Page 35 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
“What are you doing?” Daemon asks.
“This… damnable cloak is blocking my wings.”
Daemon’s hands move up to cover mine. I wonder if he can feel my heart thudding under his fingers. “Leave that on. It’s too cold for you without your cloak.”
“But I still think flying would be faster.”
“You’re not wrong. But it’s a nice night for a walk, don’t you think?”
I consider it a moment and then nod. “Everything is so pretty tonight. As long as you don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t let you fall,” he says, and he leads us forward again. After a few steps he asks, “Why do you think I’m leading a rebellion?”
I look over at him. “Well, isn’t that what everyone thinks?”
“Yes,” he responds. “But I don’t care what everyone else thinks. I want to know whyyouthink that.”
“Because the night you saved me from the hunters, we were hundreds of miles to the south.” Flashes of that night move through my head, which is very much not what I want to think about right now. “Where did that wine go…”
“You mostcertainlydo not need more wine,” Daemon says, and there’s that rumble in his chest again. “Fae wine is not made for human consumption.”
“I know, I know,” I say. “Fae are stronger and live longer and are more magical and are prettier and are better in every way.”
“And fae are also more cruel and more cunning and more jaded and more wicked.” Daemon glances down at me. “There’s nothing wrong with being soft, you know.”
“I amnotsoft.” I punctuate my statement by stumbling yet again—tricky, tricky feet—and Daemon catches me under my other arm as I fall against his chest. He definitely feels like marble. Except he is warm and I can feel his heart beating against mine and his eyes are definitely glowing, the moonlight catching them just so…
“Why didn’t you tell anyone that I brought you here?” he asks, those jade eyes searching mine.
“What makes you think I didn’t?”
“Because I’d be in a prison cell now if you had.”
I pause, staring up at him. “I don’t know… at first, I just didn’t think anyone would believe me. But then I met you, and I knew that you didn’t want me to know, that it was important to you… and so, I didn’t.”
“Even though you think I’m leading a rebellion?”
“I could care less who sits on the fae throne,” I say with a laugh. “It doesn’t matter. Not to us humans. Our lives will continue just the same.”
Daemon stiffens and his tone darkens. “You’re quite wrong about that… you have no idea what some of these fae would do if they claimed the Court of Nightmares.”
His sudden change in demeanor sends a flicker of fear through me, fear that shoves back the lightness and bliss of the wine. “So… you’re not planning to overthrow the Queen?”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” he says, and the hint of a smile is back.
“Well then, why did you sneak out of the castle and come across me all the way in Kyrn?”
“That’s a story for another night.” Daemon lifts me as if I weigh nothing and props me up a few inches away from him. “How are those feet doing?”
“Still there,” I say with a sigh.
The river is a glittering ribbon in the distance, and the sound of rushing water hits my ears. Other than the moon and stars, the lights of the ball and the castle have fallen behind, and darkness wraps around us. In the distance, the peaks of the mountains look like dragons, silver and majestic. I can smell trees and flowers and the faint musk that clings to Daemon’s cloak. Like leather and earth and the night sky.
“You smell like a man. But like… different than other men.”
Daemon looks down at me. “You definitely need to stay away from fae wine in the future.”
“Are you saying I’m drunk? I’ll have you know I can hold my liquor perfectly fine.”
