Movement snagged my attention. The princess sauntered toward the back door with a skip in her step. I nearly fell off the barstool in my haste to follow her.
She slid out the door, and I bounded after her, only to find a blade at my neck.
“One move, hunter, and I’ll slit your throat.”
I stilled, arms raised, as I scrutinized my attacker. He was a burly fellow, almost as tall as me, and twice as thick. A mop of light brown hair fell over his eyes, which bore into me with hateful rage.
“You really think your pitiful blade can stop me?” I asked.
The man grinned and pressed the cool metal tip to the flesh of my neck. I hissed as a trail of fire burned against my flesh.
Shit. The knife was made with iron. Itcould, in fact, kill me. I might be able to best him in a fight, but if that dagger cut me too deeply, it could be the death of me.
I glanced around, searching for a way out. But six other figures stood behind the man, all of them wielding weapons ranging from daggers to clubs to pitchforks. And lingering behind them all, that infuriatingly smug expression still on her face, was the Snow Princess. Her arms were crossed, her eyebrows raised in expectation.
“What do you want?” I growled.
“I want safe passage to the palace,” said the princess.
I choked on a laugh. “No. Go ahead and slit my throat now because the queen will have my head if I sneak you in.”
“Nothing would please me more,” growled the man in front of me.
“Denton,” the princess warned, her cheery demeanor faltering.
Denton sighed and fixed his murderous gaze on me once again. My eyes flicked over the crowd surrounding me. Some male, some female, but all of them were human.
So, the Snow Princess had allied herself with the humans. It wasn’t surprising, since she was just as despised by the fae folk as they were.
“If you sneak me into the palace, my people will overthrow the queen,” said the princess. “She won’t have your head if she no longer holds the crown.”
I snorted. “You think you and your small band of humans have any chance against her blood magic?”
“How about this?” The princess drifted closer, her pale eyes alight with energy. “We strike a bargain. You agree to bring me with you to the palace. And I’ll agree to not only keep you safe from my stepmother’s wrath, but also to release you from our previous bargain. Remember, in the tavern? When you foolishly said you wouldn’t harm me?” Her mouth stretched into a wide grin.
I stared at her. “That means that, as soon as we set foot in the palace, I will be free to end your life.”
The smile never wavered from her face. “That’s right.”
“Eira,” Denton said slowly. “What are you doing?”
Eira ignored him. “Do we have a deal?”
“How, exactly, will you prevent the queen from killing me?”
“That’s not your concern. But you know how fae magic works. If I swear it, it must come to pass. Otherwise, my life is forfeit.”
Shivering bones, she was right. If she swore a faerie bargain that I would live, and Queen Calista still managed to execute me, then Princess Eira would die as well.
Was she insane? If the queen caught wind of this bargain, all she needed to do was end my life, and Eira would perish. She would get everything she wanted.
“You must be quite confident that you can overpower her,” I said slowly, trying to buy myself more time before I responded. It would be idiotic to agree to such a bargain, but I had an iron blade at my throat. It wasn’t as if I had much say in the matter.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, stranger,” she said. “I have my methods, and Iamconfident I can best the queen.”
“Eira,” Denton hissed more urgently.
“Agree to my terms, or we’ll end your life right here, right now,” Eira went on, her voice resonating with authority. She lifted her chin, all humor vanishing from her face as her expression took on a deadly gleam. “It would be no great loss. Here in Knockspur, a member of the queen’s fae court is bound to get himself into a bit of trouble. No one would bat an eye if they saw us cut you to pieces.”
