Page 25 of Tell Them That I’m Coming

“You’re not going to get some sleep?” I ask before I can stop myself.

Thane glances at me. “You are.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

He pauses, then gestures upward.

It takes me a moment to see what he means. The branches above us are thick. High. Some of them stretch out like platforms, broad enough that someone could lie across them if they were…

If they were fae.

If they were used to this world.

“You’re sleeping up there,” I say flatly.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“So I can watch for danger,” he replies, like it’s obvious.

I scoff. “So you can run if you see something coming.”

His eyes narrow. “So I can kill it before it gets to you.”

My stomach goes tight, the bond strengthening just a little more at his honest words. He means it. If some kind of threat finds us in the shadows, he’ll protect me. He only just met me, but for reasons I can’t understand—and only hope are the same as mine—the fae is willing to keep me safe.

And that’s not all.

As I keep an eye on him, Thane shrugs out of his cloak. Before I can even guess what he’s about to do, he drops it in my lap, earning a squeak from Binx as it covers him.

His lips twitch, swallowing his grin. “Here. This should keep you warm.”

“Won’t you be cold?”

“Nah. I really only wear it so that I can skulk around the woods without anyone seeing me. I’ll take the high ground tonight. It’s better that you have the cloak ‘til morning.”

I don’t argue with him. Lifting it off of Binx, I run my fingers over the heavy fabric. “You know, they told me that Noctavare was home to fire demons.”

“We’re fae. A sect of the Seelie with an affinity for gold. But since we’re not supposed to leave, those who do⁠—”

“Like the slavers?”

He nods. “They don’t bother concealing their golden skin with cloaks. All it takes is a little glamour to give them horns when they’re… hunting. And there you go. Fire demons. Here in Noctavara, we can be who we want to be.”

“Like a bandit?” I ask, spreading the cloak out on my lap. It holds Thane’s heat, carrying his scent with him. Something sharp and spicy and him.

Godsdamn it, but it smells amazing.

“That’s right, demoness,” he says before jerking his chin at me. “Comfortable?”

I ignore the return of the slight tease to his voice. “Yes.” I pause, my instincts suddenly screaming to say ‘thank you’, because my mother raised me with manners even if the duke’s laws can be weird and the fae’s rules are even weirder.

Thane’s expression sharpens, like he can see the words forming on my tongue.

“Don’t,” he says.

I snap my mouth shut.