“I won’t say anything,” Evelyn promised.
“I need a Bargain.”
“Why?”
“Because Lochmatten magic is a secret.”
“Then what do I get?”
Haydn smirked. “I won’t tell your guard dog how much you wanted to fuck me in view of a dragon.”
Evelyn glared at him. “Shut up!”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking, Princess. Say yes.”
Evelyn groaned. “Yes.” A sharp pain pinched her waist. “Ow!”
“You have another tattoo, my love.”
Damien caught up with them and escorted Evelyn several feet away from Haydn, who was immediately encircled by guards.
“Are you okay?” Damien asked.
“I’m fine.” Evelyn insisted.
“You disappeared! The guards didn’t know where you were!”
“That sounds like their problem.”
He scowled at her. “Where did you go?”
A burning sensation filled her throat.
Is that the Bargain magic?
“Nowhere,” she lied. “We’ve been here the whole time.”
The burning subsided. So that’s how Haydn enforces Bargains.
Haydn called out, “It’s not very nice to accuse a princess of lying, Captain Fontaine.”
Damien ignored him. “How did you get to this side of the beach?”
“We walked,” Evelyn replied.
“We can demonstrate, if you’d like,” Haydn offered.
Damien dragged Evelyn farther away.
“Let go of me,” she demanded. “I’m not running from you.”
They came to a stop, but he didn’t release her arm. “Tell me why you’re lying to me.”
“I’m not. I’m okay.”
“You weregone, Evelyn. You scared me. I had all the guards searching for you. Your father was panicking.”
“Is he the only one?”
