I looked up at the sound of my soulmate's familiar footsteps on the crushed bark of the path. Dain emerged from the hedge maze, looking calm and collected, but not in the way he did when he was trying very hard not to put his sword through someone. I propped my head up in my hands, resting my elbows on my thighs, waiting to see what he would do. I honestly had no clue how he'd react now that he'd had time to consider what I'd done. It hadn't been what he'd asked for and it was outside the bounds of our relationship.

He came over without speaking and sat on the bench next to me. We sat in companionable silence for a while, and I found to my surprise that I wasn't troubled waiting for him, even with the possibility of getting told that he was unhappy with me. I'd never been a very patient person, but with Dain I kind of enjoyed the anticipation of discovery. He was complicated and fascinating, and I liked seeing new facets of him all the time.

"Thank you," he said at last.

My head snapped to the side and I stared at him, completely flabbergasted. Rule one of dealing with the fae: never accept a debt you could avoid. Thanking someone for sure fell into that bucket. I had never, not ever, expected to hear Dain thank me for something.

Dain smiled, not looking at me, an expression halfway between smugness and a smirk. "You're my soulmate," he said. "Our bond means that neither of us can ever owe the other anything, or claim a debt, so I can show my gratitude to you without concern for your retaliation. It's also, of course, why you became my guest instead of my slave."

"I see," I said, when I managed to re-engage my jaw.

One of his ears flicked, and he tilted his head enough to look sideways at me. "Do you?"

"Maybe," I said, and saw his lips twitch. "You might have told me sooner. I made all those deals with you for no reason."

"Not for no reason," Dain said, sounding amused. "I'm still fae, so I'm still bound by our bargains, even though we can't be in each other's debt and force each other into them that way. It's also an... easier way for me to interact with someone, especially someone I don't know well." He put his arm around me and tugged me flush against his side, then kissed me on the temple. "I can't change what I am, you know. Even though we're soulmates, it's comfortable and pleasing for me to strike bargains with you, and satisfying to complete the exchange. Besides," he added with a smile, "I was saving the first time I ever thanked someone for something really worthwhile."