Why is he looking at me like that?
Rowena almost asked, but in the end, she chose to admire the sudden glitter in Slay’s golden gaze instead. His eyes were remarkable, fringed in sooty lashes and so thick that she wondered whether the tangle made it difficult for him to see. Likewise, his brows were heavy and thick, stern if his face held a somber cast. And his jaw constantly prickled with scruff, deepening toward a beard.
The Animari didn’t wear ranking braids, she knew, but nobody in the undercity used them either. That required status, something denied all denizens of the lowest tier. Belatedly she realized she had been staring at him for a while, watching him methodically chew through the gritty brown bread she’d shared with him.
The gesture hadn’t gone unnoticed among their fellows. A few were whispering, though most lacked the energy for gossip. Then a lean young man said, “It was wise of you to pair up with the strongest person you could find. A pretty one like you won’t last down here otherwise.”
If only you knew, she thought.
But some part of her was glad that her origins didn’t show. It spoke of how far she’d come that someone from the undercity had no idea she’d been born and raised here while resisting a demon they could scarcely imagine. Most probably had never even glimpsed Tycho Vega, as he’d only visited once—when he selected Rowena at his sire’s bidding. The rest of the time, the guards delivered her to him like a parcel, only after attendants washed and groomed her, the complete and degrading pet experience.
“Fuck off,” Slay said.
Rowena blinked. Clearly she’d missed something but judging by the expression on the face of the man who’d spoken initially, he was confused too.
“I…what?” He seemed to be torn between asking for clarification and apologizing, as he probably didn’t wish to fight Slay.
“You implied that she’s weak. And I’m telling you to fuck off. Clear enough?”
“Oh. I see. Yes, sorry.” He ducked his head and continued eating, not daring to glance in their direction again.
“So much for making friends,” she said.
“I doubt he’s a valuable contact. Besides, it pisses me off that he made assumptions. He doesn’t know shit about you. Not that I’m an expert, but you told me enough that I’m sure you deserve a hell of a lot more respect than that.”
It was startling how good it felt to hear those words—‘you deserve a hell of a lot more respect than that’. Not because she was pretty or unique among both Eldritch and Golgoth, a collectible to set upon a high shelf. That was how many people made her feel.
But not Slay.
He didn’t see her as someone who needed saving or who had been broken. He saw someone who had survived against astronomical odds and was still here, still fighting. Worthy of alliance, a useful partner. To Prince Alastor, she would always be the broken doll he’d pulled from the executioner’s block. And to Tycho Vega, she would always be the toy he could never own. Not as he wanted, down deep in her soul.
“I don’t care if you offended him,” she declared. “I’ll tell you when we’re meeting someone who might prove consequential to our endeavors.” That was a proper obfuscation, and Slay stared for a few seconds, working out the hidden meaning.
“Ah. Understood.” Then he smiled, and oh, it was dazzling.
Suddenly, she flashed on a memory of him in Ash Valley. Then she hadn’t known who he was; his striking appearance drew her attention at first, but her gaze lingered because of the crushing sorrow that etched his features. Ro had been dallying in the park that day, marveling at the snow. Slay had stood in the cold, watching a small woman walk away. He’d clenched his fists, seeming like it took all his resolve not to chase her. Back then, his hair was longer, hanging to his shoulders. He had been much brawnier too, but life in the undercity pared people away, leaving only the minimum to sustain life.
Before she or Slay could say more, the supervisor herded everyone back inside. Long hours passed in monotonous labor. She’d worked these machines before, in between summons from the tyrant, and her muscles remembered the patterns. At eight bells, she stumbled out along with everyone else, exhausted but not ready to return to the alcove where they slept.
Here, there were variations on amenities available above, but nothing was free. They didn’t use coins in the undercity, but goods and services were bartered. Currently, she had nothing that anyone would want—it had all been taken from her in a traitor’s tax—but she needed to make connections and start stockpiling.
Slay moved after her, long lazy strides that still covered the ground at a deceptively rapid pace. “Where to now? We’re not headed back to base?”
“That’s a kind word for it.”
“You prefer flophouse?”
“More accurate.” Arrowing through the warren, she added, “I thought I’d see who’s still doing business in the market.”
“There’s a market? What do you use for currency, hair and bone?”
