Page 44 of Vale of Dreams

I smile at him. “For the rent money. Truly, I can’t decide which of you is more terrible. It’s like trying to decide if I’d rather get boiled to death in oil or slowly eviscerated by starving ravens.”

It’s what Viviane told me to do—give him attitude. I’m just not entirely sure where the line is.

I’m relieved when a playful glint sparks in his eyes. Maybe if you insult people with a smile, you can get away with anything.

“Given all the things you’ve heard about me, I’m astounded that you’d be willing to insult me to my face. But I suppose someone with a primal power isn’t as afraid of me as everyone else is.”

I shrug. “I think you kill people on a whim, whether they’re nice or not. Usefulness matters to you more than pretty manners.”

He brushes my hair off my face, and the stroke of his fingertip against my cheek sends a tingle over my skin. It takes me a moment to remember we’re acting.

“Do you object to a monarch killing subjects to maintain order? You slaughter a pig when you need to.”

“We kill them to eat, but I wouldn’t go on a pig-murder spree just for the hell of it, as you and your father famously do.”

“Well, perhaps the pigs aren’t invading your kingdom as spies and threatening to destroy everything that you hold dear.”

My heart flutters. He really wouldn’t love the real me.

His gaze flicks up for a brief second, and he licks one of his elongated canines. “Well, this is all very charming, but we’re not done yet. We need enough time to make it seem like you’ve captivated me with your charm.”

“Are you telling me I haven’t captivated you with my pig slaughter analogy? I’m borderline insulted. Most of my seductive banter involves various livestock butchering scenarios. It’s not a turn-on?”

His dark eyes sparkle. With a sly smile, he toys with a loose strand of my hair. “Why don’t you tell me something real about yourself, Nia?”

“Like what?” I ask in a whisper.

“Do you fall asleep easily, or does sleep elude you?”

For a moment, it strikes me as such a strange question. But I suppose to the dream stalker, sleep is his domain.

Taking Meriadec’s advice, I answer honestly. “Lately, I’m awake all the time. I drink herbal teas to help me sleep, but they hardly work. Most of the time, I fall asleep after the sun rises, but it’s a light, dreamless sleep.”

“Well, that won’t do at all. I think you have too many responsibilities here. At least when you’re pretending to be my mistress, you’ll be free of them. And free of all your work.”

“And you? How do you sleep?” I ask.

I actually know a lot of these random details about Talan. I’ve been hearing his thoughts for years. The battles, the sex, the women moaning his name with their fingers threaded into his hair…and the intense loneliness when it’s time to sleep.

“I seek company to sleep because I cannot stand to be alone,” he says in a honeyed murmur.

I stare at him. He surprises me by telling me the truth. Even when he surrounds himself with lovers, it never seems to ease his isolation. But they all treat him with utter deference. There are no surprises for him. No authenticity. Just tedium.

He gently hooks a finger under my chin and lifts my face to look up at him. “When was the last time you were truly happy?”

He actually seems to want to know the answer.

My heart races with the intensity of his expression in his deep, dark eyes. “Months ago. But I was almost content today when I was working in the field. When I found a good onion. That probably sounds dumb to you, but it was satisfying.”

“Living with your father doesn’t seem like it would be peaceful to me.”

“He’s mostly harmless. He just needs looking after. It’s like having a large child.” Meriadec is right. It is easy enough to transpose my own experiences to Fake-Nia’s.

“And who looks after you?” he asks. “Your sister doesn’t seem remarkably well composed.”

“I don’t need looking after.”

My back is against one of the trees, and Talan presses a hand against the trunk behind me. He’s studying me so carefully, I’m almost afraid he’s going to read my secrets.

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