the standing stones to enter Faerwyvae, this bargain conjures no outward sign that magic is taking place. But as before, I feel the hair rise on the back of my neck. Is it a coincidence? A matter of my own physical response to knowing I’ve just sealed a bargain with a fae? Or is this what magic feels like?
Whatever the case, the king seems none too pleased about it. Releasing my grip from our handshake, he can barely meet my eyes. “I can’t believe I just put my fate in the hands of a human.”
I can’t believe I have a job,I want to squeal in response, the reality of our bargain just beginning to sink in. He has no idea how greatly I’ve desired this. How badly I’ve needed this. Not our bargain, per se, but the first step toward freedom that employment brings. Squaring my shoulders, I allow only a hint of mirth to infuse my tone when I say, “I can’t believe it’s taken you five years to even try.”
“What, an alliance with a human? I’ll have you know, it was quite peaceful around here up until that appalling town began construction. Not a human in sight for almost five years. Yet another proposal passed by that filthy ferret…” He trails off, running a hand through his wild hair.
I furrow my brow. “A ferret?”
“Fine, he’s an ermine. But even in his seelie form, he’s nothing more than a weasel to me. Claiming his place as Seelie King of Winter when I’m stuck here and unable to challenge him. I used to rule all of Winter alone, you know.”
“Isn’t there a seelie and unseelie ruler in every court now, though?”
“Yes,” he says through his teeth, “but if I hadn’t been cursed and trapped in this manor, I could have held onto the kingdom far longer.”
“Surely, you have some ability to counter the proposals passed by the seelie king, don’t you?”
His eyes flick to me then away again. “I can, but it’s a bother.”
“A bother?” I snort a laugh.
Indignation reddens his cheeks as he fully meets my gaze. “Yes, it’s a bother. If I want to counter the proposals he passes, I must either meet with my ambassador and send her off to speak in my stead or call him here to discuss it.”
I lift a brow. “And that’s…hard?”
“It’s…you wouldn’t understand. There aren’t many who know about my situation, for the curse keeps me from others’ minds and makes me easy to forget. And of the fae who do know about the curse, very few are willing to suffer it by visiting. While my ambassador doesn’t mind…well, I’d rather others not see me like this if I can avoid it.” The last part ends in a mumble as he turns away from me, facing the windows. His wistful expression returns as he stares out at the scenery. “Besides, when I read the proposal for the new town, I didn’t understand the location it described. I didn’t grow up in the Chamberlain Mountains or the Holbrook Pass. These are names leftover from a human reign, not the ones embedded in my very bones since birth.”
My chest squeezes as I find his words resonating against my heart. I too know what it’s like to be taken from my home, thrust into a new place. It’s happened twice now, and each new town, new country, feels like an entirely new world. The king, however, isn’t just living in some foreign place; he’s ruling it. And considering how old I imagine he must be, the time he’s spent adapting to the changes since the end of the war must feel like a blink compared to his immortal lifespan.
The thought threatens to shatter my mask, and before I realize it, I open my mouth to speak. But what is it I want to say? My heart begs to relate to him, tell him I understand. Say that perhaps humans and fae aren’t so different after all. Instead, I swallow those words, reminding myself I didn’t seal this bargain to make friends with the king. Friendships are no longer something I care to invest in, and certainly not with a fae who tried to trick me and threatened tokillme. No, he doesn’t deserve my pity. We are but cold allies and he is nothing more than my ticket to freedom.
I lift my chin. “If we are to convince Imogen Coleman to fall in love with you, we’ll have to turn you into a more capable-seeming king.”
Still facing away from me, he shakes his head and mutters, “Freezing iceforsaken woman.”
“Speaking of freezing,” I say, taking a few steps closer, “I meant what I said about a fire. I cannot tolerate staying somewhere without proper heat. So, let’s talk room and board. Will I be staying here?”
“This room has been set aside for my ambassador,” he says, rubbing his chin, “but like I said, I do not call her here often. Even when she does come on business, she does not stay long.”
“Which explains the state of the room,” I say under my breath. Then my gaze snags on my pile of damp discarded clothing. My hands fly to the skirt of the gown I’m wearing. “Oh, your ambassador. Is that whose dress this is?”
He smirks, eyes trailing the length of my gown. “Might as well claim the wardrobe for yourself too. It’s not like she’s using any of it.”
Something about the smirk he wears, the fleeting heat in his gaze as he continues to eye my dress, makes me wonder if he and his ambassador were—or are—lovers. Because it couldn’t possibly be the sight ofmethat put that look in his eyes, not after everything he’s said about humans. This, of course, sends my stomach roiling as I consider just how invasive my presence and actions might have been. “I can stay in another room and fetch my own clothes from home—”
