Page 157 of Sky’s Edge

Yeesh, I had it bad.

Feeling weirdly happy, regardless of the situation, I replaced the note on the bedside table, threw back the bedclothes and headed to the closet.

This was because I had things to do.

So I set about doing them.

Two hours later, I approached Tanyn’s study.

There were two guards outside the door, one at the end of the hall, and I’d passed one when I entered the hall.

Not incidentally, there were two guards outside his chamber when I left it after getting ready. There was also one at each end of the hall. And one of them followed me unobtrusively everywhere I went.

Mm-hmm.

My male, even in the castle, he wasn’t taking any chances.

This kind of heavy security had not been in place the other times I’d been at the castle.

As such, I wasn’t a massive fan of this, but I ignored it (though, not the guards, I smiled at them, they just jerked their jaws up to me in response, because, apparently, that was how badasses said their nonverbal “hey”), and I sallied forth.

The guards at the door dipped their chins in nonverbal permission to do what I did next.

I knocked.

“Come!” Tanyn called.

I entered the room to see Tanyn at his desk, males and females about, most of them in uniform.

“I’m disturbing,” I said.

“It’s a good time to break,” Tanyn declared. “Ten minutes.” Everyone dispersed, but Tanyn called, “Nayden, Uly, stay.”

I saw a demon I’d not met yet stop moving to leave. He had dark-blond hair, dark-brown eyes, classical demon features of straight, strong nose and high cheekbones. And he was very handsome.

He didn’t look like he could be Tanyn’s brother.

Maybe a cousin, though.

He was wearing a uniform, and if I was correct, it was the uniform of a Red Dragoon, and until that moment, I wasn’t a uniform gal, but I changed my mind seeing him in one.

Tanyn was up and around his desk, coming to me, where he slid an arm around my waist, so I returned the gesture.

“Uly, meet Catla, my female,” he introduced.

“Catla,” Uly murmured, approaching me with hand raised.

“Uly,” I replied, taking his hand, squeezing it firmly, then we disengaged and he stepped back.

“Uly commanded the Wing last night to defend Sigil,” Tanyn told me.

“I hear you rocked it,” I said to Uly.

“The mission was successful,” he replied, not hiding he was studying me meticulously, giving open indication he was of the Nayden bent.

He was loyal to Tanyn and Tanyn alone.

Therefore, I was going to have to prove myself.