Page 78 of With Wing And Claw

‘Inga said she hadn’t seen you since the early afternoon.’ Thysandra didn’t look up as she opened the basket and began extracting its contents: grilled peppers, small, boat-shaped pies stuffed with minced lamb, sticky honey cake. ‘And the cooks said you hadn’t visited the kitchens either, so I figured you might be hungry. Took some food with me before I went to ask the Labyrinth where to find you.’

Naxi only barely suppressed another sniffle as she glanced at the ceiling and whispered, ‘Thank you, Labyrinth.’

Most colours dulled a little in response; only the pink gems flickered brighter.

She settled herself onto the tunnel floor, next to the steadily expanding pile of food, then tucked her bare feet beneath her coat and snatched a handful of sugared almonds from a small linen bag. A plate of stuffed dates and a bottle of rose lemonade emerged from the basket last. Out of nowhere, she felt utterly peaceful – warmth, food, safety …

Like home.

She quickly shoved that thought away.

‘So,’ she said instead, munching on her nuts. ‘Tell me about your plans to destroy the court. It soundsdelightful.’

‘It’s not a plan, necessarily,’ Thysandra admitted with a joyless grin as she leaned back against the opposite wall and crossed her long legs. ‘Or rather, the plan is to stop trying to workwiththe bastards and start to workagainstthem if they refuse to behave. We won’t get to the destruction part unless it turns out they need some … well, more forceful encouragement.’

Oh, thatsmileon her lips.

Naxi forgot to register the words she was speaking, forgot to chew – riveted,mesmerised, by the curve of that luscious mouth, the way the corners edged up and revealed two irresistible, almost mischievous dimples. A fleck of honey clung to Thysandra’s bottom lip. Next to it, the smallest crumb of cake. Messy, inelegant, andstunning– she wanted nothing more than to lick those distractions away, then—

‘Naxi?’

She saw the shape on that gorgeous, wine-red mouth more than she heard it.

‘What?’ she stuttered.

‘I asked if you wanted something to drink.’ Dark brown eyes narrowed on her face, and again the flimsy sensation of worry prickled in the air between them. ‘Are you alright? Still cold?’

‘No,’ Naxi spluttered, as truthful as she’d ever been. Her cheeks were burning. So was every other part of her, really. ‘No, not at all. I … I was just wondering how you changed your mind so suddenly.’

‘Oh.’ Thysandra reached for the basket again, pulling out two glasses. As she filled them with lemonade, she added, ‘I made a quick visit to the Cobalt Court.’

Creon and Emelin.

Some sense began to seep back into the whole situation.

‘I was driving myself insane trying to keep up with everyone’s threats and demands and expectations,’ Thysandra sourly continued as she leaned over to press a glass into Naxi’s hand, their fingers brushing against each other in a brief, stolen caress. ‘Still trying to serve the whole world. I’ve never done anything else, you know? Turns out I don’t have to. That I … I might as well stop catering to every shouting voice around me and do whatIthink must be done.’

Blazing hell. It was unfair, really, for a person to besoshockingly beautiful – radiant eyes, flushed skin, the mouthwatering contours of muscular shoulders and flawless breasts … Relief radiated off that dutiful fae heart in featherlight waves, potent enough to get drunk on it. Potent enough, too, toalmostdrown out the ever-present watchfulness below; enough to almost,almostpass for security.

This, then, was Thysandra Demonbane when she stopped trying so desperately to be strong: a gods-damned force of nature.

‘Yes,’ Naxi said, feeling a little lightheaded as she clutched her drink. ‘Of course.’

Thysandra took a sip of lemonade. Licked a last drop off her lip. Leaned back against the wall, the glowing purple and orange gemstones behind shrouding her face in an otherworldly light, and closed her eyes as she said, ‘I’ve been an idiot about you, too.’

Naxi stopped breathing.

‘See, I was trying not to accept your offer to help because I assumed you would be leaving any moment.’ Another flicker of a smile. ‘But if I’m about to take on the court, I’m going to need you around here. And if I need you to stay while I’m making things right, if I need you to not betray me—'

Naxi scoffed. ‘I wasn’t going to—’

‘—then I’m going to need a different approach,’ Thysandra continued, as if she’d barely heard the interruption – giving the impression this was a monologue she had prepared well in advance, every sentence refined and memorised over the hours it must have taken her to fly back from the west. ‘And you’re a demon. You’re inherently selfish. So if you help me, I’ll give you anything you want in return, alright? If anyone promises you a better deal, you come back to me, and I’ll double—’

‘Will you come live somewhere else with me?’ Naxi said.

Thysandra’s mouth snapped shut.

For a single, gem-lit moment, they just stared at each other – sparkling glasses in their hands, a pile of food between them. Thoughts were visibly crashing into each other behind those dark eyes, wishes and promises, sensible politics and personalpreferences …