His shirt was stuck in patches to the sweat on his back and he tugged it off over his head, stretching his wings before tucking them away neatly at his back once more.
At a loss, Raxx wandered to the sink and wetted his shirt, grabbing his water flask from his utility belt that was hanging on the back of a nearby chair as he passed.
“Thank you,” Faye murmured as he held the flask out to her. She drank heartily from the bottle, while Raxx wiped up the mess he had made all over her, taking care not to brush his unprotected fingertips against her soft skin, no matter how much he wished he could.
Once she’d had her fill, Faye held the water out to him and he took a few long sips whilst she sheepishly wriggled back into her underwear. The princess kicked her legs out over the edge of the bed and they sat in silence for a few moments.
“That was great.” Faye laughed, brushing her fingers through her hair self-consciously.
“You can say that again.” Raxx agreed.
He glanced across at the princess, surprised when he caught her blue gaze. She smiled at him before looking away shyly. Raxx fought a smile of his own and leant back on his arms, watching as Faye scrambled around for her breeches in the mess on the floor – books and clothes everywhere.
Chapter Eighteen
Faye stared up at the cracked ceiling tiles above her, for the first time in weeks her mind was silent and content.
The bed jostled and she glanced up to see Raxx, still shirtless, stood over her. Without a word, he gestured for her to move over. She did so gladly, thrilled when he lay down beside her. The demon adjusted his weight, folding his wings into a comfortable position beneath him. It had quickly become commonplace that they kept an acceptable distance from one another to prevent accidental touching, despite how much Faye hated it.
The princess scoured her brain for something to say. She had so many feelings and thoughts she wanted to convey to the demon, and yet they all evaded her. Raxx was quiet too, though that was far less unusual, and they both gazed up at the same old ceiling together for a few long moments.
Faye eventually cleared her throat. “As unconventional as that was, I enjoyed it.”
“I would not take any convincing if you wanted to do it again sometime,” the demon replied.
She turned her head to glance across at Raxx, startled for a moment to see him already looking back at her. “I’d like that.” Faye nodded with a smile. Her stomach fizzed with happiness and she fought to resist reaching over to wrap her arms around him.
“How are you feeling now?” Raxx asked.
“Much better, just as you said. Are you still taking me to Tabitha tonight?” Faye’s happiness dimmed slightly at the thought of spending another evening with the intimidating witch. Whilst she appreciated Tabitha’s help and was curious to discover as much as she was able to about her majick, Faye didn’t care much for the demoness’ attitude.
“I suppose so,” Raxx sighed.
“You don’t want to?” Faye sat up on her elbow.
“I’d prefer to spend the rest of the night scouring old texts with you again.”
Faye faltered at the handsome smile Raxx shot her and her pulse sped up. “But unfortunately, I believe Tabitha is our only chance at figuring any of this out. If we want her help, we’d do well to keep her sweet.”
Faye huffed and flopped heavily back down onto the bed. “Do we have to?” she whined.
“Yes, but not just yet.”
Another long, yet comfortable, silence enveloped them. As they often did in quiet moments, Faye found her thoughts turning to her sisters.
“Have you spoken to Lori and Lephas again?” she asked.
“Briefly. They’re fine. Lephas is considerably less stressed knowing the king is away from Banesteppe. No decisions will be made until he returns.”
“To meet with my uncle?” Faye’s skin grew cold with dread and she shivered.
“I can’t tell you too much, it’s not my place, but Zelrus and your uncle have been writing letters of correspondence for many years now. Cirro is as concerned for the safety of Awrelwood under your father’s command, as Zelrus is,” Raxx replied. “He and my king have been attempting to garner peace between our races.”
“That will never happen,” Faye stated plainly, her voice hollow and void of emotion. “Not whilst my father reigns.”
“The king and Cirro are hopeful to persuade some of Lazuli’s followers to—”
Faye felt the last glow of her happiness snuffed out at the mention of her father’s name. She shook her head. “Those plans will fail.”
