Page 85 of Rage of Her Ravens

“Girls!” I scolded, then mouthed an apology to Crispin.

He shrugged off their questions with a laugh. “Because that’s how the elements made me.”

“Pappo told me about you!” Aurora squealed. “You’re a fawn!”

He clucked his tongue. “We prefer to be called satyrs.”

Ember sat up straighter in her chair. “Pappo gets stale tea from the satyrs.”

Crispin arched a bushy brow, looking from the girls to me. “Stale tea?”

“It was free,” I answered, as if that explained everything.

“I see.” The look of pity in his eyes made me want to crawl under the table and never come out. “You’ll find no stale tea here.”

“Do you have tarts?” Aurora blurted.

He rubbed his short, fuzzy beard. “Not fresh tarts, but I will have some ready for breakfast tomorrow.”

Both girls made exasperated sounds, as if Crispin had just told them they were to go to bed without supper.

Ember’s lower lip hung down in an exaggerated pout as her eyes welled up with tears. “Uncle Nikkos said there’d be tarts.”

“Girls,” I soothed, rubbing their backs. “Tomorrow isn’t that far away.”

“Crispin,” Draevyn asked, “do you have any other desserts?”

The satyr eagerly nodded. “We have pudding and cakes.”

The girls squealed their delight.

“Very good,” Draevyn said. “Bring out what you have after supper, please.”

“Yes, My Lord.” Crispin quickly bowed and left the room.

After he left, I leaned toward Draevyn, speaking on a hushed whisper. “Is it wise to tell the staff who we are?”

Draevyn leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. “My staff are loyal to the Infernis. They won’t tell a soul you’re here.”

Either he was an overconfident fool or else he planned for us to get caught. That would explain his sudden change in heart. He knew Malvolia was coming for me.

I picked at my supper, too worried about our futures, about that deep cut on Nikkos’s head, to find much of an appetite, even though the food was cooked and seasoned to perfection. After Crispin brought in the desserts, I fussed over the girls, wiping icing from their mouths while they devoured their cakes.

Aurora looked up at me after finishing her cake, a smidge of blue icing on the tip of her nose. “We love it here.” She nodded toward her sister. “Can we stay here forever?”

“Long enough, until we find a new safe home,” I answered while cleaning her nose. “Lord Draevyn won’t want to host us forever.”

“I do want you to stay forever,” he blurted.

I eyed him from beneath my lashes, looking for any sign of deceit. I was sorely tempted to use my siren voice on him and demand the truth.

Aurora gasped. “Us, too?”

My heart did a backflip when he offered my nieces a warm smile. “Allof you.”

“Can we stay, Auntie?” both girls simultaneously whined.

I tensed, fisting my hands in my lap. “We’ll see.”