of wild creatures are delusional. Whatever the case, this king believes he has every right to do whatever he wishes to me. Which means no fear of the law will stop him. But I’ve already discovered one weakness. “That’s a lie! It’s a lie and you know it.”
I expect him to grimace, to writhe in pain at my accusation. But he does no such thing. “Not a lie,” he says in his low, gravelly voice. The fae around us snicker. “Only a matter of perspective. So don’t think for a moment I owe you mercy. It is mine freely to give, understood?”
Gritting my teeth, I force myself to nod.
“Good. Then you should understand that if I grant you freedom to return to your town unscathed, you will be in my debt.”
I swallow hard, my chest heaving. “Please, just let me go. I’ll tell no one what happened.”
“Yes, you would like freedom, wouldn’t you? Tell me how much you would like it.”
“I would like it very much.” My words come out dry, bitter.
“And how grateful would you be if I told my pack to stand down and release you right now so you can be safely on your way?”
“I would be ever grateful.”
A corner of his mouth quirks and he takes a step closer. “So grateful that you’d realize you owe me your life?”
My rage and terror freeze, and in their place creeps a chilling suspicion.
The king’s expression turns ponderous. “In fact, perhaps you’d suddenly want to bargain something away to demonstrate just how strong your gratitude is. Maybe…that which you most cherish? Of your own free will and volition, that is.”
My eyes go wide, and I catch several fae stifling their laughter, while others watch with quiet anticipation. Hope, even. When my gaze returns to the king, my anger reignites like a blaze, boiling my blood. With all my strength, I launch forward, catching my captors off guard. Having loosened their grip during the king’s speech, they stumble back, allowing me to wrench my arms free. I use the momentum to shove my hands hard into the king’s chest. “You son of a…you tricked me! Again!”
My attack has very little impact on the king, who simply absorbs my punch without falter. Not even his precarious stance between his single leg and staff is compromised. His expression clouds over and all previous amusement leaves his eyes.
My captors regain their hold on me.
“Tie her back up and leave her in darkness,” he growls. “We’ll draft a new ransom note. One that doesn’t claim she’s unharmed. And if her father fails to comply, then I’m sure we’ll find another way. Another family member perhaps.” His gaze slides to me, expression triumphant.
Another family member. My mind goes to Nina. “Leave my family out of this!”
The fae begin to funnel back into the hall, and my captors drag me toward the chair. Turning away, the king hobbles toward the door.
“Wait!” I call at his back; he’s already halfway over the threshold. “We can talk this out.”
He ignores me and disappears into the hall.
My captors push me into the chair, forcing me to keep my seat as they gather the discarded ropes.
I take a deep breath, steadying my resolve, then shout, “Tell me about the curse!”
My captors halt their motions, and all sounds of footsteps cease. For a moment, time seems frozen, until the king stalks back into the room, his staff pounding on the flagstones. His lips are pulled into a snarl. “Who told you about the curse?”
I hear a small gasp and catch sight of Micah peeking into the room, shaking his head vigorously. Averting my gaze to the king, I say, “It’s obvious there’s some kind of curse at play here. Why else would you be toying with me like this? Trying to trick me time and time again to make some silly sacrifice for you?”
His chest heaves. “Some silly sacrifice?” The words come under his breath, so low they reverberate in my bones. “This silly sacrifice could mean my life.”
“If that’s the case, then you’re going about it all wrong. The ransom plot, the feigned attacks, the trickery. What you’re doing will never work.”
“You know nothing.”
“Then tell me. Instead of using me as bait, make me an ally.” I keep my expression neutral to hide the truth. That I have no intention of allying with this fae. What I need are more facts. More figures. More to tally up and divide until I can find the right weakness to use against him.
For