Page 156 of A Court Bright and Broken

“I’m not sure what your brother has to do with all this, butyouhave clearly not been honest with me. Be honest with me now—herlifedepends on it. Have you bonded with this woman?”

“No,” Stellon barked. “Let her go. She is innocent. As you said, I am the one who deceived you.”

“And she is the one who tempted you to do so,” the King said, approaching me and standing far too close as his haughty eyes bore down on me.

“When I heard you’d been secretly keeping a human in your chambers, I was angry—at first.”

Extending a long finger, he stroked my neck from collarbone to chin, tipping my face up so I had no choice but to look at him.

“But now I see there’s a benefit to the situation,” he said. “This pretty little nothingmeanssomething to you. She will make excellent leverage.”

“Stop touching her,” Stellon ordered his father, who only laughed.

He turned and walked a few steps over to his son.

“In two days’ time, you will marry—in front of the entire Assemblage—Lady Glenna of House Lalor.”

Glaring daggers at the king, Stellon jerked against the strong arms that held him fast.

Unbothered, Pontus continued. “If you do so, you may keep your little human paramour as the first member of your own retinue. After the wedding—andafteryou’ve bonded with your newElvenbond-mate—this girl will be moved from the dungeon to your wing of the palace, where no one will bother her. You have my word.”

So, Iwasn’tgoing to be executed? I wasn’t sure what was going on here.

If it was Pharis who’d revealed that Stellon had been hiding me in his chambers, why had he not also told the king about the assassination plot? It made no sense.

King Pontus glanced over at me, and a sadistic smile developed on his face before he turned back to his son.

“If you donotcooperate and decide to refuse the marriage, your ‘true love’ here will move instead to the gallows,” he said, “where you will watch, along with the entire Assemblage, as she is hanged for the crime of witchcraft, bewitching a royal prince with a love spell.”

“Not my favorite option,” he clarified, “as it will be embarrassing for the rest of our people to know just howweak-mindedyou are. I have half a mind to disown you as heir and give the honor to your brother.”

“Do it,” Stellon spat, daring his father. “I don’t want to be your heir.”

The King laughed. “Ah, but it doesn’t matter whatyouwant does it? What I want is what matters. And you’ll give it to me, or she’ll pay the price. You’ll remain the Crown Prince, and youwillmarry Lady Glenna. The sooner you do so, the sooner you’ll be reunited with your little human.”

He gave me another leering look. “Of course, if you don’t want her in your retinue, maybe I’ll have her placed into mine.”

Stellon renewed his struggle, murder in his eyes, but there were too many guards on him.

The king just laughed then directed the soldier who held me. “Take her away. See that she’s put in the cell with the fewestrats. I’d hate to get fleas in my bed.”

As the guard dragged me toward the stable door, I craned my neck to see Stellon roaring at his father.

“Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll do it. Just don’t put her in the dungeon. Put her back in my chambers—or in another room.”

“Where you can get to her and try again to spirit her away?” the king asked. “I don’t think so.”

“The dungeon,” he barked at the guard. “Inchains.”

Chapter 43

Promise Me

Stellon

I paced the length of my room, where I’d been locked, under guard.

Armed soldiers stood outside the door, inside the hidden passageway, and even on my balcony as well as on the ground below it.

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