Page 28 of When the Wicked Sing
“You don’t remember anything?” she asked, avoiding his gaze.
“No,” he groaned.
Her eyes met his briefly before she focused back on cleaning the wound. “That’s probably for the best.”
“What makes you say that?” he ground out.
What Mari did next surprised him. She gently blew on the inflamed area until the sting faded, then brought her stormy gaze up to his.
“You were screaming,” she murmured.
He couldn’t describe what he felt then, staring into the sea trapped within her eyes. The softness in her gaze countered the tension in her shoulders and mouth.
“Why did you save me?” He had to know. It made no sense for her to stick around. He was grateful to be alive but couldn’t forget that she was a dangerous enemy—one that clearly had a hidden agenda.
Mari shrugged. “I just killed a fae, and I wasn’t about to watch another die.”
Dax studied her as she patched him back up. “Why would that matter to you?”
“Because”—she slapped the tape on, making him grunt—“I’d never killed anyone before, and I didn’t like the feeling. Don’t make me think otherwise.”
They glared at each other for a solid minute before Mari finally looked away.
“How long was I out for?”
Mari shrugged as she began cleaning up the bloody patches. “Since last night. Your body needed time to recover.”
No shit,he almost said. Instead, his eye caught on the dagger she’d set on the ground beside her. “What kind of blade is that?”
Picking it up, she turned it over in her hands. “Basilisk bone. My sister, Aurora, makes armor and weapons out of it.”
Dax’s eyebrows shot up. “Impressive. How in the blazes did she find a basilisk?”And survive?
“She found a carcass in an underwater cave, brought back what she could, and discovered that the bone bent under extreme heat and pressure. As it cooled, it hardened.” Mari flipped the blade in her hand. “Harder than steel.” Her gaze flitted to his. “Ever seen one before?”
Dax swallowed. “Yeah, a long time ago.” He tried not to recall the memory long stowed away in his mind, but he couldn’t stop his body from growing tense as the bloody battle filled his thoughts.
He dragged his eyes away from the bone blade to study the creeping vines that climbed up the stone wall in front of him.
Mari sheathed the dagger at her hip and stood up. “Best to let that scab so you’ll heal faster.”
He glanced down at the wound. He could feel his skin knitting itself back together. It was going much slower than usual, but at least he was healing.
“How did you find this place?”
“I followed the horses. They seemed to know where they were going when that fae let them loose. I assume this was where the scumbags were staying, awaiting the moment we came through the Crossing.” Mari turned her head toward him. Dax kept his gaze steady, unflinching under her scrutinizing stare. “I think you know who they were. And why they were waiting for us.”
“I had no idea they’d be there.”
She tilted her head. “You wouldn’t have let that last one go if you didn’t know who he was.”
He stayed silent, watching her calculating and cynical gaze inspect him. He didn’t like where this was going; he needed to turn it around.
“Thank you,” he said softly and cleared his throat. “I’m grateful for what you did.”
“Yes, well …” She brushed her hands together before settling them on her hips. “Don’t thank me yet. You’re still on my bad side. Plus, you owe me.”
Dax’s brows pulled together, instantly frowning at the idea. “What do you want?”
