Quinlan reached down and offered her his hand with the warmest, most open expression she'd ever seen on him, his entire face so friendly that the Primordial Villain could have passed for a priest handing out blessings. "No. Of course not."
Elisabeth's eyes lit up. She took his hand, let him pull her to her feet, and the relief that passed through her was the first real exhale she'd managed all day.
"After all," Quinlan continued, the extreme friendliness not shifting a single hair, "my opinion of your order has been rock bottom since long before I met you."
Elisabeth's grip froze.
"Hah?"
Her head tilted, her smile went sharp and dangerous, and golden light crackled through their joined hands hot enough that the air around their fingers shimmered.
Her voice was terrifyingly sweet. "Oh, is that so?"
