“And human women are less trouble! She escapes before my buyer arrives, and I don’t get paid at all, do I?”
“But he’ll be here tomorrow. And to point out the obvious: pretty face, blond hair, magic.” The fey rubbed his fingers together. “Coin.”
The merchant did not look convinced.
“And big tits,” the fey added, jerking up my tee. And looking smug, like he’d just made the sale.
The merchant looked sourly at my sports bra, which tended to flatten things out somewhat.
The fey’s eyes followed, and he frowned, like he’d expected something different. “Be that as it may, she’s worth at least . . . six of the ones I lost.”
“Six of the ones you let those bitches steal, you mean, and not by half. Two.”
“Five. None of the others were magical—”
“As far as I can tell, neither is she!”
“What do you call that thing?” The fey pointed at Rosier.
“I don’t know what you call that thing, but I don’t deal in that thing. I deal in women, and it ain’t one!”
“Four, then. My final offer, or I go elsewhere. I could even try to sell her myself—”
“Good luck wi’ that. There’s such a glut tonight, you won’t make half the price of the three I’ll give ye—”
“Then it’s true. Half the slaves in Britain are here tonight.”
“Aye, Lady’s orders. Wanted ’em all in one place.”
“For what?”
“Why don’t you go ask her?” the merchant said, exasperated. “Now, do we have a deal or not?”
The fey sighed. “Three it is.” He leaned over to cut my bonds. “Don’t worry, lovely one. You’re going to a better place.”
“Is that what you tell everyone you enslave?” I asked bitterly.
Only the special ones, he mouthed, his back to the merchant, causing me to stare up into that unique face in confusion.
Which only increased when it suddenly morphed, the features sliding from aquiline perfection to something else. Something with a too-narrow mouth, a too-large nose, and a pair of piercing green eyes. A very familiar pair.
“No. But in your case, it’s probably true,” the fey that wasn’t a fey told me. “You’re just the kind the nobles prefer, although they’d never admit it. You’re going to spend the rest of your life eating sweets and having fat babies for your master. You’ll be fine.”
Just stay out of trouble, he told me silently while I gaped at him. And tried to process the fact that Pritkin had just sold me into sex slavery to the fey.
And then he was gone.
Chapter Eighteen
“All right, move out! We’re clearing this area, all of you—get ready to move out!”
I stuck my head out of a tent flap a few minutes later, in time to see the merchant confront several dark-haired fey on horseback. “What’s this?” he demanded.
The nearest rider looked down at the rotund figure with annoyance. “What did I just say? Move out!”
“But I have special permission—”
“Not anymore. New orders, all camp followers are to pull back to the stronghold.”