Page 5 of A Kingdom of Pleasure and Torment

Luthian’s hand remains open to me. “You needn’t worry about the details. Of all the fae courts, his is the least concerned with such trivial matters.”

I reach forward. Our fingers almost touch.

I snatch mine back. “You never told me which court.”

Luthian sighs as if caught at some innocent mischief. “It makes a difference?”

“It does. My mother was cast out of the Court of Seasons. I won’t dishonor her memory by groveling for their approval.” I don’t know why she was cast out, but I don’t need to know. They didn’t deserve her, and they don’t deserve me.

“The Court of Pleasure and Torment.” He flexes his hand, silently urging me to take it.

My heart stops between beats. It refuses to go further down this mad path with me. The Court of Pleasure and Torment. The infamous kingdom of sensuality and depravity, where the fae indulge their every perversion and sick desire.

“Give me all of your trust, swear you will do exactly as I say, and most importantly, you must drop every inhibition in pursuit of this power.”

My tongue thick with fear, I ask, “Do you swear an oath upon every last drop of your fae magic that I will not be killed?”

His dark brows rise. “Killed? Is that how far you’re willing to go for your revenge? The only line too far to cross is death?”

“Do you swear?” I repeat. Thrace murdered my mother. I would shove him from a cliff and fall with him if it were the only way to assure his death. I would drink from a poison cup just to induce him to do the same.

There is no line too far. But I can’t let a faery know that.

“I swear it,” Luthian answers in the space of a blink. “Surrender to me, and I will deliver a crown and two untouched wishes to you on a platter, with room to spare for your murdering stepfather’s head. But be warned: if you enter into this endeavor with me and you do not see it through, I will find someone more deserving of your wishes. And you will be left with nothing but ash.”

There will be consequences, my conscience screams. It sounds unnervingly like my mother. But even her voice can’t drown out the exhilarating, laughing hatred in my heart at the thought of Thrace’s future suffering.

Judging from his smile, I think Luthian can hear it, too.

Nothing without a price.

I place my hand in his.

“We have a deal.”

Chapter Three

The moment our palms touch, a shock reverberates around the room, in rings of invisible intensity. It’s as if someone’s dropped a stone in a puddle of magic, rippling the environment around us.

Luthian releases my hand, and I wiggle my fingers. They buzz as though they’re crawling with insects, and it’s a long moment before the sensation passes.

“There. Our pact is sealed. Now, you remember what I asked of you?”

“All of my trust. I will do as you say. And I will drop every inhibition.” On the other side of a magically sealed agreement, it seems so much bigger. Just words before. Now…

He can do anything to me.

Luthian’s gaze holds mine. I don’t dare to breathe, wondering what he plans behind the starry depths of his eyes. His mouth twists into a cruel grin.

This is not the charming faery with whom I bargained. The Luthian before me, in total control of me, is predatory and terrifying. He feels the fabric of the robe with haughty disinterest, flicking it away from his fingers.

“Take that off.”

I hesitate only a breath before remembering my vow. What a waste, to make such a bargain, to give him my wishes as collateral, only to default immediately.

I agreed to let him mold me into a seductress fit for a prince. A king, really. Did I think that he would teach me from a book? That my inhibitions, which he so clearly mentioned in the terms, would not be tested?

The robe slips from my shoulders and to the floor, leaving me in the gown of sheerest silk. I don’t cover myself.

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