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Whirling on her heel, she faced the door. Sabien was entering the library, shaking a ring with two golden keys. He had a smirk plastered to his face, as if he knew her plans were foiled and that he was holding the only solution. She watched as he slipped them into his back pocket before letting the heavy door shut behind him.

“What are you doing here?” Sabien asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Dagmara replied, clasping her hands in front of her.

A dark laugh rumbled from Sabien’s throat. He was still sauntering down the center aisle of the expansive library, approaching her. He held up his hand, revealing a piece of parchment she hadn’t noticed. “Business for the king,” he said. “What’s your excuse?”

“Waiting for Martine,” said Dagmara. It wasn’t entirely a lie.

He reached the platform and strode up the steps. Dagmara watched as he got taller and taller, until he finally reached the top of the platform. He approached her still, and she attempted to step away but felt the glass of the Scribestone against her back.

A grin creased on his face when he stopped only inches from her. “I like that I make you nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“All the muscles in your neck just tensed. I would say you’re nervous.”

Swallowing hard, Dagmara tried to relax, but could practically feel the weight of his gaze as his eyes roamed her neck.

“As far as I know,” he continued, “the king hasn’t granted you permission to use the Scribestone.”

“I was only looking at it.”

His eyebrows raised. “Your lies may work on other people, but they don’t work on me.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“See?” Sabien reached out and ran a single knuckle down the length of her neck. “It’s a dead giveaway.”

He shifted away from her, and his absence struck her nearly as much as his proximity. He approached the last bookshelf, pushing the billowing curtains aside as he grabbed a burgundy box off the shelf that rested next to a glass globe. She watched as he cracked the lid and hid the parchment he was holding.

Sabien had said he was here for official business. What exactly was on that piece of paper?

She had to find out.

But she had to warn Queen Bernadette about the famine that threatened Ilusauri, and what that meant for Azurem. If it were true all the Life Guardians were gone, Azurem could fall to the same fate. Yet, if she convinced Sabien to let her use the Scribestone, he would undoubtedly watch over her shoulder. She had to get the key and use it without him watching.

There was only one way she could reach into his back pocket without him noticing.

She had seduced men before. How hard could it be to seduce the Captain of the Ilusaurian Guard who happened to be extremely seductive himself?

She shifted her corset slightly, feeling the throwing stars stitched into the ribbing, as she inched it lower. Then she approached him, leaning against the floor length window as he set the box back on the bookshelf, concealing the slip of paper inside. She took the curtain in her grasp, running her fingers against it. “So tell me, how does a…” she paused for effect, sizing-up his figure with her gaze, “...strapping man like yourself become the captain? You must be great at giving orders.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked. He raised his arm, placing his palm against the glass as he leaned forward and began closing the distance between them. “I do more than give orders,” said Sabien.

Dagmara let the curtain slip away as she cocked her head, inching closer. “Such as?”

Sabien lifted his opposite hand, tilting her chin up with his knuckles. “What are you up to?”

She could feel her stomach churning, her neck completely exposed as she was forced to look directly up at him.

“I’m bored here,” Dagmara replied, “and you look fun.”

He shifted closer, his lips nearly touching hers. His breath was warm as he said, “I am. Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

This was her moment, and she took it. Her lips slammed against his, and he kissed her back with such ferocity it was almost all consuming. His tongue was instantly in her mouth, causing a soft whimper to escape from her lips. The noise elicited a sensual growl from him. His hands went to her waist, gripping her before pressing her against the glass window. She wrapped her arms around his neck, entangling her fingers in his thick hair. The kiss was relentless, and Dagmara nearly forgot the reason she had kissed him in the first place.

She slid one hand down his back, easily finding his belt. She lingered there for a moment, not wanting to draw too much attention to her maneuvers. One of his hands shifted, finding the back of her neck. He gripped the base of her hair, yanking her head back to deepen the kiss. His other hand traced her hip, finding every curve of her body.