Page 92 of A Deal with the Shadow King

A deep curve furrows my brow. Is he really going to pretend that nothing happened between us? “Is that what Mara was? A sacrifice for the good of the many?”

“The king didn’t want Mara. She didn’t mean anything.”

I step forward until we’re inches apart. “But he wants me?”

“Yes.” His eyes flick to my lips. “And you mean more to him than you know.”

How could I mean anything to the king? My magic might be important to him, but not me. “Is that all you have to say?”

All the masks in the worlds couldn’t hide the fact that One is shaking—holding himself from reaching for me.

He pinches my moon-shaped pendant between his index finger and thumb, and his knuckles brush the hollow of my neck. “What happens in the Dreaming stays there for a reason… I could admit how much you mean to me. Tell you how different my life has been since you’ve arrived, and how you’ve filled me with a blinding, dangerous sense of hope. But it wouldn’t change anything.”

“You could also ask me why I’m crying. Hold me in your arms.”

“I can’t.”

The dejected words are quickly becoming an impregnable wall between us, and tears sting my eyes. “You’re just a coward then.” I spin on my heels and walk away, leaving him and his damn duty behind.

In the tunnels, Two peels himself off the deepest shadow, slick as an eel, and falls into step with me.

I jolt away from him and pick up the pace. “Whatever it is—I’m not in the mood. I passed your little test, didn’t I? I’m supposed to meet Three now.”

“Suit yourself. I came to tell you One’s secret”—he licks his lips expectantly—“but if you’d rather not know…”

I dig my heels in the carpet, frozen in place. Some traps are both obvious and unavoidable. I know Two doesn’t have my best interest at heart, and yet I have to hear him out.

I have to know, once and for all.

Two leans into my ear, the coveted shape of him twisting my insides. “One can’t bed you because of us. That’s why he’s so cranky all the time.”

A burst of indignation bubbles up my spine. “What?”

Two slithers even closer, and the heat of his body dizzies me. The discussion we’re having is about as unexpected as a horseshoe to the stomach. “The three of us are cursed, and the ramifications of that curse prevent One from indulging his feelings for you—or taking any woman to bed for that matter. That’s why he rebuffed your advances in the Dreaming. That’s why he’s holding himself away now.”

“But Three?—”

I’ve heard enough gossip to know Three’s not celibate.

“Three’s the exception.”

I shake my head, rejecting Two’s claim, and pick up a brisk pace, heading to my new mentor’s bedroom. “No. One keeps his distance because of the king?—”

“One hates Damian. He’d steal you away from any king, but he can’t. At least not alone.” Two slows down as we near the door to Three’s bedroom. “The three of us… We’re a package deal. I told you before. You can’t have one, that is—not just one. If you want One, you must take all three of us.”

I shoot him a glance over my shoulder. “How convenient for you.”

“I’m ready for my third question.” He licks his lips and slides in front of me to block my escape, forcing me to stop or walk right into his embrace.

I swallow hard as he peels his shattered mask from his face. The silver and gold irises behind it are conniving and beautiful—a thousand times more powerful than they were in my dream.

The blackest parts of my soul are laid bare under his scrutiny. There’s no wicked or unkind thought I could hide from him, and I know that—given the chance—he’d lap them all up to make me clean again.

He licks his lips, relishing his victory. “Do you feel something for just One, truly, or are you drawn to all of us?”

The bend of his brow speaks volumes, and I grit my teeth together. “You and your brothers are physically identical, so yes, I am attracted to all three of you.”

He taps my nose in a condescending manner. “That’s my girl.” He leans in like he’s about to whisper a dirty secret into my ear. “If I kissed you right now, you wouldn’t back away.”

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