Her claw is sharp enough that I don’t feel it at first, but red blood wells from the spot she pierced on the back of my hand. I wait as the singe of magic burns along my skin. Grimelda’s mouth moves with silent incantations, my blood bubbling along my skin until she leans down and licks it off.
Smacking her lips, she releases me and claps her hands. The sizzle of the magic subsides, and I gulp in a breath.
“That did it?” I sit back, my mind a little woozy, and I close my eyes.
“Done.” She nods with satisfaction. “Did it so well you don’t even need a charm to strengthen it.”
“Thanks.” I open my eyes, then blink a few times. “Wow. I can see.” I look around, then at Grimelda. “You’re even prettier now.”
She strokes her hair and bats her white lashes. “Oh, tell me more,darkindle.” A faint wave of her fingers sends another burst of magic through me, then she winks conspiratorially. Did she give me something extra?
“What was—”
“You’re covered in shadow.” She nods. “The sun can’t hurt you. As your spool unwinds, perhaps you can unwind another.” Her sly gaze flickers to Solano, then back to me. “My work is done. Where is my payment?”
“Very well.” Solano’s tone is clipped. “Brock will see your account settled.”
My gaze can’t seem to stop darting here and there. I can see the detail in the rough wooden walls, the dust floating through the air, the dirt between the table slats. My eyes don’t hurt anymore. “You’re amazing, Grimelda.” I can’t believe the colors, the depth of the hues.
“I might take you with me, my lovely.” The witch leans closer. “Into the coven where no male can lay claim to your body or your heart. Free with the wild wind and the shadowy things that prowl the night and stalk the day.”
Solano grips under my arm and pulls me up. “We’re leaving.”
Grimelda snickers. “Until we meet again,darkindle.”
“Um, bye,” I try to wave, but Solano hauls me out into the tavern proper and closes the door.
“What was that about?” I pull my arm away from him, and once again, the entire tavern goes silent, all eyes turned toward us.Oh, by the Spires. I just snapped at the day king and defied his touch. No wonder they’re staring. Am I going to be punished? I look up at Solano, his jaw tight, his eyes fierce. Instead of reprimanding me, he simply takes my arm again and escorts me—more gently now—from the tavern.
The music and chatter starts up as soon as we’re out in the street.
“She was enthralling you.” He finally lets go, and I find I wouldn’t mind having his hands on me again.
“What?” I cock my head.
“She was making you think she was pretty and, and—” He runs a hand through his golden hair. “Good. But she’s a witch.”
“She’s not good.” I put my hands on my hips. “She’s neutral. Just because some witches come from the Spires doesn’t mean they’re all bad.”
“You shouldn’t be fraternizing with her kind.”
“Herkind?” Ire ripples up my spine like a blue flame. “Fraternizing?Youshouldn’t be fraternizing withme! I’m a lowly changeling, after all. And you’re the one who brought me here to meet with her!”
“Yes, meet with her, not let her charm you and flirt with you.” He peers down at me with the sort of heat that makes my knees go weak. And then I realize why he’s acting this way.
“Are you jealous?”
He throws his hands up and makes a pfft sound. “Ofcoursenot.”
“You’re acting jealous.”
“A king isn’t jealous of a consort.” He shrugs. “You’re just the first of many.”
“Right. You’re building a harem.” I nod, agreeing easily as he proves my point. “So, you have no room to get jealous over my previous friendships with witches and my supposedly flirty banter with Grimelda.”
He holds up a finger. “That’s not what I meant.”
“It’s what you said.” I want to turn my back on him, but even I know that sort of insult wouldn’t bode well for me, especially not when an entire contingent of Dayland soldiers are watching our exchange with interest. Instead, I look up at the sky and take in the utter wonder of the world beyond the barrier between our realms. The sky is blue there. Literally blue. How? Our sky is always drawn in shades of gray and black. But theirs is an utterly fanciful color, as if painted by a child on a whim. And the sun, that burning orb that ruins the perfect dark with its bright rays, it seems to taunt me from its place in the heavens. But I can see it all now, the glow of the day realm, the bizarre colors the light lends to every little thing including the reddish dirt beneath my feet, the gray of the cobblestones, the deep green of my dress, and the fascinating gold of Solano’s eyes as he continues to glare at me.
