Chapter 13
TRAITOR
Whether he knows it or not, Thane Aurex made his own version of the mate’s promise to me.
I won’t let them take you…
He didn’t. He saved me in time, with Binx at his heels, and then fled through the woods before the soldiers could follow us.
Once he realized how much he gave away, he dons that same charming demeanor as easily as he slips on his cloak, then says he’s going to scout ahead.
I know what he’s doing. He’s giving himself a moment to recover, and doing the same for me.
He’ll be right back. I know he will. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, if Thane Aurex considers you under his protection, you’re protected.
Mom’s going to love him—if I ever get the chance to go back to Sombra and introduce them.
I’m not worried about that now. Nope, my much bigger concern is why Queen Celeste is picking on this shadow demon halfling in particular.
Once Binx scurries around me, sniffing wildly, making sure that I’m all right, I crouch down by my ungez and have a quick (and silent) chat where Binx confirms everything Thane had said.
Not that I doubted him. He can’t lie to me, and even if he could, the way he grabbed me like that… he was almost as scared as I was.
By the time he does return a few moments later, my fear has hardened into resolve. I wait for him to confirm that there isn’t anyone around that he can see or hear before I perch my hands on my hips and tell him, “I don’t want that to happen again.”
Thane looks up from where he’s stopped to finally clean the dried blood from his blade. His lips quirk into a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “You’d prefer fewer decapitations?”
“I’d prefer to know how to stop someone before it gets that far.”
I can’t always rely on Thane to save me. In that split second as the solder started for me, I didn’t even try to do anything more than scream. That’s unacceptable. I’ve been here for five moons. If I want to make it to six, I need to be able to protect myself.
Even in Sombra, I took the protection of Mom, Dad, and the clan for granted. I was the child of prophecy; of course they would keep me safe. Here in Noctavara, I’m just Alana of Sombra, and nothing is going to stop me from getting Rafe back.
Hey, I was bold enough to flippantly say ‘tell them that I’m coming’ my first eve here. Well, now they know, and I have to be prepared for other soldiers to come after me.
And if they do? I want to know how to end them.
Thane studies me for a long moment, something thoughtful flickering behind his guarded eyes. Then he reaches under his cloak and, seconds later, draws out a sword.
It can’t be his since he set his down by his foot when he grabbed the second one. It doesn’t look like Thane’s sword, either. It’s smaller and cleaner. Definitely sharp and well cared for.
New.
My brows lift. “You stole that? When did you steal that?”
“First of all, demoness, I didn’t steal it. I paid for it.”
I blink. Paid… “But… you’re a bandit.”
“Still am,” he agrees. “A sword like this should cost at least fifty gold coins. I got away with only having to give Morgane five for his spare. If that’s not a robbery, I don’t know what is.”
That throws me. “You bought it from Morgane? But I thought… you just want to get as much gold as possible.”
“Yes, but I’m also trying to keep you alive,” he replies. “Seemed a fair investment with me, especially since I’m getting to know you, Alana of Sombra. To understand you. I assumed you’d want a sword of your own eventually.”
He knows me, and he didn’t even have to take my essence to figure me out. “Thane…”
My fae mate holds it out, hilt first. “On one condition.”
“What is it?”
“You let me teach you how to use it.”
Was it that obvious that I didn’t know how to wield a sword?
Considering how he found me hanging from a snare trap, he had a pretty good assessment of my survival skills.
They’re terrible. I never needed to develop them.
In Sombra, my magic makes me powerful, and my kinship with the shadows at the end of Nuit allows me a safety among the beasts that none of my clansmen have.
Besides, if I even tried to borrow Glaine’s sword, Mom’s head would probably burst into flames.
But I’m determined, and so is Thane.
Just in case, he moves the three of us further into the golden forest. Once he gives it the all clear—and even asks Binx if the ungez senses any other creates nearby—he shrugs off his cloak, pulls out his sword, and gets ready to teach.
He shows me how to stand, how to shift my weight.
His hands correct my hips, my shoulders, and if he lingers just a breath too long each time, I pretend not to notice.
But I did. I couldn’t help it. The air between us is charged.
I want to back up into him, and when he takes another position to spar slowly with me, I’m sure he can tell what I’m thinking from the way my cheeks are heated.
“Relax,” he murmurs near my ear. “You’re fighting the blade.”
“I’m fighting you.”
