Page 56 of Shadows and Flames (Twin Blades #2)

Chapter Thirty-Three

TANA

I halted my descent of the front steps of the lodging house, finding Fenix seated on one of the spindly benches beneath those floating, twinkling lights.

The city on the treetop was alive, laughter and music making its way to my ears, and shimmers of their fabrics and wings creating a scene out of a storybook.

“Needed some fresh air?” Fenix glanced at me over his shoulder, and I’d almost forgotten what he’d looked like, without all the layers to protect him from burning to ash. The scar around his neck now matched the one pulling at his cheek.

I approached and sat. My nightgown fell mid-thigh, leaving the rest of my leg to rest on the bench seat. “Not really, what with the windows being just holes in the wall.”

“Oh. Right, I well—” He made to stand.

“No! You don’t have to leave. If you wanted to be alone, I can just go somewhere else.”

“No, you—you’re alright. Perfect.” He shook his head and scowled at the same time a telltale shout transcended the walls of the lodging house, and I wrinkled my nose in camaraderie.

Really, I was happy for my cousin, but passionate reunions and our sharp hearing did not bode well for a restful night’s sleep.

Until they went to sleep, anyway. A deep groan reached my ears, so I focused on this unexpected addition to our little…

whatever we were. “Tell me something about yourself, Fenix.” Anything to drown out the noise from the Folk and my cousin with her lover.

He ran a hand over his hair, parting the strands like digging through a flowing stream. The shaved backs and sides were freshly shorn, just a shadow against his scalp. “I, um, up until now, I’d never seen mountains before. At least, not this size.”

I remembered how Tomás had teased him for his age.

Goddess, what was I even doing at thirty years?

Still running after my cousin when I wasn’t diving into everything I could learn from the covens or the priestesses, no doubt.

Just starting to truly recognize the endless possibilities of such a great gift, magic.

Though my upbringing was exceptionally privileged, being the daughter of the Prince of Versillia, his unfamiliarity with the world was telling. “How old you when you were turned?”

The old Fenix made an appearance, posture growing rigid, and he wasn’t looking at me anymore.

Fabulous—I’d offended him. After Leen and Elián barely gave him any consideration, and Tomás’s teasing, I didn’t want—the thought of him coming all this way with us and being treated poorly didn’t sit well with me.

Even if he’d come under the excuse that he was seeking an apology.

I didn’t need my magic to see that he was painfully lonely.

“I’m sorry.” I risked a hand on his shoulder, but when he tensed further, I pulled it back with another apology. “Forget I asked.”

One evening, during my studies at the Rhaestran Temple, I had lost myself in the library stacks, sitting by candlelight and delving into what happened to the human body when it was changed into a Vyrkos immortal.

Weaving an old, old magic that had long grown sentient.

It seemed untoward to call it a virus, a sickness, but the way it latched onto the body’s faculties and transformed, multiplying until all mortal life was suffocated, operated in a similar way.

And, in many cases, mortal life rejected the assault until a draw in the battle between body and virus resulted in final death.

I’d read many accounts that night, and the sensation of burning and being ripped from the inside out was included in just about every firsthand tale of the changing process.

Even for those who’d requested to be changed for the chance of a long, long life, few reported they would make the same decision again if they had been fully aware of the pain.

Then, there were those who were changed against their will.

“I was twenty-three years.”

I didn’t draw attention to his answer, and I didn’t ask for more details.

That hushed response felt like more than he’d given anyone in a long, long time, and I recited my gratitude to myself.

The more time I spent around Fenix, the more clearly I saw him as more than the acerbic Vyrkos we met on the ship and who refused our help.

When he wasn’t being actively yelled at or pestered, he was… quiet. Helpful.

“And how many years are you?”

“Two-hundred and thirty-five years.” Against his thirty, it seemed… I didn’t know, but how had I been judging Fenix’s lack of experience when I had many, many more years with not much to show for it? A wealth of knowledge in my chosen field, yes, but my own path? What did that look like?

