Light flashed across Haydn’s eyes and pain shot through Evelyn’s wrist. She cried out, but the crescendo of the song drowned out the sound. Evelyn stopped dancing and looked down at her arm. A small black tattoo had appeared on the inside of her wrist. It was an outline of a heart, barely half an inch tall.
“What thefuck?”
“Don’t you like it?” Haydn asked innocently.
She snarled at him. “What did youdo?”
“Bargains sealed by magic are inked on the skin,” Haydn explained like he was teaching a child that it hurts to touch fire.
“What are you talking about?”
“You agreed to my deal. The tattoo is simply your receipt. Look, I have my own.” Haydn rolled up his sleeve to show an identical heart on his own wrist.
Evelyn wanted to scream. Instead, her brain decided to ask a stupid question. “Why is it aheart?”
“Because a Bargain can get you your heart’s desire.”
Evelyn set her wrist on fire, just for a few heartbeats, but the tattoo didn’t budge.
Dammit.
“Get rid of it,” she told him.
“I can’t. It will disappear when the Bargain is complete but not before. You’ll have to visit me on the isle, Princess.”
20
Deals
Evelyn stormed out of the ballroom to get away from Haydn. Damien caught up with her in the hallway.
“Whoa! What happened?” he asked, taking hold of her arm.
“That asshole tricked me!” Evelyn shouted.
“Okaaay.” Damien pulled her farther away from the party while a couple guards nearby pretended not to listen. “We’re not going to yell that right now about people who outrank me.”
Damien settled Evelyn against the wall and stood too close in front of her. They were still in sight of the ballroom door but out of earshot.
“Let me go back to my room,” Evelyn demanded. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“That’s not one of the options I gave you. Either you stay until the end of the ball, or you leave with me.”
“You handed me to a monster!”
“What are you talking about? What the hell happened with Ritter?”
“This!” Evelyn held up her wrist to show him the tattoo.
Damien glanced at it. “You made a Bargain with him? Why?”
“You knew he could do that?! Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I didn’t think it would matter duringonedance, but I suppose I underestimated your ability to get into trouble.”
“This wasn’t my idea!” Evelyn hissed.
“I know,” Damien said gently. “Lochmatten fae love making deals. It’s like a game to them. During the war, I ended up with a tattoo just to get a second beer at a party.”
