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“I don’t trust you one bit,” Cosmo said.

“Good. I don’t trust you either.” Shayne turned his smile extra flashy, even offering a cute nose scrunch with it. “But we don’t have to trust each other. We only need to tolerate each other.”

“Do we?” Cosmo laughed and chucked the cream-nut back into the dish. “What is it that you want with my cousin, ShayneLyro? And how did you get Meave to notice you in the first place? She’s quite cold and unwilling to give any male a chance these days. But she demanded my uncle not slay you. Yet.”

“The attraction happened naturally,” Shayne lied. “I have no idea what she saw in me.”

Yes he did. He knew exactly what she saw, which was unrestrained gorgeousness, a smile to die for, and irresistible ex-assassin muscles. Cosmo was just blind. And stupid.

Shayne chewed on his tongue as it tingled. Then he said, “And for your information, I came here for an authentic marriage bargain. I’ve betrayed my House. I have no reason to go back.”

Cosmo angled his head. “I still think you’re a Lyro spy.”

Shayne grinned. “Your uncle thinks I’m an asset he can use against my House. And it really only matters whathethinks. Lucky me.” He lifted his citrus to his lips, and he guzzled.

Cosmo rose from the seat. His finger glided over the table as he did, and when his hand reached a full goblet of citrus…

He nudged it over.

The entirety of its contents spilled across the table, rushing over the tablecloth and splattering all over Shayne’s borrowed garments. A few fairies down the table giggled, but Cosmo roared in laughter that soared across the great hall and made heads turn.

Most fairies would have growled in outrage, but Shayne smiled. Chuckled. He flung off all the liquid he could, and he lifted from his seat. “Since it’s clear you’re trying to provoke me, I accept your challenge,” he said to Cosmo. “Let’s play.”

Cosmo smothered a grin. “You’ll never defeat me in this House.” He waved a hand around at the décor and ambiance that all seemed to support him because of his heritage and alliance, and Shayne wondered if Cosmo had caught on to Shayne’s secret difficulties with the smells and water and everything else. “But sure. I’d love to face off with a Lyro in a game of tricks. I’ll defend the name of Riothin until my dying breath.” He said it loud enough for those around to hear. “But let’s make a bargain. If, after ten days, the House votes that I overcame you in easy tricks…” The way Cosmo smiled made it obvious he was fighting laughter as he let the words hang.

Shayne was a breath away from saying,“No bargains,”but he waited, worried he’d be scrutinized for refusing a Riothin relative before all these witnesses when the game had only begun.

“…You’ll be the being we play around with for entertainment on the day of Yule.”

Shayne grunted and sat back down in his seat. He brought his citrus to his lips. “What sort of beings do you usually play around with?” he asked around the glass before tipping the last of his citrus into his mouth.

“Humans,” Cosmo said.

The citrus hit the back of Shayne’s throat, and he spat it across the table. He dragged his wide eyes up to Cosmo as the drips rolled down his chin. He wiped them away with his sleeve.

It shouldn’t have surprised him. It was what fairies did; ridicule and torment the ‘lesser’ species. There was a time when Shayne had hardly noticed what happened to humans who’d wandered too close to the fairy realm gates or, sky deities forbid, had been captured from their own world. Growing up in a rich household had given Shayne a front row seat on two or three occasions to such ‘fun’. He hadn’t cared for it as a childling.

He especially didn’t care for it now.

“D…” Shayne bit his tongue, cursing it for how he stuttered. “Do you have one now?” he asked.

He shouldn’t care. Whoever it was, this human wasn’t one he knew or had agreed to protect.

Queensbane, what if Cosmo and the Riothin House hadmanyhumans?

Cosmo sniffed a laugh. “A what? Ahuman?”

Shayne closed his mouth. He needed to stop asking questions if he didn’t want to die today. “Never mind,” he said. “I’ll take your bargain. Let’s have the House vote after ten days.” He stood again, extending his hand across the table. “But if I win, I wantyouto become the Yule celebration’s entertainment.” How delightful it would be to see this fool humiliated before this entire House.

Cosmo nodded with a grin. “Maybe you’re not so bad, Lyro. I think you might become fun for us.” He shook Shayne’s hand. The forest hog’s fingers were too warm for comfort.

“I look forward to it,” Shayne promised.

Also, ‘fun’ was Shayne’s middle name.

“And no, we have no humans for the Yule day celebrations. Our scouts are on the hunt for some though, if you happen to know of any.”

Shayne shook his head. “None at all.”