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“Come!” He pulled me through the stone, and it burned like I was being quickly dragged across sandpaper that touched every single inch of my body.
“Shiiiiit!” My voice was high-pitched with the shock of pain and I tore my hand free of the little beast’s spiny, slimy grip. I bent over, waiting for my body to heal. Pain always felt so much worse when you weren’t expecting it. If I’d known…
“Oh no! Your face is burned.”
“I’m aware.” But even as I said it, the sting eased and I could breathe through the pain until it faded away.
“Oh! It’s all healed.”
“Yep.” Thankfully. A hurt like that wouldn’t last long. It wasn’t truly magical. I just wasn’t meant to rub against stone so intimately.
My nerves eased a little when I realized we were going back to the big room I’d been in yesterday. The dining hall might have seemed confining when I first entered Gales, but after being in that tiny, cave-like room all night, I was ready for the big, breezy room—annoying smoke and all. And now I might have a chance at making a bargain and actually be able to help Cosette.
There was so much that could go wrong, and I couldn’t afford to fuck it up. I already had one bargain out there with a pixie. Most of the time, I didn’t think about the bargain I’d made or what happened with my pack. It was firmly in the past, but the dream from last night brought it back to the front of my mind. I’d bargained for a good reason and, at the time, I wasn’t really thinking about the consequences. Then, after I was free from the pit, I was too busy trying to survive. I’d shoved the bargain in some faraway corner of my memory, and I’d hoped that it would just disappear forever. But it wouldn’t.
The more I learned about the fey, the more I realized that at some point—probably when I least expected it—the bargain was going to bite me in the ass. I’d been stupid and not put any restrictions on it. At the time, it made sense. A favor for a favor. But I knew better now.
Yet here I was. Desperate again. Bound to make another stupid bargain if I wasn’t very, very careful. I wasn’t sure how much time I had, but I wanted to get to Cosette now. Today. So, I had to figure this out fast.
The little beast slowed its pace as we entered the dining hall. The room was filled with sunlight so bright that it almost gave the impression that we were outside, but when I looked up, there was nothing but ceiling. The light was just another fey illusion.
The room was packed full. People talking and laughing. There were platters of boiled eggs, fruits, breads, and cheeses. But no meat. The betting game was still going on, as was the yelling, but the smoke wasn’t as thick as it had been last night—which I appreciated. I could breathe a little better without it, and I definitely felt more confident as I caught some of the subtler scents in the room.
Ziriel had given me one little gold coin, but he hadn’t explained what it was or how to play the game. “Is that some form of poker or—”
The little beast let out a coughing laugh. “For some. Would you like to play?” His voice turned menacing with the question, and everything in the room darkened and dimmed—the sounds, the light, the smells. I heard its words echoing in my mind.
Would you like to play?
Would you like to play?
Would you play?
I closed my eyes, trying to shut out everything. But the echoing words were making it impossible to think.
I wanted to say yes, just to shut up the damned noise, but play what?
No. Cosette had been pretty clear. When dealing with the fey, every tiny detail had to be thought of before agreeing to anything.
I opened my eyes. It’s red stare the only visible thing in the darkened room. “What are the rules? What are those chips?”
“You’d find out if you played.” I didn’t think it was possible for its voice to grow any deeper, but it did.
The echoing started again and I shook my head slowly, trying to stop it. “No.” The word sounded drawn out, but I hadn’t intended it to. “IthinkI’dbetternoooooot.” Each word slurred into the next.
And just like that, the light brightened, the sounds got louder, the smells stronger. I blinked, and the fog lifted from my mind.
“Ah. You’re not any fun.”
No. I wasn’t fun. Actually, I was pretty pissed.
My wolf rose up and the growl slipped free. The shift started and I fought with everything I had to keep him down. My sharp nails dug into my palms and I tried to shove the wolf down, down, down, because I was terrified that if I let him out, there would be blood and it would be mine. I was pretty sure if the little beast could take over my mind like that, then he was much more powerful than I’d thought.
I’d never felt anyone trying to control my head before. Sure, Alphas issued orders, but I could feel them like a blow—I had to submit or fight to disobey. But this was sneaky and made me feel dirty. I didn’t like it one bit.
From the start of the little beast asking me if I wanted to play couldn’t have been a long exchange, but that was enough to change my perception of the little beast as it waved me forward. It might still be two feet tall and chubby around the middle, but I knew my gut had been right. There was something dangerous lurking under its skin.
“Come! Come! Food! Food!” The little beast led me through the tables to one that was completely empty.
