We’re both clean. Bandaged. Bundled in towels and tablecloths. Sipping Faerie wine and eating the provisions that belong to the Stewards we’re robbing. It might just be the wine, but despite my sore muscles and my injuries, I actually feel... happy.
Maybe it’s because I’ve survived, so far. Maybe it’s because my crew will return to me soon, and then we’ll finish this together. Or maybe it’s simply because I’ve had food and water, along with the reprieve my body needed.
Out of concern that the beast might return, Ravager and I chose the pantry as our haven, but we took plenty of linens withus and left the door open for warmth. The food might spoil, but the Fae can replace it… like they’ll have to replace a lot of other things in this fortress.
Ravager leans against the cupboards beside me, with his legs stretched out. They’re muscular, hairy, and much longer than mine. I like the way my slender feet look next to his big ones.
Okay, that’s definitely the wine talking.
“Aren’t you curious about Grisly?” I ask.
He shrugs. “A little. But I’m guessing he has found a place to hide.”
“Either that, or he’s dead,” I say flatly.
“You’re a vindictive little devil, aren’t you?” He takes another swig of wine, then nudges my foot with his. “You should get some sleep.”
I ignore the tenuous thrill that ran all the way up my leg when he did that. “I’m not going to sleep withyouhere. You might slit my throat.”
He presses his hand over his heart. “I swear I won’t.”
“And I should trust the word of a liar?”
“Liars we may be, but as thieves, we have a code,” he replies. “You’re part of my crew at the moment, which means you’re under my protection.”
“No, you’re part ofmycrew, undermyprotection.”
“Either way, I’m going to sleep. And I’d feel more confident about our chances of surviving that monster if you would catch a few hours’ sleep too. You need rest.”
He’s right, but I can’t help the resistance that rises in me at the idea of being so vulnerable, so close to him. “My mentor taught me never to sleep unless I’m in my own bed, in a place that’s secure.”
“Your mentor? Would that be the older woman who’s part of your crew? I heard about her when I was asking around about the Javelins. What was her name? Candle?”
Pain twists through my heart. “She was never my mentor. But I do admire her.”
“So this mentor of yours—what happened there?”
“He taught me a lot. And then he moved away.” I don’t elaborate further. I’d rather not explain that Skull found a man he wanted to spend his remaining few decades with, or that he left me without saying goodbye, with only a note of explanation, because he knew I’d try to come with him. Though he claimed to love me like a daughter, he didn’t care to keep me in his life.
“What’s Candle’s role with your crew then?” asks Ravager. “A bit past her prime, isn’t she?”
“Keep her name out of your mouth if you can’t be respectful,” I snap.
He raises his hands in a disarming gesture. “No disrespect intended. I was merely curious.”
Sighing, I take another sip of wine. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Candle doesn’t do jobs with me and the crew. She used to be an expert with fire, lights, and explosions, rather like you. But she’s nearing the end of her life, and she has forgotten much of what she once knew.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Are you?” I shoot him a severe look.
“I can see she means a lot to you.”
“Every person on my crew means a lot to me.”
“And yet, from what I’ve heard, they’re not loyal,” he says quietly.
“I don’t know where you got your information, but you’re wrong.”
