Page 88 of Curse of Darkness
“Lysander went north,” Thiago concludes, though I told him about Lysander’s recovery last night.
Baylor nods. “Lysander went north.”
Easing out a breath, Thiago hauls his chair back from the table. “Now,” he says. “Vi filled me in on some of it—before she distracted me. But why don’t you all tell me just how bad it is.”
* * *
“Goblins to the north of us,”Thiago muses, brushing a thumb across his dangerously soft mouth. “Adaia to the south. Maren to the south-west. The unseelie to the north. At least the seas to the east appear to be ignoring us.”
“Don’t tempt fate,” Baylor mutters. “The saltkissed are stirring.”
“They are?” I look sharply toward Thalia, whose mouth screws up in a grimace.
“Something’s set them into a frenzy,” she admits. “I don’t know what.”
Eris suggests that maybe they sense the oncoming war. Finn proffers that maybe my mother has been in contact with them.
But Thiago sits in silence.
It’s as if he doesn’t see or hear them.
His gaze slides to the door, a preternatural stillness running through him.
Grimm’s the first one through the door, sauntering in as if he owns the place. Amaya follows him inside, her shoulders square. She’s wearing a plain white shirt and leather breeches in her size, with her black hair braided back tightly. Thalia’s starting to despair about ever getting her into a dress.
I hurriedly push to my feet and go to greet her. “Good morning, Amaya. Sleep well?”
It was clear in the first two days that she doesn’t like to be touched when she’s on edge. She doesn’t welcome hugs or kisses on the cheek. She’ll only seek me out if she’s particularly worried.
But for the first time, she slips her hand inside mine, her dark lashes obscuring her green eyes as she glances toward her father.
“I want you to meet someone,” I whisper.
Amaya’s face drains of color as Thiago stares at her.
“Amaya.” It’s like he sounds out the word, trying to place what it means to him. And if his face is smooth of emotion, his voice is not.
“You did it,” she whispers.
“We did it.” I murmur, threading my fingers through hers as I tug her toward the table.
Thiago’s chair scrapes back as he stands.
His eyes are all for her.
The daughter he gave his life to protect. The one he risked everything for. My eyes are wet again, but I can barely stop smiling as I reach for his hand too. “Come. Come and meet her.”
But for the first time, I realize the look on his face isn’t one of eagerness.
Eyes bleeding black, a quiver runs through him.
Thiago wrenches his fingers free from mine, his face hard. “No.”
Amaya sucks in a sob, tearing free.
I try to grab his sleeve, giving him a look meant to ask what’s going on, but he turns away from me, heading toward the far door.
“Maya!” Thalia calls.
