Page 26 of Tell Them That I’m Coming

Binx makes a sound that might be an ungez laugh. Considering I can sense his amusement skittering down our soulbond, that’s exactly what it is. Looks like he’s forgiven Thane for dropping the cloak on top of him.

Thane gives me a satisfied look before he moves.

One moment he was standing in front of me. The next, he’s stepping onto the roots, gripping the bark with hands that shouldn’t be able to cling to the smooth silver wood, and then he’s up, disappearing into the branches like he belongs there.

I stare upward, oddly nervous.

Thane settles on a thick branch above me, not directly overhead but close enough that if he moves, I’ll hear the shifting of the leaves. His silhouette blends into darkness except for the faint gold glow of his skin, but it seems to dim compared to how strong it was hours ago. Almost as though the shadows of the Shadowed Woods are swallowing him whole.

Amber eyes watch me from above.

“Sleep,” he calls down to me, tone shifting again, the command softer now. “Your friend needs you rested and alive.”

Rafe.

Where is he now? Is he safe? Have the slavers fed him or have they bound him? Will I be able to take him from this realm when I find him? Am I fooling myself that I am? I thought it would be as easy as walking into Noctavara, grabbing Rafe, and going home. Nope. Now I’m leaning back against a tree with a fae bandit in it, my parents have no idea where I am—though, considering it’s Noctavara, that’s probably a good thing for Mom’s nerves—and I’ve never felt less immortal in my existence.

But Thane is right. I need sleep.

I close my eyes. My shadows curl closer, Binx already snuffling his snores as he snuggles against Thane’s cloak. I try, but I don’t fall asleep immediately. Whether it’s because I can sense Thane’s presence over my head or because my instincts are telling me to go to him, to curl up next to him, to tell him he’s my mate… without the walking to distract me, all I can think of is what’s going on with Rafe and Thane, and I don’t know which one is worse.

Eventually, exhaustion and worry win, and I can only hope I’m not making a fatal mistake, trusting Thane Aurex.

CHAPTER 9

GOLDCAPS

Iwake up the next morning warmer than I thought I’d be.

Not because the forest has lightened. It hasn’t. The Shadowed Woods remain steeped in its eternal twilight, like Earth after its bright sun set, but I feel the shift.

So it’s morning, then, or whatever passes for it here.

I’m lying on my side, wrapped up in Thane’s cloak, my hair a knotted mess beneath my head. Sitting up slowly, I brush one of the tangled snarls away from my left horn. The movement rouses Binx. He yawns widely, showing off his adorable fangs.

I ruffle his shadowy fur, glancing around for Thane. I expect to find him up in the trees, slightly surprised to see him standing about three demon’s lengths away, fiddling with the pouches on his belt.

Once I’ve used my claws to smooth out my hair, I gather the cloak around myself and rise, padding closer to him. “You should have woken me.”

He glances over his shoulder showing no surprise of his own that I’m up. “You needed the rest.”

I remove the cloak, holding it out to him. Don’t say thank you, don’t say thank you… “This is yours.”

He hesitates, as though he hears the words I really want to say. Then he takes the cloak from my hands, flips it over his shoulders, and slings it back on. Once he has, he grabs something near his feet.

It’s the canteen.

“And this one’s yours,” Thane echoes.

I blink. Glancing down at his waist, I see the one he let me drink out of yesterday. “Mine?”

He nods once and presses it into my hands. It’s newer than the one he drank from last night, the leather uncracked, the seal tight.

“You’ll need it,” he adds. “We’re moving out soon.”

I turn it over, surprised. “I don’t have anything to trade you for it.”

His mouth quirks, just barely. “Not yet you don’t.”