Page 61 of The Vanishing Throne

My lips curve into a smile. ‘Am I really the only human you can stand?’

‘You have a certain charm. It’s grown on me.’

I can’t help laughing. ‘Please, don’t strain yourself with flattery.’

He’s quiet a moment. I can’t tell if he’s smiling any more. His touch startles me, fingers threading through mine. ‘Kam,’ he says, voice barely above a breath. ‘Bha mi gad ionndrainn.’

He says it so seriously that I can’t help but pause. ‘What does that mean?’

He leans forward and kisses me once, softly. ‘I missed you.’

I flush, my cheeks burning. He missed me?He missed me.I don’t even know what to make of that.

Kiaran releases me and turns away. I hear the click of a latch before he opens a door I hadn’t even realised was there. Golden light streams into the dark close.

He beckons me to enter and I follow him into a massive room so lush that it takes my breath away. Polished mahogany lines the walls, glowing in the light from the chandelier overhead. The walls are covered in tapestries, intricate in their detail, sewnwith threads that shine like the inside of a seashell.

The tapestries detail epic battles between the fae and all of them show pixies as victors. Some depict the trophies the pixies took: the fallen heads of their enemies. The battles take place in front of a castle of pointed glass, a monstrous thing that towers into the sky.

I notice a familiar face in the threads. Derrick, sword in hand. Derrick, covered in blood. Derrick, standing victoriously over a pile of faery bodies. Derrick—

‘What the hell are they doing here?’

I look over at where Daniel stands with his hands clenchedat his sides, eye glaring at me in stark anger. Catherine and Gavin stand behind him, and the other two must be the Seers Kiaran just mentioned. The blasted pixie in question zips around Daniel in a trail of gold.

Seeing me, Derrick launches himself at my shoulder and sits there. ‘Good, now you’re here and we can get started finding out who’s roaming around outside. Just ignore the angry Cyclops.’

Daniel stalks over, his boots heavy on the spun-gold carpet. I hear Catherine’s muttered curse as she follows him. ‘Daniel, don’t.’

He doesn’t listen to her. Now that we’re in full light, I study his features better. Daniel isn’t handsome in any conventional fashion – two days’ worth of stubble covers his chin, and his remaining eye has the sharp glare of a hawk.

Daniel does hold himself with a confidence that is undeniably charismatic. Though I must admit: I’m a wee bit surprised at Catherine’s attraction to him. She always seemed to prefer men who were the very definition of agentleman: well groomed, well dressed, well mannered, and – dare I say it – men who didn’t submit ladies to the torture of faeries.

Still, I suppose I ought to makesomeeffort to be nice, since he is her husband.

Daniel stops in front of me. ‘Get out,’ he says. His eye flickers to Kiaran. ‘And take thatthingwith you.’

Well, never mind being nice then.

‘Daniel,’ Catherine snaps.

‘Oy, lout!’ Derrick’s wings flick my ear in anger. ‘That’s my companion you’re being rude to. Say another word and—’

‘If this turns out to be something more serious than a scouting soldier,’ Daniel interrupts, never looking away from me, ‘how do we knowshe’s not responsible for it? She could have led them right to us.’

Derrick bares his teeth. ‘We don’t know that. Nowcalm down.’

But Daniel isn’t listening. He steps closer to Kiaran. ‘And this bastard would probably just let them kill us all.’

Kiaran’s eyes flash with that uncanny light. ‘Now that’s tempting.’

I almost intervene, but Catherine gets there before I do. She puts a hand to Daniel’s chest. ‘Back off.’

‘Stay out of this,’ he growls.

If Catherine was angry before, now she looks downright murderous. ‘I said.Back. Off.’ When he doesn’t move, Catherine grips his arm hard. ‘I believe I need to speak withyou. Right now.’ She looks at me. ‘We’ll be back in a minute.’

She leaves with Daniel, shutting the door behind her with a slam that echoes through the room. After that, everyone is quiet. Then I remember we still have the company of three other men who are unabashedly gawking; Gavin and two others I haven’t met.

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