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“A generosity I’m not interested in repeating.” His words are clipped.

I grind my teeth together.

Dropping down to the floor next to him, I snatch the pen from his hand. “What exactly do you rule?” I demand.

The Bargainer rolls onto his side, propping his head up with a hand, a smirk on his face, a wisp of white blond hair falling into his eyes. He studies me for a second, then gives in. “I’m the King of the Night.”

“The King of the Night?” I repeat dumbly.

What kind of title is that?

“In the Otherworld,” he elaborates, taking the pen back from me.

The Otherworld.

I stare at him.

The Otherworld.

Holy crap, this dude is a fairy. No, not just a fairy, a faeking. A leader of one of the most ruthless races of beings.

And I’ve beenmeanto him.

“So you’re … really important,” I say.

He inclines his head slightly, still looking amused. “A bit.”

Well fuck me good, I hadn’t realized.

I take in his unruly white hair, his staggering frame, tatted arm, and black-on-black attire.

“You don’tlooklike a king,” I say.

“And you don’tlooklike the kind of girl that makes deals with the Bargainer, cherub. Your point?”

He has me there.

King of the Night. Just the name sounds badass.

“Where are your wings?” I ask.

He levels me an annoyed look. “Away.”

Des must realize I’m going to keep pestering him because he closes my textbook and sets it aside.

Having the Bargainer’s full attention is like catching a tiger’s eye. All you wanted to do was pet the creature, but as soon as it turns its gaze on you, you realize it’s simply going to tear you apart.

“Tell me, cherub, would you like to visit my kingdom one day?” he asks, his voice soft like velvet.

Is this a trick question? I feel as though I’m about to walk into a trap.

“You’d take me?” I ask. I try not to sound too excited, or frightened for that matter. Everything I’ve learned about the Otherworld terrifies me. But the idea of the King of the Night giving me a guided tour of his realm is impossibly appealing.

“Oh, I’ll take you,” he promises, he wicked glint in his eyes. “One day I won’t give you a choice.”

Present

Shortly after Iagree to help Des, he returns me home for the night. Now that I’m onboard, he has preparations to make on his own end. Tomorrow we’ll be going over the disappearances. The day after, I’ll be interviewing the changelings. That means visiting the Otherworld and seeing for the first time in my life the kingdom Des rules.