Page 155 of Taste of Thorns

“Are you okay, Briony?” he asks her. “Should we take you to the clinic?”

“I’m fine. But … but what happened?”

“You don’t remember?” She shakes her head. “The dragon found you first,” Beau explains. “Blasted Bardin away before she could sink her teeth into you. We were right behind with the Empress.”

“She believed you, then?”

“Not exactly,” he says, “it took a bit of persuasion to get her to come with us.” He holds on to her shoulders. “You’re sure you’re all right? That was a little too close for comfort!”

“Just really really tired and absolutely starving.” She smiles, her green eyes bright in the murky light. “We did it. We revealed the truth. We showed the Empress who the Madame really is, and I know she escaped and everything, but we still did it.”

“Youdid it,” I clarify, standing alongside my bond brother and stroking her cheek. “You were fucking amazing.”

“Enough self-congratulating,” Thorne barks. “You heard her, the girl needs to eat.”

“Oh no,” she says, shaking her head. “I need to find Fox first. And Fly and Clare.”

I glance at Thorne, then scoop the little thing up into my arms and march off in the direction of our tower.

“Dray! I’m serious. I need to–”

“The Empress’ guards are searching for Tudor. And Fly and Clare probably haven’t even started their trial yet.”

“But they think it’s the lake. They’ll be totally stumped.”

“Clare’s smart and Fly … well, Fly’s Fly,” Beaufort says.

“Little Kitten,” I tell the little thing wriggling in my arms, “the Empress is going to want to question you again soon and you need to be able to talk without slurring.”

“I’m not slurring,” she says, totally slurring. I grin and she sticks her tongue out at me.

Back at our tower, I take her straight upstairs to Beau’s bathroom, running her a hot bath while Thorne prepares some food and Beau brews us all a pot of fresh coffee.

“I’d leave you in peace in here, little Kitten,” I say, as I help her to step into the bath, “but I’m afraid you might fall asleep.”

“Hmmm,” she says, sinking into the hot bubbly water, eyes already drifting closed. “You could join me?”

I rub my fingers across my stubbled chin. “Fuck, that sounds like one hell of an offer. But I can’t promise I’d be able to keep my hands off you, and we’re meant to be restoring you, not wearing you out.”

She doesn’t hear me though, she’s already falling asleep. I prod her awake, then when I’ve been forced to do that three more times, I send my shadows spiraling through the water and make it freezing cold.

An action that has her snapping upright, wide awake and cursing me.

“Did you do that?” she asks, splashing cold water in my direction.

“Yeah, I’m not having you survive an attack with demons and then a fight with the Madame to end up drowning in your own bath.”

“Hmph,” she says, but then she’s washing herself quickly in the chilly water and I’m scooping her out and into a waiting fluffy towel.

As I dry her body, I examine her for injuries, soothing each away with my magic until there are only the scrapes on her face remaining.

“Did Linny Smyte do this? Or was it the Madame?”

She giggles. “You know it was a demon.”

“Fuck, you are amazing, Kitten. Fighting demons and you walk away with just a scratch.”

“A scratch? It hurts quite a bit,” she protests.