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Tarragon made a dismissive flick of his wrist. “It’s already done,” he said. “They can’t leave yet. End of discussion.”
“Great talk, guys,” I laughed. “We’ll be returning to your welcome party—”
“How long until they can leave?” Azazel asked, cutting me off with a snarl.
Tarragon turned to me with an odd expression on his face. “Hopefully, nine or ten months.”
Aria and I froze.
Is he joking?she asked.
The fae can’t lie,I reminded her,but you’re not pregnant, and he doesn’t know any better. So, technically he’s just telling them what he might understand the truth to be.
Sariel, that’snotwhat I’m talking about. Is he going to get rid of us afterward? Is that what he’s implying? After giving birth, we’re leaving?
No, we had an agreement—
There was no timestamp on that agreement,Aria said hurriedly.We’re giving them a child for protection, but we never discussed how long that protection would be for.
Fuck.
I swallowed a growl as Azazel and Tyler’s heads snapped to Aria.
“She’s pregnant?!” Tyler growled, slamming his hands on the table. He paused, cocked his head to the side, and then frowned. “No, she’s not,” he continued, glaring at Tarragon.
Tarragon shrugged. “She might be soon. Until she gives birth to the future heir of the Free Kingdom, she’s not going anywhere, and neither is anyone else.”
Azazel and Tyler glanced at each other, and then Azazel addressed me directly for the first time. “You made a bargain with the fae and promised them your firstborn child?” he asked, furious. “Are you stupid, Sariel?”
His words shouldn’t have affected me at this point in my life, but he was still my father, and a part of me that I’d tried to bury still wanted dear old dad’s approval. I leveled a glare at him.
“We wouldn’t be even here ifyouweren’t out of your mind, Azazel,” I reminded him. “This entire cat-and-mouse game started with you.”
A muscle in his cheek jumped.
“We’re staying until the baby is born, then,” he decided.
I tensed, and Aria’s spine straightened next to me. It didn’t matter that there was no baby in question—we’d spent six out of seven nights faking it as best as we could so that the guards would have something to report to the King and Queen.
The mention of a hypothetical baby stirred a wild instinct in me. I leaned forward so that I was staring my father in the eye. “If you think—forone fucking second—that you’ll be getting your hands on my child, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Sariel!Aria hissed,There is no baby! Don’t stoop to his level.
I continued to glare at him. Tarragon’s eyes narrowed on me briefly.
“You can stay, but you’ll stay within Council territory,” he told Azazel.
Azazel nodded. “That’s fine.”
“This means you will not be able to travel without our approval. All airports, sea ports, train stations, and portals are within fae authority. To leave the continent, you’ll need our permission.”
Tyler paused to eye Azazel, who continued to glare at me. “Fine,” he snapped.
Aria reached for my hand under the table, lacing our fingers together.
Tarragon clapped. “Wonderful. You’re dismissed. I’d like to speak to Sariel and Aria in private, please,” he said. “Grel, take them to their rooms for the night and organize transport to the Upper Council headquarters at first light.”
When we were alone with them, Blossom shifted, shrinking to her human size. “Speaking of our child,” Blossom said softly, “Let’s chat.”
