“Last night, I saw a strange, vivid memory. I was confused from the teleporting and it was so dark and your wings were—anyway, y-you know how I am about the dark.”
The princess shot him a sheepish smile and Raxx nodded.
“Well, I suddenly remembered a time when I was very young. I had discovered that I could ‘paint’ with the sunshine. Late in the afternoon, it used to shine through my bedroom window onto one of my walls and I used to play with it, drawing pretty patterns and things.”
“I understand. I can manipulate shadow the same way,” Raxx replied.
“You can?” Faye’s eyes lit up. “You’ll never know how much I love having someone to talk to about this. Someone who understands. You’ll have to show me your ‘paintings’ sometime.”
Faye’s excitement was intoxicating. Raxx smiled and nodded.
“Finish your story.”
“Oh, well, one of my mother’s maids discovered me. She dragged me to my mother who threw me in a broom closet. I don’t know how long I was in there, but it was dark. Darker than anything I’d ever experienced. I think that’s the earliest memory I have of being terrified in the dark. Things were never the same after that. My mother was pleased; I never did paint on the walls again.”
“That would be enough to frighten any child.” Raxx shook his head sympathetically.
“It was so strange, how it suddenly came to me like that last night. I’ve never remembered it before. It was like watching someone else’s memory, but I knew it was mine.” Faye sighed. “There were so many spiders and webs. I could almost feel them crawling on me again.”
Raxx paused, draining his cup whilst he fumbled for the right words to use. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“I never knew my father’s hatred had spread so far. I always knew he hatedmymajick, but... Is it bad it makes me feel a bit better that he hateseveryone’smajick, not just mine?” Faye asked with a sad laugh. She raised her cup to her lips and emptied it.
“Not at all. He’d hate everything I am far more than anything you could throw at him.”
They stared at one another for a long moment and Raxx felt his chest growing tight once more. He sucked in a slow breath and held it.
“Maybe that’s one of the reasons I like you so much,” Faye murmured.
Raxx didn’t reply, just tried to ignore the blood pounding in his ears. Faye leant in, her empty plate sliding from her lap. It clattered to the floor, loud in the quiet room, but the demon barely registered it. Without taking his eyes from her, he placed his own empty cup on a small table nearby, uncaring when it tipped over and spilled a small amount of mead onto one of the open tomes.
The faerie leant in closer still and Raxx froze, equally thrilled and concerned to be within such close proximity.
“Be careful, Faye,” he warned breathlessly as he tore his eyes from hers and glanced down at her bare hands that were now pressed into his thighs as she leant her weight into them. The demon lamented his foolishness; he hadn’t thought to retrieve her gloves from the floor of her cell.
“I will,” she replied quietly. “Can I ask you something?”
Raxx nodded.
“Did you mean what you said earlier? Or were you teasing me?”
“Refresh my memory?” Raxx muttered, fighting to keep his eyes from the princess’ mouth.
“Abouthelpingme?”
Raxx sank a fang into his tongue. The heady arousal that had been driving him crazy all day returned tenfold and he shifted, growing steadily more uncomfortable in his stifling leather gear.
“Only if you want me to.”
Faye nodded. Their faces were so close, Raxx could feel the heat from her skin against his. His majick scratched beneath the surface, desperate to touch her.
“We can’t touch. How can we—” the princess asked, but halted as Raxx raised a gloved palm to her face. He gently touched his thumb against her lower lip and her lashes flickered in response.
“We’ll figure something out,” he growled, his voice low and almost inaudible. “But only if you’re sure.”
“Stop asking me if I’m sure, I already said yes,” Faye huffed with a frustrated laugh. “Don’t treat me like I’m some sort of blushing virgin.”
The shadow demon blinked.
