Page 109 of The Vanishing Throne

He takes my hand, bows, and presses a quick kiss there, and it says everything. Forgiveness, remorse, regret. Hope.

Someone behind us clears his throat. I turn to see Daniel standing there, unsure. His clothes aren’t anywhere near as fine as Gavin’s, but he’s still well dressed, handsome. I suspect the fae had something to do with all the fine clothes here tonight.

‘Lady Aileana, might I speak to you?’ He glances at Gavin. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’

I stare at Daniel in surprise, but it’s Gavin who speaks first. ‘Of course not, old chap.’ He smacks him on the shoulder. ‘I’ll just have to find another partner, then, won’t I?’

Daniel offers an elbow to escort me. I take it hesitantly. He leads me toa quiet corner of the square, next to the steaming mugs of mulled wine, and he hands me one. I sip it, waiting for him to speak, but he doesn’t. As if now he doesn’t know what to say.

‘I’m sorry for the way I’ve behaved while you were here,’ Daniel finally tells me. ‘I wanted you to know that.’

‘Did Catherine put you up to this?’

Daniel peers over at his wife. Gavin cuts between her and a partner and dances his sister around the other couples. ‘I haven’t told her yet.’ He notices my face. ‘I see you haven’t either.’

‘Frankly, I’ve been avoiding it,’ I say. ‘I doubt she’ll be happy with either of us.’ Especially me. The last time I left Catherine to keep her safe, she nearly died. ‘I was going to tell her tomorrow, just before I leave.’

I try to think of the places I’ll go. I have no home. I have to leave everyone I care about to keep them safe again. Isn’t that the life of a Falconer, anyway? It doesn’t matter how well I fight or how strong I am; my mere existence willalways put the people I love at risk.

After a moment, Daniel clears his throat and says, ‘She’ll want you to stay, you know.’

I stare at Catherine in her long dress, laughing as she dances with Gavin. Despite everything she’s been through, she’s still the same. Her heart hasn’t hardened and she isn’t broken, and she’s never once given up faith on me. Not ever. We may not be linked by a mother or a father, butCatherine is my sister and always has been. We are stronger than blood.

‘You and I both know the truth, don’t we, Mr. Reid?’ I say. ‘We must do everything we can to survive and sacrifice for those we love. Sometimes there’s little place for sentiment at all.’

Daniel takes a sip of his drink and I notice it’s not mulled wine; it’s whisky. Fine choice. ‘I never thought I’d see the day when an Edinburgh debutante said that.’ He takes a long, hard look at me. ‘I’d have bet on pulling gold out of my arse first.’

I smile. ‘What do you think they teach us in etiquette lessons?’

‘How to ensnare a husband, I assume,’ he drawls in that rough accent of his.

‘Wrong,’ I say. ‘In that world, we survived by marrying. In this one, we learn to adapt. An Edinburgh debutante is taught self-preservation from childhood. It’s all we know.’

It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Daniel look quite so taken aback. ‘Then we have something in common, don’t we?’

I recall what he said about his father, his first death. ‘Aye. I just hope you realise how very lucky you are. She’s an extraordinary woman who believes you worthy.’

Daniel is staring at his wife. ‘She is,’ he says. ‘And, believe me, I know.’

As if she hears him, Catherine glances at Daniel, and I see how much she loves him. How her eyes light up and her lips curve into a smile at the sight of him.

I look down at my wine and take a sip. ‘I never got the chance to thank you.’

He frowns. ‘For what?’

‘For saving her life,’ I say. ‘I was the reason she was in that carriage. If I hadn’t—’

‘They come swift as the night,’ he interrupts. ‘They descend like shadows. You could have locked her in a vault, and they still would have found her. Do you know the truest burden of having the Sight?’ He looks at Catherine, watches her dance. ‘It’s knowing how fast they kill. That if you save one person, you’ve failed to save one hundred more. It’s knowing that I happened to be on that road when her carriage was being attacked, instead of some other road, with another carriage. One where those other peopledidn’t survive. It’s living with that every night. You know a thing or two about that, don’t you?’

‘Aye,’ I whisper. ‘I do. I—’

A hush comes over the crowd. The entire city goes completely silent around us. The fiddlers have stopped playing, and everyone has stopped dancing. I hear a few hushed whispers, and look to the source of their attention.

My breath catches. It’s Kiaran and Aithinne, looking every bit like fae royalty. Aithinne wears a delicate lilac dress that falls like a waterfall over her long legs. No petticoats, no corset. Just a beautiful, form-hugging dress that glitters as though it’s been dotted with stars. Her long dark hair is loose and gleaming, down to her waist.

And Kiaran … I’ve seen him dressed like a gentleman before, but never like this. Not in evening wear, with dark trousers and waistcoat and a perfectly tied cravat. Then his eyes meet mine. I’ve never seen such blatantwantingbefore. Like he’ll consume me. I could drown in that gaze.

Now he’s walking through the silent crowd toward me, and suddenly he’s there, and my hand is in his. His lips are at my ear. ‘Dance with me.’

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