Page 18 of A Thieving Curse

You’re coming to rescue me, though, right Gareth?But Gareth didn’t know she had been captured. A horrible thought hit her. When they couldn’t find her, they’d probably assume she was dead. She didn’t even know if Gareth had survived the manticore attack.He must have.She pulled the scratchy blanket tighter around her shoulders. Somehow, deep down, she knew Gareth wasn’t dead, and he was looking for her. She clung to that fragile thread as sleep overtook her.

Knocking woke Raelyn, and she rolled over groggily. The candle and fire had burned out, but flickering light spilled under the door. Someone knocked again, harder.

“Just open it.” The monster’s voice. It carried an irritated edge but had returned to its smooth tenor.

“Do you want her to feel like a guest or a prisoner?” Jasper’s voice.

“Sheismy prisoner, technically.”

Raelyn clenched her teeth and put the thin pillow over her head.

“Alex.”

A few moments of silence, then knocking again—more of a banging, really. She shoved the pillow aside. “What do you want?”

“I’m not shouting at you through this door,” the dragon-man said.

Good, Raelyn thought. She turned her back on the door, but worry niggled at her mind. What if her refusal made him angry? He seemed to become violent when angry. As if in confirmation, he pounded on the door again. Maybe it would be better to get this over with.

She stumbled through the dark and searched for the handle. As she turned the knob, she remembered the door was locked—but then it swung inward. Why would they unlock it but wait for her to open it?Strange.

The dragon-man looked how he had when he’d first entered. His eyes were red but human in shape and dull. There was only a hint of scales around the edges of his face. But the monstrous wings, tail, and horns remained. He lowered his hand as the door opened. Jasper stood behind him, holding a bright torch that hurt Raelyn’s eyes.

“Princess.” The dragon-man nodded curtly. “Would you join me for supper?”

She gripped her dress to keep her hands from shaking.Dinewith this…beast? After how he had treated her? After calling her his prisoner?

“I’m tired.” It wasn’t untrue. “You woke me.”

“Oh. I apologize.” His wings rustled but stayed folded. “Well, you’re awake now. Do you want to eat?”

She pulled back, fear coiling inside her. “I’d rather eat alone.”

He scowled. “I’m not going to eatyou, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Why would you dine with yourprisoner?” She crossed her arms, trying to look braver than she felt.

He turned red. “Fine. Don’t eat then.”

Jasper cleared his throat.

The monster looked up at the ceiling, nostrils—normal, human nostrils—flaring. He looked back. “Please. I want you to be my guest. Dine with me?”

“I want to dine with my family.” When he didn’t answer, she moved to close the door, but he stopped it with his hand. His claws scratched at the wood, and she gulped.

“Dine with me,” he said quietly, “and I’ll explain. I’ll try to answer the questions you must have.”

She hesitated. Her stomach growled.Traitor.“All right.”

The dragon-man led the way through stone corridors. Jasper followed her, probably to ensure she didn’t run. She wasn’t stupid or desperate enough to attempt escape when she had no idea how to get out of the cave. Not yet, anyway. Her ankle throbbed, but the pain was bearable.

They turned a corner and entered a cavern.

A fire roared in a huge fireplace hewn out of the stone wall, filling the room with the scent of sweet smoke. Stalactites clinging to the high ceiling cast odd, flickering shadows. A rectangular table stood near the fireplace, illuminated further by four tall candles on pewter bases. Five wooden chairs stood around the table, two on each long side and one at the far end with a bizarrely narrow back.

Only two places were set, the seat at the end and the one to its right, across from the fire. The monster sat at the head of the table, and the chair’s unusual shape made sense as he positioned his wings on either side of the back.

Jasper pulled out the chair to the demon’s right and faced Raelyn. “Your Grace?”

---