She’s alive, and she’s mine. Really, truly, entirely mine.
I rub my chest, right where my heart cradles our completed connection.
My broken wings fan wide with my triumph, and I don’t even register the pain through my elation.
She’s not mortal, not any longer, but everlasting.
Her magic and mine sing together through our bond.
Nothing—nothing—has ever felt this good.
I made her one of us. True, she’ll never be a fairy in the most honest sense of the term—her rounded ears are still proof of that—but she’s immortal like us, strong like us, and her magic is now compatible with mine.
I glance at Callie’s now bare wrist, her beads all used up.
Only death or repayment can fulfill a bargain. Death or repayment. My demand that Callie live, the lilac wine I hand poured into her mouth—it fulfilled her end of the bargain.
“You gave her the wine,” Mara murmurs from where she crouches.
I nod, not bothering to glance away from my mate.
“Any regrets?” she asks.
“I would do it again a thousand times over.”
Wrongs can be forgiven. It’s death that one cannot return from.
Mara’s final words linger in the air between us—
“Let’s hope she feels the same way.”
Chapter 55
My eyes peel open, and I blink at my surroundings. I lay in the same suite Des and I have been staying in throughout Solstice.
I’m … alive.
Strange. I thought—I thought I had died.
But I don’t feel dead. I don’t even feel like death warmed over, which is usually the case after I get my ass handed to me over and over again.
My hand moves to my stomach. The Thief of Souls, the dagger to the gut—had I just dreamed it all up?
Hastily I push away the clothes covering me. There, low on my abdomen, is a thin white scar.
Not a dream after all.
I sit up in the bed.
How could I possibly recover from such a wound?
I don’t feel terribly different, all things considered. That is, except …
My hand goes to my heart. I gasp when I feel a tug that has nothing to do with the beat of it.
Soulmate bonds are always described as though they are cords tethering two people together. Now I understand. I can feel the bond beneath my ribcage, reaching out across the world and connecting me with Des.
It’s only then that I realize the third oddity of the day—
I’ve been sleeping on my back.
I reach around to touch my wings, but they’re gone.
What in the world?
Where did they go?
I glance at my forearms and nails. Both are wholly and completely human.
Frantic, I will my scales to appear. To my surprise, I feel a tug on my connection. A moment later, the skin of my forearm flushes a golden hue as hundreds of shimmering scales take shape.
That shouldn’t have happened.
I will them away, and with another tug on the bond I share with Des, they vanish, my skin returning to normal.
This is Des’s magic. I can feel it thrumming through me.
Somehow, he saved me, and in the process, our magic unified—our bond unified. At least, that’s the best theory I have at the moment.
To test it out, I lift my arm and try to use my borrowed magic to levitate the vase of flowers next to the bed. Other than vibrating a little, it does nothing.
Okay, maybe I’m wrong.
“Not even out of bed and my wily little cherub is already exploiting her side of the bond.”
The man himself appears at the threshold of our room, leaning against the door. He’s wearing a Def Leppard shirt, leather pants, and his shit-kicking boots, his white blond hair tied back in a girly little ponytail.
My favorite outfit.
At the sight of him, my body blooms with excitement. “Des—we’re bonded.”
His entire face breaks into a smile. “We are.”
I touch my abdomen. “And you healed me.” Everything about me thrums with life. I feel new and powerful in the most exquisite way. “How did you do it?”
Temper? Had she healed me and fixed our bond in the process? I didn’t suspect she could do such a thing.
“I have my ways.”
Des pushes off the wall, coming over to my side. I touch the side of his face, and he leans his cheek into my hand, closing his eyes to savor it.
“What happened?”
“While I fought my father, you battled the Green Man.”
“The Thief of Souls …” I murmur. Even now the thought of him sends a shiver through me.
He’s still out there.
And Des’s father … “But I thought your father—”
“—was dead?” he finishes for me. His expression darkens. “So did I.” Des’s eyes grow distant.
“Where is he?” I ask.
“Licking his considerable wounds, I imagine,” the Bargainer says.
Whatever happened between father and son, it’s plain enough to see that Des won this round. It’s also plain to see that his victory gives him no joy.
