10
Finn
Glenson—regardless of his proclivity for imbibing truly heroic amounts of honey wine at my parties—runs a good operation.
Organized, well-staffed, and nearly ready to move out by the time I drag my ass out of bed and arrive to where everyone is staging just outside the court.
“Nice of you to join us,” Glenson deadpans as I stroll up. “At least you’re already outfitted.”
He eyes up the armor I’m wearing. Nighfall armor, because the selection they had available in the armory was truly atrocious.
Instead, I’ve chosen handsome leather armor tailored and cut specifically for my frame.
Well. For my older brother Kieran’s frame. But the two of us have been nearly identical in size since adolescence.
And I’m sure he won’t miss it since he’s currently deployed in the frost realm as an envoy for the demon court.
Despite how good I look, it’s doing next to nothing for my mood.
Not that there’s much in any of the thirteen realms that could help with that, considering.
But the sun is nearly up, and everyone seems to be in fine enough spirits this morning as they hustle and bustle around the staging area just outside the court.
Mostly, I try to stay out of the way.
Goddess knows I’m not suited to being useful.
There are several organized piles of wooden trunks, tightly bound leather folios filled with scrolls, several sets of neatly packed canvas tents.
According to the orders Glenson gives, there are far more guards here for the departure than will be sticking around for the entire trip. Most of them are temporary muscle to portal supplies where they need to go.
Nothing so exciting as being a beast of burden, carrying loads from one end of the realm to the other, I suppose.
Glenson nods to me across the chaos, and I pick my way back over to him after I’ve done my part in stacking crates and seeing them off.
“Having fun?” he says with a crooked lilt to his smile.
“Always.” I give him a wink in return. “I never knew what thrilling adventures the court guard corps got up to.”
He huffs a breath through his nose. “Thank you, by the way. For not… ah… divulging to your father how exactly we know each other.”
“I can’t imagine what you mean.” I pick at a non-existent piece of dirt on my armor.
Another huff. “Well. Anyway. I appreciate it. And I hope my accepting your offer to come along on this excursion expresses at least some of my gratitude.”
The comment draws me up short.
That’s why he let me come along?
Of course that’s why he let me come along.
I’m an idiot for not seeing it before now.
Of course Glenson only wanted to save face, perhaps earn himself a few points with a powerful courtier by allowing his useless son to tag along and play guard.
A sour taste coating the back of my tongue, I make myself smirk at him.
“For what it’s worth, I meant what I said about not being entirely hopeless with a sword.”
He claps me once on the shoulder—indulgent, like someone appeasing a wayward, fanciful child.
It makes my skin crawl.
“I’m sure you’re a credit to the Nighfall family.”
He sounds so damned earnest in that upright, future-Captain-of-the-Guard way he has about him, but the words still rankle.
They rankle enough that I’m about to say something else, cut him a bit more down to size, when he speaks again.
“Ah,” Glenson says, eyes on something behind me. “There are the final members of our party.”
I turn to see who he means, and my heart drops to somewhere near my feet.
There are several figures approaching, but I only see one.
Only my mate.
It’s the first time I’ve laid eyes on her since she ran away from me back in Seren and Callum’s rooms, and I’ll be goddessdamned if she doesn’t take my breath away even harder now than she did then.
The morning sun hits her like a benediction from the Goddess. Gilding her black hair and highlighting the pink apples of her cheeks, which only get pinker when she sees me standing with the rest of the guard.
She’s got something on her face—some strange frames of dark-colored glass—so I can’t read the expression in her eyes, but by the way she falls back a step and lets the others walk ahead of her, it’s not hard to guess she’s none too excited to see me.
With effort, I tear my eyes from her to glance at the demons striding up beside her. Vayla, the court healer, along with several of her apprentices—unsurprising, given the nature of this trip.
My eyes skate over their faces, pathetically unable to keep themselves from straying away from Soleil for long.
Fuck, but she’s beautiful.
I’ve always appreciated the female form in all its many variations.
Collecting lovers has turned out to be a great complementary hobby for general indolence and underachieving, and I’ve always been quite enthusiastic to pursue a pretty demoness.
Or nymph. Or orcess, on occasion. I’m really not picky.
But now, faced with the obliterating sight of my mate lit by the dawn, I can’t remember a single one of those many conquests.
I can’t imagine ever looking at anyone else.
Soleil is almost cruelly gorgeous.
With her long midnight curls, and curves that make my claws ache and the tips of my fangs tingle. With the stubborn jut of her chin and the adorable tilt of her nose. With the aura of power around her—radiant as the sunshine just breaking over the distant mountains.
Stunned by her appearance, I don’t really connect what Glenson just said to the sight in front of me.
At least not until Vayla reaches us, hands on her hips, all business as she surveys the ongoing preparations and turns to the Lieutenant with a crisp nod of greeting.
“We’re all here and ready to join you on the expedition.”