Page 18 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)
My breath grew tight and my chest ached.
There was a gaping hole in my heart where Liam’s love had resided, and I missed him.
I missed the comfort of knowing he was by my side, that I could go to him with the good and the bad and he that would stand by me through it all.
Except when it came to this blight in my veins.
Clearing my throat, I blinked away the burning in my eyes and looked back at Samian.
Giving him another quick nod, Samian reached out, giving my shoulder a warming squeeze.
“Come, let’s go to the medical ward. I’ll have the servants send food to the library for us while we run your blood tests.
We can eat while we go over our study plans. ”
We entered the medical wing, the smell of sanitized rooms burning my nose, reminding me of the hospitals back home.
Except this place was a large, open space with shelves lining the walls filled with herbs and different concoctions.
There were three hallways with doors leading to separate rooms. Chairs and chaises were lined in the middle for people to sit, waiting to be seen.
A small slender woman with a long braid of chocolate-colored hair made her way to us.
Her ivory skin was accented with a hint of rose on her high cheekbones.
Her cold grey eyes met Samian’s, narrowing when he gave her a low, playful bow.
I blinked, shock coloring my face as I stared at Willow, my closest friend from college, or at least her twin.
“Nice to see you, Aster,” Samian smiled, only straightening when Aster was a step away. “Ambrose wanted Sybil to get some blood work done. Do you have time?”
Aster lifted her pert nose in the air, studying me. “So, this is the new girl?” She clucked. “She doesn’t seem like much. Come,” she said as she twisted, already walking to the furthest door in the center hallway, “follow me.”
I rolled my eyes, cutting my sharp gaze to Samian, who laughed, his eyes twinkling in the bright light, though he kept them glued to Aster. Motioning for me to follow, Samian led the way to the room Aster had entered .
“Sit there,” Aster demanded, gesturing to a chair in the corner of the room as soon as I stepped into the room.
“So, how is everything going?” Samian purred, leaning against Aster’s desk.
Ignoring him, Aster turned to me with a small cloth that smelled strongly of alcohol.
Samian laughed softly, his smile growing wider at Aster’s aloofness toward him.
Aster’s lips thinned while she pulled my arm to her, checking for veins.
Samian glided across the room, sliding into the chair beside me.
I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow when Samian gave me a quick wink. “I heard today was going to be a beautiful day. Sunshine, warm breezes, little white flowers in full bloom,” he grinned at Aster, eagerly waiting for her next move.
With a click of her tongue, Aster turned away, pulling a cart beside her. A thick silence blanketed the room, which only seemed to egg Samian on.
Aster pulled out a needle and some vials while Samian continued his one-sided small talk. “One could say that today is the perfect weather for a walk or a picnic. Don’t you agree, Sybil?”
Flicking my eyes between the two, I fought off a smile. “Sure,” I huffed, earning me an icy glare from Aster, and I cringed.
Aster stabbed the needle in my arm, and I sucked in a sharp breath, watching the snide smile that graced those rosy lips. I paled, the pain radiating down my arm. Samian coughed, trying to hide his laughter. This woman was not someone to trifle with.
After taking two vials of blood, Aster walked back to her desk, clearing her throat.
“It should take an hour or two for the results to come back,” she said, not looking up while she labeled the vials.
Pausing, she put them down, giving Samian a sidelong glance.
“Should I inform you or Ambrose when they are ready?”
“Me. Inform me first when the results are ready,” he said, his voice was suddenly tight.
An awkward silence wrapped around us as they held each other’s stare.
I eyed them suspiciously as the silence stretched between them.
Another moment passed before Aster nodded and turned back to her desk.
Samian took a sharp breath and opened the door, gesturing for me to wait outside while he talked with Aster. Alone.
I narrowed my eyes on him, but hopped up from the chair and made my way out of the medical wing, leaning against the cold marbled wall in the hall.
Minutes slowly passed by until Samian walked out, his hands running through his hair.
“Sorry about that,” he said, taking a quick glance back to the medical wing.
His face wore that cold mask of indifference he had when we first met, and I couldn’t help the disappointment that squeezed on my heart. “We can head to the library now.”
