Page 168 of Gilded

It wouldn’t matter, she tried to tell herself. She had struck a deal with Gild. Though she knew he had accepted the offer with as much dismay as she’d made it, both of them thinking it would never come due, she also knew that Gild had meant it when he’d said their bargain was unbreakable.

She had no claim to this being inside her. No more than a cask can claim the wine or a bucket can claim the milk.

And yet.

A feeling she had never known rose up in her as her fingers pressed softly into her abdomen.

A child.

Her child.

An icy hand snatched her wrist.

Serilda gasped and looked up into the Erlking’s frosted eyes.

“You are testing my patience, miller’s daughter.”

And that was when it came.

The story. The lie.

That was not entirely a lie.

“My lord, forgive me,” she said, not having to feign her breathlessness. “I cannot spin this straw into gold.”

One lip curled upward, revealing a sharp canine tooth that reminded her too much of the hounds he cherished.

“And why is that?” he asked, his tone a promise of regret if she dared to defy him.

“I fear it isn’t proper to say …”

His eyes flashed murderous.

Serilda leaned toward him, whispering so that only he could hear. “Your Darkness, the god-given magic that flowed through my veins is gone. I can no longer summon it to my fingers. I am no longer a gold-spinner.”

Shadows eclipsed his face. “You play a dangerous game.”

She shook her head. “I swear, this is no game. There is good reason for the loss of my magic. You see … it seems that my body now harbors a gift far more precious than gold.”

He squeezed her wrist until it hurt, but she didn’t yelp. “Explain.”

Her other hand had never left her stomach, and now she looked down, knowing that his gaze would follow.

“I am no longer a gold-spinner, because that magic now belongs to my unborn child.”

His grip loosened, but he did not let go. She waited a few seconds before daring to meet his gaze again. “I am sorry to have disappointed you, my lord.”

Skepticism still clung to his porcelain features, but they were quickly overshadowed by a fury unlike anything she’d ever seen.

Serilda tried to shrink away, but he did not let go.

Instead, he yanked her to her feet and started toward the castle keep, all but dragging her in his wake. “Redmond!” he bellowed. “You are needed in the throne room.Now.”

Chapter 53

The Erlking threw Serilda down into the center of the throne room and marched onto the dais. She pushed back her hair to look up at him.

Fear thrumming through her, she swallowed hard and rose to her knees. “Your Darkness—”