Page 45 of The Deer and the Dragon
His sooty brows lifted. “The human can see me?” he asked Fauna. He turned his gray eyes. I shrank under his gaze as he reiterated, “You can see me?”
Fauna answered on my behalf, which was a relief, because I wasn’t sure I remembered how to speak. “It’s why we’re here. And it was sort of a ‘two birds, one stone’ situation. Glad to know her impulse tattoo is working. Betty’s an absolute darling and was willing to help us get in touch with someone from your kingdom.”
He clicked his tongue. “You know you didn’t have to go through all that trouble, Fauna. I would have come for you.”
I choked on my breath. The way he rested on the end of his sentence was borderline pornographic. My gaze shot from him to the fidgeting fae at my side for confirmation thatI wasn’t reading into things. Oh yeah. She was definitely red. Perhaps it was my nerves edging me toward laughter, but I had to bite down on my lip to keep from making a sound. I’d never seen her uncomfortable before.
She cleared her throat to gather her composure before saying, “I’m sort of mortal-bound at the moment. I don’t have the luxury of popping through realms while I have this little nuisance at my hip. Speaking of: Az, this is my friend. And, friend, would you like to introduce yourself?”
“I’m Marlow. Marlow Thorson—”
Everyone in the room, Azrames included, reacted. Even Betty, eyes still closed while she remained seated at her writing desk, shook her head in vehement disapproval.
Fauna punched me in the arm. “We’ve had this talk! Twice! You even threw in your family name this time? For fuck’s sake, have you no sense of self-preservation?”
“What?” I demanded, my voice too loud for the occasion. “Am I supposed to lie to him? Do you want me to treat him like the barista and tell him to call me ‘Your Majesty’?”
She made a contemplative face. “Actually, that helps me cut to the chase. Az, how’s the Royal Family?”
His lips turned down. “How did you know to ask?”
I stiffened. To my surprise, so did Fauna.
“Why?” she asked slowly.
He shook his head. “Things are…” He looked at me, then back at her.
She jerked a thumb toward me. “This is the Prince’s human.”
I could have sworn his knees buckled. Azrames’s hands left his pockets as smoky fingers ran through his hair, smoothing it out. He swallowed audibly. “This is…”
“So, you see why I can’t exactly ditch her? It wouldn’t look good for the Nordes’ relationship with Hell. It’d be hard for us to stay neutral if we let a princess-in-waiting die on our watch—or whatever it was Heaven wants from her now that they know.”
My heart hiccupped uncomfortably at her words. The shadows pressed in, everything suddenly seeming a bit too small, too smoky, too claustrophobic. I grabbed Fauna’s arm for support, which she accepted fully.
Azrames took several steps closer. He examined me with cautious respect, then looked at her. “I didn’t realize the Prince’s human had fae blood. I thought it was just your scent when I arrived. It’s been a minute since that chilly pine perfume…” He lifted a hand as if to brush her hair away from her face, then faltered. He lowered it again, dusting the shadows from his monochromatic clothes. He looked at me then and extended an open palm as he said, “It’s an honor to meet you.”
On instinct, I slipped my hand into his.
He pressed his lips gently to my knuckles, shooting painful nostalgia through me at the cool, soothing touch through my spine. He released my hand, then offered me an apologetic smile. “We haven’t seen him. He hasn’t come back from the mortal realms in some time. And if he isn’t with his human—”
“Marlow,” I corrected.
“With his idiot,” Fauna said.
Azrames exhaled before amending, “If he isn’t with Marlow, then I’m not sure where he is. Word is, he hasn’t been in Hell for a while. I’m not high-ranking enough to have access to the information. You should speak to the King. He would want to help you. Not just for his son but for you, Marlow.”
It was my turn to blush. All the air left the small room. I was no longer able to look at his too-smooth face, his mussed hair, or the way his shirt showed his muscles with just a little too much clarity.
Fauna’s face scrunched. “She can’t go into another realm unless she’s bound. That’s why I’m stuck in this flesh prison. And without the Prince to offer passage between realms…”
His jaw ticked while he considered her problem. “And Isuppose she doesn’t want to bind herself to you because she’s spoken for.”
My stomach lurched.Spoken for.
Fauna popped a lip into her mouth. She sucked on it idly as she asked, “Is there any reason he might be hiding?”
His chuckle was humorless but not unkind. “Our Prince? No. There’s no beast, curse, or deity that could send anyone in the Royal Family into hiding. He could merely…” Azrames snapped his fingers. “I strike down mortals. The Prince? He conquers deities.”
