Faye jolted when Raxx leant in, resting his weight on one of his arms and reached out to encase her hand with his own. Though he still had his gloves on, the princess’s stomach fluttered at the contact.
The demon held her hand tightly and turned it over, so hers now lay on top of his. After a moment, he pulled away with the crystal back in his grasp. Bright light exploded into the room as the gem lit up once more and Raxx hissed, squinting against its onslaught.
Faye and Raxx stared at the crystal for a long moment. The princess held her breath, afraid to breathe, every muscle in her body tensed.
When she could stand it no longer, Faye ripped her gaze away from the crystal and looked at Raxx, equally alarmed and delighted to find he was looking back at her. He was close, closer than he had ever been to her before. If she leant forward, their foreheads would touch. Faye fought against the urge to move in. Everything in her screamed at her to dosomethingbut her shame from a few days prior was still at the forefront of her mind. She wetted her bottom lip with her tongue and Raxx released a breath.
“What’s happening?” Faye whispered, her eyes flicking between Raxx’s gaze and his mouth.
“I’m not sure.” Raxx cleared his throat. “I don’t know what I expected.”
“I don’t understand. Expect from what?” she asked.
Raxx didn’t respond, just stared at her for a few moments longer. When Faye wasn’t sure she could take any more, Raxx squeezed his fist tight around the jewel in his palm and with a low, barely audible growl, pulled away and got to his feet.
He paced back and forth in front of the fire, deep in thought. Faye picked at a loose thread on the blanket across her knees.
“I need to go,” Raxx stated, stopping to turn and face her.
“Yes, of course,” Faye replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the bed in front of her.
The shadow demon hesitated. Raxx had that same troubled expression he had worn for days, but now he was aiming it at her. Faye looked back at him, too confused and exhausted to fight it.
“Everything will be fine, Faye. Eventually.” His dark eyes glimmered with some untold emotion.
“But how do you—” Faye closed her eyes for a second, but when she opened them, Raxx was gone.
* * *
Faye supposed she must have fallen back to sleep at some point because the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her awake. She yawned and rolled over to see Lori perched beside her on the bed.
“Sorry to wake you so early, but we need to get going. Lephas is keen not to waste any more time than is necessary.”
Faye barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, masking her annoyance by rubbing the sleep from them instead. “Do we know how long it will take to get there?”
“Not a clue – you’re asking me?” Lori joked.
“That’s a good point.” Faye smirked at her sister and sat up on her elbows. “Alright, I’m getting up. Do I have time to have breakfast at least?”
“Of course, don’t be silly.” Lori smiled and bent down, lifting her satchel onto the bed. She tipped it upside down, her possessions spilling across the bed, and began packing them back into the bag neatly.
Unanswered questions lingered on Faye’s tongue and she watched her sister from the corner of her eye. Her fingers found themselves drawn to that elusive loose thread on the blanket from the night before.
“So, did you have a good night?” she eventually asked.
Lori didn’t answer, just turned to give her a mischievous smile over her shoulder. Faye forced a wide grin.
“Everything you hoped?”
“And more, Faye.” Lori sighed.
“That’s nice. I’m happy for you.” The words felt like ash in her mouth, but thankfully Lori’s newfound lover’s bliss blinded her to Faye’s awkwardness. Before her sister could begin to elaborate, Faye threw the covers from herself and began to get changed. A gentle rap at the door drew their attention.
“Are we decent?” Indi inquired from the hallway.
Lori checked over her shoulder, just as Faye was buttoning her breeches. “Yes, come in.”
Indi hurriedly shut the door behind herself, pressing her weight against it. She looked pale, her eyes wide and distraught.