“Not quite, demoness.” He steps back, moves around me, then swats my backside with the flat of his sword. “Your stance is wrong. You’re leaning too forward, giving me an opening.”
One he definitely took. Forget my cheeks heating up, now I’m sizzling all the way to the tips of my ears. “Did you just—”
“Yes.”
I turn to jab at him with the sword. Both angry and embarrassed—and, okay, maybe my stance wasn’t the greatest—I trip over the ends of my skirts in my hurry to get back at Thane.
He chuckles. “Nice try.”
I don’t even hesitate. Glaring down at the fabric twisted around my ankles, I draw the blade down and hack through my skirt above the knee, fabric falling away to free my legs.
His mouth parts.
“Better,” I say sweetly, then lift up the sword again.
Mimicking the way he first approached Morgane when they had their swordfight, I circle Thane. His eyebrows lifting, he matches my step.
And that’s when Binx goes low, darting between Thane’s stance at the best possible moment. With the bandit’s eyes on me, he misses the way that Binx gets in his way until he’s tripping and, with a little help from my boot as I lunge toward him, he falls on his back.
He hits the ground hard, and I’m on him before he can recover, knees bracketing his hips, sword point pressed to his chest as I straddle him.
True amusement—with a hint of pride—fills his expression.
“Don’t move,” I warn.
Ignoring me, Thane reaches up, fingers gentle as he nudges the blade a little higher. “Here. That’s my heart. Jab me there and there should be enough time to stun me so you can take my head.”
I freeze.
“Only don’t really stab it,” he adds with a husky whisper. “I think I might finally be getting some use out of it.”
Oh, shit.
Heat doesn’t just flood my face. It floods everywhere. Hurriedly, I scramble off of him, careful not to nick any part of him with the sword clutched in my shaky hand.
“We’re done,” I mutter.
Thane just laughs, low and pleased, as he leaps to his feet.
“Ah, my demoness. We’re just getting started.”
The main road travels along the length of the golden forest. Thane said we were heading East, and we did. That’s where the Shadowed Woods ended, leading to the travel road. After that, we shift North, in the direction of the Gilded Court—and Queen Celeste’s palace.
It’s easier to take the road. About five demon lengths wide, it’s made up of packed earth worn smooth by boots, hooves, and things that don’t leave any tracks at all.
The trees pull back just enough to let the bright sun color the path gold during the daylight hours, but once night falls on this part of Noctavara, it’s safer to take refuse in the trees.
According to Thane, we’re two full days of travel out from the Gilded Court. And though I’m desperate to get to Rafe, I agree when he insists that we take a few hours to practice with the sword, slowing our pace so that the guards give up searching for us.
And, okay, he doesn’t add that last part.
That’s just my wishful thinking that the guards gave up after Thane slaughtered one of their own.
Which is why I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was when we’re walking along the edge of the road, tucked inside the tress, and Thane cocks his head.
He slows his pace, lifting a hand to catch my attention.
I stop instantly. Binx pauses at my ankle, his shadows pulling tight against his sleek body.
Voices drift toward us.
Fae voices.
Leaning around Thane, ignoring the frantic beat of my heart, I peer through the trees in time to notice a gathering of at least six males in the not-so-far distance. Their armor glints faintly, gold and polished. Crud. It’s more of the queen’s soldiers.
Thane shifts without a sound, taking my hand arm and tugging me a few feet further into the trees. He presses a finger to his lips, points at Binx to stay where he is by my left boot, then angles his body just enough to block us from view.
I’m very aware of how close Thane is. Too close to breathe comfortably, or maybe that’s because my nervous heart is just about lodged in my throat.
“Stay calm,” he murmurs, barely audible. “They won’t see us.”
“I thought you said the woods were safer,” I whisper back.
“They are,” he replies. “This is the mistake most travelers make. The queen’s guards like their roads. Makes them feel important. So we stay on the edge, watching for them, then hide if we have to. They won’t follow us further in here unless we give them a reason to.”
One of the soldiers laughs up ahead. The sound is sharp, cruel. My fingers curl instinctively around the hilt of my sword.
Thane’s hand covers mine, a silent warning to wait.
That’s what we do. We wait until the voices fade, until the road empties again. Only then does he step back.
“You did well,” he murmurs. “Didn’t panic at all.”
“I panicked internally,” I admit.
“Better than stabbing me by accident.”
I huff, loosening the grip on the sword. “Once! That happened once!”