Chapter 12 #2
I try to scramble backward and the chair scrapes on the tiles, but Keir merely clenches his fist.
My chair squeals as I'm hauled directly in front of him.
Keir grabs me by the wrists, his long fingers locking around the cuffs there.
Heat spills through me as his magic slides across my skin like a caress.
"I've heard what you've had to say. Now it's my turn.
You owe me. I will offer you a deal. Your life, your freedom, in exchange for a year and a day of service. "
Service? It sounds like a trap. "What do you want me to do?"
"Something similar to what you do now. I may ask you to fetch me something. I may ask for information. I may ask you to betray your precious king. And when I do, you'll give it to me."
"I won't kill for you."
"Agreed."
"And you won't hurt me? You won't allow me to be hurt?"
His eyes seem shadowed in thought. "Not by me or mine. I cannot stop someone else from putting an arrow through your back."
It's the best I'm going to get.
I consider the cuffs.
A year and a day of service, as according to the old laws. In return, my head remains on my shoulders. I've been offered worse terms before.
"I'm not saying no," I mutter. "But there's a slight complication. I owe a similar debt to the wraith king. I can't deny him outright."
"I'm not certain this is my problem."
Of course not. Typical fae prince. "Then I'm dead and of no use to you."
Our gazes lock.
He considers it. "Then I will allow you to work around the debt you owe your king."
"Agreed," I whisper.
The cuffs fall free.
I'm halfway to my feet before I realize there's no escape. Keir looms in front of me, shadows darkening half of his face. I force my feet to still, even though my body quivers as I fight my natural instincts.
But there's no point running.
He never confirmed it, but he rules this world with a thought. He could crush me with a single swat of his hand.
Besides, I have nowhere to run.
I can outthink this. I can escape. All I need is a little time.
Capturing my face in both hands, he tilts my chin up.
"A year and day of service," he whispers, and then lowers his face to mine.
The kiss breathes across my lips, and I can feel his magic stealing through me.
My heart is suddenly fluttering like a horde of butterflies set loose inside me, a restless, liquid heat stealing through my veins, and setting me ablaze.
He kisses as if he means to consume me, but the bite of his magic leaves the taste of blood in my mouth.
And suddenly it's no longer pleasurable.
Fire blazes beneath my skin, a searing kind of magic that steals every thought from my mind.
A scream escapes me as it brands itself up my arms, golden light spilling through sudden glyphs that appear on my skin.
I don't need to count them. I can feel them igniting inside me. All four hundred and thirteen marks.
A year and a day.
By the time it's done, I'm shaking in his arms, my knees boneless and my fists curled in his shirt.
And worse. I can feel his heart pounding beneath my hand, beating in sync with mine.
"What d-did you do to me?"
"I have marked you as my own. There is no escape now." He doesn't have to sound so thrilled about it. "You belong to me, my little thief," he purrs. "Mind you don't forget it."
* * *
The portal buzzes behind me.
Freedom's so close I can almost taste it, and yet it remains a taunt. The golden glyphs on my arms have faded, but I can still feel them settled beneath my skin, as if tattooed into my very bones.
Within seconds, I'll be back in my own world.
Back within my father's grasp and under his command.
But this time, I'm at the mercy of another male, and Keir's forbidden me to tell anyone of the deal we made.
I'm getting rather tired of being someone else's pawn. But for now, there's little choice in the matter.
"Go home, little thief." Keir looms in front of me, dressed in a doublet of black velvet that caresses the hard planes of his chest. He sets the tip of a finger beneath my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Say nothing of what occurred here. When I have a task for you, I'll contact you."
"How?"
He smiles. "You'll know."
"What do I tell the king?" Soraya will have beaten me home, and he'll hear this tale from her own lips first.
"I'm sure you'll think of something. Let us not pretend you're averse to lies."
The glyphs on my arms pulse as if he's stroked his finger down my skin. I can't help a shiver.
I step through the waterfall, and stare over the stone ledge into the circular well as thousands of pounds of water sluice down its sides. Mist curls up through its hollow core, but far below, I catch the golden gleam of glyphs that herald a portal.
"How do I get through the portal?" I call, teeth gritted against the chill as water splashes me.
"Jump," Prince Keir suggests.
Oh, yes. He's still angry. I miss the tender way he touched my face. The way he kissed my forehead as if I were precious.
But I always knew it would end this way.
Closing my eyes, I step onto the ledge.
Somehow I don't feel safe.
I feel like I've just made a deal with the dragon itself.
But the only choice I have is to trust him.
And jump.
* * *