“Denton—”
“Come on, Snow, you don’t need him. We can do this without his pretentious fae ass.”
“Actually, you can’t,” I said loudly.
The three of them turned to look at me.
“Eira needs me to get into the palace,” I went on, fixing a hard stare at her. “Isn’t that right?”
Eira offered a nervous chuckle. “Theron, we no longer have the element of surprise. The queen and all of her soldiers are searching for us.”
“If I can distract the queen by giving myself up, thenyoucan sneak in on your own. I’ll still be fulfilling my bargain with you.”
Eira’s face paled. “Theron?—”
Denton huffed a dry laugh. “Turn yourself in? I don’t believe it for a second.”
“He can’t lie,” Eira snapped.
“He saidif. It doesn’t mean he’ll do it.” Denton drew closer to me, a challenge lighting up his gaze. “Tell us this is your intention, hunter. Prove me wrong.”
I met his gaze, unwavering. His intimidation tactics wouldn’t work on me. Because for the first time in days, clarity burned through my thoughts.
This was what I needed to do. My own life be damned; I’d spent too long allowing my father and Calista’s crusade against humans to escalate. Eira could make more of a difference in this court than I ever could. It was more important for her to survive than for me.
This was my penance.
With a firm, steady voice, I said, “It is my intention to turn myself in so Eira can sneak into the palace undetected.”
The truth in my words rang out in the small room, and Eira’s eyes went wide. She was right. I couldn’t lie. And that meant I had just vowed to face certain death to give her a chance at accomplishing her goal.
I had triedmy damnedest to deflect my heated thoughts about Theron, to ignore the way his piercing gaze seemed to melt my bones.
But when he made that bold declaration in front of Denton and Stella, I almost lost it.
He couldn’t be serious.
Was he honestly considering offering himself up as bait—a sacrifice—for me? He was supposed to want me dead. He was supposed to be Calista’s pet.
My muddled brain couldn’t process this at all.
A shocked silence filled the room. Even Denton had nothing to say to Theron’s bold admission.
“Get your things together,” I told Denton and Stella. “We’ll leave within the hour.” I strode toward Theron and grasped his elbow firmly. “Come with me.”
He didn’t object and allowed me to lead him out of the room and into Stella’s tiny, cramped kitchen. I shoved him against the wall, and the cabinets rattled from the impact.
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” I hissed.
His brows drew together, anger sparking in his eyes. “What are you talkingabout?”
I shoved him again, so frustrated I couldn’t even think straight. “Why? Why are you doing this? After everything I did to keep you alive, you’re just going to throw it away?”
“I’m notthrowing it away?—”
“I will not let you do this,” I growled.
“Careful, princess. You’re starting to sound like you actually care.”