“Someone would probably take it,” she admitted. “Though you’d better not think too long on what they’re using the bone for.”
“Don’t try the mystery soup, got it.”
Yet again, he startled a laugh out of her. For Rowena surviving had been serious business since the day she was born, so her sense of humor rarely surfaced. She watched the world with a grim, faintly worried demeanor, and it used to trouble Prince Alastor, who wanted her to be happy above all things. She’d had the worst time making him understand that she was content in his service; it just wasn’t easy for her to show it.
“You have a nice laugh,” Slay said.
“Thanks.” It was the first compliment she could remember receiving that felt wholesome, without asking for more than she cared to give or at least implying that it would be desirable.
I’m safe with him.
The surety came to her, easing a tightness in her chest that she’d scarcely acknowledged. She didn’t dwell on it, focusing instead on navigation. Everything here was carved from stone or hastily erected, temporary baffles that could be yanked down and carted away on the run if a patrolman decided to be a hard-ass. Long ago, she’d surmised that those who were assigned down here as guards must’ve pissed someone important off in Golgerra. Problem was, they took their ire out on random prisoners.
“I didn’t even know this was here,” Slay said. “Granted, every time I ran for it, I was looking for a way out, not taking in the sights.”
Rowena tried to see the market as he would. Some entrepreneurs with energy to spare hunted vermin in the tunnels, and that was the meat they had on offer, charring on skewers. It wasn’t a good idea to light fires with such poor ventilation, but people did what they wanted until they got caught. She wrinkled her nose at the smell and peered through the smoke, trying to spot someone she recognized from the old days.
They can’t all be dead, right?
“How far did you get?” she asked.
“First time, I made it out of the undercity. Beat the hell out of a bunch of guards and sprinted up like a thousand stairs, but they overwhelmed me in the lower plaza, dragged me back down. I spent hell knows how long in the box after that run.”
“That’s incredible. It’s a wonder they didn’t execute you as an example.”
“At that point, they were still hoping to get some intel out of me.”
That made sense. “Right, you’re a political prisoner. They might ransom you eventually.”
“I’d rather stick with you. We’re a team now, yeah? You gave me your bread and everything. That means you love me more than life itself.” He grinned to show he was teasing, and she smiled back.
“Oh! There’s Old Wendell. He can point us in the right direction.”
Slay raced after Rowena, almost lost her in the crowd because she was like a dancer, spinning away from obstructions with preternatural grace.
He sniffed the air appreciatively. Seemed like they were barbecuing but—
“I wouldn’t,” she said over her shoulder.
“Wouldn’t what?”
“Try the skewers. It’s likely to be rat. Possibly bat. Either way, they carry diseases and it’s an ugly way to die.” She ran an assessing gaze over him. “I’m not sure how your enhanced physiology would handle that.”
“Diseases are different than injuries,” he said. “There are issues that our systems can’t handle without help. Otherwise, we’d have no need for doctors.”
“That’s right. I traveled with Dr. Halek for a while. Did you know she’s…involved with Prince Alastor? They were quite happy together in Hallowell.”
Slay thought she seemed a little melancholy about that, and gods knew he could relate. “How the hell would I find that out? I’m getting all my news from you.” He paused, wondering if he should ask. “How was it in Ash Valley when you left?”
“They were rebuilding. The dead had been mourned and they had some defensive plans that I wasn’t privy to. Otherwise, I don’t know anything. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” He wished it was.
She cut across a cluster of tables displaying bits of junk and stopped in front of an incredibly old man. To Slay’s surprise, Rowena squatted beside him, speaking loudly into his ear. “It’s Rowena. I won’t ask how you are because you always say—”
“I’m still here. Bored with life, too mean to die. It’s not good to see you, girl. I enjoyed knowing you were out there somewhere, living it up for all of us.”
Rowena’s silvery eyes misted over and Slay refused to look away. Rather he should confront her history. Right now he was walking the paths that made her who she was and he respected that.
“I did,” she said softly. “The first time I changed, I flew. Down here, I never got the chance, but once I went up… it was like I’d been waiting for the sky.” Softly she described the open space, the feel of wind on her skin, the shine of the sunlight on the water, different types of trees and finally, snow and rain, with more patience and poetry than Slay could’ve mustered.
