Page 46 of The Deer and the Dragon
She frowned up at him, batting her lashes more than seemed entirely necessary.
He rested a hand on the wall near Fauna’s head, relaxing his weight into the space only inches from her while he considered the question. “Could you go as her intercessor? If she’s a Norde, you might be able to act as her mouthpiece?” His eyes lingered on her lips as he said the final words.
“The girl has angels—well, one asshole in particular—sniffing around her,” she said, allowing her gaze to similarly flit to the sensuous curve of his lips.
“Which angel?” he asked, eyes tightening.
“He’s going by Silas these days. Do you know him?”
His dark laugh sent a thrill through me as he said, “We all know Silas.”
“So, you get it. I can’t leave her unaccompanied until we figure out what to do with her. Any ideas?” I could have been imagining the way Fauna’s hips lifted slightly from the wall as if arching toward him, but I didn’t think I was.
“Her fae blood?” he asked, voice dropping an octave as he practically purred inches from her ear. “Was her ancestor given anything?”
I knew they were talking about me and doing their best to be solution-oriented, but I felt like I was watching foreplay. Fauna bit her lip as she stared into the stormy sky within his eyes. His half-smile bore down on her, a sharp canine glinting in the candlelight as if ready to devour her whole.
“Mar?” Fauna asked breathlessly, not bothering to look at me while the nymph eye-fucked the demon lingering over her. “Do you have access to Aloisa’s things?”
My mouth parted, unable to answer her. Though she was trying to help, I felt like I either needed to get out of the room before they started ripping each other’s clothes off or splash Fauna in cold water. I stuttered through the first word, unsure if I remembered how to speak and too distracted to decide if I cared to try. I either needed them to kiss and relieve the tension for the entire room or remember that they were not alone. I wondered what Betty made of all of this. I shot a glance to the woman who still sat at her writing desk, then back to Fauna.
I squeezed my eyes shut, inhaling and exhaling before I was ready to respond. “There’s a cedar chest at my parents’ place. I know my great-grandmother’s traditional clothes are in there. Her bunad is still safe.”
Their sexual tension shattered as they pierced me with their collective attention. Azrames dropped his arm and Fauna angled for me. Her fingers bit into my shoulders as she grabbed both of my arms. “Is there a sølje pinned to it?”
The question was so specific, so bizarre, that it took me a moment to gather my bearings. I retreated into my memory bank and pictured the things from the old country that my mother had tucked away. I blinked rapidly before nodding. Yes, the traditional silver broach with ornate, spoon-like dangles was an important part of the classic woolen dress. The filigree jewelry was often passed down in traditional Scandinavian families as an heirloom.
Fauna’s fingers tightened around my arms. “This is important, Marlow. If you’ve seen the broach or a picture of it, think carefully—what does the center look like? Is it like a crown? A flower? A pretty shape?”
It took me a second to conjure the image from my memories. I’d snuck away many a time to riffle through the cedar chest as a child, loving the scent of wood and imaginingthe treasures within as if they were my dowry. I’d always carefully folded everything and put it back exactly as I’d found it before my mother would catch me. But the silver broach stuck out with unique clarity. I shook my head slowly. “No…my great-grandma’s was different. It was something odd…it always looked like…”
“A tree?” she asked breathlessly.
“A tree,” I confirmed.
Fauna released me and looked to Azrames. “I wish I could stay, but…”
He extended his hand again as he’d done for me. When he kissed her knuckles, his lips lingered on her fingers, lifting only his eyes to burn into hers. Her tiny hitch of air assured us all that the gesture had been wildly effective. “I wish you wouldn’t make me wait twenty years between visits, but then again, I know what you are. Only a fool would try to pin you down. Stay wild and free, Fauna.”
With a backward step, he was gone.
The moment he vanished, Fauna released a long-held squeal. Betty broke her meditative state to spin to us. She shook her head with a knowing grin, saying, “Fauna, you really haven’t changed a bit, have you.”
“Breaking hearts and taking names.” Fauna wiggled excitedly. She helped Betty to her feet as we made our way out of the shop. She was still dancing from the exchange.
“Sorry to interrupt whatever that was,” I said, still reeling, “but what the hell does my great-grandma’s broach have to do with anything?”
Betty looked at me. “It sounds like your heirloom is the gift of a thousand lifetimes. It’ll allow you to walk with Fauna between realms, without needing to be bound to anyone.”
“But why would I go alone? I don’t know how—”
“I said the object will allow you to walk through realms without beingbound,” Betty said firmly. “I didn’t say anything about not needing to be accompanied. Unless I’m missing something and you know how to jump realms as a mortal.Though you could do worse than bonding yourself to Fauna.” Then to my babysitter, she said, “You have your hands full with this one.”
“Don’t I know it,” Fauna said. Still glowing from her exchange with the man made of ashes and smoke, she said, “Betty, I can’t thank you enough. But you can do something for me?”
“For you? Anything.”
Sincerity rushed through her as she said, “Be safe. The world is a better place with you in it, in this life and the next. Whether it’s robbers or angels—”
