Page 110 of The Gilded Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 2)

“I know one of the agreements must have been Lord Cavinder’s proposition,” I say, breaking the silence, “but I cannot imagine what the other two could have contained.”

“One was a betrothal contract.”

“With whom?”

“Ian,” she says softly. “I’ve agreed to marry him, and consented to a handful of other items that keep me from killing him as soon as I’m free. He certainly knows how to protect himself.”

“Sabine!”

The princess swallows, closing her eyes like she feels ill. “The other was a property transfer.”

“Property?” I ask quietly, and a strange numbness washes over my body. “What kind of property?”

“Lord Treald willed you to Ian. Your tether transferred to him upon his father’s death, and now…”

“Now?”

Sabine doesn’t answer right away. After several heavy seconds, she says, “Now he’s transferred you to me.”

“What have you done?” I whisper.

When the princess opens her eyes, they swim with tears. “I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

Feeling like I’ve been punched in the stomach, I bend over. They used me to manipulate her.

“You should have let him kill me,” I say miserably.

“He wouldn’t have killed you!” Sabine exclaims, openly crying now. “He would have tortured you and then healed you just to torture you again.”

“I’ve been through it before!” I yell. “I would do it again to protect you!”

She recoils. Tears stream down her cheeks, and I hate myself a little more.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, moving across the carriage and reaching for her. “This isn’t your fault.”

No, it’s mine. They couldn’t have taken advantage of her if I hadn’t bound her magic.

Sabine melts into me, sobbing into my jacket. I stroke her hair, wishing there were words I could offer for comfort, but there are none.

After several minutes, I quietly ask, “So I’m yours now?”

Sabine shakes her head. “Not yet. The tether can’t transfer to me until Alaric removes the curse. But as soon as my magic is restored, the contracts will take effect.”

I go still, thinking about that. “Sabine…”

“What?” she asks, her voice muffled by my jacket.

“Explain Fae contracts to me.”

She looks up, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “There’s little to explain. Our magic holds us accountable, just as it keeps us from lying. It’s a curse that was placed on my court decades ago.”

“What happens when you sign a contract when your magic is bound?”

The princess stares at me, frowning. “Nothing happened when I signed, but as soon as my magic is restored—”

I hold up my hand, thinking hard. “What if the contracts are destroyed before Alaric lifts the curse?”

Sabine’s lips part with surprise, and then she looks to the side, her mind whirring behind her glossy blue eyes.