“You sound like someone with personal experience.”
That wipes the grin clear off my face, but I don’t let it hold me back. “I do have experience in this department, which makes me the perfect ally. While I am no longer susceptible to the guiles of love, I can still recognize them. Better yet, I know Imogen Coleman and her petty wants and needs. I know what powers love and matrimony have over her, and I know exactly what kind of man will tempt her into the pits of stupidity.”
He studies me with that intense, predatory stare, one that tells me he knows very little about propriety and interacting with humans. It makes my pulse quicken, and a wave of panic rises within me. What am I getting myself into? Do I honestly believe I can get anyone, much less Imogen Coleman, to fall in love with this untamed creature?
He has money, I remind myself. Plus, he’s a king, for saint’s sake. That alone should have Imogen desperate for his favor sight unseen. But for her to sacrifice her greatest treasure for him…for that, she’ll need to truly fall in love with him.
“We have a lot of work to do,” I mutter.
“We have no work to do, for I am not going to agree to such nonsense. I will not have you pairing me with a human mate. I have no use for a lover, much less a human one.”
“Oh, you’re not actually going to take her as a lover,” I say. “You will make her fall in love with you, in the same way you tried to trick me into breaking your curse. But we’ll do it my way, using deception mingled with truth. After she breaks your curse, you can send her off and never see her again.”
The king glowers for a moment, then his eyes widen in something like…admiration. “What did this human girl do to you?”
His words stun me silent, my stomach sinking. I consider my scheme anew, thinking about it from Imogen’s side. I know how eager she is for a husband, how desperate she is for a favorable match that will bring her wealth. For a royal title, I’m certain she’d jump through hoops and flip backward. But how will she feel when all of that is stripped away? When she sacrifices her greatest treasure for someone who abandons her?
I know how that feels. I know what it’s like to give a man everything only to have him take it away. Every promise. Every kiss. But instead of sparking empathy, it hardens my heart, for I can only recall the words she said to me when we left the bookshop yesterday morning, her tone all but a threat.
It may have been acceptable to play the harlot in Bretton…
No one wants a ruined woman as a wife…
You’d become a stain on this town…
My fingers curl into fists, my resolve turning to steel. “Imogen could use a lesson in humility,” I say, surprised at the ice in my tone. “Besides, it’s like I said. You need someone who cherishes trivial things. I’m sure her greatest treasure is some fancy dress.”
He puts his free hand on his hip while the other rests on his staff. “You’ve mentioned a bargain,” he says, “but you’ve yet to say what you get out of this.”
Just like that, some of my excitement returns, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to conceal my grin. Play this well, Gemma. Don’t act too eager.
“Did you mean it when you said you’re wealthy?” I ask.
He shoots me a glare. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“We’re going to need some funds for our scheme to work. You can’t leave the manor, which means I’ll have to tempt Imogen here. And there’s no way she’s going to fall in love with you if the entire place looks like this.” I gesture toward the dusty furniture.
“I’m not wasting my money on frivolous decor for a manor I have every intention of vacating when the curse is broken.”
“I won’t waste it, trust me,” I say. “I know how to handle finances in just the right way. That is why I applied for the job, you know.”
“The job?”
“Your want ad for a house steward. I have experience running a household on a very tight budget. And my need for that job hasn’t changed.”
“Your point being?”
My eyes lock on his. “You’re going to offer me employment.”
He barks a laugh. “I don’t actually need a house steward.”
“You do now,” I say. “If you want this bargain and my assistance in breaking the curse, then you’ll appoint me your house steward, provide a handsome weekly salary as well as room and board—”
“Room and board? You want to stay here?”
“Yes. That’s a non-negotiable part of the bargain.” In truth, it’s the answer to all my prior concerns regarding getting a job—whether Father would strip my allowance, turn me out of the house. This way, I’ll have it all. A salary, work I’m suited for, a place to live. “In addition to these terms, once the curse breaks, you will reward me with a hefty sum of money.”
“In addition to a weekly salary?” He throws his free hand in the air, shaking his head.
“What do you care for money, anyway? You clearly aren’t spending it. Besides, you said you value your unseelie form more than anything. Would you put a price on that?”
“I may not spend my fortune now, but I like spending it when I’m a wolf, human.”
I take a firm step forward. “My name isn’t human, it’s Gemma. And if we are to work together, you will call me Miss Bellefleur.”
He takes a forbidding step closer to mirror mine, his eyes glinting dangerously. “Then you will cut that tone and call me Your Majesty.”
I refuse to falter beneath his glare. “Fine, Your Majesty. What’s it going to be? Do you agree to my terms?”
A corner of his mouth lifts. “You’re my prisoner and I am your king. I could kill you for insubordination, you know.”
I cross my arms, pulling my lips into a forced smile. “You could, but I doubt that would go over very well with the Alpha Council, especially after they find out you abducted me. Besides, I’m probably the closest thing you have to a shot at breaking this curse. Kill me if you want, but if this curse is meant to claim your life at the end of your sentence, then I’ll see you in hell in three months’ time.”
