Page 180 of Sunsplitter

Yme’s voice lowered. “Avroz, I have stood by you all this time.”

“And I’m grateful—”

“I stood by you through what happened two months ago.”

Fi’s heart skipped a beat.

Yme’s tone was scathing, laced with accusation. For what? Two months ago. Fi ticked the weeks backward in her head…

Before the hunt had started. Before Avroz had summoned Antal home.

Avroz growled. “Don’t speak of that.”

“Ihaven’tspoken of it, Avroz.”

“Yme, that’s enough—”

“I’ve kept your confidence.” Every word grated over fangs. “And in return? You put my son in danger!”

“Antal is fine. Ixli will look after him.” A huff. “And that mortal of his, apparently.”

Each exchange came quieter. Not moving away, just speaking lower, words that weren’t meant to be overheard. Fi, increasinglyintent on overhearing them, inched closer to the window.

“You begged me to trust you,” Yme hissed. “You asked for my help, promised everything would be fine. Yet you’ve never explained why you came home ragged that night, Avroz. Why you came to me with thoseglyphs on your antler.”

Fi was back in the Void, cold in her bones, a vice on her chest. Even through whispered words, she caught the seethe of Yme’s anger. Something only she and Avroz knew about. Something about…

Glyphs. Two months ago.

Just before the first aedari sighting on the Winter Plane.

What in the endless black Void did that bastarddo? Fi strained to hear the rest. She pushed her back to the wall, lifting higher than a crouch, a few inches closer to the open window and—

Her boot slipped, dragging the tiniest scuff across stone.

Fi’s heart jolted at the sound. Louder, at the sudden silence inside. She held still, eyed the patio door, vacillating for a second too long.

Static snapped her tongue.

Avroz shoved her to the wall, a clawed hand over her mouth, muffling her shouts.Bastard, skink, twig-headed cunt,all demoted to vicious mumbles. He pinned her wrist before she grabbed her sword hilt, pinned herotherwrist when she tried again, her gagged curses berating the unfairness of tails.

His burgundy eyes sliced the dusk. These weren’t the eyes he’d worn when they’d met. Not when he’d cornered her in his study. Not even when Fi had held a blade to his throat. These eyes made every spat they’d had before seem like they’d been playing.

“What are you doing out here, vavraesa?” he whispered, fangs an inch from her face.

Fi spat another curse against his palm. She couldn’t Voidwalk while he held her, or she’d just pull them both in together. She couldn’t wriggle free of his claws.

She couldn’t help but wonder: was this the last thing Razik saw, before he’d died?

“You draw a sword on me in my own home,” Avroz growled. “Now you spy on my conversations. And what’s this?” He tilted her head, claws painful against her cheeks, until one of her gold-banded ears faced him. “Oh. Isn’t thatcute.”

Fi tried to bite him. She couldn’t quite get her teeth around his thumb.

“What did you hear?” Avroz demanded.

She mumbled something that was, very clearly, not a confession. The daeyari snapped his fangs too close to her cheek.

“What. Did you.Hear?”