Frankly, it was damn beautiful, all of it, and he’d grown up taking the sky for granted. When he got out of here, he never would again. He’d spend five minutes a day, minimum, staring up at the sun, the clouds, and then later, admiring the stars.
Wait …change? She fucking flew?
All his assumptions disintegrated. He’d presumed she was an Eldritch prisoner, but if she could shift, she must be biracial. Maybe one of her parents had been a rare bird shifter from the Aerie who had been captured. He was willing to bet that she was half Eldritch; no other race had their fey features. Indulging his curiosity and digging into her background constituted an invasion of her privacy, however. If she wanted him to know more, she’d tell him.
But then, he heard what Wendell was saying. “It sounds like paradise. You’re so special, Ro. In all my years, I’ve never heard of a changed Gol who could fly.”
She was half Gol then. Half Eldritch. It shouldn’t change anything, but part of him recoiled over realizing she encompassed in her small body both peoples who’d taken him prisoner, blown up his home, and killed his mother.
Fuck. Settle down. They did that. Not her. As quickly as it came, the antipathy settled. He might be an asshole, but he could be absolved of blaming her for shit she didn’t do.
It wasn’t like the Gols or Eldritch had done jack shit for Rowena, either. Well, apart from Prince Alastor. And to Slay, it seemed like the exiled prince had dropped the ball or she wouldn’t be locked up in here. He’d accepted her oath of service; that meant he had an obligation to protect her, right?
“I’m a fluke,” she said wryly.
“None of that, child. Your mother asked me to look after you before she died. I made a poor job of it, I’m afraid, but there was nothing I could do when the guards came for you.”
To take her to the bastard trying to conquer the world, Slay guessed.
“We don’t need to talk about that. Did anyone else survive the purge?” Her eyes blazed with intensity as she took the old man’s hand between both of hers.
“Not many. Let me think. You’re wondering about Lucan, I expect. He’s looking for you. He is…not as you remember. Be careful there. Hettie is still working at the comfort house. She’ll be glad to see you.”
While Slay wasn’t sure what a ‘comfort house’ was, he figured Hettie sold physical services in some fashion, maybe from sex to hugs. In a place like this, all kindness would come at a premium.
“What’s wrong with Lucan?” she asked, her big eyes shimmering with concern.
Slay tensed, despite knowing it was absurd. He told himself it was ego. They’d just given anyone who was paying attention the idea that they were together, and now, she was asking about someone else. Fuck that. He’d lost one love by not treating her right and—
Back up. It’s not the same. What the hell is wrong with you, seriously?
Only thing he could figure, maybe something got damaged the last time the interrogators worked him over and it still hadn’t healed right in his scrambled egg of a brain. Frankly, he’d never been a brain trust in the first place. Pru once joked that she’d do the thinking for both of them, and he’d acted like that was funny, but really, it stung. It sucked feeling like she only wanted him because hormones said they were a match. But for the rest, talking about important business and sharing serious emotions, well, she’d always had Dalena and Dom for that.
Maybe it even made sense in some fucked up way that she’d ended up with Dom. Their brains went better together, even if Slay had the edge in fucking. That was still physical, though.
With a faint sigh, he wished he could erase all of it. Their ten years, his failings, and the sting of a love that wouldn’t let him go.
Rowena touched his arm, so light it barely qualified as contact. “You okay?”
“Fucking great,” he muttered.
“Then I’m done here.”
He realized he’d missed a significant chunk of the conversation as she waved to Old Wendell and charted a course to elsewhere, away from barbecued rat-or-bat on a stick. Away from eyes that darted and dropped. Hell, nobody here could meet his gaze. Slay towered over most prisoners, and he drew stares wherever he went.
“That’s the Animari.”
Heard that before.
“What kind?”
“Cat, I think.”
“Have you seen him change?”
Slay was used to ignoring that stuff, but Rowena marched up to the pair of women who had been talking loud enough to make sure he heard. “You’re being rude. Apologize.”
The larger of the two stood up. “And why should I? He’s a prisoner, same as us. There’s no rule against talking.”
“My rule is, you make it right or I make you sorry,” Rowena snapped, ready to square off. Her small hands balled into fists.
Nobody had ever offered to kick ass for him before.
Ro has a temper. Damn it. She went from adorable to hot as fucking hell.