Page 34 of Sky’s Edge

So, during our compatibility trial, I wouldn’t be eating breakfast with seven Red Grenadiers.

The Grenadiers were the elite squads in Sky’s Edge army. They were renowned. Hence, I was a little disappointed about that.

At this point, we swooped into an open area behind the citadel and stopped. This area, from what I could tell in the dark, was the only open space to be had up there, considering the building was built to the very edges of the plateau.

And I saw a male and female come out a door.

He was burly, had a thick head of steel-gray hair, an even thicker beard and was only wearing a sweater, jeans and boots. No hat. No coat. No gloves. He had demon black eyes, but at the present time they had an inquisitive sparkle, and they were on me.

She was slender, tall, attractive and wearing much the same thing. Her hair was a rich auburn, thick and shining, her eyes were tawny, and yes, inquisitive (further, also on me).

Tanyn angled out, Hurley jumped down behind him, and I let myself out.

I followed him to where he stopped to stand with the beings.

“Manny, Zyr, this is Catla, my fiancée,” Tanyn introduced.

They bobbed and Zyra murmured, “Milady.”

“I’m not⁠—”

I didn’t finish because Tanyn interrupted me.

“Supplies and Catla’s cases are in the back of the Armored. Can you see to them?”

“Of course,” Mangold agreed.

“Welcome to Sigil,” Zyra said to me.

“I’d say thank you, but I’m too busy worrying about the three of you not wearing hats,” I replied on a smile, and I didn’t stop there. “My nostrils are frozen.”

Zyra and Mangold chuckled heartily.

“You get used to it, lass,” Mangold informed me.

“How long have you lived here?” I asked.

“Some thirty-odd years,” Mangold answered.

I nodded. “Makes sense it would take that long.”

They laughed again, and for some bizarre reason, they appeared relieved.

“Shall we get you inside?” Tanyn suggested.

Out in that cold, inside sounded good to me.

With a smile to Mangold and Zyra, I trailed Tanyn in, and Tanyn was following Hurley, who led our pack.

It was difficult to take anything in, since it was so dark everywhere and my eyes hadn’t adjusted, but to my surprise, the hallways were narrow, so in order not to run into anything, I kept my gaze on Tanyn’s back.

Finally, we came into a lit room, one I recognized from his comm yesterday.

In person, I saw the room was not large at all, even if the fireplace, which had a cheerfully roaring fire in it, was. There was a lot of comfortable, attractive, but very lived-in furniture and so many throws, no matter where you chose to sit, you didn’t have to reach far to grab one.

Homey, worn, but still lovely, deep-pile rugs covered the dark wood floors. There were no lamp drones, but actual lamps on tables, ones that plugged into outlets on the walls. Some of them were on, not all, and they lit the room like a seduction scene.

Hmm.