Page 251 of A Sanctuary from Shadow
Cussing, Sedge pinched the bridge of his bulbous nose. “Blast you, Pete, you’re a dead man—or a demon—when next you venture to the Shadow Palace. You ken that, don’t you?”
Cringing, Pete raked his hair. “About that—”
Then he confessed the pledge he’d made to Shorty just hours before.
Sedge’s coal black eyes bulged from his head. “Christ, man! Were you pickled when you vowed this?”
“No, I—” Pete shrugged. “I just wanted to do it.”
Suddenly, the Vampire’s skin drained to gray, making Pete wonder how his stock of human blood held up. “Wait just one blighted moment. What does she ken about her totem? About what it meant when she gave it over to you?”
“She kens nothing about that,” Pete assured Sedge. “And it meantnothing. It was as sentimental as anyone else in Eden giving me—or you—their totem.”
“Aye, so we can feed them to Samain’s Passion. Shorty gave hers to you forsafekeeping, and you well ken the difference.”
“I returned her the poppet soon after, anyhow.”
“Good. Wouldn’t wanteitherof you clotheads imagining that now you’re wed. Because where I come from, entrusting your totem to someone is all it takes.”
“It was a harmless, innocent gesture, Sedge. Don’t make a dither about it.”
“You thinkI’mmaking a dither? Remember, Pete—you’ve formed an affinity bond with the crown princess—thebetrothedcrown princess.”
Pete couldn’t keep his mouth from twisting.
“Imagine the dither you’ll incur when you try to claim her for yourself.”
Pete was suddenly too warm for comfort. “I’ll make no claim on her. Because, aye, I have no claim on her. But neither doeshe.”
Shorty’s intended—the worthless milksop who’d allowed her abduction—he could bugger the feck off.
Sedge scoffed.
“She’s a blasted triple goddess, Sedge. She’s the Aurora.” And he was damn proud of the spirited beyn—the woman—he’d watched come into her own. “You don’t make claims on her.Shemakes claims on you.”
Sedge’s mouth bunched. “You ken that’s not how this world works, Pete.”
“Aye, well, she’s going to change this world. And,Christ, isn’t that what we’ve been striving for all these years? Isn’t shepreciselywhat we’ve been waiting for?”
“I don’t know, Pete! And neither do you!”
“Aye, I do, my friend. Because I’ve seen what she can do.”
“What she can do? Are we speaking of the beyn who’s too squeamish to skin her own supper? The one whose arms are too weak to split a log in twain? The one who shrieks whenever she encounters a new bug? That one?”
Pete grunted. “Aye, well—even fire sylphen have their flaws.”
Sedge’s mouth slowly rounded into an O.
“Did I neglect to mention how Shorty killed the Leprechauns?” Smug, Pete kicked a skinkcrab snapping at his boot. “She roasted them like stuffed geese—set fire to the whole bloody jungle.”
Pete had never seen his friend so shocked. “Shortycaused that wildfire?”
“Aye.”
“Gripes! You ken that’s why I haven’t shown ‘til now? Couldn’t get past the barricades for weeks—the palace tasked all Lithalaly’s high officials with containing the blaze. I heard tell water wasn’t even of use in some parts.”
Pete watched the crab skitter away. “As Shorty learns more control over her fire, it’s getting harder to douse. Her moods play some role in it as well—and the kind of fire she sprays.”
