Acton “Bexley Briar,” he repeated, and the name was prickly as a bramble on his lips, sharp enough he could half imagine the coppery taste of blood. But when he licked them there was only rain. Day Court, friends with Reich. Secrets. It summoned a memory that was never too far from his mind, a girl as golden as the desert, tongue sharper than an asp. “I know the girl. I caught her leaving the capitol and heading back to the viper nest.” He let an ear twist back at the memory, felt his blood heat even as the raindrops pattered down, trying to soothe. The world was all gone to gray, now, the rain coming harder, turning them all to ghosts. He felt the smile hook his lips. “Not like you to worry, Raglan,” he said, and turned his burning gaze on the opal-eyed boy. “We won’t let her be a problem.” Will we? asked his gaze, as he swept it between the three. Oh, if only he knew what was to come. His grin would have been all the wider. They were all soaked through, now; his skin had darkened but his eyes glinted all the brighter in the black mask he wore. The thunder and lightning that had heralded the storm had passed on, but the spark lived on in Acton. The time for watching was done. He stretched, shook himself dog-like in a spray of silver, and gave them all a last grinning look. “Stay out of trouble, kids,” he said, and disappeared into the darkness of the castle, the sound of his hooves lost in the drive of the rain. @Lavinia @Mila @ |