Page 79 of A Deal with the Shadow King

I have no idea what “on the DL” means, but I get the general idea and refill my cup of wine, nodding like he’s making sense.

“No hard feelings?” he asks.

I force a fake smile on my lips. “None.” I raise my cup in cheer and gulp it down until there’s nothing left.

He zig zags out of the main entrance, leaving Lori and me alone in the library.

“What traditions were you referring to, earlier?” I ask.

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other, her lips twisted in a pout. “Foghar is not just about food and wine. The Fae usually choose a partner to have sex with before the night ends… We all thought the king might summon you to his bedroom.”

The memory of Two and Mara slipping out of the ballroom together comes to mind at the news, and I refill my cup again. “Thank the Mother he didn’t, or I would have given him a piece of my mind.”

“What are you going to do?” Lori’s gaze falls to the bottle I’m holding. “Besides getting shit-faced, apparently.”

“I don’t know.” I’ve replayed the dance inside my head a hundred times, and I don’t see how I could have foreseen—or better yet, prevented—the situation.

Lori paces the length of her desk back and forth with her arms tucked behind her back. “The sovereigns of Faerie are ruthless and powerful, but it’s a well-known fact that any mortal who catches their eyes will suffer.”

“I believe you.”

She pats my shoulders, staring straight into my eyes. “Then you should leave. The next time you go back to the old world, stay there.”

There’s real fear in her clear gray eyes, and a guilty sob bubbles out of my mouth. “I can’t.”

I give in and tell her about everything. The deal my father made, the reasons for my weird schedule, and the haunting kiss I shared with One… I tell Lori about the doubts plaguing my mind and the twinge at the pit of my stomach whenever I think of home.

A few minutes after we’ve gulped down the last of the wine, I feel dizzy but determined. “And that’s everything.”

“Wow,” Lori blinks a few times, still digesting all the information. “I mean—Wow.” She unfolds her legs and discards her empty cup on the desk. “Are you still in love with this Isaac guy?”

“Isaac?” I look down at the dark surface of the red wine, One’s terribly beautiful face coming to the forefront of my mind as I answer. “No. I’m not.”

I thought I loved Isaac, but after his unspeakable behavior at the ball and the way he behaved in the Dreaming… I’m not sure I truly knew him at all.

“And your father—I’m sorry, but he sounds like a douche.”

My brows furrow. “Douche?” I’m pretty sure it means “shower,” and I don’t get it.

Lori shakes her head like I’m the most annoying person in the world. “He’s a jerk. A jackass. A schmuck. A prick. An asshole.”

“Pretty much.” I should be mortified to speak so plainly about my father and the king of my country, but hey, it’s the truth. “He’s a total douche,” I shout a little too loud.

Lori giggles at my drunken attempt to embrace her slang.

“Sorry, I thought it meant ‘shower,’” I add with a sheepish grin.

A chortle pops out of her mouth, and she rolls over with laughter, giggling until she can’t breathe. Tears streak her cheeks, and when she finally finds the strength to stop, she wipes them off slowly with her hands. “Oh. Oh. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard like—ever.”

I chuckle along with her. “That’s me. The funniest girl from the old world.”

“Thank you for telling me, Nell. I won’t betray your trust, I promise.” She smiles from ear to ear, hesitating like she can’t quite move without bursting into another fit of laughter. “But I do want to hear more about the songs you saw in One’s eyes.”

“That’s it, I’m going to bed,” I say quickly.

“Don’t go! I was kidding.” She reaches out for me and links our arms to keep me from fleeing, and my lips twitch at the spontaneous outburst.

“I know, I’m just exhausted.”

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