His eyes widen. “I don’t need you.”
“No, you could keep trying to trick unsuspecting townsfolk using fear and false heroics.” I flutter my lashes. “But…how has that been working so far?”
He releases a grumble. “How much money are we talking about?”
I pause, running some calculations in my head. “One thousand quartz chips per week.”
He moans.
“And twenty thousand quartz rounds once the curse has been broken.”
His mouth falls open, but no sound comes out. Eyes bulging, he finally speaks. “Twenty thousand rounds! You’re out of your mind.”
“Do you have it or not?”
“Of course I have it,” he says.
With slow, steady steps I close the distance between us, stopping only when we’re mere feet away. “Then do we have a deal? I’ll help you break the curse by getting Miss Coleman to fall in love with you. In return, you will provide room and board and pay me the agreed upon salary and follow my plan. Give up your ridiculous schemes of kidnapping and ransom notes and do what I say instead. When your curse breaks, you pay me the rest. Afterward, we never have to see each other again.”
His jaw shifts side to side, and he brings his hand to rub his beard. “The fae are supposed to be the ones to craft the bargain,” he mutters, a hint of petulance in his tone.
I hold out my hand.
His predatory gaze burns into me, brow furrowed as if he’s puzzling over a complicated mathematic formula. One only I know the answer to. Then, with a reluctant sigh that turns into a grumble, he places his hand in mine. “I agree to this bargain.”
13
Just like when I walked between the standing stones to enter Faerwyvae, this bargain conjures no outward sign that magic is taking place. But as before, I feel the hair rise on the back of my neck. Is it a coincidence? A matter of my own physical response to knowing I’ve just seale
d a bargain with a fae? Or is this what magic feels like?
Whatever the case, the king seems none too pleased about it. Releasing my grip from our handshake, he can barely meet my eyes. “I can’t believe I just put my fate in the hands of a human.”
I can’t believe I have a job, I want to squeal in response, the reality of our bargain just beginning to sink in. He has no idea how greatly I’ve desired this. How badly I’ve needed this. Not our bargain, per se, but the first step toward freedom that employment brings. Squaring my shoulders, I allow only a hint of mirth to infuse my tone when I say, “I can’t believe it’s taken you five years to even try.”
“What, an alliance with a human? I’ll have you know, it was quite peaceful around here up until that appalling town began construction. Not a human in sight for almost five years. Yet another proposal passed by that filthy ferret…” He trails off, running a hand through his wild hair.
I furrow my brow. “A ferret?”
“Fine, he’s an ermine. But even in his seelie form, he’s nothing more than a weasel to me. Claiming his place as Seelie King of Winter when I’m stuck here and unable to challenge him. I used to rule all of Winter alone, you know.”
“Isn’t there a seelie and unseelie ruler in every court now, though?”
“Yes,” he says through his teeth, “but if I hadn’t been cursed and trapped in this manor, I could have held onto the kingdom far longer.”
“Surely, you have some ability to counter the proposals passed by the seelie king, don’t you?”
His eyes flick to me then away again. “I can, but it’s a bother.”
“A bother?” I snort a laugh.
Indignation reddens his cheeks as he fully meets my gaze. “Yes, it’s a bother. If I want to counter the proposals he passes, I must either meet with my ambassador and send her off to speak in my stead or call him here to discuss it.”
I lift a brow. “And that’s…hard?”
“It’s…you wouldn’t understand. There aren’t many who know about my situation, for the curse keeps me from others’ minds and makes me easy to forget. And of the fae who do know about the curse, very few are willing to suffer it by visiting. While my ambassador doesn’t mind…well, I’d rather others not see me like this if I can avoid it.” The last part ends in a mumble as he turns away from me, facing the windows. His wistful expression returns as he stares out at the scenery. “Besides, when I read the proposal for the new town, I didn’t understand the location it described. I didn’t grow up in the Chamberlain Mountains or the Holbrook Pass. These are names leftover from a human reign, not the ones embedded in my very bones since birth.”
My chest squeezes as I find his words resonating against my heart. I too know what it’s like to be taken from my home, thrust into a new place. It’s happened twice now, and each new town, new country, feels like an entirely new world. The king, however, isn’t just living in some foreign place; he’s ruling it. And considering how old I imagine he must be, the time he’s spent adapting to the changes since the end of the war must feel like a blink compared to his immortal lifespan.
The thought threatens to shatter my mask, and before I realize it, I open my mouth to speak. But what is it I want to say? My heart begs to relate to him, tell him I understand. Say that perhaps humans and fae aren’t so different after all. Instead, I swallow those words, reminding myself I didn’t seal this bargain to make friends with the king. Friendships are no longer something I care to invest in, and certainly not with a fae who tried to trick me and threatened to kill me. No, he doesn’t deserve my pity. We are but cold allies and he is nothing more than my ticket to freedom.
I lift my chin. “If we are to convince Imogen Coleman to fall in love with you, we’ll have to turn you into a more capable-seeming king.”
Still facing away from me, he shakes his head and mutters, “Freezing iceforsaken woman.”
