“Not if it feckin’ suits.” He raked his hands through his hair. “I know you’re young, but I did not think you were this childish. This world has bigger problems than your little sister taking a feckin’ nap in the underworld.”
The harsh words were like a slap in the face. He thought I was being childish? He thought I was the problem? “One truth, Rían. That’s all it would have taken.”
“I can count the number of people I trust on one feckin’ hand. And your sister is not one of them. Did you ever consider how this bargain could affect me? How it could affect Tadhg?”
I . . . I hadn’t.
Not at all.
“I could’ve said no. I could’ve turned you down. I should have,” he muttered, huffing a breath. “Instead, I chose to help you.”
In keeping this secret, he’d been protecting himself. He’d been protecting his brother. From what? I wasn’t sure. But how could I fault him for doing the same thing I would have done if our roles had been reversed?
“So, what? You expect me to sit around here for the next year and trust that you’ll help me find a way out of this mess when it’s all over?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry,Your Highness. I have my ownplans.” I would organize a meeting with the Queen, secure safe passage through the Forest, and say good riddance to Tearmann and cursed princes once and for all.
I tried to walk away, but my feet stuck to the carpet. Heat twisted in my chest like a burning wire ensnaring my heart.
“Aveen Bannon.” Rían’s voice rang with quiet authority. “To pay the favor you owe, you will remain in Tearmann until your sister returns from the underworld.”
No. No.No no no. . .
“Until then, you are to live in this castle with me.”
He held out a hand. I tried to hide my own behind my back, but magic took me in its steely grip, forcing my palm into his.
Was this my destiny? To forever be imprisoned by men?
At what point did I give up and stop fighting?
Tears scalded my cheeks. “I will never forgive you for this. Never.”
He flicked his wrist, dismissing the tost. “I can live with that.” When he offered me a handkerchief from his pocket, I turned away, dashing at my tears with my sleeve. I didn’t want his help. I didn’t want anything from him.
A hulking figure appeared from the hall, propping a shoulder against the doorframe. “Everything all right, human?”
Rían’s expression hardened. “Everything is fine, Ruairi. Go back to the parlor.”
Ruairi tilted the glass in his hand from side to side, watching me through wide eyes. “I wasn’t askin’ ye.”
Rían flicked his wrist, and Ruairi disappeared.
If only I could do the same to Rían.
The wretched prince gave me a wide berth as he started for the door. “Now that we have that nasty business out of the way, would you like to see your sister?”
I nodded, not having it in me to summon a response. I drifted behind my captor, out into the hallway and back to the parlor.
Tadhg was still on the settee, elbows propped on his knees and his head in his hands, not bothering to glance our way.
Rían kicked his brother’s boot. “Where are you hiding her?”
Tadgh lifted his head, glaring at Rían through red-rimmed eyes.
Could it be true? Had the Gancanagh, a being known for his insatiable appetite for women, truly fallen in love with my sister?