Page 7 of As Above, So Below

His loyalties lie with Netharis. He made that clear when he told Netharis about the golden-eyed fae. With a sweeping push, the pile of books slides left, bumping against a taller stack, hiding the spine with dancing runes. Reaching, I pull a different stack closer and straighten it, turning the spines toward me as I lift the top book with the intent to read.

The Royal Fae Families of Eldoterra.

It takes more willpower than I’d care to admit to keep from rolling my eyes. Chance would have it that I come across this. This is absolutely a Ylara find, her interest in mortal culture and tradition is near obsessive.

Reluctantly, I open the book with a sigh. Vaelyn stops across from me, staring in my direction. A stare I wholly ignore.

“Nose first in books like always,” he comments with a grin, dragging the chair away from the table.

“Perhaps you should try sticking your nose in one once in a while,” I counter, glancing over the table of contents.

Eight fae countries, eight royal families, each with their own chapters.

How droll a subject.

“Sounds awful,” Vaelyn scoffs, his face pinching with evident distaste as he throws himself into his seat, nearly knocking it backward. “I’ll leave the reading to you since you seem to enjoy it so much.”

Lifting my gaze from the page, I stare at him in silence. His blue eyes meet mine and he studies my face, his smile slowly fading.

“You dreamt about him again, didn’t you?” he asks, pitching his hands behind his head as he leans back in the seat.

I don’t know how he knows it, how he can tell, and I hate that he’s right.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Lie and deflect, a tried and true tactic of all demons. “I’m simply trying to read in peace.”

He makes a ‘hmph’ sound, arching a dark brow. “Simply trying to read, or simply trying to distract yourself from your thoughts after rushing through your reaping list this morning?”

Gods damn him.

Clinging to my deteriorating visage of being unbothered, I return my eyes to the page.

“Whether I rushed through the list or not matters little,” I say, heaving a tired sigh. “Netharis has his souls.”

Vaelyn laughs, nodding. “True. But I always finish my list before you, and yet today you’ve finished before me. Which means you didn’t linger in the veil.”

I’m going to pluck his eyes from his skull for being more observant than he has any right to be. Today, I didn’t resist the pull of the hunting instinct as I usually do to sightsee. I visited twenty locations across Eldoterra, six of which were first time visits, small towns tucked away in the wilderness. I paid no attention to any of them. Too distracted by my thoughts ofhim.

I reaped efficiently and returned to the hells, neither Vaelyn nor Netharis have any right to find fault in my actions. Yet here Vaelyn and I stand, him questioning why I’d workedtoo well.

I’ll never win against either of them.

My budding irritation gets the better of me. “If you find fault with how I reap, I suggest you run to Netharis.”

His jaw tightens, my words a blatant dig.

“You’re never going to let that go,” he says, his tone softer than I’d expect.

“No.”

“Ves, it was for your own protection,” he says, lowering his arms to cross them over his chest. “You left me little other choice. You spurned Kassil because of this fae, involved yourself with a succubus as retaliation and have locked yourself away for the last two centuries.”

My laughter is dark, bitter. “You would mention Kassil.” My lip curls in disgust. “Thefaehad nothing to do with escaping him.”

Leveling a withering glare at my twin, he sighs, pursing his lips.

“What is it you want, Vaelyn?” Not Vae, not brother, his full name.

“He asks about you still.” He means Kassil.