Page 224 of Flirting with Darkness

I’d just finished tying the strip of baby blue fabric around his waist when the air shimmered and Bastian stepped through.

The coal-haired fae took in his surroundings with a casual glance, then his metallic eyes landed on Faolán and stayed there. A slow smirk eased across his face. “I have so many questions.”

Faolán gave him a flat look. “You can ask once we’re back in Tenebris.”

Bastian’s smirk widened. “Or I can ask now.”

Faolán flat-out growled. “Hot bath, clean clothes, good food, and a warm bed—all of this forbothof us, then I tell you everything.”

Nowthatwas how you made a bargain. Except…

I cleared my throat. “And tell Ariadne we’re back and we’re safe.”

Shoulders sinking, Bastian sighed. “Fine. You have a deal.” He inclined his head to me and opened the shadow door. “After you.”

Faolán kept close, one hand on my shoulder, which was just as well because my stomach lurched at the thought of stepping into utter blackness. If he hadn’t been there, I might’ve bolted.

“I must say, Faolán,” Bastian drawled, “that really is a fetching colour on you.”

“If you weren’t my employer, I’d rip you to shreds.”

Despite being around a foot shorter than my husband, Bastian didn’t look the slightest bit afraid. He didn’t even draw himself up to his full height or square his shoulders like he had anything to prove. He just scoffed. “You’re welcome to try.”

Faolán grumbled as we reached the shadow door.

We walked through together.

41

IN TENEBRIS

As soon as we were through the shadow door, Bastian showed us down a corridor, making for a set of double doors. The ceiling was richly decorated in shades of midnight that faded down the walls to the violets, pinks, and oranges of dusk. Gold stars and constellations spread across it all.

While I’d seen wealth at the house—I wasn’t sure what to call the place we’d spent a month, now I knew it was Elaina—this felt different. The gold less ostentatious. The colours more subtle. It reminded me of Ariadne’s embroidery—artful and elegant.

“Where are we?” I glanced at Bastian’s straight back as he led the way. “Is this your house?”

His head turned a touch, so I glimpsed an amused twist to his mouth.

Faolán snorted. “This is the palace,” he muttered.

“Welcome to Tenebris.” Bastian gestured and the doors opened, revealing a large bedroom with similar starry decor. With a nod and the promise of food, he left us.

Faolán made a beeline to another door inside, which I’d have bet my life led to a bathroom. And I’d have won that bet.

Turned out, I knew my husband.

Just like at the house, the taps here ran with hot water that steamed the air, and I let Faolán choose the combination of scents. Honeysuckle and bay, with a touch of lemon.

We sat together, soaking away our exhaustion, my back to his chest, his chin resting on the top of my head. It was calm. It was quiet. And it was ours.

But one small thought dug into me, like a sharp stone underfoot. I traced a pale line where his tattoos faded down his arm and swallowed, not wanting to ruin the safety we’d finally found. “What do humans and fae do when they’re together for longer than a year and a day? Because one day they don’t have any longer—or at least the human doesn’t.”

That was the kernel of truth at the centre of my belief about humans and fae ending in tragedy. And it still stood.

He growled the softest growl I’d ever heard. It reverberated into me. “Not something I want to think about.” He lowered his arms from the edge of the bath and squeezed them around me like someone was trying to take me away.

I pressed into him and pushed a smile on my face. “Well, I’m sure you won’t need to for a long while. But…” I turned my head to look up at him and nuzzled against his jaw.

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