Page 156

“We… we hated each other then,” I said hoarsely, despising hearing myself say those words now. They felt wrong.

“I don’t think you did.”

My throat convulsed as I lifted my head and stared at the bakery. My pulse leaped when Crossbody suddenly appeared through the doorway, holding a stack of large leaves wrapped around several steaming objects.

He grinned at me—that big, beautiful beaming smile—and my throat closed up again. I managed to paste a wobbly smile onto my face as he approached, because I didn’t want him to see how rattled I was.

If Ianthe was telling the truth about what thanking people meant for Otherworld fae, then she was right—technically, Crossbody owed me a fuckload of debts. Not that I would ever cash in on them, but still… He thanked me all the time. For meaningless shit as well as the important stuff.

The implication of that was… kind of shattering. I stared at him as he got closer, and the moment he was in reach, I found myself jumping up from the wall, grabbing his face and crushing my mouth to his.

I knew how favours from the fae worked. I’d just never thought they were real. If a fae was indebted to someone, it meant that person could get them to do anything to repay it. I could ask anything of Crossbody.

He’d thanked me back when we thought we’d hated each other. If I’d known at the time, I could’ve made him quit his job and leave Goliaths. Go back to Otherworld. I could have ordered him to do anything, and he would’ve had to do it. And he’d still made himself that vulnerable to me.

Did he even realise? I broke the kiss and pulled back to stare at him, mapping out his face. Was he even aware of all the times he’d thanked me? Or had they just… slipped out?

I parted my lips, not entirely sure what I wanted to say to him yet, but knowing I needed to say something… big. Important.

As big as what he’d said back at the palace.

“You must be very hungry.” He chuckled, pressing another brief kiss to my lips before lifting the steaming leaf parcels between us. “I got one for each of us.”

In a rush, I remembered Ianthe.

Forcing myself to drop my hands, I took a step back and nodded. “Uh-huh. Yeah.”

“I thought you’d like the mushroom and leek one.” He carefully slid one of the leaf parcels free and handed it to me. “You always have the mushroom rice thing Holt buys in bulk for lunch.”

He’d noticed that?

“Uh, I… Yeah,” I croaked, staring down at the wrapped galette. I still didn’t even fucking know what a galette was, but my eyes were burning a little. “Um, th-thank you. Thanks.”

Those words felt so weirdly loaded now.

“I appreciate it, Elvis,” Ianthe said in a pointed tone as Crossbody handed her a leaf parcel, flicking me a meaningful look. “This smells delicious.”

“They’re very good. I just wanted it one more time before we head back.” He perched on the wall on the other side of me, so I slowly sat back down and unwrapped my leaf, revealing the rough disc of brown, crispy pastry with roasted vegetables piled high in the middle.

We ate in silence for a minute or two. The galettes were actually really fucking good—I reminded myself to tell Robbie to look up the recipe—and Crossbody seemed calm and relaxed as he ate beside me, his shoulder brushing mine and the scent of his hair reaching me every time he moved his head.

When my galette was small enough to eat with one hand, I reached down and threaded my fingers through his on his thigh, needing to be anchored to him in some way. He squeezed my hand and glanced over with a tiny smile, his mauve gaze flicking down to my mouth.

Ianthe cleared her throat, making him look her way.

“I would just like to express my gratitude over what you did today. And for informing me beforehand,” she added with a chuckle.

My brow quirked as I looked at her. So she could ‘express her gratitude,’ huh? That was okay? That was within the weird Otherworld fae rules?

“Of course,” Crossbody said politely. “I’m very pleased that it was also a happy outcome for you.”

“Yes.” She paused, gave me another meaningful glance, then carefully said, “It feels like something that requires more than just an acknowledgement of my gratitude. I think I may owe you a debt now, Elvis.”

He immediately stiffened against my other side. “No. That’s not necessary.”

“Because of you, Chrios and I will get to—”

“Do not indebt yourself to me, Ianthe,” he said sharply. “I expect nothing in return. This was what I wanted.”