Page 69 of A Thieving Curse

“Yes?” His voice rasped.

Raelyn stepped away, feeling inexplicably guilty. “You’re angry.”

“No.” A growl reverberated in his chest. “A little.”

“Why?” She rubbed her arms to combat a harsh gust of cold wind. She wanted to press against him again and steal some of his radiating warmth, but he was acting…jealous. There was only one reason why he would be jealous. And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

He turned away and took several deep breaths. When he turned back, his expression was carefully relaxed. “That’s enough of this cold, I think.” He picked her up and flew back down to the cave.

“Alexander.” She stepped back once they were on solid ground. “What’s wrong?”

He grinned. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

“Why did you get angry?”

“I…suppose I’m feeling left out.” He rolled his shoulders. “So. Picnic with Lucas. If you come back deaf, I’ll know why.” He smiled, but it fell flat.

She suspected feeling excluded wasn’t what was truly bothering him. “Do younotwant me to have a picnic with Lucas?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s good.” He didn’t look at her, and his voice was on edge. “Nice, romantic picnic. Did he tell you where, or is it a surprise?”

Raelyn didn’t miss his emphasis on the word romantic.Oh.She wasn’t sure if she was pleased or disappointed that she was right. The thought of Alexander making a romantic overture scared her. Worse, she wasn’t sure why the idea made her so nervous—because he was cursed? Or because he was human? And why did he have to go and make things complicated? Why did he have to be jealous when he had no right to be?

“It’s a surprise, I guess.” Her voice had more bite than she intended. “What’s your problem?” She moved around so she could meet his eyes and scowled. He frowned back. “Lucas and I are friends. There’s not a lot better to do, and he’s nice. Asks questions I never get a chance to answer, but he’s fun. If you really want to come—”

“No, it’s fine,” he said tersely. He turned. “Might as well go check the traps before I forget.”

Thankfully, his mood lightened as they made their way through the forest. The traps were all empty, which Raelyn found a relief. Even more than usual, she wasn’t in the mood to see a trapped animal die. They found some wild berries to snack on while they walked back to the cave for dinner. After that, he flew them to a neighboring mountain, lit the torch he’d brought, and led her through a crevice in the rock face and into a cave.

They walked past white stalactites and stalagmites that had fused together into thick columns that glistened in the torchlight. Thinner stalactites hung like massive needles above their heads. Alexander had to be careful not to catch his wings or horns on the formations in the crowded tunnel. The air got chillier the further in they went and developed a dank, metallic scent.

They turned a bend in the tunnel, and Raelyn’s breath caught. The cave opened up into a vast cavern, where stalactites taller than Alexander clung to the ceiling above a massive underground lake. Thin tips of stalagmites reached out of the deep water. The ground sloped downward toward where the water lapped almost silently against the white-coated stone of the cave floor. Torchlight reflected off the mirror-like surface of the lake and danced over the walls. A slow, intermittent drip of water running down the stalactites and falling into the lake punctuated the silence.

Raelyn looked around, her lips parted and eyes wide. The walls and ceiling between the stalactites glittered, and not just with reflections from the water. Tiny bunches of clear crystal needles bloomed out of the rock and glinted like glass in the torchlight. Alexander stepped to the edge of the lake and afooomechoed through the cave as he breathed a large blast of flame. The crystals overhead reflected pinpricks of light everywhere, making the surface of the lake sparkle. The fire died.

Raelyn tried to say something but couldn’t find the words.Beautifulwasn’t mysterious and dark enough.Amazingdidn’t encompass the awe she felt. Alexander grinned at her.

“Ready for the best part?”

“There’s more?” she asked in disbelief.

He took a few steps away from the water’s edge and set down the torch behind a stalagmite. She watched in confusion as he walked back to the shore and crouched down. He motioned her over. “Come on.”

“You’re not going to push me in, are you?”

“No,” he said, his voice teasing, “I promise I won’t push you into a lake full of stalagmites.”

She crept forward, careful of her footing on the damp stone. The lake was harder to see with the torch on the floor behind them. She wondered if he was messing with her, but she crouched next to him. He reached toward the lake.

“Alexander, if you splash me—ohhhh.” She gasped as his fingers trailed through the water.

The water lit up, glowing blue in the ripples behind his fingers. He swirled his hand around and stirred up more clusters of glistening blue. As the ripples smoothed, the glow ceased. He lifted his hand out of the water. Droplets rolled off the tips of his claws, and where they hit the surface, the water sparkled for a moment.

“What is it?” she breathed.

“I have no idea.” He trailed his forefinger through the water, making swirling patterns that faded quickly. “A few years ago, I was exploring and found this cave. Then my boot struck a loose bit of rock and where it fell into the water, the water glowed blue.”

Timidly, she reached down and touched the cold water. Sapphire light shone around her fingers. She laughed and moved her hand through the water, watching the shimmer. She tried to make patterns and even tried to write her name, but the glow didn’t last long enough. Finally, she managed to write “Rae” fast enough that the nearly illegible nickname glowed up at her for a moment. The frigid water chilled her fingers, so she dried her hand on her skirt as she looked over at Alexander.

---