“Well, let you go through the motions anyway.” He grinned. “I actually believed you’d relent.”
“You made me angry,” she admitted, “acting like you didn’t care either way.”
“Remind me not to make you angry,” he returned softly, grin fading to a half smile.
“Though now I know why you don’t care, either way. Can you really not die?”
No smile at all now, those grim shadows returning to his face. “Apparently not. My charming maman certainly gave it her level best. Though she was leery of going to extreme methods like decapitation, removing my heart, complete immolation, or full dismemberment. She didn’t want to risk losing her prize subject entirely.”
“She experimented on you.” Selly had gathered that earlier, but so much had been going on—including overwhelming fear for her own skin—that she hadn’t quite thought it all through.
“Can we not discuss that?” Jadren replied lightly, though his pale skin had turned greenish. “Preferably never, but at least, not while my shoulder is healing around this arrow. The longer you take to pull it out, the more it will hurt when you do.”
“You assume I will.”
“I think we’ve reached an impasse, so yes.”
She eyed it, not looking forward to this. “Maybe I should call the Refoel healer.”
“Seliah.” He said her name so seriously she met his intent gaze, wizard-black eyes fringed with copper lashes. “My mother is already concerned about your unstable nature and my inability to control you. If she discovers you tried to kill me—and I doubt we’ll be able to pass this off as kinky games—then she will take steps to break your will. Once she has you biddable, she’ll have you bonded to one of my siblings. I hope you’ll believe that I’m absolutely sincere in warning you that none of them are anyone you want to give your life and magic to.”
Her mouth was dry. “You bargained with her to have me bonded to you.”
Letting out a long breath, he let his head fall back. “I don’t see any other path out of this situation for you. The only way you’ll leave this house alive is bonded to a wizard. The choice lies entirely in who it is.”
“You said we could escape.”
“After you’re bonded, yes. Until then, there’s no chance. You’ll be watched too closely. Once you’re bonded, they won’t worry about it, since you can’t voluntarily leave your wizard.”
“You could’ve let me escape before we got here.”
“You’d rather have been bonded to a Sammael wizard?” he asked incredulously. “You saw what they do there.”
She repressed a shudder of remembered horror. “I could have survived in the wilds between here and there. You know I can.”
He was shaking his head. “Not with that fucking Elal spirit watching. I ran every scenario I could come up with on that long carriage ride and the only thing I could come up with is to use what leverage I have on my mother to bond you as my familiar and get you out of here again. Once you’re safely back at House Phel, I’ll go away and leave you alone forever. They can tap your magic to keep you healthy. I never wanted a familiar anyway.”
“So you say,” she scoffed.
“Believe me or not, Seliah,” he replied wearily, letting his eyes drift shut. “I don’t blame you for doubting me. But I’m being as honest as I know how. This is your best bet to get home with the tattered remnants of what’s left of your sanity intact.”
Absurdly, it reassured her to have him poke at her again. “Why can’t you die?”
He opened one eye. “You’re asking a question my mother has spent my lifetime attempting to answer.”
“Tell me what she’s found out.”
“Fine. I will, if you pull out the arrow so I can begin healing again.”
“All right.” She supposed it was the least she could do. Edging her hip onto the side of the bed, she reached for the arrow shaft.
“Excuse me,” Jadren said, glaring at her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Pulling the arrow out,” she snapped. “Obviously.”
“Not without cutting the head off. Remember how the arrow head flares at the base? You’re not going to be able to pull it back through, not without ripping a new hole. You’re a scrappy little thing but I doubt you’re that strong and I know I don’t want to endure that. You’re going to have to break or cut the shaft, then pull me forward off of it.”
Oh. She felt a little ill just contemplating it. “Let me get a blade then and try cutting it. Take the ward down?”
