Faye scowled, certain Raxx was being deliberately vague. She looked across at him, unnerved to see the demon was still eyeing her. Though his expression was sombre and blank, something about the way he was looking at her made heat rise into Faye’s cheeks. Raxx sat back in his chair and crossed his muscular arms over his chest and the princess looked at the wet silk satchel on the table between them. She took a deep breath.
“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked quietly.
“You don’t.” The demon shrugged. “The princess and my friend got themselves into a spot of trouble, but no one has seen nor heard from them since.”
Faye’s mind was swimming. It felt like a lifetime ago that she had hugged her eldest sister Sivelle, before disappearing into the night. Could she trust this demon? Probably not, but there was no getting away from the fact that he knew more about Lori’s whereabouts than she did. Right now, she had nothing else to go on.
“Do you wish to harm her?” Faye asked.
“Not at all.” Raxx sat forwards again, resting his forearms on the table. He fixed Faye with an intense gaze. She held it as long as she could, but eventually crumbled and glanced away.
“Who is the princess to you?” the demon asked, keeping his voice low.
“I’m her sister.”
Chapter Three
Two of the Goldwyrm princesses had fled Awrelwood. Raxx fought to keep his expression blank as he reeled from Faye’s confession. He mentally kicked himself for not making the connection sooner. He had been too caught up thinking about the crystal burning a hole in his pocket than the matter at hand.
Raxx knew of the Goldwyrm sisters – Sivelle, Lori, Faye. Intel was what Zelrus hired him for. If his king could see him now, he would be ashamed. It was so obvious. A wealthy, young faerie searching for a missing princess on horseback with an identical satchel to the one he had found in the snow… Why hadn’t he worked this out sooner?
Raxx’s mind returned to the glowing crystal, the heat of it blazing against his thigh. It was uncomfortable.
“The cause of all this pain and let down? It’s a woman.”Tabitha’s words came back to haunt him as Raxx stared at the princess. Surely not. Not her.
He had never seen anyone quite like Faye. Her pale skin shimmered like she was covered in millions of tiny diamonds. She glowed, delicate and ethereal, like moonlight. It was enchanting.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Faye whispered; her pale blue gaze narrowed. She took a sip of her drink, never taking her eyes off him.
Raxx shook himself, forcing his mind to refocus. He took a large gulp of his drink, downing the remaining contents before answering. “I’m just surprised.”
“You don’t look surprised,” Faye muttered, casting him a wary expression.
It was no exaggeration that Raxx was exceedingly good at hiding his expressions. Sometimes too good. His friends often made comments and jokes about his lack of personality. It wasn’t true, of course. Raxx was often full of emotion, and very much able to empathise with others – he just didn’t make a habit of sharing. Life was far less complicated when no one knew what you were thinking.
“Does your father know you’re missing?” Raxx asked, changing the subject.
“By now? Probably,” Faye sighed. She looked terrified by the prospect.
“Why did Lori flee?” It was a question that Raxx had been itching to know the answer to since he first caught wind of the runaway princess. He leant forward, eager to hear Faye’s response.
“Because she’s an idiot. Her and father had some stupid fight. They’re always fighting. She left a letter for my other sister and I to find. Lori said that she refused to allow our father to arrange her marriage and he had left her no choice but to flee,” Faye sighed.
Raxx ran his finger around the edge of his empty glass thoughtfully. Arranged marriages were commonplace in faerie culture. As a demon, he didn’t understand the appeal but he was surprised to hear the princess had baulked at the idea. Surely her father’s plan to marry her off hadn’t surprised her?
“So, what are you doing here? Following in her footsteps?” he asked.
Faye snorted. “Hoping to convince her of what an imbecile she’s been and take her back home. An arranged marriage is not the end of the world. Certainly not worth risking your life over.”
Raxx cast his mind back to the information he had put together for the king several months ago. Details of the princesses’ lives were patchy at best. No one had been sure as to their age. Raxx looked at Faye. Her attitude was that of a young teenager, but physically she looked much older. He supposed living a sheltered life as those girls had done would be more than enough to stunt their emotional maturity.
“You’re doing it again,” Faye huffed, scowling at him.
Raxx raised a brow quizzically.
“Looking at me with a weird expression on your face. Stop it.”
The demon held up a hand apologetically and averted his gaze.
