Page 63 of Brimstone

Gods, I wanted to punch her. “No.”

“Hm.” She flared her nostrils, looking unimpressed. “Like I said.Lucky.”

Algat disappeared into the stacks, and I stayed put, declining to follow her into the shadows. Guru remained, perched on the edge of the table like some red-eyed gargoyle, staring at me likehe was trying towillmore blood out of me. Gods only knew why I did it, but I squeezed my fingertip over his empty saucer, pressing two more droplets out onto the plate for him. The cat fell upon the gifted blood like he was starving, making a weird gurgling sound as it licked the saucer clean for a second time.

“Here we a—” Algat looked at me. “Tell me you didn’t give him undiluted blood?”

“I did.”

“Great.” She slapped her hands against her sides, and a puff of dust exploded from her skirts. “He’ll be up chasing the birds and howling for hours now.”

Good. I hope he keeps it up all fucking day, I thought.

Algat huffed. “Well, aren’t you the rudest thing?”

Fuck. She’d heard me? How the hell had she heard me?

“Because hearing things is my special skill, child. And you might as well be screaming your thoughts at the top of your lungs, the way you project them.”

Wonderful. So it wasn’t just Fisher I had to be careful around now. I had to watch out for this old witch, too. “Is there a way I can prevent you from digging through my mind?” I laced the question with as much authority as I could muster.

I had no idea if the female responded because she had to or because she felt like it. “You can command me not to,” she said. “But I would strongly advise against it. You never know when you might need me to hear your thoughts.”

Yeah. I was never going toneedher to hear my thoughts. “I command you to never listen to my thoughts or invade the privacy of my mind again, Lord of Midnight. I command you to never read or invade the minds of my friends or my mate ever again, either, too.”

The vampire hissed, baring her fangs, and the air suddenly felt very cold. Guru arched his back, his fur standing on end. He mirrored his master, hissing, and then launched off the end ofthe table, turning into a puddle of shadow that fell across the floor and merged with the large shadow cast by a grand writing desk.

“You come with your hand out, asking for help from Algat, and then you bindherhands behind her back?”

“I’ll bind more than just your hands if you prove to be a problem for me.” It wasn’t a threat. Threats weren’t going to make this female bend to my will. It was a fact and nothing more. “I’d like to see that book now. I don’t have all night to waste on this.”

“Seems to me that this should be the only thing you’re focusing on right now,” the female observed. Her eyes had roved down my body and were fixed on my gloves—and the glowing runes that were burning right through the leather.

Quickly, I hid my hands behind my back, alarm prickling across my shoulder blades. “The book, Algat. Please.” Was it unqueenly to say please? It was probably un-Sanasrothian in general, but I was surprised when the female’s hard glower softened a touch.

“Give me a moment,” she said stiffly. “If Guru comes back, sniffing around for more blood while I’m gone, don’t give him any. He’s had more than enough, thank you.”

She had nothing to worry about on that front. I wasn’t opening my finger for the cat again. Algat disappeared in the stacks, and I spent the next little while inspecting the library’s ceiling.

The stars were a myth in Zilvaren. We were told of strange lights in the sky, brilliant as diamonds in their millions, but without any frame of reference I had never been able to conjure an image of what they would look like. What I had cobbled together in my mind’s eye had fallen woefully short of the truth. Zilvaren’s sky was a void, punctuated by two burning hot, unrelenting balls of light. But the night sky in Yvelia wasspectacular. The glittering expanse was both far away and right there at the same time, as if I could reach out my fingers and touch the whole universe. What had always seemed empty bristled with light and promise. And there were worlds out there. An incomprehensible number of realms.

Whoever had painted the night sky on the roof of Ammontraíeth’s library was a master of their craft. It was remarkable, what they’d accomplished with some paint and some gold leaf. It was so real. If I just reached up—

I didn’t make a sound as I hurtled sideways.

I didn’t have time.

The projectile hit me in the ribs, impacting with breathtaking force.

I slammed down onto the floor, not understanding what was happening for a split second. And then I was moving.

My daggers were in my hands.

I was twisting under the thrashing weight that was trying to pin me to the ground.

Black and gray and streaks of gold filled my vision.

“Get . . .offme!”