Page 63 of A Deal with the Shadow King

I shake his hand, and a tingle of magic buzzes in my fingertips. Whatever just happened, it was a formal Fae deal, and breaking it would no doubt prove to be worse than answering truthfully to a few personal questions.

Isaac appears under the stone arch leading to the stables. The tunic he’s wearing marks him as the Duke of Axel, his father’s title, and his cloak is adorned with a white fur trim, embroidered with the royal insignia.

Two snickers. “A June wedding. How proper.”

Isaac grabs both my hands in his. “Penny! What are you doing in here? I’m not supposed to see you before church.”

“Isaac, hi.” I glance sideways at Two, the dark Fae apparently invisible to my…groom?

Two motions for me to deal with Isaac as I see fit and examines the apple trees like he wants to grow them in his garden.

I turn back to dream-Isaac. “I—I missed you,” I say, and for a moment, I’m taken over by the illusion. The tight corset, the button-down collar of the dress…they barely allow me to move—or breathe.

“Oh Penny, it won’t be long now, and you’ll belong to me. Properly.”

My brows pull together at the peculiar choice of words, but I put as much cheer in my voice as I can. “Yes. Finally!”

I’m playing along, wondering why Two brought me here and what I’m supposed to do. This is a test, and I need to figure out exactly how to get out of this dream without waking Isaac. If dreams feed the realm and leave the souls content, then maybe I just need to get to the end of the scenario.

Isaac pulls me along past the stone archway, and I struggle to walk, the long train of my dress hindering my movements. He runs ahead of me, and suddenly, we’re in a church. A seemingly endless red carpet leads to the altar where Isaac is now waiting for me—so far away that I have to squint to see him properly.

Two offers me his arm like he’s the one giving me away. “Are you really going to go through with the wedding?”

“Why did you bring me here?” I whisper quickly. Many of the faces in the audience belong to friends and family, and I smile awkwardly at them as I start walking down the aisle.

The flower girl skips ahead and scatters rose petals in her wake, a white ribbon sagging on top of her basket.

When we get to the front, I spot Cece in the crowd. My sister is wearing a dark tunic with pants and a hood as she claps half-heartedly in the first row.

Wait… This can’t be Isaac’s dream. Can it?

Two leans closer, his heavy breath on my cheek. “What do you crave, Nell? Do you wish to be the dutiful wife this mortal yearns to possess?”

Unease grows in my chest, the train of my dress suddenly much heavier than it was, and the corset much tighter. I glance back behind me and stifle a gasp with the back of my hand. The ivory fabric now runs at least thirty feet behind me, and the friction of it on the velvet carpet makes me cringe.

Two stops walking, bringing the wedding cortege to a halt. “Is that really the kind of life you desire? Bearing children—boys for crowns, girls for cradles. Isn’t that what your father says?”

I grit my teeth and walk forward. “There’s more to my country than you know. It’s my home.”

Two took me here to hijack Isaac’s dream so he could rattle me. I wrench the jeweled veil off and tear the skirt of the dress.

Dream-Isaac’s smile is wiped from his face, and he inches forward. “Penny? Are you alright, dear?”

“Get me out of here,” I growl to the dark Fae.

Two shakes his head. “You get out.”

“Fine.”

The real test is coming. Magic pulses around me from all sides, the fabric of the dream almost palpable. Two wants me to escape, but Isaac will be jolted awake with a sour taste in his mouth the second I do so. From the moment the threads of the Dreaming pulled me inside the scenario, I didn’t have a chance.

I draw in a deep breath and try not to think about the damn corset. Magic tingles in my palms, and a wisp of black smoke condenses into flesh next to me, shaped like a shadow of myself—a ragged runaway bride.

Two fashions a delicate collar between his hands, the shadow magic taking tangible form as he weaves a necklace out of thin air. The apparition bows to him, and he ties the collar around her neck, working her hair gently over it before stepping back. “Hello, beautiful.”

She offers him her hand to kiss with a timid smile, and, for a moment, I feel like I’m intruding. I push through the discomfort in my belly to dispel the magic that trapped me inside the dream, and the shredded wedding dress disappears, replaced by my uniform.

Isaac draws a sharp intake of breath at the sight of my new clothes. “What the crops is going on? You’re not Penny, are you? Guards!” he shouts for imaginary guards to come to his rescue, and my heart sinks.

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