Page 13 of Fae Trials

My eyes narrowed. The centaur did that in Doolish Square when I held onto his shoulders instead of his waist. Had the Jack of Smiles really been trying to grab onto me?

Coltrane galloped through a copse of rowan trees, which led to a wood so dense, not even a trace of moonlight penetrated its canopy. A chill set over my skin, and I huddled closer to the centaur. Had Sicily passed through here on foot? I hoped she had found safe transportation. Tendrils of ice wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing it away. The thing to remember about magical terrors was that nothing could hurt me if I didn’t engage with them.

Moments later, Coltrane slowed to a walk, and the rich, sweet scent of over-ripe cherries filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes to find us in a moon-lit clearing.

“Why are we stopping?” I asked.

He lowered himself onto his haunches, and I slid off the saddle and onto my ass. Thankfully, my jeans protected me from the moisture of the fallen fruit I’d squelched on my descent.

“We haven’t discussed payment,” he said.

“Ummm, yeah.” I stood and fiddled with my bracelet. “How many beads do you want?”

Pulling himself upright, Coltrane shook his head. “I don’t want your money.”

My spine stiffed. Bloody centaurs always desired the same thing from human girls. “It’s all you’re going to get.”

“Don’t play coy.” He circled me, his swishy tail whacking me on the ass. “It’s nothing you haven’t done before.”

I sucked in a breath through my teeth. Had Elijah been boasting about our arrangement all over Doolish? “What do you mean?”

“It was just a joke.” He stepped back, palms up. “No offense or anything.”

The muscles of my shoulders relaxed. He was just horny centaur trying his luck. I could deal with that. “How many beads do you want for the journey?”

He rubbed his chin. “Here’s the thing…”

“What?” I snapped.

“Hope Woods is a dangerous place, even for a centaur.”

I spread my arms wide. “No, it isn’t. Centaurs are impervious to dark magic, strong as ogres, and can gallop as fast as the wind. Or is all that stuff you guys always boast about just a rumor?”

“There’s a bargain ring going on tonight,” he said, sounding as though he hadn’t heard a word I’d said. “A blacksmith from the fifth level is planning on sacrificing all his human servants to help break his brother out of the Dark Fae Prison.”

My gaze darted from left to right. If I knew the location of this infernal circle, I’d be halfway there on foot by now. But because I was wholly dependent on this dubious method of transportation, I had to play nice and convince him to take me.

“But that prison is inescapable,” I said.

“So is the Isle of Fae, but that doesn’t stop people from trying,” he said with a shrug.

My thoughts jumped to Dad’s disappearance. If he had made a bargain, it had probably gone wrong, and he was toiling for someone within the Mound. I hoped to every human deity listening that his master wasn’t that fifth-level blacksmith.

Coltrane stopped circling and stood in front of me with his hands on his waist. “How about it, then?”

I raised my wrist. “Have as many beads as you like, but please take me to the circle. My sister—”

“As I said, it’s not money I want.” His dark gaze roved up and down my form.

I ground my teeth, a tension headache throbbing between my ears. For fuck’s sake! At this rate, Sicily would have condemned herself to a life of servitude.

“You want my body?” I snapped. When he gave me a salacious nod, I said, “It’s yours.”

Surprise flickered across his features. “What?”

“But call for me tomorrow evening,” I left out the fact that we planned on being in Balley Chashtal before nightfall tomorrow. “I want to buy some ointments to make it less of a stretch.”

His tongue ran along his bottom lip. “I don’t mind if you’re too tight.”