Chapter 24 The Noose
THE NOOSE
The next morning, the pain worsened.
A twisting knot in my gut, sharper than before. I woke tangled in sheets, my face damp. I lifted my nightshirt and froze.
The fae deal rune burned on my stomach. The skin around it was charred, the raw red edges fading into ashen black. Thin veins of darkness spread from the mark, curling toward my ribs, dipping down past my hip.
The bargain was killing me.
The constant ache, the nausea, the weakness—it wasn’t stress. It was the deal Vaeris made with me. I’d been so stupid, letting myself soften toward him these past days, wondering if I’d overreacted.
I barely made it to the chamber pot before I retched, emptying what little I had in my stomach. Faerie deals were lose-lose. Everyone knew that. I’d hoped that because it was Vaeris, maybe this one would be different, but no.
I pressed my forehead against the floor, shaking. I'd been in Sanguir eight days, and already the deal was killing me. How long did I have? Days? Weeks? The blackness was spreading. What happened when it reached my heart?
I needed information about deals, and there was only one person I trusted with the answers.
I peeled myself off the floor and got dressed.
Then I found Kairos in the warriors’ hall.
Golden coins were scattered across a scarred table.
A warrior cursed as the others roared with laughter.
At the head of the table sat a broad figure in a loose black shirt, silver-white hair brushing his collar.
Runes banded his forearms, dark against pale skin.
I’d spent all night turning over his words, searching for the trap in them.
Vaeris had been a master at manipulation.
You’re special. I need you. No one understands me like you do, sweetling.
I’d inhaled every sweet lie he’d whispered like it was sustenance.
He made me feel valued and beautiful when we were together, and then there’d be weeks of silence where I’d second-guess myself…
wondering if he loved me at all. Rheya always said—if you have to wonder, it isn’t real.
I’d ignored that warning once. I wouldn’t make that mistake with Kairos.
Starting with me.
That part didn’t fit. Vaeris had never admitted he didn’t deserve me. He’d positioned himself as my savior. But Kairos had looked me in the eye and said he wasn’t worth destroying myself for.
Why would he do that? What did he gain by—
Slowly, Kairos turned his head. His sharp gaze found mine across the room, and his lips twitched. He shoved his pile of gold into the center of the table. His warriors scrambled for the coins as he rose from his chair.
Heat crawled up my neck as he prowled toward me.
I stepped back into the corridor, turning away before he could reach the doorway. My pulse kicked up as his footsteps clipped behind me. His hand caught my elbow, spinning me around.
“You came all the way to the warriors’ hall just to run away?”
“I changed my mind.”
He leaned against the wall, blocking my path. “About what?”
“I had some questions.”
A group of male fae gathered closer, but a low growl from Kairos made them scatter. The sound rumbled through me, sharp as a crack of thunder.
I startled, my breath catching.
He smiled lazily. “Ask away.”
My stomach pulsed with pain. I needed to understand what was happening to me, but I couldn’t ask directly.
“Does your magic ever hurt you? In Skalgard, I heard that some runes came with a cost.” I licked my lips. “Like faerie deals.”
The lazy smile vanished. His eyes turned to ice, and crimson mist began leaking from his skin.
“Who offered you a deal?”
The shift was so sudden it stole my breath. One moment he’d been playful, dangerous in that teasing way. Now he was ready to rip someone apart.
“No one.”
“Don’t lie to me. You don’t ask about deals unless someone’s dangled one in front of you.” His eyes blazed. “Was it someone in the camps?”
“Kairos—”
“Tell me who,” he snarled, each word clipped. “Or I’ll drag every fae in this castle before you until you point them out.”
My heart hammered. “Nobody offered me anything!”
He stepped closer, bristling. “If someone in my court approached you, if they so much as whispered about a bargain, I’ll rip them apart.”
“Why?”
“Deals are the oldest magic we have. Ruthless. Precise. They give exactly what you asked for and take what you never thought to guard. Sometimes the cost is what you offered. Sometimes it’s everything else.”
I had to know more. “What was your deal like?”
His jaw worked. “Pure, unrelenting agony. Is that what you want? To be in constant pain?”
“I’m just curious.”
“Why?” he growled.
“I want to understand why the cost is always so high.” I inhaled a shaky breath. “I met someone once who’d promised a fae they’d count all the stones in the city in exchange for a coin purse. They hadn’t thought to ask for conditions.”
Kairos’s expression darkened.
“The fae hadn’t specified a time limit, but they also hadn’t allowed any reprieve. The poor fool couldn’t stop. No sleep, food, or water. Just counting. They died, slumped over a cobblestone path, mumbling numbers through cracked lips.”
“Skaldir fae are vicious,” he said, his lip curled. “They take pleasure in watching humans destroy themselves over impossible terms. It’s a game to them.”
“What about here?”
His jaw clenched. “My people know better. A deal should have clear terms and defined limits. What happened to that human was cruelty.”
“But it was still binding.”
“That’s exactly why they’re so godsdamned terrible. You have no choice but to obey. Your body keeps moving, even when your mind is screaming to stop.”
My stomach twisted. “Could you fight it?”
“No. Once the terms are set, you’re bound until you fulfill them or die trying.
” He dragged a hand through his hair, looking exhausted.
“I have enough to deal with right now. The party is tomorrow night, the summit right after that, and every realm will be demanding answers about why I broke the treaty. The last thing I need is someone in my own court trying to trap you in a bargain.”
“No one approached me.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
If Kairos couldn’t fight off a bargain, then what chance did I have? I’d tried to break it already, but the agony had dropped me to the floor. The rune’s threads were wrapped around my organs so tightly, unwinding them was impossible. Breaking it meant breaking myself.
Kairos eyed me beadily. “Never make a faerie deal. It’s a noose. And once it tightens around your neck, you’ll spend the rest of your miserable life choking on your own stupidity.”
My hand drifted to my stomach, the mark pulsing like it had heard him.
Too late for that.