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He also could have simply tried yanking out the damn souls, but he chose not to, the coward. Maybe his magic isn’t as high quality as others believe it to be. “Will you get in trouble for helping me?”

“Hopefully not. If I do, I have a few things to barter with.” Alyvia gives me a stern look, silently telling me not to ask questions. “Now, enough has passed for them to have left on their journey already. Why don’t you go see what you can find that might capture a creature’s attention?”

As long as I don’t have to continue dredging through these books, I’ll gladly snoop instead. Offering her a departing wave, I make my way out of the library, past the woman who seems to care less about her job, and out into the main estate.

Now, to find this private study that only appears for those it deems worthy.

There’s something about wandering in places you have no business being that sets a thrill tingling down my spine. Poking my head through random doors is quickly becoming a new hobby of mine. Sometimes I surprise people and they scream, sometimes the rooms are entirely empty. After about the eighth door I open to another empty space, I’m beginning to think Rowan’s private study is purposely avoiding me.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I whisper to the empty space in front of me. “I just need inside.” To steal something. The room previously let me in and I stole a map, so this should be no big deal.

“What are you doing?” Nox’s disgruntled voice asks from behind me.

“Wool gathering,” I deadpan before shutting the door in front of me.

“If you’re looking for weapons, you won’t find any.”

My brows pucker together as I face him. “Why would I need a weapon?”

My confusion mirrors back on Nox’s face. “Isn’t that what you’re doing? Looking for a weapon to kill someone?”

Straightening my posture, I scoff at his asinine comment. “I don’t need to hunt for a weapon if I want to kill someone. All I would need are my bare hands. And if that doesn’t suffice, we’re both well aware I have a certain affinity for magically calling on my sword. So no, I am not searching for a weapon.”

“You’re clearly up to something.”

Obviously. I’m lurking around the estate, of course I’m up to something. Rolling my eyes, I nod. “Yes, you caught me. Now what?”

Nox narrows his eyes into slits. “I don’t know what kind of magical hold you have over Lord Rowan, but you will not get away with whatever it is you’re up to.”

Sighing, I patronizingly pat Nox’s shoulder as I move past him. “Whatever. Good luck proving anything.” Better to let him think he’s right so there’s no need to continue this senseless conversation.

Nox steps in line beside me, matching my every step as I move down a hallway. “You are going to tell me what you have over Lord Rowan.”

“Or what?” I ask. Really, he needs to get a life. Or at least do a better job of spying. Demanding information is hardly a good idea when interrogating someone. “Just to end this, I have done nothing to Rowan.” I hold up my hand to stop Nox from speaking. “Yes, yes, I know you believe otherwise. I don’t quite frankly care. If you’re adamant that something is happening, take it up with Rowan when he returns.”

Instead of heeding my point, Nox steps directly in front of me while simultaneously grabbing my wrist tight in his hand.

Sternly, I hiss, “Let me go.”

Seemingly having a death wish, Nox tightens his hand. Then, suddenly the snake that had been hiding on my collarbone climbs down my arm, slipping out from the cuff of my sleeve and onto the top of my hand before it becomes real, half of its body lifting off mine and sinking its fangs into Nox’s hand.

The pearlescent shimmer of the white scales in the light look far from deadly, except for the all black eyes. As soon as Nox releases me, the snake melds back into a tattoo, disappearing back up the sleeve of my shirt.

A root, my inner voice scoffs. It might take on a root-like look when in tattoo form, with no face identifiable in the geometric lines, but the magic attached to it is very clearly a snake.

“I told you,” I spit at Nox who stares at his bleeding hand dumbfoundedly, “to let me go. Next time, I won’t warn you.”

He lifts his gaze to watch as the snake makes itself known against my cheek. His dark features pale as he realizes what it is. “You’ve been marked by Lord Rowan.”

“So I’ve been told.” Multiple times. The constant redirection to the magical tattoo is getting old fast. My patience with people waning by the second the more it’s brought up. “Do me a favor and spread the word, will you? I’m getting tired of being looked at as though I’m on display.”

Stepping around Nox, I continue down the hallway, deciding to forego the doors in this part of the house. There’s a good chance Nox’s horrendous attitude scared off the magical room. Of course if it had just appeared before the asshole found me, none of this would be happening.

Bypassing the main room with all the people hustling about, I stop to take them all in. Rowan’s rather crude description of me doesn’t seem to bother the workers much. Most of them continue on as if they don’t see me at all which isn’t unusual. A few spare me glances, but none seem wary.

I suppose that’s a plus. No one is screeching in horror as they run away, believing I’ll murder them.

Taking a turn towards the side of the estate where most of the bedrooms sit, I begin peeking in doors once again. A few are vacant, some have cleaning staff attending to them, while one bedroom has a lone person laying on the perfectly made duvet snoring loudly.