Page 89 of A Tale of Treachery

“Deal.”

Ryken planted his lips on mine harshly, taking my breath away. It wasn’t a simple kiss, not a peck on the lips. Ryken forced his tongue into my mouth, taking, invading. The taste of him, sweet and spicy, lit up my nerves to the point of pain. I kissed him back, sinking deep into the feeling that crowded my heart and electrified my skin. We clashed, grabbing one another, our heads close. Ryken growled, tugging my hair and grasping my neck. His hands moved further, down to my shoulders, arms, and waist, pulling me tightly to him.

My lips tingled with his kiss, a burning shard of icy fire spreading along the surface, and my head cracked in two, pain bleeding into my entire being.

I threw my hands against his chest to push him away.

The bargain had been sealed. I could feel the sharp knives of the promise piercing my skull, urging me to follow through and growing more painful by the second.

He stepped back and dragged his thumb across my lips. “Silver. My favorite color.”

I touched my swollen mouth, feeling for some sort of invisible change, but besides the stabbing pain in my mind, all I felt was a light buzzing sensation on my lips. “Are they—are they silver?”

“Until the bargain is completed, yes.”

I didn’t know what it meant, that this time, the bargain hadn’t been a mere tally mark, hidden from the sight of others. All I knew was that I’d better follow through.

Or else.

CHAPTER32

It was almost time.

I stared through the window of my room, waiting for Ryken’s signal. After we’d struck the bargain, he’d told me to return to the palace and wait while he enlisted Fin’s help. Nobody had noticed my return to the palace, and they wouldn’t notice my exit. After all, my guard for the night was tied up and unconscious underneath my bed.

So far, the night had gone according to plan, but I nervously chewed on my lip and mentally prepared myself for what would happen next. The three of us would create a distraction so we could sneak into the dungeon and rescue the prisoners. I knew with all my heart that the plan would go smoothly, that the prisoners would be freed. It was what would happen next that had my heart pumping.

Ryken might kill me once he discovered I’d tricked him.

My eyes zeroed in on the palace wall, narrowly missing the flare of a small fireball rising above the turrets, the signal that it was time to move.

I threw my cloak over my leather pants and moved on unsteady legs. The palace was quiet now. Everyone had gone to bed, passed out or delirious from the night’s celebrations. The only people awake currently were the palace guards patrolling the walls, but there weren’t enough to cover the entire span, so my escape was easy. I found a small hole in the corner of the wall that was usually guarded but remained unoccupied due to short staff, and crawled through.

A strong arm gripped the hood of my cape and tugged me from the trench dug beneath the wall, pulling me close to a chiseled body. I pushed away and stepped backward, only to discover an exasperated Ryken and an amused Fin.

Fin raised his eyebrows and chuckled to himself. “I thought you were expecting us.”

“I was,” I said, swallowing. “You caught me off guard. Are you two ready? What’s the plan?”

Ryken spoke next, his voice bold and assertive. He wasn’t messing around. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so he could regain his powers. “Fin will serve as the distraction, and I’ll assist with the rescue. We know the palace and dungeons best, so we’ll be able to find and free the prisoners quickly.”

I looked over to Fin to see if he agreed with this plan. I was sure he wanted to rescue his mate first, but he seemed fine with the idea.

“After that,” Ryken continued, “you will send all the prisoners to the clearing you seem to be so fond of, and Fin will take them someplace safe, where they can live a free life.” Ryken’s eyes locked on mine. “And you will take me to the crystal.”

I nodded, pulling my hood further over my face, unable to meet Ryken’s eyes, not with knowing what would happen next. “How will Fin serve as a distraction?” I asked, a large part of me wanting to be the one to do that. “He doesn’t know the palace grounds at all.”

Ryken crossed his arms. “He has his ways.”

Finn backed up a step and shot me a wink before walking a good distance away from us. I scrunched my brow and flinched as he threw his shoulders back as if he were about to start shouting, but with a smug smile, he disappeared, consumed by a violent gray cloud of mist that seemed to swirl about his body, concealing him. The swirling mist grew erratic, a cyclone taking formation where he’d formerly stood. My mouth gaped open. What were the chances that Fin had been swallowed by a freak weather event?

The cloudy mist spread out further, creating a wind that whipped my cloak and sent my hair flying. And just when I thought I would get pulled into the small tornado that had eaten Fin alive, Ryken grabbed me and dragged me close, holding me steadily against him. He stood tall and strong against the wind, his posture unfazed as I screamed against the battering air.

Why wasn’t he terrified? His friend was dead!

The storm passed as quickly as it had begun, dying down until all that was left was a gentle fog cresting the field.

Ryken chuckled in my ear, and I clenched my jaw, ready to slap him. How could he find humor in this situation?

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