Page 84 of The Deer and the Dragon
Her back remained to me, hands scouring his things as she said, “He can’t come.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Yeah” came Azrames’s voice as he joined us in the living room, tugging the shirt over his muscles and running his hand through his hair. “Why not?”
She growled as she spun on him. “Az, where is your—oh. Never mind.” Fauna ran to the glass container I’d marveled over only one day prior and placed a hand on either side.
“Don’t break the—” He stretched out a hand to stop her, but she’d already tossed the glass to the side. The tinkling shards of ten thousand diamonds filled the apartment as the case shattered to the floor.
“There was a latch, Fauna.”
“Whoops.” she said, ignoring him entirely. She shoved the Latin-inscribed dagger into its silver sheath and turned to him. “Find me a leather holster, Az. Make it cute.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking from the shattered evidence of her carelessness, then back to her. He disappeared, returning a moment later with two loose, leather belts. He fitted the first to her waist as he asked, “Now, why exactly can’t I come?”
“It’s too dangerous,” she said, still too distracted to truly look at any of us as she wreaked havoc on the apartment.
“What’s too dangerous?” I had a million questions and no one was giving me answers. “Are we killing Silas? What’s the plan here?”
“That depends entirely on what Silas has to say,” Fauna replied. “But with this favor hanging over the Prince’s head, the clock is ticking, and we have no idea what we’re really up against without understanding why he hasn’t let anyone know that he has the key to winning the war.”
“Maybe he has,” I said quietly. “Could he have told a different god?”
“Stand still,” he said, grabbing Fauna by the back of her shirt as she readied herself to dash into some other room and reeling her in. She danced in place with impatience. He cinched the belt with a final tug, bringing her up on her toes slightly. He hooked his finger between her hip and the strap,then spun her around. “You know Silas, Fauns. Could he be a defector?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I have no idea.”
“So, we don’t know his motives, and, just to be clear,” he said, voice dropping from its gentleness to a low growl. He bent his forefinger, tucking it beneath her chin and forcing her to calm down long enough to look into his eyes. “A sugar goblin and a human won’t let me, the centuries-old demon assassin, come on their fight because it’s too dangerous?”
“I…”
“You love me.” He grinned, releasing her. He began to fit himself with the other weapon, then opened a door in the hall that I was almost certain had never been there before. He procured a scimitar, a thin silver rope that he clipped to his waist, and a leather roll of god-knows-what clinking metals hid within. Much to my surprise, he procured a small, golden pistol.
“Really? Demons use guns now?” I gaped.
He shoved it into a holster at his hip and shrugged. “No use fighting the times.” He moved into the kitchen and began to scrawl a note, leaving it on the island.
“What are you writing?” Fauna asked.
“An apology note for the maid, since I’ll be busy battling it out in the mortal realm when she arrives.” He then looked at me, as if seeing me for the first time. His lips tugged up in a smirk before he looked back at Fauna. “You’re really going for the angel’s balls with that one, huh?”
Fauna shrugged, saying, “He wants her. It’s probably just a war thing, but, just in case he’s thinking with his dick…”
My eyes widened in horror as my hands flew to my chest. “You picked this on purpose!”
“Relax.” She rolled her eyes. “You have very cute nips. He’ll love them.”
My skin was unbearably hot. I could feel my pulse in my very cheeks as if my blood were trying to escape through my face. I switched my position, folding my arms over my chestrather than cupping my breasts before saying, “Okay. We find the angel. How, exactly?”
“Well, he can’t come to Hell, and at the moment, Fauna’s the only one of us who can get into Heaven,” he said. “We’ll meet him in the mortal realm. He’ll come when you call, Marlow.” Azrames’s gaze darted to my chest, and my eyes widened in shock. To my relief, he merely asked, “Where’s the sølje?”
I unfurled my hand to reveal it, lifting it to my shirt. He shook his head.
“No, leave it hidden. We don’t want it ripped from you. Those pants don’t leave much to the imagination, so we don’t get the luxury of pockets, but pin it on the inside of your waistline to ensure it doesn’t fall out. Plus, it’ll remain pressed to your skin that way.”
“Aw,” Fauna said, grabbing the cookies before she joined us, “look at you idiot-proofing Marlow’s hold on the broach. Come on. We have to get going.”
“Shouldn’t I get a weapon?” I asked, looking from Azrames’s battle-ready attire to the soft, looping leather that held Fauna’s ornate dagger.
