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“Styx.” He rushes forward but slows as he takes in the wings, talons, and nudity.
“I’m guessing you didn’t know about this development?”
“He’s not supposed to be...” His eyes widen. “I wasn’t there to witness the Baleful Hunt petrifying him. The others were, so I never thought to delve into their minds to clarify. We have an unwritten rule never to impose on each other’s private mind space if the hive door is closed.”
He starts pacing before Styx, wearing a line in the dirt.
“So what does this mean?” I ask. “That he found a way to break his seal?”
“I don’t know.” Fox’s footsteps halt. He faces me. “But he’s still stone.”
My sigh collapses my knees. I land hard and hack the ground with my sword, frustrated. “We failed.”
A sad smile touches his lips. “You pulled me inside. That’s far better than I’ve managed alone in five years.”
I lean back, intending to rest my head against the bumpy wall, but a jar of manabeeze digs into my spine. Scowling, I pull it out and shake it. “And what’s the deal with these? Is Titania hoarding all the manabeeze?”
Fox takes the jar and narrows his eyes at it. “You might be right.”
“I am?”
“She shouldn’t need them, but since we’re not policing forbidden items so the Wellspring can flow, it’s... weakening.”
He lowers beside me, stretches his long legs, and crosses his ankles. Together, we stare at his stone?—
“Do you call them brothers?” I ask, curious.
His face lights up with affection for Styx.
“I do,” he answers softly. “But we’re more than brothers. We are one at times, and at others, we are six. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“You haven’t been connected for a long time.” I hack the ground again, clenching my jaw. “I’m sorry. That must really suck.”
I feel his eyes on me. “Do you miss your family?”
“Yes.” My throat thickens. “I miss them so much, but... we have a complicated history.”
“Because of your time with the humans?”
“In a way.” I keep hacking at the dirt between us with my sword, making a mess, but not wanting to stop. It’s hard to admit I’ve been a jerk to my family. “I spent so much time resenting them, but I accept now that keeping me alive meant I had to stay in Crystal City. It’s not like they had a choice, I mean—”Hack hack hack.“Who can fight the devious plans of gods, right? But they did their best. Along with Rory, they supported me and taught me the skills I needed to survive.”Hack hack hack. “It just sucks to have missed out on a proper childhood.”
Fox’s hand snaps over mine, halting my next chop. His fingers displace the hilt, then he presses my knuckles to his lips.
“We told them,” he confesses, breath fluttering against my skin. “We warned them to leave you there, or Maebh would hunt you down and kill you.”
“I know.” It’s valiant he wants to take the blame, but it is what it is. None of us truly had freedom.
“I want to say that I’m sorry, but?—”
“You’re not.” My lips curve, eyes crinkling. “If there’s one thing you’re consistent with, Fox, it’s wanting to keep me safe.”
“Your amusement is misplaced.” His sharp tone startles me. Black, fathomless eyes lock with mine as his dark side flickers beneath his skin. Spiky fangs scrape against my knuckles as they elongate. His voice is harsh with promise. “Make no mistake, my queen, we will steal every star in the sky trying to outshine you. We will ravage every heart pumping to hurt yours. We will devour the world if it means keeping you safe.”
We. Not I.
I glance at Styx’s beautiful, angry face.
Fox’s breath on my hand skates shivers down my spine. His pledge wraps talons around my heart, armoring me with something I’ve not felt in a long time. Security. Belonging.