Just hearing the Thief’s name turns my attention back to my immediate situation.
The knife wound to the gut. All that flesh the Thief ripped into when he dragged his blade up my stomach. The chill that set in as my blood exited my body …
I remember Des demanding I live. I can still feel the phantom fingers of his magic trying to bar me from death.
But it didn’t work. I remember that. I felt it when his magic released me.
And yet here I am, alive.
My gaze cuts to my bracelet. All that stares back at me is my bare forearm.
For eight years I wore it, and now it’s gone.
I run my hand over my wrist. “Where is it?”
“You fulfilled the rest of your repayment last night.” By living, he means.
“But it didn’t work.”
“I found another … alternative.” He says this almost defiantly.
I rub my arm, trepidation crawling up my back. “What alternative?”
His silver gaze searches my own.
Have you heard that lilac wine, the rarest of fairy elixirs, can not only bestow longevity to mortals, it can heal the wounded, the Thief of Soul’s words echo in my mind.
“There was only one way,” Des says.
I’m already shaking my head, a wave of dread washing over me. “No,” I whisper.
It’s a cure all of sorts, and if you drink it … your soul could be mine for the taking.
“I gave you lilac wine.” The normally remorseless Bargainer is beseeching me with his eyes to understand. “I couldn’t let you die.”
Do the dead ever really die?
It was a trap. One the Thief of Souls set, and Des, the master of trickery, walked right into.
I drank the wine and escaped death—for a price.
This is our little game—and trust me, enchantress, it’s far from over.
All that dark magic the Thief wields can now be used against me. I’m more vulnerable as an immortal than I ever was as a regular human.
And the Thief of Souls knows it.
I’m still coming for you. Your life is mine.
Epilogue
Deep in the queen’s sacred oak forest, the royal trees bleed, rotting from the inside out. The sound of chopping and the unearthly howls of the oaks fills the air. Tree after tree is cut down, and the bodies of sleeping men are pried from them.
The Flora Queen keeps herself locked away in one of her towers, weeping over her fallen mate, her missing harem, her dying oaks.
One by one, each great fae kingdom leaves the Flora palace grounds, heading home from Solstice and carting their sleeping comrades with them.
All are somber, all are s
olemn.
Dark days lie ahead.
Across the Otherworld, strange, deadly children lie in wait, their glassy eyes staring at some distant point.
An ocean of glass coffins rest in four separate lands. The women inside them lay unmoving, their bodies sheathed in their uniforms, their weapons laid across their chests. Months and years may have passed, but their skin is just as supple as the day they closed their eyes.
They sleep away the sands of time, waiting, waiting …
It’s coming.
Something is coming.
Fingers flutter. Muscles twitch.
Not dead, but also not alive—not yet.
The sacred oaks groan, their branches swaying as a network of vines retreat from their inner membranes.
A crack forms along one of the glass coffins, spider-webbing across the transparent surface. Wood splinters down the center of an oak. A devilish child smiles.
And then, as one, a thousand upon a thousand eyes snap open.
The time has come.
Keep a lookout for
Dark Harmony
The final installment in The Bargainer series.
Coming winter 2017
Be sure to check out Laura Thalassa’s young adult paranormal romance series
The Unearthly
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Be sure to check out Laura Thalassa’s new adult post-apocalyptic romance series
The Queen of All that Dies
Out now!
Click here to buy it on Amazon
Other books by Laura Thalassa
The Unearthly series:
The Unearthly
The Coveted
The Cursed
The Forsaken
The Damned
The Fallen World series:
The Queen of All that Dies
The Queen of Traitors
The Queen of All that Lives
The Vanishing Girl series:
The Vanishing Girl
The Decaying Empire
The Infernari series:
Blood and Sin
Novellas:
Reaping Angels
Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.
… or something like that anyway.
When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.