“Speaking of freezing,” I say, taking a few steps closer, “I meant what I said about a fire. I cannot tolerate staying somewhere without proper heat. So, let’s talk room and board. Will I be staying here?”
“This room has been set aside for my ambassador,” he says, rubbing his chin, “but like I said, I do not call her here often. Even when she does come on business, she does not stay long.”
“Which explains the state of the room,” I say under my breath. Then my gaze snags on my pile of damp discarded clothing. My hands fly to the skirt of the gown I’m wearing. “Oh, your ambassador. Is that whose dress this is?”
He smirks, eyes trailing the length of my gown. “Might as well claim the wardrobe for yourself too. It’s not like she’s using any of it.”
Something about the smirk he wears, the fleeting heat in his gaze as he continues to eye my dress, makes me wonder if he and his ambassador were—or are—lovers. Because it couldn’t possibly be the sight of me that put that look in his eyes, not after everything he’s said about humans. This, of course, sends my stomach roiling as I consider just how invasive my presence and actions might have been. “I can stay in another room and fetch my own clothes from home—”
“Don’t bother,” he growls. “I’m not making up another room for you.”
“Fine,” I say, swallowing hard and hoping my flustered air goes with it. “In that case, I’ll need the bedding cleaned, the room dusted. Do you have servants? A cook?”
He shifts his stance, planting his leg more firmly beneath him, and stares down his nose at me. “We keep after ourselves.”
“You’re a king without servants?” I shake my head. “This won’t do. But don’t you worry; as house steward, I will see that all necessary positions are filled. It would be best that all daily tasks are given to those you can trust, so we should probably put your wolf pack to work, don’t you think? As for the position of cook…who made the bread I was given?”
“That’s Bertha,” he says with a grumble. “A bear from nearby who insists on feeding us.”
“A bear?”
“In her unseelie form,” he amends. “But she’s seelie through and through, always baking us bread and pies and—”
“Perfect.” I clap my hands together. Yet another asset to tally in my imaginary columns. “I’ll need her contact information at once.”
“Contact information?”
“Address, location, you know. Or the perfect pitch to howl when you need to summon her.” The last part is said in jest, but he doesn’t seem to catch my humor; he simply stares at me, perplexed.
“She comes along whenever she likes, uninvited like the wind,” he says.
“Great, then I’ll speak to her at her next visit. Come.” I turn and head for the door.
“Did you just…order me to follow you?”
For a moment, a wave of fear strikes me. Beneath the false confidence of my outer persona, it’s easy to forget when I’m getting carried away with the act. Still, I maintain my composure as if no misstep was made. “This is a business partnership, Your Majesty,” I say as I reach the door handle. “I’m simply continuing our business. And now I’ll need a tour of the manor. I must have an understanding of what I’m working with here.”
“You have some nerve,” comes his gravelly voice, followed by the sound of his footsteps and staff pounding behind me.
I pull open the door and bite back a yelp as a cluster of bodies all but tumbles through the threshold, their pointed ears having been pressed to the door. Leaping back, I nearly lose my footing beneath me before a strong hand closes around my arm at the elbow. I meet the king’s gaze as I regain my bearings, surprised at finding him so close, his face just inches from mine. My breath catches, my heart racing at the sudden proximity.
He releases me, shaking out his hand as if touching me had scalded him, then charges toward the group of fae who eagerly shuffle away from the door, feigning nonchalance. “Don’t bother pretending you didn’t listen in on the whole thing.”
I recognize Blackbeard leaning against the opposite wall, scratching the si
de of his head while the elderly female examines her nails with keen interest. Finally, I catch a glimpse of Micah, peeking between the legs of two unfamiliar fae. “She’s staying?” the boy asks. “We don’t have to eat her?”
“Not today,” the king says dryly. “Meet our new house steward.”
Most of the fae make themselves scarce as soon as I enter the hall to follow after the king, while a few others trail behind us. The latter group includes Blackbeard and the female, who the king calls—again, most uncreatively—Gray. The king leads us through the halls of the manor, which unfortunately proves as unkempt as my room, if not worse. Dust lines every surface, cobwebs gathering in each corner. I take note of it all, feeling daunted by both the immensity of the manor and its sorry state.
As I consider the task at hand, my pulse begins to race, but I remind myself I’ve done this before. I’ve masked poverty and made it look like wealth. I’ve hidden darkness and desperation and made others see only luxury and light. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again. Especially if it ends with my freedom. Independence. A chance at a life of my own.
We reach a platform between several large staircases that branch off in different directions.
The king points to the left. “That goes to the east wing. It’s nothing but empty rooms.” He points to the right. “There’s the west wing, but don’t go there.”
“Why, what’s in the west wing?”
“What’s in the west wing?” he repeats in a mocking tone. “What do you think is in the west wing? Dust, spiders, cobwebs. It’s nothing but dreary freezing shit everywhere in this manor. Don’t go in the west wing, don’t go in the east wing, just...don’t bother with anywhere.”
Curse of the Wolf King: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (Entangled with Fae) Page 9