Page 6 of Cold Hearted
His eyes narrowed. “Here, meaning the Northern Kingdom? Your clothes are dated, and your accent is too precise for this part of the land. It’s clear you’re not from the north, and you say you can only relay a message to the Northern lord? That his life is at stake? Why do you care about a lord that is not yours?”
I swallowed hard, my mind trying to think up an answer he would accept.
“So I’m going to ask you one more time, and I’m warning you, if I think you’re lying I’ll haul you to the local magistrate officer myself and help him torture the information out of you.”
My heart pounded harder than a solstice drum, but not because I was scared.He might be larger and stronger than me, but I wasn’t worried about his threat. I was trained to take down opponents larger than him and was confident I could fell this fae in under three seconds if I had to. What made me nervous was being in this close proximity to him. It caused my cheeks to flush and my stomach to warm. He had some type of effect on me that I was embarrassed to admit.
He pursed his lips. “Where. Are. You. From?”
He couldn’t have figured out I wasn’t from this realm so quickly. There was just no way. If he knew I wasn’t from the north, fine. I’d play that card.
“I’m from the Midlands,” I said, keeping my voice steady and level, my eyes connected with his.
The Midlands were a small geographic area at the center of the four kingdoms of Ethereum. The fae who lived there were said to have no specific association with any of the kingdoms yet picking up customs and trading with travelers from each. It would make absolute sense that my clothes and hair were outdated and my speech different if I were from the Midlands. They were a melting pot of all fae.
He nodded, seeming satisfied with that answer.
My first trial in this new land was not a battle of swords but a battle of wits. And I was about to win. Master Duncan would be proud.
“And what is the nature of your message to my lord? Tell me or I will not take you to him and I will ban anyone else from taking you,” he threatened.
I swallowed hard. I’d have to give him something good to get him to take me to his lord.“Fine, I know of an assassination plot on Lord Roan’s life,” I breathed.
His entire body stiffened at my declaration. Then in one swift movement he grabbed something from beneath his cloak and then had both of my arms bound in front of him. I’d fought with the strongest and most powerful fae in all of Faerie, and I’d never seen a man move as fast as he did.
There was a click, and then something bit my wrists, just above my gloves. I yanked my hands to break free and strangle him when a searing hot pain sliced into my skin. A bloodcurdling wail leapt from my throat, and I looked down in shock to see that he’d cuffed me. But these weren’t just any cuffs, they had tiny, serrated blades that dug in if you tried to fight their hold.
“You slimy bastard!” I snarled in the most unladylike way possible.
He grinned and my knees went weak at the sight. His teeth were pure white and straight, and the whole action made him look even more attractive. “Youarefrom the Midlands.”
Attractive or not, I still needed to take him down. I moved to headbutt him and then give him a good kick in the groin, when he reached out and yanked the cuffs slightly.
I hissed as fresh pain bit into my wrists.
“Madame… ? What’s your name?” he asked.
I felt absolutely murderous at that moment. “Dawn.” No point in lying. He wouldn’t know me from Faerie.
“Madame Dawn, you are under arrest for harboring information about a life threat to an Ethereum lord. You will get your wish of being brought to Noreum to deliver your intel to Lord RoanafterI have my mead and card game.”
My chest heaved with anger. I pulled the cuffs up ever so slowly so that they wouldn’t inflict any more pain. “Harboringinformation? I was trying to tell him!”
He shrugged. “Until Lord Roan hears the information, you are withholding it. Unless you want to tellmeall of the details and then you have no need to go to Noreum?”
Rat bastard! He’d played me.
I shook my head. I had to get in front of Lord Roan. “Are these necessary?” I bit out.
He looked me up and down. “I think you’ve proved they are.”
Again staying calm, I stared him straight in the eyes. “I never tried to hurt you. These barbaric things are not needed.”
His eyes glowered. “Do they teach you nothing in the Midlands? The guardian cuffs only dig in when you mean harm. They will fall away completely when you no longer seek to hurt me.”
The blood must have drained from my face because dizziness washed over me. I looked down at the damn things for the traitorous bastards they were. It was like drinking a truth serum or something. This fae would know every time I wanted to take a swipe at him.
Squaring my shoulders, I dropped my hands before me and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
