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What the hell? I tug at the hem of my shirt. “That’s not a bargain.”
“Fine. Win the final gauntlet and you get your sister back. Lose, and you must wear an item of my choosing.”
I scoff. “Winning is impossible.”
“Precisely.”
“I get Jane back now just for making the bargain,” I amend. “Win and you forget I exist. Lose and . . . I wear whatever freaky item you specify, but it must be an actual item of clothing or an accessory, and I can wear other items along with it.” No way will I let him force me into wearing a crotchless nightie or something equally uncomfortable and gross. “Also, it can’t possess magic that controls me somehow.”
He stares at me with those heavy-lidded eyes. Weighing my words. After our last bargain, he takes me a little more seriously.
“Deal,” he purrs.
I feel the magic of our bargain lock into place, and it’s similar to the feel of shackles clicking around my wrists.
Behind him, a figure appears on the wide marble stairs leading to the second floor. Inara’s bright blue hair falls around her bare shoulders in waves, an ivory satin sheet wrapped around her otherwise naked body. “Who is it?”
“Go back to bed,” he orders.
Her eyes meet mine, and rage flashes across her face. “You aren’t letting her sister go, are you? You promised we could keep her.”
“And now I’ve changed my mind.”
“But—”
“If I wanted your advice, Inara, I would have asked for it. Now go back to bed and don’t get up until I return.”
She storms up the stairs, furious.
Hellebore runs an idle finger over his neck. “Tell your prince thank you for breaking her heart, by the way. She’s so desperate for affection she’ll do nearly anything.”
God, if there was ever a male who deserved to lose his member just for being a douche canoe, it’s him. But I’m beyond caring about things like Hellebore using and manipulating an emotionally unstable Inara after a breakup.
As far as I’m concerned, they deserve one another.
Jane wobbles slightly on her feet, and I growl, “Fix her or the bargain is off.”
He sighs as if I’m the biggest bore in the universe. “Fine. She was horrible at making tea anyway.”
He snaps his fingers and the glazed look in Jane’s eyes disappears.
Her smile falters. Her body sags. She stumbles, emotions clouding her face. “Where am I?” Her eyes dart to Hellebore, anger and fear seeping into her expression before she looks at me. The terror and accusation in her stare nearly make me flinch. “What happened?”
Wrapping my arms around her, I steer her off Hellebore’s porch and toward my dorm. “Shh. You need food and rest. Zinnia and Vi are waiting. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
But it’s not going to be okay. I’ve just made a deal with the devil . . . and there’s no wiggling out of this one. I don’t know what Hellebore’s playing at, but I do know I want no part of it.
I have to win the gauntlet or die trying.
40
Aunt Vi is on hold with the main office when I arrive with Jane. They take one look at her disheveled hair, ragged dress, and dirty feet, and jump into action. Zinnia helps me set Jane down on my bunk while Vi pours a glass of water for her.
They don’t say a word, but I can feel the accusation in their sideways glances.
I should have protected her. I should have apprised them of the risks. The moment I saw them at the banquet, I should have warned them to flee. Instead, I was selfish. Too overwhelmed with my own needs to think of theirs.
We decide Jane should rest in their quarters for a few hours before making the trek back to the other side of the Shimmer. I was supposed to travel with them. We’re on break this week until Friday, when I travel to the Spring Court for the final gauntlet.