Pushing that discontent away, I followed Samian and thought of his interaction with Aster, the playfulness that glimmered in his eyes. Forcing down the touch of envy I felt, a grin slowly crept up. “So, you and Aster, huh?” I asked, hiding my smile.
Samian whipped his head to me, a hint of pink touching his cheeks. “What makes you think that?”
“I know I’ve only known you for a day, but I don’t see you as the playful kind of guy with just anyone.”
Frowning, Samian looked ahead, his growing pinching together.
“I wouldn’t say I’m not the playful type.
I do edge on the side of seriousness, especially the past few years.
” His tone dipped, making me wonder what happened to cause the solemnness in his voice.
“However, there are some people that bring me out of my thoughts long enough that I can be the playful male I once was.” His words were thoughtful, though a bit distant.
“And Aster is part of that few?”
“Yes, though she would never admit to it.” The corner of his eyes crinkled in fondness.
“Aster and I have known each other since our school days. We met during my weapons training class. We had around twenty faeries in the class and one of them slipped during a drill and landed on the pointy side of his sword,” he laughed softly, shaking his head at the memory.
“Someone sent for a professor, but Aster was passing by when it happened. She immediately ran up to him, tearing the bottom of her uniform, and kneeled beside him, wrapping the cloth around the wound while giving out commands to anyone close by. She wasn’t allowed to use her magic since we were still training.
We were all so stunned that no one seemed to question the young bright-eyed female barking orders.
We all followed her instructions until the professor came to take him away.
She left me stunned and I have never been able to forget her since. ”
His face softened at the memory, and I smiled, picturing the frosty woman dishing out commands to unsuspecting men. She was a force to be reckoned with, but a force that I wanted to be friends with, reminding me so much of Willow. They even looked similar, though Willow’s hair had a hint of red.
“But if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it until my dying breath,” Samian added, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Chuckling at his boyish request, we turned the corner to a pair of large wooden doors.
My mouth gaped open as we walked into the royal library; it was vast and magnificent.
It had three floors, two of which had bookcases that rose from floor to ceiling with marble columns in front that held up balconies of the second floor.
The ceiling was made of multiple skylights that gave the library a soft natural light.
Wooden desks filled the middle of the room as people sat, studying or taking notes.
“A fan of libraries, huh?” Samian smirked, noticing the awe that lit my face.
“Who wouldn’t be with a library like this?” I said breathlessly.
“Oh, I could think of a few.” His tone was passive, if not a bit detached. I dared a glance in his direction, noticing how his lips pressed together. “Come, we will be going to the third floor.”
Taking in the breathtaking scene around me, we made our way to the stairs.
The bookcases were sectioned out by subjects and had ladders connected to them for easy access to the higher shelves.
Walking up the stairs, the second floor was like the first. Tables filled the overhang of the second floor while more bookcases lined the walls.
Golden sconces lit up the bookcases and each desk had small delicate lamps for every seat.
Finally reaching the third floor, Samian walked us to a table near the back wall.
The tables on this floor weren’t in any order; it was like people regularly moved them around.
Bookcases behind our table lined the middle, creating a makeshift hallway that led to secluded rooms in the back.
I made a mental note to remind myself to explore more of the third floor during my free time.
When we reached our table, there were already a stack of books waiting for us, along with two plates of food filled with a mix of savory and sweet pastries. There was also a coffee carafe and a teapot with small cups on a cart beside the table. My mouth watered from the delicious smell.
Making a quick move to the cart, I poured the steaming coffee into a cute porcelain cup that had dusty pink roses painted on the sides. Bringing it to my nose, I inhaled the amazing robust smell. I took a small sip, letting the salted caramel and hazelnut warm me.
Sitting down, I sighed and relaxed in my seat, eyeing the plate of pastries and finding it hard to choose which to taste first. Samian chuckled, helping himself to some tea and a savory pastry filled with ham and cheese.
Finding one with jam and cream cheese, I moaned at the burst of tart raspberry sweetness filling my mouth.
Samian stifled a laugh, but we ate in a peaceful silence until both plates were almost gone.