“I am to be married to a man I cannot stand.”
My hollow chest wrenched, my ribs collapsing into the empty cavity. From the way men had been traipsing in and out of their manor, it was painfully obvious her father was anxious to marry her off. Still, for it to happen so soon . . . And to someone she couldn’t stand? Part of me rejoiced at that. I didn’t know what I would’ve done if she had said she’d fallen in love with someone else.
“Do you want me to kill him?” Because I would. And I would relish every moment. Carve him up like a pheasant. Feed him to some bloodthirsty merrow.
“Of course not.”
“Then what do you expect me to do about it?”
She came forward, seeking me out as if I were some sort of hero come to save her. The foolish human really didn’t know who she was dealing with. “I want you to convince Lord Trench to pair Robert with Keelynn.”
Robert?Robert feckin’ Trench? She was to marry that arrogant prick?
Maybe I’d kill him anyway.
“My magic doesn’t work like that. I can curse him, or I can kill him,” I explained. “If neither of those options suit, then I’m afraid this discussion is over.” This was none of my affair. I really shouldn’t get involved with humans and their asinine laws.
Her hand shot out, clamping around my wrist, sending flames burning through my veins. Could she feel it too? Or was this only my curse to bear?
“I am desperate,” she whispered. “I would rather die than marry Robert Trench.”
Those words only made the flames burn brighter as a plan began to take shape in my mind.
“You would rather die . . .”
If I did what I was thinking, what possible consequences would there be? No one had to know. Except my brother, of course. All these years of hauling away bodies and cleaning up his messes should count forsomething.
The Queen could never find out. But if my brother kissed Aveen and she died, she would be just another faceless victim of the Gancanagh. The Queen wouldn’t pay her the least bit of attention. This . . . thiscouldwork.
“If I grant you this wish, what will you give me in return?” I asked.
“What do you want?”
You.
“A favor of my choosing,” I said before anything else could come out. Wouldn’t do me any good to have her realize that I was as desperate to free her from that bastard as she was to escape.
“I cannot give you a blanket favor,” she said, her tone weak and weary, as if she were trying to convince herself, not me.
“That is your choice, and you are free to make it. Goodbye, Aveen.” I evanesced, but not far, just down to the garden below. Close enough to hear if she changed her mind, holding my breath until I heard her call my name.
“Rían! Come back! I accept your bargain.”
I returned in a flash, finding her in a heap on the floor, tears glittering in her eyes. I took her hand before she could change her mind again, tethering her life to mine, our promises like an iron chain between us.“I have a plan to give you what you desire,” I said, “but for it to work, you will need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?”
She nodded, fear and confusion in her tear-filled eyes.
“Go about your life as though nothing is amiss. Once everything is in place, I will return to give you further instructions.”
I evanesced to the castle, ran through the wards, then went straight to my brother’s room. The place was a sty, clothes strewn everywhere, bottles glistening in the moonlight. There was no sign of the man, so I’d have to wait until the next morning to tell him about my plan.
At sunrise, I was up and out of bed, bursting through Tadhg’s door with a smile on my face. “Rise and shine, big brother.”From the cloudless sky peeking between the drawn curtains, it looked as if this would be a glorious day.
“Go away,” Tadhg croaked from beneath a pillow, his voice scratchy and hoarse.
“You get to help me.”
He lifted the corner of the pillow to peer out at me. “Not a feckin’ hope.”