Leoake flashed his teeth in a grin. “But you didn’t.”
Dyna groaned and pressed on her temples. She wanted to be angry, but they had assumed he would want the scales.
Leoake approached as he contemplatively looked her over. “But I do trade for what is valuable, clever mortal. For what is not so readily given and not so easily attained. If you want to trade with me, then I will take from you. Maybe years of your life in service or your happiest memory.”
“No,” Cassiel and Zev rumbled.
The Druid’s grin became devious as he curled a hand around the back of her waist and pulled her flush against him. “Then perhaps your first experience with a male.”
They yanked her back, snarling curses. A blush heated her face.
“Leoake,” Rawn said sharply. “I’m appalled by your impropriety.”
He laughed. “I jest, truly.”
“I thought your tastes lied elsewhere,” Dyna said, thinking of the jilted fae at the Gathering Tree.
“I like a bit of everything.” Leoake’s admiring gaze roved over Rawn, Zev, and Cassiel, then swept over her. “But I canseeno matter what I choose, your Guardians will not approve, Maiden. Therefore, my time here is wasted. I’ll be on my way.”
He gathered his belongings with a jaunty hop and turned to go.
“Princess Keena has invited me to her court,” Dyna said, crossing her arms. “I wonder how she would feel when I describe to her in great detail our encounter today, especially how you used her.”
The Druid halted mid-step and chuckled nervously. “Hold a moment, let’s not be hasty. Forgive me. A friend of the Morphos Court is a friend of mine.” He tapped his chin. “Then how about a favor for a favor? I do this for you, and one day when I need your assistance, you will come.”
“Yes,” Dyna instantly replied. “Deal.”
The shrewd smile that crossed Leoake’s face was nothing short of triumphant. She realized too late this was what he wanted, and she had all but recklessly agreed with her thoughtless response. Before she could change her mind, he snatched her wrist. She flinched at the sting on the back of her hand, and it shot up her arm. A swirl of amber light flared between them, then faded as he released her. The others gaped at her in horror.
Cassiel pulled her away from him. “What have you done?”
Zev growled, his eyes flashing.
Rawn stepped in between them. “Undo whatever you have done to Lady Dyna this instant.”
“You know I cannot.” Leoake shrugged. “We’ve sealed our agreement with a geas, and the mark will serve as a reminder.”
The swirly symbol of an oak tree glowed on Dyna’s skin. A canopy of branches spanned her forearm, the trunk coursing to her wrist. Roots curled over her knuckles and looped around each finger like rings. The amber glow pulsed and faded to a light brown mark. She rubbed it but found no indentations. The Druid’s magic hummed as it settled into the corners of her being.
A twin symbol marked him in the same spot.
“A favor for a favor to be called upon at any moment,” he informed them, clapping his hands. “By this promise, she is bound throughout the known universe until our deal is fulfilled or upon the pain of death.”
Leoake trapped her in a geas after all, while not knowing exactly what she’d traded. She would worry about that later.
“I call upon my favor now,” Dyna said. “Answer all of my questions.”
“You get one.”
“Three.”
The Druid laughed again. “Agreed.”
He sat back on the boulder with a flourish, motioning for her to join him. She kneeled on the grass, and Azulo leaped on her lap.
“Hello, sweet one,” she cooed, scratching behind his soft ears. His three trails wagged happily.
Leoake took his time rummaging through his pack, tossing out random items on the ground. A flicker of impatience passed through the back of her mind as Cassiel groused under his breath. He stood guard behind her, the heat of his legs pressing into her back.
