Page 65 of A Deal with the Shadow King

“Third rule: we don’t keep secrets from each other.” The fucker takes a dramatic pause. “You really fucked up, One.”

Shame burns my insides, but I still wish I could claw off his stupid smirk. “I know.”

Two rubs his face down. “Why did you enchant her, though? That part confuses me.”

I can remember the exact, wretched moment when I figured out I’d enchanted Nell. I could see my secrets slowly coming into focus in her eyes, almost like she was taming a wild beast from the depths of my subconscious. Drawing it closer. And closer…

And my magic reacted instinctively, putting her under a spell so she wouldn’t get to the truth.

“Seriously. Why did you enchant her?” he asks again, impatient.

I grimace, knowing the truth will alarm him more than the rest of my mistakes combined. “I didn’t mean to enchant her, it was pure instinct. My body reacted on its own.”

“Thank Morpheus that it did, or we would be out of options.”

He’s right, but I hate it. I hate it so much. “She’s different. The realm’s magic feels smoother when she’s around, and she healed me from the Dreamcatcher’s cut.”

He paces the room back and forth, hands linked behind his back. “Let’s say she’s different… If she is, then it was a mistake to treat her like a normal seed. We should make her life miserable enough for her to flee so we can win the bet and claim her magic now. Win-win.”

“No. With her magic being as powerful as it is, we have no reason to doubt she’ll pass the other two trials, and when she does, her powers will grow. What if taking her magic beforehand strengthens the curse?”

Two shakes his head. “I say we bring the experiment to an end. When we have Demeter, we can easily find a few dried seedlings to compensate for the loss of one sprout.”

“No,” I repeat, desperately trying to keep my emotions in check.

“It’s a tie. Three?” Two tosses Three a glance over his shoulder.

The weaver of fantasies bites his bottom lip. Being mute, he’s not much of a talker, and though he can speak telepathically, he almost never does. Still…I see the hunger on his face. He wants his turn with Nell, so for now, he’s on my side.

I envy him. Must be nice to have so much clarity as to what you are and what you want.

He whistles a soft tune as he leaves, leaving Two and me to squabble.

“Okay. If we keep her, then she’s a seed. She might have smooth magic”—he snickers, making fun of my earlier claim—“and a different schedule, but that’s all she is. A seed.” His eyes narrow, his glare almost hateful. “And you will treat her as such.”

I grit my teeth. “Alright.”

“No distractions. No exceptions. The kingdom needs us now more than ever, and the stunt you pulled put us in jeopardy.”

I hate being chastised, most of all by him, and my patience for his power trip is growing thin. “It won’t happen again.”

“Your pet doesn’t have a magical vagina?—”

“Careful.”

“It’s not as though you could fuck her, anyway.”

I flatten the bastard to the wall.

His tongue darts out, a mix between a grimace and a wicked smile. “You need a clear gesture to make her understand that you’re not her dark knight from some romantic fairytale… Unless you want her to be the sacrifice for the Foghar festival.”

“Foghar is already figured out,” I clip. “Don’t play with me.”

“Still… I bet Three would agree. Maybe I ought to convince him to take Nell, instead.”

I ram his big head into the wall again. “Is that really what you want to focus on after Morrigan sent a dreamcatcher to New York? Not here, not into the Dreaming where it would have wreaked havoc. No, she sent it to the nice lady who waters my plants. Do you know why?”

He shrugs like he’s above such things as riddles—and decency. “Because she’s a cruel bitch?”

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