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I let silence stretch, studying him as though I held the scales. “How many proposals have you made? How do I know I’m not the latest in a long line of dead brides?”

“You, Lady Evenfall, are my first.” His voice rumbled through me again.

“First... what?” It was important to pin these things down. Villains were notorious for creative interpretations of the truth.

A glint of humor lingered in his eyes. “First proposal.”

“Then perhaps you’re unaware that threats aren’t usually part of courtship.” His thumb traced a circle on my palm, and I pulled it from his grasp.

“Threats aside,” he said, draping himself casually on the arm of a chair, “I suspect you need more than empty promises of devotion. You strike me as someone who values a certain edge.”

That was more accurate than I cared to admit, so I just shrugged. “Speaking of edges... I’d like to negotiate the terms of this arrangement.”

He watched me intently, giving away nothing. I took the lack of immediate refusal as permission to continue.

“You want me, specifically,” I said, stepping around the bed to keep a barrier between us. “For my bloodline, presumably. And you need me to show up at the altar without kicking and screaming.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips, though tension hardened his posture. “Go on.”

“If you require my cooperation, then I have some conditions. First, I want freedom within the fortress. No guards on my heels, no locked doors. I won’t be treated like a prisoner. Second, I want to develop my magic. All of it, not just the healing aspects my father permitted.”

His eyes narrowed with interest. “Your father restricted your magical education?”

“My father saw my healing magic as profitable for potential suitors. He never let me learn anything else, especially if it hinted at the more lethal side.”

Kazimir’s eyes gleamed with genuine interest. “You want to explore your destructive talents.”

I nodded. “That’s part of it. If I’m destined to be some ‘Dark Lady,’ I won’t do it half-blind.”

He inclined his head. “Continue.”

“Third, total honesty. I want to know exactly what you plan to do with my bloodline—and with me—after the wedding. My father treated me like a pawn. I don’t fancy trading one master for another without clarity.”

He gave a subtle, noncommittal shrug. “Is there more?”

I cleared my throat. “No sex.”

That earned me a sharp look. “No sex,” he repeated, sounding amused.

I ignored the twist of heat in my chest. “I refuse to be forced into anyone’s bed. This is a marriage of convenience, not a love match.”

He studied me for a heartbeat. Then a slow grin curved his lips. “Worried you’ll end up enjoying it, Lady Evenfall?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” I glared, color prickling my cheeks. “I’m worried about my autonomy. Frankly, you seem more than capable of ignoring boundaries.”

Kazimir went utterly still. “Fine. I accept your terms, with two of my own. One: you walk to the altar proactively. No tantrums, no vanishing acts, no humiliating theatrics in front of my court.”

I weighed that. “I can live with it. And two?”

“You’ll get the details of my plans after the wedding, not before.”

Of course. I should have expected him to hold back something. “How do I know you’ll share them at all, or that you won’t just kill me instead?”

He shrugged. “You don’t. But if I intended to kill you outright, negotiations would be pointless. I have no interest in corpses.”

I frowned, waiting for the pricking behind my eyes—my magical “truth-sense”—to indicate he was lying. But it never came. He was telling the truth, at least part of it. I crossed my arms. “All your villainous plans aside, what happens to me after you get what you want?”

“You remain my wife, with all the privileges and protections that entails.” He rose and moved closer, transforming from casual to coiled in a single heartbeat. “Including protection from your father, should he attempt to reclaim you.”

That... was not what I’d expected.

Kazimir studied my reaction. “He would never touch you again,” he added darkly. “No one who harms what’s mine lives long enough to attempt it twice.”

The possessiveness in his tone sparked something warm and dangerous in my chest. I stepped back, needing distance, but my choice seemed clear. “I agree, then. I’ll appear at the ceremony without incident, and I’ll wait until after to hear whatever twisted scheme you’ve cooked up.”

Satisfaction flickered in his eyes. “Good. As for the no-sex rule...”

I braced myself, certain he’d refuse.

He allowed a smirk. “No sex—until you ask for it.”

Before I could level a scathing retort, he raised his arms and muttered words in a strange tongue.

Sigils glowed around the walls and windows.

A pulse of violet light rippled over my skin before sinking into the stone.

The lingering tingle felt obscenely intimate, as if his magic had traced every nerve and decided to remember the shape of me.

“The wards,” he announced, suddenly businesslike, “will let you freely roam the fortress interior. But any attempt to leave Skyspire Citadel will fail. Trust me, you don’t want to learn how painfully that fails.”

He reclaimed his cloak, then paused at the door, dark gaze lingering on me. “Rest well, Lady Evenfall.”

A moment later, he was gone.

I stood there, my pulse still thrumming, and replayed every line of our bizarre negotiation. Had I truly gained a measure of freedom, or had he merely indulged me to secure my compliance?

Until you ask for it. The arrogance of the man was breathtaking.

My attention caught on the black roses by the fireplace. Their petals seemed to rustle like they were whispering, mocking my attempt at control.

“Shut up,” I muttered at them, feeling more foolish than ever. “You’re just flowers.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could have sworn they laughed.