After two full minutes of silence ticked by, he cleared his throat. “Let’s lay out the negotiations as they stand now. You will agree to be my wife and queen, in title only. After the union is finalized, I will give back your arrow. In return, you will be granted a full pardon for thetwotimes you stabbed me and will be under my protection. Nothing will harm you.”
“For how long?” Kailia asked.
His brows knitted. “For how long, what?”
“Do I have to remain your wife? How long will the protection last?”
“The marriage will be binding,” he said darkly. “And my protection will last as long as the marriage does.”
She uncrossed her arms, hands falling to her lap where she smoothed them along the fabric of the dress. Once. Twice. A few more times before she seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing. She was looking anywhere but at him, and he stayed silent, giving her time to process.
“And an heir?” she finally asked.
“That can be discussed at a later time.”
“But it shall be expected of me?”
“Something we can decide together, years from now,” he repeated.
Her bare feet tapped a chaotic rhythm as she went silent once more.
“But we will need to be convincing, Kailia. I want to make that clear,” he added.
That had her gaze swinging back to his. “How can I possibly convince people I’m in love with you when I hate the fact you exist at all?”
Cethin stood then, crossing to where she still sat. He leaned over her, one hand bracing on the back of the sofa. She looked up at him, determination and loathing staring back.
With his other hand, he picked up a lock of hair, twirling it between his fingers. “The veil between love and hate is thin, tiny fiend. Both are fueled by passion, and I think I’ll be fine with either one from you.”
Her features scrunched. “That makes no sense.”
He sighed dramatically. “Alas, love rarely does, but that is neither here nor there at the moment,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest his statement. “Have we reached the end of our negotiations? Are we in agreement?”
“A forced agreement,” she muttered.
“An agreement nonetheless,” he said, straightening and pulling his dagger from his belt for the second time that day.
For the first time since he’d met her, something akin to fear entered her eyes. “This agreement comes with a promise of protection?” she clarified. “I agree to this arrangement, and you will return my arrow and grant me your protection?”
“A promise I swear on my crown, tiny fiend,” he answered, his heart beating faster in anticipation of finally sealing this deal.
“Fine,” she finally said, taking the dagger from him.
She dragged it across her own palm before doing the same to Cethin’s, digging the blade in far deeper than necessary. He hissed at the discomfort, glaring at her.
“It’s an accord,” she said, clasping his hand.
And this bargain felt different as their blood merged. There was the normal prickling of a Bargain Mark along the left side of his chest, but there was also something more. Faint flares of silver and dark green light that Kailia clearly saw too, because she gasped, yanking her hand away.
“What was that?” she demanded, shooting to her feet and forcing him to take several steps back.
“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully, but her eyes narrowed, telling him she didn’t believe him in the slightest.
Without another word, she turned and headed down the hall, presumably going to bathe. He swiped a hand down his face as he watched her go.
He was betrothed.
But there was no doubt in his mind that the negotiations had been the easiest part of this arrangement.
