force him to go back to his own place. He needs three things. An anchor such as myself to ground him in time and location. To be under a contract with a mortal and to fulfill that contract in its entirety within a certain amount of time to stay here. My guess is that he’s had you on his radar for a while. Probably pulling a few strings to make it look as though you have no other choice but to cash in his favors. And he’s working others too.”
“Others?”
“Other victims,” She huffed. “His MO is usually desperate women at the end of their rope. You’re totally his type. Middle-aged, no husband or kids, dead-end job. I’ve learned to see the pattern and try to get close to the next target, to warn her off whenever possible.”
I shook my head, not willing to believe her. “But that’s so...manipulative.”
She gave me a don’t be stupid look. “He’s a fae prince. It’s what they do.”
My throat felt as though it were closing up and it took effort for me to swallow the scream that was building in my chest. Yet what the cat said made a sick sort of sense. All the compliments, all the push-pull, the seductive charm. He wasn’t my friend. I was his freaking mark.
Stupid, sad, gullible, Joey. Desperate for affection. For respect and male admiration. Had I learned nothing since I was a sixteen-year-old dimwit?
Oh, how he must be laughing his faery ass off.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I foraged for more information. “You said there is a pattern?”
She nodded. “Since he has you under a magical contract, chances are he’ll have one ready to tip over the edge into the next.”
I don’t know why her words hurt, but they do as I recall the pretty blonde woman I had seen him with at the diner that first day. I’m doing some work for her, Robin had claimed.
What had she bargained for?
“Tell me, have you pushed him to redeem your desires yet?”
I nodded. “He was warning me about some of the dangers. Gave me homework.”
The cat bobbed her head in what I could only assume was a nod. “Classic stall tactic. He doesn’t have his next victim lined up yet. When the next is set to tumble, that’s when he’ll start pressuring you to fulfill his end of the bargain. Then, he’s got you with no way out.”
“What sort of favor does he ask of the others?” A lump of ice had formed in my stomach as I finally considered what a foolish thing I had done in striking a bargain with a magical creature.
“It depends on what he needs at the time. Some he enthralls and gifts to another fae in exchange for their support. He’s working his way through the court system, trying to get back into the queen’s good graces.”
“Gifts? You mean he sells people?” The thought horrified me.
The cat stared at me levelly. “He’s fae. It’s what they all do.”
I swallow hard. “How do I get out of it then?”
“Stall for time. Don’t complete your favors. Eventually, the clock will run out on the bargain.”
“What happens then?”
Puck shook her head. “I’m not sure. It’s never happened before.”
I let out a shaky breath. “What if he’s got someone else already lined up?” Some other unhappy, vulnerable female desperate enough to take a chance on magic.
“He always does,” she murmured. “You should get some sleep. For the time being, pretend to play along. He can’t force you to redeem your wish.”
I leaned back against my stack of pillows. “No, no he can’t.”
There’s a soft leap and she curled up beside me. “I’m sorry. I know how charming and persuasive he can be. I was half in love with him by the time I entered into the bargain.”
“And what did you get in exchange?” I asked.
She let out a sigh. “My child. My only son lived when everyone else around us was dying. Robin protected him.”
My wrist was throbbing, the way it often did when a storm was brewing. “And was it worth it?”
She curled into a tight ball and didn’t reply. That’s okay. I could guess at her answer.
I tossed and turned until predawn bathed my room in a rosy light. All I had seen all I had learned the night before had played on repeat in my mind. Robin, the two hundred and fifty-year-old tabby cat, favors, and time travel. What good would fixing my life do if Robin was going to enslave