“And when Sara brought you back, you told me you almost had her,” Oren smiled, as if teling a funny anecdote. “You told me how she’d nearly kissed you, and the way she blushed when you suggested that she marry you instead of that idiot she’s with now.” Loki said nothing. He stared at the floor and bit his lip. A horrible pain grew inside my chest, because I knew it was true.

“Didn’t you?” Oren yeled, and Loki jumped, but he kept looking down.

“I had no choice,” Loki said quietly. “I was folowing orders.”

“That’s okay then, isn’t it?” Oren smiled when he looked at me.

“Everything that has ever transpired between the two of you is a lie.

But he did it because I asked him to, so that makes it okay. Doesn’t it? It’s okay knowing every word he ever said is a lie?”

“That’s not true,” Loki said and lifted his head. “I didn’t lie. I never lied.”

“How can you trust anything he says?” Oren shrugged.

“Why are you teling me this?” I asked, surprised by how even my voice sounded.

“Because I was hoping you would reconsider,” Oren said. “You can go back to your palace, go back to your husband and your kingdom, but leave Loki here with me. You don’t want or need him.

He’s useless. He’s trash.”

“No,” I said, meeting Oren’s eyes. “He goes with me. If you want the deal, if you want me and my kingdom as soon as I become Queen, then he goes with me now. Or the deal is off.”

“He means that much to you?” Oren asked. He walked up to me, stopping in front of me so close I could feel his breath on my face. “Even knowing how he’s betrayed you, you stil want him back?”

“I promised I would take him back with me, and I wil,” I answered deliberately.

“You keep your promises,” Oren said. “Good. Because if you don’t keep this one, if you don’t give me your kingdom as soon as you are Queen, Loki wil be the first one I kil. I wil do it right in front of you. Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Good,” he smiled. “Then we have a deal. Al of Tryle wil be mine.”

“And until then, you won’t lay a hand on any of the Tryle people or towns,” I said. “You wil leave us al in peace.”

“Agreed,” Oren said and held out his hand.

I shook it and I couldn’t help but feel like I’d made a deal with the devil.