“And make your life easy?” Andras grinned. “Never.”
“Ugh. Come on. Let’s go.”
Andras winked at Drew, who laughed before following behind Zach. They got up to their room, and Zach waved at the far corner. “You can sleep over there,” he told his ex.
Andras surveyed the hard-looking floorboards, then the bed. “There really does seem to be more than enough room on the bed for all of us,” he said.
“Not happening,” Zach reiterated.
“But the floor is so cold and hard!” Andras protested.
“Think of it as your just desserts for threatening the love of my life.”
“I never threatened myself!”
“Andras,” Zach growled. “Enough.”
“Why do you hate me so much?” Andras asked in a sad tone as he trudged across the room and sank down into the corner. He pulled his jacket around him and sniffed pathetically. “I won’t wish you goodnight, as it most assuredly won’t be one for me,” he lamented.
DrewknewAndras was acting this way to deliberately evoke his empathy, but he also knew that Zach wasn’t being entirely fair. The floorwashard and cold, and Zach was the one who had forbidden Andras from getting a room of his own for the night. Drew certainly didn’t want the demon sharing the bed with them, but it was a bit mean to make him suffer through the night on the ground. He pulled a pillow and a thick blanket off the bed and held them out to Andras. “Here,” he said.
“Thank you, precious,” Andras cooed at him as he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders before giving Zach a pointed look. “At leastsomeoneis being a gracious host.”
Zach didn’t reply, but Drew noticed how his jaw clenched as he held back his retort. Drew rubbed his back in a conciliatory manner and urged Zach to get ready for bed.
Turning his back and pretending to check on Leila, Drew slipped a hand into the front right pocket of his jeans. His fingers skimmed over the metal of the ring he’d tucked inside, warmed by his body heat. Tonight really couldn’t have gone further off track if he’d planned it.
They removed their shoes but left the rest of their clothing on and climbed into bed. Leila perched herself on his hip, and Drew snuggled up against Zach’s chest, giving him a sweet kiss to show his appreciation for the effort he’d gone to to keep Drew safe. Then, with only a thought, he used his magic to turn the light off, plunging them into darkness.
They were woken sometime later by the sounds of shouting coming from the front of the inn. This was followed by the pounding of fists on the front door and a voice yelling, “Open and allow us entry, under the authority of the Shadow Blades!”
“Fuck,” Zach cursed into the darkness, and a dim ball of light appeared above the bed.
Drew blinked sleepily as his eyes adjusted to the light. Across the room, Andras was looking around wildly, real fear in his eyes. “They’ve found me.”
“We need to go,” Zach said, and although his hands were gentle, he urged Drew up and off the bed, upsetting Leila in the process. “Come on, sweetness, quickly.”
They hurried into their shoes, and Zach cracked the door open and peered into the hallway. From downstairs, they could hear the innkeeper opening the door and conversing with the guards. From closer by, several panicked conversations were happening behind closed doors. It appeared they weren’t the only guests staying at the inn who were avoiding the Shadow Blades.
“It’s clear,” Zach whispered, pushing the door all the way open. “Quickly, now. To the rear stairs.”
Holding Leila securely in his arms, Drew slipped past him and jogged as quietly as he could towards the door they had identified earlier as being an escape, with Andras on his heels. He gently opened the door and cast a furtive glance outside. Somewhere to the right, he could see the flickering light of flames, maybe from an old-fashioned torch, and shadows danced on the walls, but the immediate vicinity was clear. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Zach.
They had reached the bottom of the stairs and were racing across the small courtyard towards the alley entrance when they heard a commotion behind them. In one swift move, Zach had pushed both Drew and Andras into a patch of shadows and covered their bodies with his wings. Leila gave a single squawk of protest, but then fell silent. They all froze as the door at the top of the stairs was flung open.
Drew could just make out the figure in the doorway through a gap in Zach’s feathers. It was too dark to see details, but they were large andbroad, likely male. They were wearing a cloak, their features hidden by the darkness cast by the hood, and they held a sharp sword in their fist, the blade glinting in the moonlight.
Drew held his breath as the person—most likely one of these infamous Shadow Blades—surveyed the area below. There was no way to tell for sure, but a shiver went up his spine, and he was sure they were looking directly at the place where they were hiding. Despite the tense and perilous situation, Drew couldn’t stop the nagging feeling of déjà vu. He himself had never been in a situation such as this before, but it felt so very familiar, and it gnawed at his brain, even as they stayed as still as possible.
Eventually, the Shadow Blade turned, and with a swirl of their cloak, disappeared back inside the inn, the door closing with a loud click. As one, the three of them let out an explosive breath, and then Zach was folding his wings away. He pulled Drew and Andras to their feet and urged them onward.
They had just entered the dark alleyway when it hit Drew. He stumbled to a stop and slapped one hand to his head, even as he cradled his familiar with the other. “The Prancing Pony!” he exclaimed.
Zach had skidded to a halt when Drew had, and his face screwed up in confusion. “What?”
“That’s where this has happened before,” Drew explained.
Badly, clearly, as Zach did not look enlightened.
