Page 167 of Bride of the Fae Prince

Faradir’s lips pull to one corner. “It seems he’s wrought a spell over you, too. Humans can be so disgustingly loyal. But Isuppose you must be. Sad little race of sad little men, with your sad little wars and your sad little kingdoms.”

I suppose he would see us that way, grand and glorious being that he is. He’s probably glad I’m keeping my sad little mouth closed.

“Let us discuss business then, shall we, little mortal?” He doesn’t loosen his grip on my jaw, but tilts my face to the side, as if to get a better view of my rounded ear. “Would you bargain with me for the fate of your world?”

“I do not think it would be very smart of me to bargain with you,” I reply honestly.

That earns me a wide, sharp-toothed grin. “Prudent girl. Though, we must agree, the human lands are in a bit of a predicament, are they not? Your Prince Trenian will leave at dawn to destroy your world and your family. Unless, of course, he kills me to negate the bargain. Which, I think you can understand, will be challenging for him to accomplish when I have his favorite little morsel of mortal flesh. Do not presume that I have missed how he looks at you—like he’d devour you whole if he could.”

“Demeaning me will not make me more likely to bargain with you.”

“The shrinking flower has a sharp tongue.” Faradir gives another grin, releases my face, and leans back in his chair. It gives a long, protestingcreeeeak.

I take that opportunity to get my feet beneath me and rise. No use kneeling when I don’t have to.

Faradir regards me as I smooth the front of my gown and tuck my hair out of my face. Vaguely, I process that my tiara is gone. It must have fallen out of my hair at some point.

“The current state of your human lands is dire,” Faradir continues. “Your options are to let tomorrow happen, or tobargain with me to prevent it. So, human princess, which will it be?”

Is he actually tempting me? If I somehow bargained with him to spare my people, could I buy Ash time to win his throne? So he wouldn’t be forced to try to kill Faradir tonight and give up the crown?

And Faradir does have a point: he has me.

If I refuse to give an inch here, then he may decide I’m of no use to him and kill me, or brutalize me to shock Ash. But, to bargain with the High King is to give up what little power I have now, and probably not even get what I want in return.

Stalling seems like my best option. Maybe Edvear will find Ash and tell him where I am.

I dare not glamour myself, so I try to hide my shaking hands in the folds of my skirts. “What do you want from me in exchange for you vowing to relinquish all claim to the human lands, from now until the end of your reign?”

“There are a great many things you could offer. Your youth and vitality. Your will. Your marriage to my son. You could vow your loyalty to me instead of Trenian. You could offer even yourself. Do not underestimate what you have to give, my dear.”

I take that to mean:Do not underestimate what I can take from you.“I see. And I should assume that you will try to trick me with this bargain?”

Faradir waves one hand. “Of course. That’s how bargains work. But I do not have endless time to waste with you. Do you want your human lands spared?”

I see no point in denying that.

“Then what if I propose this: I will nullify my bargain with Trenian—with his agreement, of course—in exchange for you to belong to me for just one day, from sun up to sun down.”

“Which bargain?” I ask, immediately suspicious.

He smiles. “We can clarify that it is the bargain to raze the human lands. Surely a few hours of your freedom are worth a continent of lives.”

If I were the only one affected, I would be tempted. Faradir would use that time to publicly torment, humiliate, and torture me. But I wouldn’t be the true target: it would be Ash.

After seeing how he reacted to Oleria’s fate, I know the aftermath of this would be so much worse. Ash is already planning to kill Faradir and end their line tonight, which he told me will result in war across Faerieland and the dissolving of any barriers between the fae and the humans.

The human lands are no safer if I take this bargain.

Still, I pretend I’m turning the offer over in my mind, willing the sweat sliding down my back to not give away how terrified I am. “Will this bargain keep my people safe from the swords and magic of the fae?” I ask, testing his reply.

“While I cannot predict everything that might—”

“I assumed the answer was no,” I say, cutting him off. “Thank you for confirming.”

For once, he looks taken aback.

I remember the story Ash told me last night. How Faradir only wanted to play games he could win.

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