“It's hot, so be careful.” Lephas pulled one of the fish free from the spit and handed the stick to Lori.
Similarly, Raxx got up and handed his spit to Faye. The faerie held his gaze for a moment. Though she didn’t say anything, she gave him a small, grateful smile.
A comfortable silence fell over the small campsite. A breeze sent flurries of fine, dusty snowflakes circling around them and the fire cracked and popped, glowing brighter. Raxx took a generous bite out of his fish. He was starving and it was delicious. Unlike most white fleshed fish he had eaten in his time, the trout was meaty and melted in the mouth. It had been worth every second of the arduous journey to catch it – a trip he would most certainly be making again.
The shadow demon watched Faye as she enthusiastically devoured her meal. Credit where it was due, the faerie had done a good job of preparing food for her journey and neither of them had gone hungry, but was satisfying to see her enjoying a warm meal; especially one he had provided for her.
Lephas leant back on his arms. “That was delicious.”
“It's one of my favourite meals,” Faye agreed with a happy sigh. “Thanks for getting it for us.”
Taken aback by such direct gratitude from the princess, Raxx floundered for something to say. “You're welcome. It was as good as you promised.”
“It's even better when you've got a full complement of vegetables, sauces and the right wine.” Faye licked her lips, placing her fish bones into the snow beside her. “But that was still pretty good.”
The forest was dark and their surroundings were illuminated only by the glow of the fire. Faye’s skin sparkled in the dim light and Raxx struggled to keep his eyes from her. The faerie caught him looking a few times. At first she would hastily avert her eyes and pretend to be engrossed in her fingernails or the stitching on her sleeve, but as they caught one another’s gaze across the fire more and more frequently, Faye began to hold his eye contact, untilhewas the one who felt the need to glance away.
Raxx got to his feet. His large, leathery wings stretched out from his back.
“What are you planning to do with yourself this evening?” Lephas asked, looking up at him from beside the fire.
“I'll scout ahead and keep an eye out for Lazuli's men.”
“You're not going to sleep?” Lori asked, pulling her hood up as the snow began to fall harder.
“I don't do much sleeping,” Raxx answered. “Nightfall is easier for me. The darker it is, the faster and further I can travel. I'll see any trouble coming our way miles before it becomes a problem.”
“That's impressive. Pretty much your opposite, Faye?” Lori called across the campfire.
“Well, I wouldn't go as far–” Faye began.
“She's scared of the dark, you know,” Lori teased, ignoring her sister's protests.
“I know,” Raxx replied simply, shooting Faye a knowing look. The shadow demon watched a plethora of emotions flutter across her face and fought a grin.
The faerie scowled and turned bright pink, shooting the shadow demon daggers. Faye was well aware that Raxx knew about her nyctophobia. She had asked him to comfort her through it on more than one occasion and she knewdamnwell, the last time she had almost kissed him… But if Faye would rather not admit that to her sister, then Raxx was more than happy to keep it as their little secret.
“Anything you'd like me to keep my eye on?” he asked Lephas, changing the subject.
“Nothing specific, just let me know if you find anything of any interest.”
The shadow demon nodded and stepped into the darkness, disembodying and vanishing. He made his way stealthily around the camp, preparing to leap off into the night.
“Creepy,” Lori murmured.
“Goodnight to you, too. Arsehole,” Faye muttered to herself, hugging her knees.
Knowing he was invisible, Raxx allowed a large grin to stretch across his face. Was Faye hurt that he hadn’t said goodnight to her? Silently, he knelt down beside her.
“Sleep well, princess.”
Faye startled with a short yelp, before growling under her breath. “Arsehole.”
Raxx chuckled, then got to his feet and sprinted away into the dark.
* * *
It took Raxx less time than he’d thought to explore the surrounding area. With the night dark, cold and still, he had been able to fly through the forest. Thankfully, it was quiet all around. Raxx hadn’t realised just how close Lephas and Lori had come to getting back to the main road.
