Page 17 of Tell Them That I’m Coming

I get the answer to that last one first.

“It’s very simple. If the soldiers retrieved your Rafe from a demon realm, they brought him to Noctavara for one purpose only. They’ll pass him on to either one of the nobles in the Gilded Court or sell him to wandering slavers at their first opportune moment.”

I gulp. “Slavers?”

Thane nods. “I mentioned it before. Odds are they were slavers who took him. Soldiers are usually stationed throughout Noctavara. They wouldn’t dare risk the queen’s wrath by leaving. But slavers… they would, and they’d be forgiven if they brought their finds to the queen.”

“Is that what they’ll do with Rafe?”

“It’s fair to say. Sooner or later, everyone goes before Queen Celeste as she reigns over the Gilded Court, whether they’re in chains or not. For him to build a shadow barrier… does he have a lover?”

This time, I nearly choke. When Thane says ‘lover’ like that, I know he means ‘mate’, and the truth is that Rafe hasn’t bonded with any demoness yet. However, that just means he hasn’t found one to accept his essence while giving him hers. When it comes to the physical act of mating, of finding pleasure with any demoness that might accept his cock, that’s not something that we talk about now that we’re fully mature halflings with no sexual interest in each other.

“If he doesn’t?”

“Then he’ll fetch a lot of gold from the slavers if they bring him to the Gilded Court. Even if the queen isn’t interested, there are plenty of nobles who would be. Outsiders aren’t welcome here,” he murmurs softly, “but that doesn’t mean that can’t be used.”

I don’t even want to think about what Thane means by that. “I’ll stop them. I’ll save Rafe.”

I have to.

“And I’ll help you.”

What? No. “You don’t have to do that.”

“There’s quite a lot I don’t have to do, Alana, but that’s what makes me such a roguish bandit. Consider me your escort, no gold required.”

“Until you sell me to the slavers and get all the gold they’re willing to give you.”

That would explain it⁠—

“I can promise you that the slavers won’t pay for a shadow-wielding demoness. Anything they want from you, they’ll just take, and there isn’t any soul in Noctavara who will stop them. Except me.” Thane’s gaze slides past me, into the dark between the trees. “Besides, if I wanted to sell you,” he says mildly, “I wouldn’t be standing here talking. I’d already have chains on your wrists.”

My blood runs cold. “I appreciate your offer, but I think I’ll go alone.” Binx nips my ear. “With Binx,” I correct.

Thane gives my ungez an appraising look. He must be remembering the way that Binx attacked him, but all that does is tell him that, of the two of us, Binx is more dangerous than a shadowless halfling.

His next words confirm it: “The two of you can go alone. You’ll just die together.”

“We won’t⁠—”

He lifts a hand, palm up.

“You don’t have to trust me, Alana of Sombra.” He nods at my soul-pet. “Binx. You just have to trust this: you won’t reach the Gilded Court without me. Not with horns. Not with shadows twisting around your feet.” He jerks his chin up. “Not with a queen’s butterfly nesting on your head.”

I hate to admit that he has a point; more than a few, really. On more than one occasion while Rafe and I were traveling in other realms, he had to come between me and a male who decided they wanted to claim me without wooing me. Between his shadow barriers and my portals, we always escaped before anything could happen, but now I’m alone with Binx, and my shadows aren’t working.

Even though I can’t trust this fae, he is my mate. Whether he knows that now or not, a part of me instinctively wants to believe I should be able to trust him.

He’s already proved he knows what he’s talking about. There are obviously traps in the Shadowed Woods. Bandits. If it’s anything like the edge of shadows back home, there are monsters and beasts and I have to survive them all if I want to find Rafe, and that’s nothing compared to what will happen if I do track down the slavers.

And then he says, “I’m only a danger to your gold, demoness. But seeing as you have none, I’m your best chance at going after your friend. Unless you’d rather return to Sombra for other reinforcements.” He pauses. “Can you go back?”

I shake my head. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Not without Rafe.”

“Even if you have to go all the way to the Gilded Court to retrieve him?”

“There isn’t anything I won’t do to bring him home again.”