“Then why—”
“I want you.”
I yank against the invisible bonds. “That makes no sense.”
“Doesn’t it?”
“If you wanted me, why did you buy her?”
“Would you have come to me if I’d asked? Would you have done my bidding if I’d bought your contract instead of hers?” His gleaming eyes lock onto me with such intensity, I feel like he’s studying my soul. “No, a girl like you wouldn’t help me, not even to save her own life. But if you had to help, if your sister’s life depended on it . . .”
“Why would you need my help? You’re a faerie king. I’m a mortal girl.”
“Abriella, even you know you’re far more than that.” He toys with the end of one of his white braids. “You managed to sneak through the golden queen’s castle and wander her hallways. You found her portal and came through undetected. You have impressed even me, the Lord of the Night. I believe you can do a job for me that no one else can.”
“I doubt it,” I spit, then wish I could yank the words back. As long as he has my sister, I’m at his mercy, and he knows it. If this job is the only leverage I have to free Jas, I need him to believe I can do whatever he asks. “I won’t do anything as long as you have my sister prisoner. Send her home and I’ll talk to you about whatever help you need from me.”
“Home? You mean send her back to that moldy cellar beneath the witch’s cottage?” He laughs again, and this time the whole court laughs behind me. I hate them all. “You expect me to believe that if I release your sister, you will give your services freely?”
“You expect me to believe you’ll release her if I help you?”
He nods. “Of course. Yet you don’t have a choice but to believe. I think we can make a deal—a bargain if you will. In return for your services, I’ll let your sister go. I’ll send her home safely. But only after you return what the golden court has stolen.”
“Why not do this job yourself? You’re the all-powerful Lord of the Night.”
He grins, and again I’m rocked by his sinister beauty. “Thank you for the compliment, but I won’t abandon my throne to be an errand boy.”
I nod toward the sentry standing beside me. “Then send one of your guards.”
“This is not a job for a faerie.” He steeples his fingers and taps them together. “Queen Arya’s son is searching for a bride, a human bride. I believe Prince Ronan will find you quite to his liking.”
“What does the prince have to do with—”
He stops my words with a wave of his hand. Literally stops them. I’m moving my mouth, but no words are coming out. I grab my throat and glare at him with all the hate in my heart.
“Tomorrow,” the king continues, “the prince will choose a dozen young women to stay at the Golden Palace as potential brides. You’ll offer yourself as his bride and infiltrate my enemy’s court. While you’re trying to win young Ronan’s hand, you’ll retrieve some of my belongings that the queen has had for a bit too long now.” Another smile. “You will need to win the young prince’s heart and his trust to gain access to the magical artifacts that have been stolen from my court—you must bring all three to me if you want your sister to return home.”
Suddenly the magical gag on my voice is released. A cry slips from my lips before I can stop it. “You’re mad. I don’t know the first thing about winning a faerie’s heart.” And even if I did . . . Shudder. The idea of seducing a faerie makes my stomach churn. “What makes you so sure he’ll choose me out of the hundreds clamoring for the chance?”
The king laughs. “You need to understand that nothing in my realm is a coincidence, human. If you present yourself to the prince, he will do everything in his power to keep you close. He will give you the access you need.”
“I couldn’t even pretend to care for a faerie—”
“Do you want your sister back or not?” he snaps. His smile slips, revealing the fringes of a dangerous temper.
I swallow. “How do I know you even have her? How do I know this isn’t all a trick?”
He pulls a tiny pink swatch of fabric from his pocket and tosses it in front of me. “This is the best I can do.”
I choke back a sob and snatch the scrap of Jas’s sewing smock from the floor. “Let me see her.”
“You want me to trust Elora’s most talented thief with my most valuable possession? I wouldn’t dare. However”—he clasps his hands together and steps forward—“the first artifact you retrieve for me will allow you to see your sister. It’s a magical mirror. In it, you can see whatever you wish.”