“No,” I rumbled. “And the fact that you can makes me doubt my whole plan.”
Her eyes widened. “You intend to keep me, as you told the elves?”
I sighed. “I certainly beat them; therefore, I won your debt fairly. You owe me.” It would have been a terrifying statement to any fae, but she just blinked at me in uncertainty. Cold uncertainty. I needed to make a decision before she dropped from exposure.
If I’dbeen in my normal fae form, I would have collapsed into a library chair for this discussion. Instead, I was stuck as a looming monster over someone who had far too little voice in the situation.
She stepped closer to me. “You were going to ask me for a favor in exchange for your help earlier. I suppose you can just demand it now.”
I huffed a chuckle, but it, too, sounded like a growl. Perhaps she had plenty of voice. I shook my head. “I will not demand your assistance in that. For your debt, I will insist that you accompany me to a human community and dry yourself off before you lose any body parts.”
She smiled up at me, her eyes shining, and stepped closer. And then closer again, until she set her hand on the fur of my front leg. “I do not think you understand how much I appreciate what you did for me. I told you I would do anything if you hid me. How can I help you?”
Her touch on my leg raced up to my heart. Those elves must have been truly horrible if she was more afraid of them than a bear who could crush her with one claw. Especially one who had considered constraining her with the bargain I needed.
But no. Queen Daneira might have stripped me of my dignity, but I refused to give her my decency too. “I will take you to a human town. You can tell them that fae exist who are kind to humans. It will be enough.”
She stepped back so she could stare into my face more easily and plopped her hands up on her hips. “Listen, Fae Bear, you very likely just saved my life. There is clearly something on your mind. What exactly could a human do for you?”
“Not any human,” I grumbled, “and I refuse to require it of anyone, including you.”
She raised her brows expectantly. “Then request it, and see if I will offer my help.”
I sighed. That would be for the best. Once she heard it, she would understand why it was so reprehensible. “I am cursed with this form during the day,” I started.
She glanced at the sky. “And in two hours?”
“I will change back to a fae.”
She gathered up the golden hair around her face and tucked it behind her shoulders. “What’s a fae?”
“Very similar to your elves.” Based on what I saw and the magic they used, I was not sure there were any differences between us. But that was a topic for another day. This one had a time limit.
She folded her arms again, as if trying to conserve heat. “And?”
“And.” I would have preferred to hand her a summary on a piece of parchment, but my throaty bear voice was the only way I had to communicate here. “And I will be stuck in this form permanently if I do not find a wife before tonight.”
Chapter 5: Bylur
She blinked. Twice. And then she rubbed her cold forearms, up and down. When she finally spoke, her voice shook. I still couldn’t tell if it was from cold or emotions. “Finding a wife is a strange way to break a curse.”
“Yes.” It was a terrible way to break a curse. “The queen who placed the condition felt insulted by me, and wanted to insult me back. The conditions are more complicated, but part of the timeline will begin tonight. If I’m not married by sundown, I will be a bear forever.” I’d come to this grotto today, the most magical place I knew, to hope for a last-minute solution. Could that solution be standing in front of me with pursed lips, shivering from cold exposure?
No, certainly not. It was too cruel a proposal. Surely she’d be satisfied with my explanation. “Now will you let me take you to a human community?”
“Yes.” The words tumbled out of her trembling jaw. “But only because I cannot think while I am freezing. Don’t think we’re done discussing this—” She waved a hand at my body. “Situation.”
So she was not satisfied. Strange. But I refused to watch her drop and die from exposure in my grotto. I bent one of my front legs and lumbered forward intoan awkward crouch so she could reach my shoulder. “Climb onto my back.”
“Your back?” she squeaked. Her head whipped around the grotto. “There isn’t another way—”
“No.” I would not waste any time with a futile discussion. “You already agreed.”
“I agreed to go. I didn’t agree torideon you.” Her teeth chattered, and she clenched them together. A flash of anger heated my skin. I was practically groveling in front of her—a human!—and she was too proud to accept a ride. A snarl rolled in the back of my throat, but it cut off when a bird crashed into my cheek.
The little thing hit me with the force of a rock flying from a slingshot and then fell to the ground. My frustrations with the human turned to fury at the animal. Did it not recognize a predator? I lifted a paw to swat at it, but the human rushed at me.
“No!” she cried, scooping the little white thing up off the ground and cradling it to her chest. She raised her wide eyes up to mine and whispered, “Please don’t hurt him.”
