Evelyn blinked. “You made a Bargain for a drink? What did you agree to?”
“Nothing I’d want my mother to hear about.” Damien smirked. “Now, what’s your deal with Ritter?”
Evelyn looked down at her tattoo. “He promised to tell me a secret if I visit Lochmatten.”
Damien stared at her, waiting for more details. “Is that it?”
It sounded a lot worse when Haydn said it.
“He didn’t tell me it was magically binding!”
“He probably should have mentioned that,” Damien agreed. “When are you supposed to visit the isle?”
Evelyn bit her lip. “Anytime in the future. I’m not required to go, but I’ll be stuck with this tattoo if I don’t.”
“Did Ritter give you a clue as to what the secret’s about?”
“He said it was something my family has kept from me.”
“So…” Damien fought to keep a straight face. “Under the terms of this Bargain, Ritter will give you a piece of non-essential information if and when you choose to visit his homeland. Am I understanding that correctly?”
Evelyn scowled at him.
“You’re the one who agreed to it.” Damien laughed.
“He promised to leave me alone if I said yes!”
“So, really, you made two deals. You took a tattoo so Ritter wouldn’t ask for a second dance.”
“But I didn’tknowI was getting a tattoo,” Evelyn whined. “How can he mark a princess without consent?”
“By the rules of his magic, you gave consent. And the tattoo is a heart. A tiny one. It’s not like you have an outline of a dick on your forehead.”
Evelyn blushed. “No, Haydn wouldn’t be alive right now if he had done that.”
“Evelyn,” Damien groaned. “He is a member of the High Council of the Commonwealth of Lochmatten.Pleasedo not threaten him.”
“Why are you defending him? I thought you were on my side!”
“I would draw my sword against him or anyone else if you actually needed protection. But from what you’ve told me, I thinkyouare more of a danger to Ritter than he is to you.”
Evelyn tried to push Damien away, but he caught her wrists and held them. “What am I missing, Princess?”
I was so worried that Haydn had died in the explosion and I would never see him again. But now that he’s here, he isn’t who I thought he was. I don’t know how to merge Haydn and Councilor Ritter in my head. And since I was dumb enough to make a Bargain, I’m linked to him even in this small way.
What if he does actually know a secret about my family? What if he’s telling the truth?
“I don’t trust him!” Evelyn snapped. “He knows too much, he’s immune to all of our magic, and secrets seem to be his favorite thing in the world!”
Damien gave her a pitying look. “You just described Lochmatten’s version of an ideal leader. Knowledgeable, powerful, loyal.”
“Then I don’t want to go to Lochmatten,” Evelyn decided.
“That’s fine. You’ll just have to get used to your tattoo.” Damien lightly kissed the heart on her wrist, like a parent kissing a child’s bruise to make it feel better.
A pleasant shiver ran up Evelyn’s spine.
Damien keeps touching me… I should tell him to stop. But I like when he touches me.
