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Caelan shifts beside me, but I raise a finger to tell him to stand down. Power hums through the clunky piece of metal, ready to explode. I have witnessed Amalia’s power for myself, the destruction at her fingertips.
Only a fool would try to tame such a woman, but to bend that power, to shape it and watch it grow…
I hold Amalia’s eyes. “Violence is sometimes the answer, but it should not be the first volley in a negotiation.”
I sink into the mirrored surface of my throne and come out the back of hers. Before she can react, I catch her arms and unleash power of my own.
Her next breath leaves her in a gasp of frozen mist as I lean over to whisper in her ear. “If you want to pretend I threatened you into helping, then do so. Claim the gold Elionn took from you as your reason, if you wish. But if you’re determined to… How do you say it on the human plane? Ah, yes. Whip them out and see who has the biggest dick, I can assure you, it is me.”
Reaching down, I pull the glove off her hand and flatten her palm on the arm of the chair. “And if you have a powerful weapon, do not make it so inaccessible in an emergency.”
This time, I sink with her through the throne. Her lithe body stiffens in my arms, and the moment we step out of the mirror into the guest quarters I had prepared, I release her with a small push.
She stumbles and rights herself, pivoting back toward me, cudgel extended. Her lips are blue, and ice crystals form on her sooty lashes, but as I watch, they melt away, her magic already correcting what I did.
Fascinating.
She pants, her eyes wild, so I take another step backward. I already showed how easily I can overpower her. Delivering that message more than once will not go in my favor.
“You may make use of these rooms tonight. There is a healing pool for your exclusive use. Caelan said that you enjoyed our waters last time.” I gesture to the back of the suite, where the bathing chamber resides. “In the morning, we will set off for the Dark Sithe, where my brother’s trail ended.”
The cudgel lowers. “Is no one in the Celestial Court an actual ally?”
“As much as any neighboring country can be.” I tuck my hands into my robes. “Of course, they deny having him.”
“But you don’t take them at their word?”
“I do not take anyone at their word.” I stare out the window. “Since you were last here, Elionn has been searching for a way to stop the crystalline blight. There were rumors that the Dark Sithe may have discovered the source of the invasion. He separated from his hunting party to follow the lead, and none have seen him since.”
“What do you think happened?” She shifts, the leather of her jacket creaking.
“Abduction,” I say. “Whether it is political remains to be seen.”
Her voice flattens. “You dragged me back to your realm to be your bloodhound.”
“I require your unique abilities.” I keep my calm despite the insult. “You track what others cannot, and you carry a connection to my brother that transcends normal magic.”
“Choosing a life partner is not a casual matter among my kind. It is a sacred role.” I let the warning settle between us. “And before you think to sever it yourself, an act of such betrayal will backlash on you tenfold.”
Her brows arch. “That’s quite the deterrent from mariticide.”
“As I explained already, one does not enter such a bond without careful consideration,” I say, each word precise as cut crystal. “The stability of the Silver Sithe depends on Elionn’s safe return. The longer he remains missing, the more unstable our sithe will become.”
Her gaze flicks to the window, where the moon illuminates the silver spires of my kingdom. For a moment, regret crosses her features.
“And at the end of this? You’ll just let me return home? Bond intact?”
“We will honor your freedom.” I match her directness. “And you will be given permanent passage between realms. As well as a Royal decree that names you friend of the Silver Sithe.”
She blinks, surprise breaking through her mask. “Why would I want that?”
“Should you desire to visit without disguising yourself as a wildling.”
She flexes her hand, the one hiding the tattoo inked with Elionn’s blood. “Again, why would I want that?”
Ignoring the obvious, I turn to the mirror I brought us here through. “We leave for the Dark Sithe at dawn tomorrow. The negotiations will require delicacy.”
“Negotiations?” She trails after me. “I thought you said they denied having him.”
