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Now that I did?
Yeah. He’s not too happy that I mentioned it again.
“Leannán. Let’s make a bargain. Shall we?”
Warning bells go off. I might still be a bit green around here, but I’ve been in Faerie long enough to know that a bargain with a fae is even worse than a deal with the devil. No way I come out on top if I agree.
Still, that doesn’t stop me from asking, “What do you have in mind?”
His lips quirk upward. The grin is barely noticeable except for the way it tugs on his scar. I think it might be the first time I’ve ever seen Rys look at me without glaring.
Hey. I’ll take it.
“It’s very simple. You want someone to look out for you while you’re imprisoned. I don’t want to answer any inconvenient questions. Don’t ask me why I’m here and I’ll make sure you survive your time inside. A fair trade, I’d say.” His lips dip a little, his golden eyes almost blazing out of his perfectly imperfect face. “Do we have a deal?”
Keep my mouth shut when it comes to his scar and his crime in exchange for him watching my back?
I think of Dusk, and the promise in his silver gaze whenever he looks at me.
I don’t offer Rys my hand—I still can’t let him touch me—but I nod. “Deal.”
7
A thick, glass baton raps against the cell bars, the loud clanging ringing in my ears.
“Twenty-five,” I murmur to myself, continuing to keep track. I yawn, then open my eyes.
Rys is already up. Whether he was sleeping when the guards got here or not, he’s now standing in front of the bars, facing off against the two Unseelie guards on the other side.
I don’t recognize the one with the baton. But his partner?
Yeah. I know him.
“Back up.”
Rys throws up his hands, taking one, maybe two steps away from the bars. “I know. Back up, then step out with my hands up unless I want the irons.”
Dusk lets out
a harsh sound from the back of his throat. It’s so at odds with his normally clear voice, I can’t help but frown. Who pissed in his Cheerios?
“We’re not here for you, traitor,” he sneers angrily.
I flinch as three heads swivel to look at me.
“What do you want with the human?” asks Rys.
“It doesn’t concern you. Just the human.” Dusk points at me. I notice that he’s wearing something on his hands. I… the only way I can explain it is it looks like Michael Jackson’s diamond glove. Seriously. “I have the diamaint. Do what you’re told and I won’t have to use it.”
I glance at the other Unseelie guard. He’s wearing it, too.
How much do I want to bet that the diamond covering their hands makes it so that they can touch me without permission? Sure, they won’t get off on it, but they won’t be burned, either.
I… really don’t want either one of them getting that close to me.
“I’ll listen.”
Rys moves so that he’s standing in front of me again. “You won’t because I won’t allow it. The girl stays here. Wherever you’re taking her, I’ll go instead.” I can’t see his face, since he’s in front of me, but Rys’s head turns, glancing from one Unseelie to the next. “Remember the bargain.”