The same swirl of thoughts with no solution other than doing throbbed between my eyes. My cousin was making her own future upstairs, and I was down here, feeling sorry for myself.

“You must have seen quite a lot in that time. And you all are from Morova?”

That was something to hold onto. “No. My cousin and I are from a kingdom called Versillia. It’s in eastern Eryva, if you’ve ever been.”

“No. Never. It’s a place with a monarch? Like here?”

Oh, Goddess, how did I explain? For a true, clear moment, I almost lied.

But Fenix was looking at me again, Vyrkos-red eyes reminding me of the impending need to feed.

“Ah, you see…” I huffed, and forced out the rest in one breath.

“My uncle was the King of Versillia, so I am technically a Princess of Versillia, if the kingdom still stands.”

A nervous, shaking smile matched the turmoil of my insides.

I rarely thought of what home was like now.

If Versillia ever crossed my mind, it was how it once was.

When my parents had been alive. When Uncle Hugo and Auntie Liana would afford me far too many leniencies for my age.

But, they were all that sort, encouraging boldness, curiosity, learning.

Perhaps my cousin’s and my habit of running off at the mouth was inevitable.

Where she was all brashness and sharp assessments, I spouted unwanted questions and let my search for knowledge lead me… well, lead me to places such as this.

It took a while for Fenix to decipher what I confessed but tried to obscure. I knew exactly when he understood because he started coughing, sputtering on his own saliva. “A—you’re a princess ?”

My cheeks ached with how hard I smiled, trying to force away the discomfort. Just like Meline, I loathed being called by my royal title. Hers, the Warrior Queen, was worse because it was inaccurate but notorious. Mine was very much real, hollow but also filled with expectations.

“Technically. However, Versillia was burning last we were there, so who knows?” A stupid giggle escaped at the end, obfuscating the tragedy of our flight from my homeland.

Fenix’s pale cheeks flushed. Not with a complete blush, but the best he could muster, and it made my uncomfortable laughter reverberate that much longer. Oh, Goddess, he would certainly be parting ways with us as soon as we returned to our realm, now.

“Um—how are you feeling? Is your injury healed well?” As if I hadn’t checked it before we disembarked in Vharas.

At least my cousin was no longer screeching while her Shadow rearranged her insides.

If these Folk did not send off every innate defensive sense within my body, I would have sought out some local to provide adequate distraction.

“Oh, yes. Thank you, again. I…I would not be here if not for you.”

Such words were common when you practiced healing magic, but it always left me feeling happy, to be appreciated for a craft I’d spent many hours honing. “You’re quite welcome, Fenix. Like I said, I’m glad you’re here.”

He snorted. “Fairly certain you’re the only one who feels such a way.”

The words rang with something, like the sentiment wasn’t limited to just those in our party on this journey. “I hope that’s not true, but if it is, I’m more than happy to stand on my own.” In this, at least.

Fenix parted his lips to say something else, but before he could, Tomás exited the lodging house, mouth cracked open with a large yawn.

Once his jaws were able to snap shut, a sly smile spread on his face, and my irritation took hold.

Anxieties aside, Fenix and I were having a perfectly pleasant evening.

Or, as much as could be had when the whole of Pyrestan would probably jump at the chance to eat his flesh.

“Well, don’t you two make a lovely pair,” the Shadow mused, but I was not impressed. Petty schoolground prodding would not get a rise out of me.

Fenix, on the other hand… “Finally grow tired of the show and your right hand?”

Tomás’s features screwed in disgust. “That’s my brother, you know.”

And she was my cousin, but—“Didn’t you two have a…past, though?”

“You mean did me and Nogón used to fuck?” Tomás shrugged and sat between Fenix and me. “Of course, but two bossy ones in the bedroom grows so tiresome. Wouldn’t you say?” He rested his chin on his fist, batting his lashes at Fenix.

