“Okay.”
“I want to help you.”
“Oh.”
“Is that okay?”
“I’m tired, Thane.”
He nods. “Okay.”
I realize my fingers are playing with a stray thread of his suit jacket that he slipped over my shoulders and slough it off, handing it back to him. He slowly takes it from me, but doesn’t move. “Goodnight, Thane.”
I walk around him, wanting nothing more than to get back to my room. He doesn’t follow. With every step that puts distance between me and the carnage of tonight, my awareness grows, and for a moment I let myself believe in what I cannot see. I search the night sky for that red-tinged light shining down at me from among its brothers and sisters in the stars. The longer I stare, the easier it is to imagine that light sinking into my skin and slipping beneath the crumbling walls that keep my emotions contained. It seeps into my veins, melting the cold fury I’ve wrapped around my spine. It whispers sweet nothings of action, purpose.
Of reckonings.
It leads me down the path, lighting my way with a red hue that promises violence.
And that’s where I find his limp body. He’s not much taller than me, probably the same age. And someone’s just beat the shit out of him.
I bend down, rolling him over to his back and check his eyes.
I offer my hand to him. “Hey man, you good?”
He takes it, groaning as he sits up and holds his head in his hands.
“I will be.”
I snort. “Sure you will.”
He spits blood out of his mouth. “I’m used to it. No one likes necromancers.” He looks up at me with eyes full of the same furor that’s coursing through my veins.
“No one likes me either.”
He stands slowly until we’re face to face, and offers his hand. “I’m Milo.”
“Nyx. I think we’re going to be friends, Milo.”
24
LUTHER
“How in the actual hell are you supposed to tie these fucking things?” Killian grumbles into the mirror where he’s been waging war against the strip of silk for the last five minutes. Roth rolls his eyes from in front of me as he sets the knot of my tie. I didn’t even bother attempting to do it myself, since Roth would have just redone it anyways. As soon as he finishes and turns to help Killian, I tug at the collar of my dress shirt. Even expertly tailored, it feels claustrophobic.
Even my ownskinhas felt claustrophobic lately. All my demon wants to do is break free, to spread our wings and fly hard and fast into the night. Anything would be preferable to wearing this monkey suit and pandering to the hordes of cloying lemmings fawning over us.
“Stand still, mutt,” Roth orders as Killian fidgets and groans in irritation.
“How long do we have to be there tonight?” he whines.
Roth sets the knot of his tie and sighs. “Long enough for word to get back to my father that Calanthe survived the night at my side.”
Killian scoffs. “Can’t you just send him a selfie or something?” Roth side-eyes him before moving over to Thane, who’s standing nervously in the doorway of his room. Even though he’s taller, Thane is always looking up to Roth. With more care than he took with us, Roth begins adjusting his tie in slow, controlled movements.
“Color?” Roth asks.
After a moment, he answers, “Green.”
