Page 13 of Fallen Star

He stands and moves away from Zoey, clearly having forgotten about her already.

I stand as well, not wanting him to have the upper hand. He towers over me anyway, but it’s better than remaining on the ground.

“My father,” he says, strictly business now. “He’s not just cruel. He’s losing his mind. Day by day, he becomes more paranoid—more erratic. The court whispers about it, but no one dares speak against him.”

I think back to the wild look in the Winter King’s eyes when he wanted to execute Zoey and me. How quickly his mood shifted from calculated to murderous.

How he murdered his own people as an example of what he planned on doing to us, in front of everyone in that throne room, without blinking an eye.

“You want to be the one who stops him?” I ask, since it seems like a daunting task—especially when it’s his own father he’s talking about. “To kill him? To become king in his place?”

“No. Not like that. I’d never do that.” He runs his fingers through his dark hair, the tension in his shoulders making him seem almost vulnerable. “I’ve been working on a potion to make him sane again.”

“To heal his mind,” I realize. “Just like how we’re going to heal Zoey’s body.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” he says. “But I need it to work. The alternative is chaos. If my father continues down this path, he’ll destroy the Winter Court. And I’ll do anything to stop that from happening.”

“Including blackmailing me?”

“Especially including blackmailing you.” He steps closer to me, challenging me. “You’re the most gifted potion maker I’ve ever seen. More so than my mother. You don’t just follow instructions—youfeelthe magic. Now, you need the training and skill to harness that talent. To do things with it that are useful.”

“But you left the bar,” I remind him. “And when I fell into your realm and found you again, you brought me home and told me to never come back.”

“Only because I knew you wouldn’t listen. That you were smart enough—and determined enough—to find a loophole. Because I wanted you to prove that you have what it takes to survive around here.”

“I wasn’t the one who found the loophole.” I glance at Zoey, swallowing down the lump of tears in my throat. “She was.”

“She’s not useless,” he agrees. “But she’s not the one I need.Youare. So, what do you say, Summer Fae? Do you want to hear my offer, or not?”

I glare at him again, since as much as I hate it, I need him as much as he needs me.

No—I need himmorethan he needs me. Which gives him an advantage when it comes to negotiating.

I hate him. I don’t care how tempting he can be sometimes—well, a lot of the times. I willalwayshate him.

“Fine. What’s your offer?” I ask, since if I want Zoey to have a chance, what choice do I have other than to hear him out?

His smirk flickers, but it’s gone almost instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating expression that makes me want to punch him in the face.

“You help me create the potion for my father—to the best of your ability,” he says, smooth and sharp as glass. “In return, I’ll help you create the potion to heal Zoey—to the best ofmyability.”

I narrow my eyes at him, waiting for the catch.

With fae bargains, there’salwaysa catch.

“What about afterward?” I ask. “Because we need to get Zoey back to Presque Isle as soon as she’s healed.”

“To get her back to Presque Isle, we’d have to return to the silver tree, which is in Winter Court territory” he says. “But until I have the potion to help my father, it’s too dangerous to go back there. We’re fugitives—remember?”

“As if I could forget,” I mutter. “But she can’t stay in this realm. She’s not going to survive here. She’s…”

I gesture to her unconscious form on the ground, since it speaks for itself.

“She’s capable,” he stands firm. “She proved that during the trials. She’s stronger than you give her credit for.”

“I know she’s strong,” I say, exasperated now. “She’s good at anything she tries. And she trieseverything.But she’s human. She’ll always be weak here, no matter how many random skills she has. She doesn’t belong in this world.”

“It sounds like I believe in her more than you do.” He shakes his head, as if disappointed in me.

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