Page 38 of Tell Them That I’m Coming

How could I argue? My slice is gone, and I’m sure Thane’s healed, too, but I can’t imagine engaging in four different fights has left him with enough energy to continue.

So I agreed, and before I knew it, he was gesturing beneath another tree just like that one I slept under last night. I shared the pouch of dried meat and thin crackers with Binx. Thane had his own, and we both finished off the last of our canteens that we refilled at the lake before we left.

Murmuring that he’ll get more water in the morning, he collected my canteen, attached them both to his sword belt, then removed his cloak.

“For you.”

I nod, a wordless show of gratitude.

Look, Mom. I’m getting better.

I figure Thane is going to climb up and take his perch now that our supper is done. To my surprise, he plops down next to me, kicking his legs out in front of him. Folding his hands behind his head, his gaze searches for the spattering of stars peeking through the late evening sky.

Still glancing up, it’s obvious he’s speaking to me as he says, “You’re very determined to get this demon of yours back.”

My heart stutters, my worry Rafe only increasing as Thane mentions him. But he doesn’t use his name, and that bothers me for some reason.

“Rafe,” I tell him. “His name is Rafe.”

“That his true name?”

“He’s Rafe of Sombra, spawn of Loki and Kennedy.”

Thane nods. “Rafe, then. He that important to you?”

“Yes.”

Finally, he looks my way. “Your lover?”

The question is casual. Too casual.

I’m not the only one who notices. Binx had already made himself a nest in the skirts of my dress, cozying up now that he was full. As though he can sense the direction the conversation between Thane and me has gone in, he lifts his chin off of his paws, twitching his ears slightly as a sliver of his white eyes peek through.

I stroke his head, then tell Thane firmly, “No.”

He hums. “Your mate, then?”

My heart nearly skips a beat to hear Thane murmur that word.

Mate.

Maaaatttee.

“No,” I say, and this time I choose my next words carefully. “He’s my friend.”

Thane studies me for a moment longer, like he’s trying to decide if that answers the question he actually asked.

Then he exhales. “Strange thing, devotion.”

“Why’s that?”

He shrugs. “We don’t have it here. Not like that.”

“Devotion?”

“The bonds you were telling me about,” he corrects. “Fated ones, and what you have with Binx here, and your friendship with Rafe of Sombra. See, Noctavara was cursed long before I was born. No one here has a bonded partner.” He folds his legs in, resting an arm leisurely around his knees. “Not unless they steal one.”

“How do you know that?” I ask.