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There was still that weary gleam in his eyes. His sagging wings – barely a few inches beneath their usual level, but noticeable all the same. It wasn’t like him to show that much weakness to anyone, to lower the shield of the bored, invincible fae prince even for Lyn – so how close to collapse was he, to allow himself to be so unwillingly vulnerable?

And how much would it cost him to pull up that same shield again, for gods knew how long, in the company of far too many people who wouldn’t be subtle about the depths of their dislike for him?

Perhaps my slip of the tongue had contained more wisdom than my conscious mind so far.

‘Well,’ I said slowly, ‘it might not be a bad idea for you to stay here and have a few cups of honey tea instead. You could arguably do with some rest.’

So could you, he retorted.

‘Yes, but they want to see me. No one has asked for you yet.’ I rubbed my face and added, ‘And I’ll manage them on my own, I think.’

Even if you manage them just fine, they’ll be pricks about it.The way his lip curled up a fraction was alarming – a sign of unravelling control that wouldn’t be anywhere near constructive in the company of panicked, furious Underground rebels.So either you’ll feel forced to compromise, in which case I want to stop you, or they’ll make you suffer for not compromising, in which case …

‘You’ll want to stop them?’ I finished sourly.

He scoffed.In which case I’ll want to rip off their fingers and stuff them into their mouths to see if that might shut them up.

Alyra squeaked approvingly on my shoulder.

‘Right,’ I said, letting out a laugh, ‘and that is extremely gallant of you, but I can do all of that myself, if I find it necessary.’

He blinked.Em …

‘I’ll be fine. I promise I will.’ I crouched down before him, my hands on his thighs, and looked up at him – his face all lines and shadows, his shoulders slouched. If I’d felt any doubts about my opinions, the festering darkness in his eyes quickly did away with them. ‘I’ll have Alyra with me, too. If anything goes terribly wrong, she can always fly here to warn you.’

Alyra’s accusing glare on the edge of my sight said sheabsolutelywasn’t flying anywhere to warn anyone, and definitely not Creon with his unnecessarily sizeable wingspan; if anything were to go terribly wrong, she would be perfectly capable of gnawing off some fingers all by herself.

I pointedly ignored her.

‘Creon.’ I held his gaze, my fingers tightening on his thighs. ‘Are you worried I might end up making some sort of bargain with the phoenixes after all? Because I’m really, really not going to …’

‘No.’ The word was barely recognisable from his lips, his grating voice so rough I winced at the sound alone. ‘I know. It’s just—’

Another fit of dry coughs escaped him, sounding like bits and pieces of his airpipe might be coming out with them. Averting his eyes, left hand pressed to his throat, he bit out a curse and signed with tight fingers,Want to help. Need to help.

‘There’ll be plenty to do tomorrow! And I don’t want you put in a situation where your throat starts trying to kill you while you’re surrounded by people who’ll delight in your suffering.’ I gave a scoff. ‘Imagine – I would have to break so many noses if they tried to mock you.’

His coughs mingled with laughter.Cactus—

‘Please,’ I interrupted, my voice cracking. ‘I made you suffer their hatred forweekswithout ever defending you the way I should have. Let me do this for you now. I promise I’ll be perfectly fine, I promise I won’t be taking any risks, and I promise I’ll let you know if I need help. Just go inhale some cough syrup in the meantime –please.’

The guilt in his eyes cut straight through me – the look of the warrior who would fight himself to death before allowing anyone to harm so much as a hair on my head. Hewouldhave dealt with the Alliance for me, had I needed the help. Exhaustion and injuries be damned, somehow he would have managed it; this was, after all, the same male who’d survived centuries of pushing himself past all comprehensible pain limits for the sake of victory.

But I’d promised I’d have his back. I’d promised I would protect him, too. And I’d be damned if I let the expectations of the world get between me and that oath once again.

‘Alright?’ I whispered.

He closed his eyes, leaned down to kiss my forehead. It said everything there was to say, that kiss – an apology, a reassurance, a promise that he would be here and wait for me. The gratitude he didn’t dare to feel. Most of all, lingering on his lips against my skin, the stifling guilt that eclipsed it all.

A problem. But a problem for later.

Right now, I had some allies to deal with.

Chapter 3

The house of Svirlawas the largest alf family residing in the Underground, and as it so happened, my least favourite one, too.

Part of that had to do with its representative on the Council, sour-faced Valdora, who disliked me enough to disagree even with any compliments I tried to offer her. Part of it had to do with the handful of household members who’d kept objecting to Creon’s presence in the Underground for weeks after even Edored had made peace with the fact. All in all, a meeting in their living room was alittlebetter than a full Council gathering with all of the Alliance watching, but not by a large margin; my mood hadn't brightened in the slightest by the time I finally leftthe Skeire family home and went on my way, clothed in a dark red dress that I hoped would properly convey my feelings.