By the light, she really wanted to marry the king.
As I glanced around, I noticed a couple of the other girls were doing the same, though Milly and Pria hovered off to the side with folded arms and frightened eyes. I tried to catch their gazes to give them an encouraging smile, but they were too focused on the arriving procession.
The king’s soldiers marched into Teine’s buzzing square, their horses’ hooves trampling down the grass and flowers along the edges. My jaw clenched as the roses were smashed into the dirt. With so little rainfall, we spent hours trekking to the river that wound down from the mountains and hauling water back for our plants. And now those roses were dead.
Power rippled through the square as the king swung off his horse and strode through the parting soldiers. Every single guard watched us closely, gazes narrowed, swords at the ready. The whispered conversations went quiet. The only sounds were the king’s steady steps.
He stopped in front of the gathered girls, and those ember eyes scanned our faces. I held myself still, hoping he’d be so focused on someone else that he wouldn’t notice me. Ellen straightened her gown once more.
The movement caught King Oberon’s attention. He gave her an appraising glance, and his eyes dipped to her breasts. Lips thinned, he moved on to the next.
Ellen shot a scowl over her shoulder at me. I didn’t meet her gaze. Any movement might draw his attention. Slowly walking down the front line of girls, he came to a stop just in front of Lily. She straightened and then gave a slight bow. His lips curved in an appreciative smile as he took in her hair, her dress, her figure.
It felt as though the entire village took a collective breath.
“Exquisite,” he murmured.
My hands fisted. King Oberon had clearly made his choice. Lily was doomed. A vein throbbed in my forehead as I stared at the eager glint in his eye. The king promised his mortal brides luxury and unending youth and immortality, but I knew it was a trap. Someone needed to stop this. We couldn’t let him take another girl from our village. But what could I do?
King Oberon suddenly lifted his gaze. He stared right at me. All the blood drained from my face as he pushed Lily aside. A few harsh whispers fluttered around me, shocked hands flying to mouths. The rest of the girls stumbled away, parting like the chasm. And then he lifted his finger, pointed it right at my face, and smiled.
My heart nearly stopped.
“You. TessaBaran.”
Chills swept across my bare arms as the world itself seemed to tilt. The taste of nausea roiled through me, thick and pungent, choking my throat. This couldn’t be happening.
Gasps peppered the crowd. Even the music stopped. While no one in the village knew about my secret trips to the chasm or my rendezvous with the rebel leader, they all knew this was the last thing in the world I wanted. I’d never made it a secret. He’d killed my father.
Realization suddenly whipped through me, tossing me through another loop of vertigo. King Oberon was doing this for a reason. After he’d caught me defying him, he knew I didn’t want this. And I didn’t have a choice but to go with him. If I didn’t, the humans would lose their protection.
The king had always been clear about the terms of theOidhe. The mortals of Teine were required to sacrifice one mortal girl to him every seventy-five years. If we failed to follow through, that was the end of it all.
Rage burned through me. This was what he’d been planning all this time. This was why he’d let me go—to force me into a life he knew I didn’t want. This was my punishment.
“Tessa,” Nellie whispered, elbowing me. I’d been silent for far too long.
The king arched his brows, still smiling, still holding out his damn hand to see if I’d take it. What did he think I’d do? Refuse? He knew I couldn’t. He’d made sure of that.
I ground my teeth. Truth be told, I couldn’t think of a worse punishment than this. Try to behead me? I’d fight back. Worst-case scenario, I’d go out swinging. Force me into a dungeon? I’d find a way to escape. String me up as an example? Fine. But this…
I would have to spend the next seventy-five years by this monster’s side. I’d have to bear his children…which meant I’d have to sleep with him at least a few times. Maybe more. He kept mistresses, but I’d heard tales that his appetite for sex was unquenchable.
The weight of my hidden dagger pressed against my ankle. If only I could move with preternatural speed so that I could stab him with it.
Every inch of my body rebelled as my breath hissed out between my teeth. Bracing myself, hating every single part of me that decided to cave, I lifted my hand and dropped it into his. His skin burned against mine, making me flinch.
His smile widened. “Good. It seems I have found my new bride.”
My feet were as heavy as tree trunks as he pulled me from the crowd. Cheeks burning, I kept my gaze on the dirty hemline trailing along the ground by my feet. I couldn’t bear to look at my mother, or Nellie, or Val, knowing what they must think.
He grabbed my arms and roughly placed me beside him. I winced at his touch, wishing I could shove him away. But if I did, I’d pay for it. Nellie and Mother would, too. I knew better than anyone what happened to family when someone fought the king. The perpetrator wasn’t the only one who bore the brunt of Oberon’s anger.
“With this sacrifice,” the king said, his booming voice echoing through the silent village, “the humans have held up their end of our ancient agreement, theOidhe. One mortal bride in exchange for seventy-five years of bounty and protection.”
A shiver went through me.
Seventy-five years. Bound to King Oberon’s side. Sick burned the back of my throat.