I would have to pull him aside and warn him that the best way to deal with Tomás was to not let him pull you into his antics. “Wouldn’t I say what?”

“What’s your preference, lad? Males, females, other genders? Everyone?” As far as what I’d witnessed spewing from Tomás’s mouth, the question was one of the most reasonable I’d heard.

“Like that’s any of your concern!”

Tomás tsked. “Lad, we might be dead tomorrow as we attempt to spring a Lylithan in full Frenzy from the clutches of a cannibalistic queen with wings. Talk of sex is one of the few entertainments we have left, aside from fucking each other outright.”

I kneaded my knuckle between my brows. If he softened his approach, he would be much more likely to spare others from quickly reaching exasperation. But, who was going to teach him an entirely new way of being? Not I.

“For example, I prefer males but have been known to dabble with others when the mood strikes. And you, Tana?”

“I never thought I would say this, but we have that in common, it seems.”

“Oh, yes, I remember our hunt. Wild thing, aren’t you? What about you, Fenix?”

We both turned to the Vyrkos, and, okay, perhaps I also agreed with Tomás that this was an engaging distraction. Fenix ran another hand through his hair, looking close to biting at Tomás, but he then glanced at me and changed course. He swallowed. “I…”

“Oh, Godyx, are you inexperienced? Or uninterested in sex entirely? I’ve met a few who are, if that’s the?—”

“Would you just—I am neither,” he said so clearly, deliberately. “I prefer females but?—”

“But, what?”

“If you would let me bloody finish a thought! I was trying to say that I’ve not been with any who are not human.”

“ Oh . Well, you aren’t poorly looking, as long as you keep your mouth shut. Are you interested in females exclusively? If not, I can show you what it’s like to be with someone who you don’t have to fear you’ll break.”

Fenix did more of that sputtering, blushing and scooting further away from us until the armrest of the bench halted his movements. But I’d seen when Tomás was exhibiting actual flirtation. His voice would smooth to a predatory point.

This was him keeping the conversation light and teasing, trying to give Meline and Elián privacy while also keeping our thoughts away from the real possibility of casualties tomorrow. If Queen Sarya proved to be as vicious as we suspected.

“I don’t mind fucking males, but I do not want to fuck you. ”

“Pity.” He drawled then angled his body toward me. “What about you, Tana? Care to show Fenix here what sort of tenacious minx you are?”

An outraged squeak slipped through my lips, and all the color drained from Fenix’s face. “I think your jesting has gone too far, now.”

“Has it? I think I’m being quite selfless, helping you two find someone to warm your bed for the evening while thinking nothing of myself.”

I rubbed at my temples, shaking my head. “We do not need your help in such matters, Tom.”

“Oh, I know that you don’t. I saw what you did with those men in Morova. They seemed quite satisfied and all too happy to let you feed from them.”

I didn’t even bother feeling embarrassed.

Sex and hunting and feeding had been such a way of life for me for so long, there was little to be shy about.

But that didn’t mean we had to subject this newcomer to this…

whatever this was. He was clearly uncomfortable.

“Stop, Tomás. I think they’re done, anyway.

” I could no longer hear my cousin and Elián’s words, but their voices were hushed and intimate. Low enough for me to fall asleep with.

I stood, and stretched my arms overhead. The hour was not late, but with the very limited nutrients we were consuming, rest was important, and it would eat up the hours separating us from getting Francie and returning home.

A resounding thumping reached my ears, and I watched as Tomás slapped Fenix’s back in a friendly way as the Vyrkos sat with his head in his hands. Maybe they were able to get along more than they knew. For his sake, I hoped Fenix would start to feel more welcome with us.

“I’m going to bed, and you both should do the same. Tomorrow will be long and tiring.”

Tomás grunted, slapping Fenix’s spine once more before standing, too. I waited until the latter peeked his eyes open and glanced at me.

I waved him goodbye. “Goodnight, Fenix. Thank you for the company.”

“Uh…yep.”

Tomás groaned and followed me inside.