Page 146 of Bride of the Fae Prince

If I could wager my life instead of hers, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I desperatelywishit could be my life on the line. But my life has never been at risk, and it won’t be until I have a wife who bears me a son.

It’s every other life in Valehaven, in all of Faerie, that is at risk.

It sits wrong in my bones that the one person who has no life at stake must be the one making the moves for everyone who does. That I must wager my wife’s. I cannot even spare her from the game, despite that she is the reason I make my moves.

Darkness overtakes the garden as the sun dips below the trees.

Can I live with myself if I fail?

Can I live . . . if she dies?

Is it selfish to be as afraid of losing her as I am of the darkness that would follow it? To be condemned to a long life after losing my purpose?

It’s a question that terrifies me. A question I don’t want to answer.

But I need to know the answer.

My ears prick as the washroom door opens. Immediately, I stand.

“Close your eyes!” Stella calls from down the hallway. “If you’re to get the full effect, you can’t see me trying to fit through this hallway in all these skirts!”

My lungs tighten. I close my eyes and croak back: “Alright, then.”

“Are they closed? You better not be using fae trickery on me!”

My mouth twitches. “They’re closed.”

“Do you promise not to open them until I say? No games where they’re closed this second, but open the next?”

I cannot help but smile. “I promise not to open them until you tell me.”

“Don’t make me bargain with you. A tattoo would completely ruin my outfit.”

“I won’t look!” I insist, laughing despite myself. “If you don’t hurry, I might lose my balance with my eyes closed for so long and faceplant on the floor.”

“Always dramatic!” she huffs, and the sounds of rustling fabric reach my ears as she struggles to make it through the hallway. “This is the price I pay for marrying a clever fae who likes to outwit me.”

“It’s getting harder by the day,” I say, my eyes creasing upwards.

She lets out an unladylikeharrumph!as she turns the corner, and it might be my new favorite sound of hers. “Harder to what?” she demands, sounding breathless as she enters the living quarters.

“To outwit you.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying! If you were a fae, you could smell the truth in the air.” She’s quiet for a heartbeat longer than I expect, so I add, “I never said it washardto outwit you, only that it grows more challenging by the day.”

Something sails through the air next to my face. I lift one eyebrow, keeping my eyes closed still. “Did . . . you just throw something at me? I shall not comment on your aim.”

Instinctively, I duck—just in time to dodge another missile. It hits the ground with a soft thump and rolls.

“Hold still and let me abuse you!” Stella demands, and it sounds like she’s waving her next object threateningly.

A chuckle rumbles through my chest. “I’m going to open my eyes now.”

“Wait, I have to get my face in a prettier expression!”

I draw in a deep breath, let it out in a gusting sigh. I tilt back my head impatiently. “Stella.”

---