48. Chapter Forty-Eight
~Felix~
I’d seen some messed-up shit in the past few months, everything from a spirit causing chaos to a mad scientist trying to play goddess, but Tarron’s plan set a new bar for cruelty.
Or maybe it just felt that way since my mate lay at the heart of his twisted scheme.
At least we finally knew what he wanted. I had to believe he’d told us everything since I couldn’t imagine anything worse. True, we didn’t know yet what kind of powers the spell would give him if he succeeded, but that didn’t matter because no way in hell would I let him get that far. Not wanting him to mistake my rage for fear, I spoke forcefully enough that my voice didn’t tremble. “Joke’s on you, Tarron. Pain gets me excited. Bring it on.”
The fae prince remained unmoved. “In that case, you’re going to enjoy yourself very much here.”
“Felix.” The way Evalina said my name, choked with worry, hit me like a punch to the gut. Her icy blue eyes were desperate when I met their gaze. What I wouldn’t give to speak to her privately and figure out a plan between us. If we could mind-link, that would be even better, but without that ability, we’d have to do our best to communicate non-verbally.
It’s okay , I tried to tell her with the nod of my head. I’ll think of something. Just don’t agree to anything.
When she looked away, I couldn’t be sure she got the message. We really hadn’t known each other very long yet so maybe we weren’t entirely on the same page.
“Let’s be clear about this,” she said, addressing Tarron with a firmer tone than I would have expected after all the horrific garbage he just spouted. “If I agree, you’ll let the other werewolves go immediately , including Felix.”
Tarron shook his pretty-boy head. “No. The werewolves in the pens will be released, I promise you that. This one, however…”
He gestured at me as if I were no more than a dog in his cage.
“He stays until you’re pregnant. I’m not na?ve, Evalina. If I let him go, you’ll both run. The only way to ensure your compliance is to keep him close.”
“No.” Evalina’s eyes clouded with fear but she stood her ground. “If he stays that long, he’ll never be able to leave.”
Good point; eventually, I’d have to eat something, and once I did, I would be stuck in the fae realm forever. That would be a problem if we were actually intending to go along with this jackass’ plan. Since we weren’t, I could ignore my empty stomach for a little longer.
Whether or not Tarron knew about the effects of fae food on terrestrial beings, he didn’t seem concerned. His shoulders lifted in an indifferent shrug. “Those are my terms.”
“I don’t know much about magic,” I interjected. “But where I come from, forced consent isn’t consent at all. You say she has to do this ‘willingly’. Look at her: not a single part of her wants you.”
Anger flashed across the prince’s face, letting me know I was getting to him, but if that would help us, I couldn’t be sure. “She’ll be willing enough if she wants you to live. She’ll say yes every time I ask her if she wants to continue or she’ll watch you suffer.”
“You make it sound like I’m going to be in the room with you,” I scoffed, still trying to goad him, but when he held my gaze impassively, my stomach twisted. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not? She’ll see the consequences of her choices in real time. It’s far more efficient.”
Kai’s growling in my head grew so loud, I could barely hear myself think. I’m going to tear this fucker limb from limb. Get us out of here NOW .
You don’t think I’m trying? If you have any suggestions on how to do that, I’m all ears.
“And after I have a baby, you’ll let both me and Felix go?” Evalina asked, not even flinching at the sadistic nature of what Tarron just said. Maybe the spell he cast on her hadn’t fully worn off yet because she couldn’t be in her right mind to even think about accepting that.
But her eyes slid over to me, only for a second or two, and in them, I could read her silent message to me, loud and clear.
I have a plan. Trust me, no matter how crazy it seems.
Every cell in my body screamed to protect her, but locked in that cage and chained in silver that ached and drained my energy more with each passing second, I really didn’t have many options. I would have to let her take the lead, no matter how much it killed me. If she had a way out of this, I had to trust her.
That was what it meant to be mates.
“After you give me the child, you and your ‘mate’ won’t matter anymore.” Tarron sneered the word ‘mate’ as if it tasted bitter on his tongue.
“That’s not an answer,” Evalina pointed out. “Will you let us both go? Yes or no?”
She’s so strong, Kai marvelled through his fury, and I had to agree. Everything about her impressed me as she refused to back down against her psychopath prince.
Tarron’s jaw clenched but he nodded. “Once I have what I want, you’ll be free to go.”
Surely, her plan couldn’t be to go through with this. The thought clawed at my mind and knotted my empty stomach. There had to be something I was missing, some piece of information she had that I didn’t, and she was only going through the motions of this negotiation to convince him that she might actually give in. That seemed much more likely than her actually being willing to concede to him.
Are you saying you wouldn’t agree to it if the situations were reversed and you had no other choice? Kai asked inside my head.
I’m not answering that.
His snort let me know that he knew the answer as well as I did: if the shoe was on the other foot, I would agree to pretty much anything to spare her pain.
Hopefully, the goddess had chosen me a mate a hell of a lot smarter than that.