The Bargain and the Blade
“You’re impossible!” I shout, my voice echoing off the crumbling stone walls of the great hall. The castle’s magic thrums around us—through us—pulsing like a second heartbeat. Thalion stands infuriatingly calm, his silver eyes sharp as daggers. That icy Fae composure makes me want to scream. Or kiss him. Dammit.
“Your human emotions are clouding your judgment,” he says, his tone frosty. The bond between us flares hot in response, and I grit my teeth. Three days trapped in this cursed castle with an assassin sent to kill me, and I still don’t know whether to slap him or fuck him. The magic seems determined to make it the latter.
(Flashback to the worst first meeting in history: I’d been bargaining with a particularly tricky set of pixies when Thalion appeared out of nowhere. Silent as a shadow, silver blade already in hand. He’d have killed me if the castle’s magic hadn’t slammed down around us like a wall, binding us together with ropes of golden light. The geas on him—to eliminate me—and my own bargainer’s magic had clashed violently before settling into this impossible bond.)
“Clouding my judgment?” I snap back to the present, planting my hands on my hips. My red hair crackles with latent energy. “You tried to kill me, Thalion. And now we’re stuck here together until we...what? Seal this bond the castle seems so eager to force on us?”
He steps closer, his presence overwhelming in the cavernous space. I refuse to back down, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. The air crackles between us—anger, magic, and something dangerously like desire.
“It seems we have little choice,” he murmurs, his icy demeanor cracking just enough to let something hotter show through. “The castle will not release us until the bond is complete.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Perhaps we should...explore this connection. See where it leads.”
I scoff, even as my traitorous body thrills at the idea. “You want me to just fall into bed with the man who tried to gut me?” The bond pulses again, low in my belly, and I have to bite back a moan. Damn magic. Damn Fae. Damn my own stupid attraction to him.
“It would appear the alternative is eternity trapped in this cursed ruin,” he points out, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous timbre that skates along my nerves. He reaches out, slowly, giving me time to pull away. I don’t. His fingers brush my cheek, and the bond sings. “What say you, bargainer? Do we make this deal?”
“What say you, bargainer? Do we make this deal?”
The words hang between us, heavy with everything unspoken. My pride screams at me to refuse, to find another way. But the castle’s magic is a constant pressure, and if I’m honest with myself…I want him. Have wanted him from the moment his silver eyes locked on mine, even with death in their depths.
I meet his gaze, letting him see the conflict in mine—the anger, the desire, the reluctant understanding that we’re in this together whether we like it or not. “We try it,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady. “But if you even think about using this against me, Fae, I’ll make you regret it.”
A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “I would expect nothing less, bargainer.”
He leans in, slowly, giving me every chance to pull away. I don’t. His lips brush mine, soft as silk, and the bond between us ignites. It’s not the angry flare from before, but a deep, resonant thrum that settles into my very bones. I gasp, and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth to tangle with mine.
The world narrows to this—to his hands sliding down to grip my hips, to the heat of him against me, to the taste of winter and magic on his lips. I’m drowning in him, and I don’t even care. My fingers tangle in the cool silk of his hair, pulling him closer. I can feel the hardness of him pressed against my stomach, and a thrill shoots through me.
We stumble backward, lips still locked, until my back hits the ancient stone wall. His hands are everywhere—skimming up my sides, brushing the underside of my breasts through the thin fabric of my dress, tugging at the laces until it gapes open. The cool air of the castle is a shock against my heated skin, and I shiver.
“Kaelen,” he breathes against my neck, his voice rough with want. “I—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off, my own voice just as unsteady. “Don’t think. Just…just touch me.”
He makes a low sound in his throat, almost a growl, and then his hands are on my bare skin, calloused palms skating over my ribs to cup my breasts. His thumbs brush over my nipples, and I arch into his touch with a moan. The bond pulses between us, hotter, brighter, driving us on.
We don’t make it to a bed. We don’t even make it out of the great hall. Thalion shoves my dress down my shoulders, baring me to the waist, and I fumble with the fastenings of his pants with trembling hands. His cock springs free, hard and heavy, and I wrap my hand around it, stroking once, twice.
He groans, his head falling back. “Kaelen, please—”
I don’t make him beg again. I push his pants down just enough to free him, and then I’m lifting my leg, hooking it around his hip, pulling him into me. He doesn’t need any more encouragement. His hands grip my thighs, spreading me open, and he thrusts into me in one hard, deep stroke.
We both cry out—the sound echoing in the cavernous space. He feels huge inside me, filling me up, stretching me almost to the point of pain. The bond thrums in time with his thrusts, winding tighter and tighter, until I can’t tell where my pleasure ends and his begins.
His mouth finds mine again, swallowing my moans as he fucks me against the wall. It’s rough, desperate, almost animalistic—and I love every second of it. My nails dig into his shoulders, hard enough to draw blood, but he just growls and thrusts harder, deeper.
The bond is a live wire between us, sizzling and sparking, driving us higher and higher. I can feel his pleasure, his need, his desperation—and he can feel mine. It’s intoxicating, overwhelming, and I never want it to end.
“Thalion,” I gasp, my head thrown back against the wall. “I’m—”
He cuts me off with a kiss, his tongue fucking into my mouth in time with his cock. “Together,” he growls against my lips. “We come together.”
I can only nod frantically, my body trembling on the edge. He shifts his angle, hitting that spot inside me that makes stars burst behind my eyes, and I come apart with a scream. The bond snaps taut, and then he’s coming too, spilling inside me with a guttural groan.
We slump against the wall, breathing hard, our bodies still joined. The bond thrums between us, sated for now, but I can feel it settling into something deeper. More permanent.
“We’re bound,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. “Truly bound.”
Thalion rests his forehead against mine, his silver eyes holding mine. “It would appear so, bargainer.”
A new awareness floods through the bond—not just our connection, but something else. Something the castle is trying to show us. I gasp, my eyes widening. “Thalion, look—”
He turns his head, and we both see it—a vision of the outside world. Of an army gathering, dark and twisted, led by a figure cloaked in shadow. An army headed straight for the cursed lands.
“It seems our bond has a purpose beyond our own desires,” Thalion murmurs, his voice grim. He pulls out of me gently, and I bite my lip at the loss. “The castle chose us to defend it—to defend this place.”
I take a shaky breath and nod. “Then we defend it,” I say, my voice stronger than I feel. “Together.”
He helps me fix my dress, his touch lingering on my skin. “Together,” he agrees.
We stand there in the great hall, the first rays of dawn painting the sky outside the tall windows in shades of pink and gold. The bond hums between us—a promise and a pact. Whatever comes, we’ll face it as one.
The sun crests the horizon, and I reach for his hand. “No more running,” I say softly. “No more fighting this.”
He laces his fingers with mine, his grip strong and sure. “No more,” he echoes.
The castle sighs around us, the magic settling into a contented hum. And for the first time since I was dragged into this cursed place, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.