trusted companion. But all those things could be said about Eli, and she wouldn’t be up here if Eli was the one who was married, would she?
Nico rolled over and punched the palace roof, breaking the tiles with a hard crunch. If she were honest with herself, she could trace her love for Josef back to the moment he picked her up off the shattered slope of that mountain. Maybe even earlier. She might have loved him from the moment she first saw his shadow, but whenever it had started, her love was her problem, not his. He hadn’t asked her to love him, didn’t return her love. And even if he miraculously did, she wouldn’t let him. Though she was her own master now and the demon was sealed away, the seed was still inside her. She was still a demonseed, still a monster. If it wasn’t for the coat, the world would turn on her the instant it recognized what she was.
And who could love a monster?
Nico closed her eyes. At once, the world faded away. She was standing in a dry, sun-drenched field, staring at the boulder that was sitting on the pit that held the demon. It was still secure, and Nico breathed a sigh of relief followed by a rush of profound self-pity. She might be her own master, but her control was still unstable. Even now she could feel the demon patiently pressing on the weight of the will that kept him trapped. He was always there, waiting for her guard to go down, for her determination to falter. Nothing she did could ever banish him for good. If she was ever weak, he would win, and she would become the monster the world thought she was. How could she ask Josef to love something so dangerous? She had no right.
She was still in her sunny field staring at the boulder when something cool, smooth, and hard touched her cheek. Nico jumped backward, returning to the dark rooftop with a jolt as she landed with her fists up to see Eli leaning against the chimney. It actually took her a few seconds to recognize him, on account of the light. Where everything else on the roof was dark and still, Eli was strangely bright, his skin almost luminous, like he was lit up from the inside. She’d never seen anything like it, and yet, almost as soon as she noticed it, the light vanished and Eli stood before her, same as always. He had a bottle in his hand, the cool thing she’d felt against her cheek. When he caught her eyes, he sat down and held out the bottle in obvious invitation.
Nico stayed back, suddenly embarrassed. She had almost certainly put him on the spot last night, vanishing like she had, but he didn’t look angry. He just sat there, bottle out, his black hair standing up in all directions in celebration at being freed from the ridiculous blond wig.
Finally, she crept along the roof and sat next to him, taking the offered bottle gingerly, as though it might explode.
“It’s brandy,” he said before she could ask. “Drink.”
She put the bottle to her lips and gagged almost instantly.
“It burns.” She coughed, nearly throwing the bottle back at him.
“That it does,” Eli said sagely, taking a sip himself before recorking the bottle. “But a little fire can be good at knocking people out of their self-pity.”
She flinched and cursed herself for a fool. Of course Eli would know.
“I admit Josef’s been an idiot about handling all this,” Eli said, his smile fading. “But you can’t hide up here forever, you know.”
“I know,” Nico said slowly.
Eli scowled. “Not that he doesn’t deserve the cold shoulder after what he pulled. Honestly, married for months and didn’t even—”
“No,” Nico said, shaking her head. “It’s not our business what he does with his private life. It wasn’t like it was a problem until now.”
“And now it’s a very big problem,” Eli said. “One that’s going to get even worse if my instincts are right, and they usually are.” He glanced at her. “I’m going to need you with me, Nico. Josef’s in way over his head. He needs us, both of us. So, are we a team? Just like always?”
Nico sighed. “Yes,” she said. And it felt good. It was time to stop sulking. But… “I reserve the right to get out if I need to, though.” Just in case she couldn’t take looking at his perfect, beautiful, demon-free princess.
“Fair enough,” Eli said, grabbing her hand and shaking it before she could snatch it back. “Now that that’s settled, there’s something else I was meaning to ask you.”
Nico froze. She’d been with Eli long enough to know that overly casual tone meant trouble, but he was just leaning back on the roof, completely relaxed. However, the moment their eyes met, the strange glow flashed again, brighter than before. Nico jerked back, covering her eyes. It did no good. The light shone through.
“Thought so.”
Nico dropped her arms to find Eli was sitting up, looking at her like a cat who’d just cornered a mouse. “You can see, can’t you?”
“See what?” Nico said, cringing.
“Spirits,” Eli said. “You can see them, like Slorn.”
Nico stared at him, dumbstruck. Of course. That’s what they were.
“This is amazing!” Eli said, scooting so close he was practically sitting in her lap. “How long?”
Nico leaned away. “Since the valley,” she said softly. “How did you know?”
Eli grinned. “I first suspected it on the boat. You were staring at the scenery a little too much, and that got me wondering. After all,” he said, dropping his voice, “demons can see like spirits, and you’re as close to demon as humans get. It makes sense that you should pick up a bit of sight along with your other gifts.”
“They’re not gifts,” Nico said sharply.
Eli waved his hand dismissively. “But you can see, right?”
“I think so,” Nico said. “I mean, it didn’t exactly come with instructions. And I’ve never seen spirits, so it’s not like I have something to compare it to.” She left out the part where she’d thought it was another trick of the demon’s. No reason to give Eli any more reasons to think she was unstable. But if she’d had any fears of Eli’s rejecting her over this new development, they died right then. The thief was almost trembling with delight.
“Tell me about it!” he cried. “Slorn never tells me anything. He’s so stingy. I think it’s the bear in him. But you’ll tell me, right?”
Nico frowned, confused. “Tell you what?”
“Everything!” Eli said. “Look, I’ve been wondering my whole life: What do spirits see that we don’t? What does the world look like to them? What’s hidden from us? I have so many questions, and you can see my answers.”
Nico looked up at the long, weaving, transparent shapes that coursed across the night sky. Winds, she now realized. She was seeing the winds. “They’re kind of hard to describe.”
Eli rolled his eyes enormously. “Try me.”
Nico bit her lip. At least he didn’t think she was crazy. Honestly, the fact that the things she’d been seeing were spirits made her feel enormously better. Spirits she could deal with.
“Well,” she said, pointing up. “There are hundreds of winds above us. Earlier, they were blowing in from the sea. In the daylight they looked like long, clear snakes, only without heads or tails. Just long, um, tubes.”
“Tubes?” Eli said, arching an eyebrow.
“Shut up,” she muttered. “I’m trying. So earlier they were all blowing in from the sea, but now they’re turning around.”
“Ah, the night wind from the land,” Eli nodded. “Do they look different?”
“Yes,” Nico said, squinting. “They’re clearer. During the day they’re kind of opaque, like frosted glass. But at night they’re clear, and it’s easier to see the stuff on the dome of the sky.”
The catch in Eli’s breath made her jump, and she turned to find him staring at her, pale as death. “Dome of the sky?”
Nico nodded. “It’s hard to see because of the winds, but sometimes I can see movement in the sky. It looks almost like the dome of the sky is a cloth, and something’s pressing on the other side. It’s very faint most of the time, but if I look for it, I can always find it somewhere. Sometimes I see it on several parts of the sky at once.” She looked up again. “They’re always there somewhere. I can probably find you one if—”
A sharp pressure on her wrist cut her off, and she looked down to see Eli’s hand gripping her arm. The thief was still smiling, his face still calm, but the look in his eyes was the closest to true fear she’d ever seen on him.
“Nico,” he said, his voice quiet. “You can’t look at the sky.”
“Why not?” Nico said, tugging her hand away.