Glossary
Arestys: a barren, rocky landmass belonging to the Kingdom of Night; known for its caves; smallest and poorest of the six floating islands located within the Kingdom of Night
Barbos: also known as the City of Thieves; the largest of the floating islands located within the Kingdom of Night; has garnered a reputation for its gambling halls, gangs, smuggler coves, and taverns
Borderlands: area where day meets night; the border between the Kingdom of Day and the Kingdom of Night
changeling: a child swapped at birth; can alternatively refer to a fae child raised on Earth or a human child raised in the Otherworld
dark fairy: a fairy that has forsaken the law
Desmond Flynn: ruler of the Kingdom of Night; also known as the King of Night, Emperor of the Evening Stars, Lord of Secrets, Master of Shadows, and King of Chaos
fae: a term denoting all creatures native to the Otherworld
fairy: the most common fae in the Otherworld; can be identified by their pointed ears and, in most instances, wings; known for their trickery, secretive nature, and turbulent tempers
glamour: magical hypnosis; renders the victim susceptible to verbal influence; considered to be a form of mind control; wielded by sirens; effective on all earthly beings; ineffective on creatures of other worlds; outlawed by the House of Keys because of its ability to strip an individual of their consent
Green Man: king consort of Mara Verdana, Queen of Flora
House of Keys: the global governing body of the supernatural world; headquarters located in Castletown, Isle of Man
Isle of Man: an island in the British Isles located between Ireland to the west, and Wales, England and Scotland to the east; the epicenter of the supernatural world
Janus Soleil: ruler of the Kingdom of Day; also known as the King of Day, Lord of Passages, King of Order, Truth Teller, and Bringer of Light
Karnon Kaliphus: ruler of the Kingdom of Fauna; also known as the King of Fauna, Master of Animals, Lord of the Wild Heart, and King of Claws and Talons
Kingdom of Day: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things pertaining to day; transitory kingdom; travels around the Otherworld, dragging the day with it; located opposite of the Kingdom of Night; the eleven floating islands within it are the only landmasses that can claim permanent residence within the Kingdom of Day
Kingdom of Death and Deep Earth: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things that have died; stationary kingdom located underground
Kingdom of Fauna: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all animals; stationary kingdom
Kingdom of Flora: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all plant life; stationary kingdom
Kingdom of Mar: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things that reside within bodies of water; stationary kingdom
Kingdom of Night: Otherworld kingdom that presides over all things pertaining to night; transitory kingdom; travels around the Otherworld, dragging the night with it; located opposite of the Kingdom of Day; the six floating islands within it are the only landmasses that can claim permanent residence within the Kingdom of Night
ley line: magical roads within and between worlds that can be manipulated by certain supernatural creatures
Lephys: also known as the City of Lovers; one of the six floating islands within the Kingdom of Day; believed to be one of the most romantic cities in the Otherworld
Mara Verdana: ruler of the Kingdom of Flora; also known as the Queen of Flora, Lady of Life, Mistress of the Harvest, and Queen of All that Grows
mate challenge: a duel between two rivals for the hand of a mate; usually ritualistic as mate bonds cannot be transferred
Otherworld: land of the fae; accessible from earth via ley lines; known for its vicious creatures and turbulent kingdoms
Peel Academy: supernatural boarding school located on the Isle of Man
Phyllia and Memnos: sister islands connected by bridge; located within the Kingdom of Night; also known as the Land of Dreams and Nightmares
pixie: winged fae that are roughly the size of a human hand; like most fae, pixies are known for being nosy, secretive, and mischievous
politia: the supernatural police force; global jurisdiction
portal: doorways or access points to ley lines; can overlap multiple worlds
Sacred Seven: also known as the forbidden days; the seven days surrounding the full moon when shifters remove themselves from society; custom established due to shifters’ inability to control their transformation from human to animal during the days closest to the full moon
Somnia: capitol of the Kingdom of Night; also known as the Land of Sleep and Small Death
seer: a supernatural who can foresee the future
shifter: a general term for all creatures that can change form
siren: supernatural creature of extraordinary beauty; exclusively female; can glamour all earthly beings to do her bidding; prone to bad decision-making
supernatural community: a group that consists of every magical creature living on Earth
Thief of Souls: the individual responsible for the disappearances of fae warriors
werewolf: also known as a lycanthrope or shifter; a human that transforms into a wolf; ruled by the phases of the moon
Contents
Chap
ter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Epilogue
Glossary
Contents