Page 49 of Bride of the Fae Prince

“Betrayed?”

I clench my jaw. “Loyalty is easily bought and swayed among the fae. Rahk is my only true friend—and the only reason I can be close to him is because the Nothril Court is too powerful for the High King to risk angering.”

She nods. A stray sniffle.

I gesture to the couch next to me. “Would you consider a seat? I can explain whatever you’d like answers to.”

It’s an enormous risk to trust her with this sort of information. If someone got ahold of her, decided to torture her to get information—I shudder at the thought—I would lose everything.

But strangely, it’s a risk I want to take. I want to explain to her, to talk to her, to help her understand I intended no disrespect to her.

Most of all, I don’t want to lose her trust.

She hesitates, then comes and sits on the opposite side of the couch. She draws her knees up and wraps her arms around them, saying nothing.

I feel as though I’ve won a little victory.

Perhaps this tentativesomethingbetween us isn’t completely lost.

I stare at her. She stares at me.

“What would you like to know?” I ask.

“Why does your father want me dead?”

She goes straight for it. Very well, then. I finger the lines of the tattoo peeking out beneath my sleeve. “A number of reasons. I made a fool of him by tricking him into allowing me to choose a wife for myself. He didn’t imagine I’d marry a human. It puts him in a predicament.”

“What predicament?”

I draw a deep breath. “He wants me to have an heir.”

Stella’s face goes bright pink. I give a short chuckle. “Not a half-human heir.” That doesn’t make her blush go down at all. “I tricked him because he has been attempting to maneuver me into a marriage and siring an heir so that . . . well . . .”

It’s oddly painful to say the words aloud. I barely maintain my neutral expression from slipping into a wince. “He wants me dead.”

Her eyes go wide. “What? But you’re his son!”

A wry huff escapes me. “Hisrebelliousson. He is unable to harm me directly because of the spell on his throne. There areseveral laws he must abide by or else the throne will reject him as High King and he will lose his position. One of them is not killing the only living heir to the throne. If he kills me now, there will be no one to rule.”

“Why doesn’t he just have another son of his own?”

“He is unable to have more sons. Whoever sits on that throne is cursed to only sire one son in their lifetime. Thus, he must rely on me to have a son.”

She considers this, frowning. “So . . . you tricked him by making him think he was getting what he wants—you siring an heir—but you married me instead. The throne won’t accept a half-human heir.”

“Myfatherwon’t accept a half-human heir.”

“So now your father wants me dead too, because I am a hindrance to you siring an acceptable heir.”

“That . . . would be my least favorite part of this plan.”

She gives me an arch look. “So, will I die?”

“That is not the plan.”

“But there will be people actively trying to kill me?”

I nod grimly. “As long as my father sits on his throne, you’re in danger.”

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