Page 21 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)
Sybil
T he next morning dawned brightly. Samian’s persistent knocking on my door grew louder as I groaned, not wanting to move from the warmth of my bed.
“For fuck’s sake, enough already,” I yelled, crawling out of bed. I made my way to the bathroom to get ready.
Today felt better. After Samian bailed on me yesterday, I spent the rest of the day exploring the palace.
I even brought a notepad with me so I could draw a makeshift map for myself.
It ended up coming in handy more than once, especially when Hale, the pale blond servant, conveniently disappeared and I had to make my way back to the library after my meeting with Ambrose.
A lingering annoyance crawled down my back at the memory.
The meeting went as well as it could have after Samian’s warnings.
The air felt awkward and uncomfortable while sitting with Ambrose.
My body felt tense as I sat there answering all his questions.
I tried my best to hide my unease, but Ambrose still somehow noticed the tension and decided that after his meetings today, he would take me out to show me the city.
Anxiety twisted through me all night, making my mind spin.
I ran through our meeting over and over, picking at his words or the way his body moved to figure out the real reason he was being so generous.
I barely got any sleep because of it. My mind created so many different stories and outcomes of our meeting today that I felt jittery.
Especially when I tried to study the books Samian gave me.
It was a very long and restless night of rereading passages until my eyes felt like they were bleeding.
Tugging on a white buttoned shirt and a navy tunic with silver threading, I pulled my shoes on and grabbed my books on the way out of my room.
When I opened the door, a troubled Samian was leaning against the marbled wall opposite of my door.
His elegant face seemed dulled. He looked tired.
His eyes were drawn and hollow, his face paler than usual, and the warmth he had greeted me with yesterday was missing.
Frowning, I stepped closer, putting my hand against his forehead to check if he had a fever.
He swatted my hand, his brows knitting and forming a wrinkle in the middle. “What are you doing?” he asked, taking a step away.
I blinked, fighting the cringe I felt welling inside.
It was a habit learned from my mother that followed me into adulthood, and to do it to Samian felt oddly natural, though I doubted he felt that way.
“I’m checking to see if you’re sick,” I shrugged, pretending that it wasn’t weird how comfortable I felt in his presence after only knowing him for one day.
“You don’t look well, like something is bothering you. ”
“Nothing is bothering me,” he sighed, though his eyes darkened for a moment before returning to normal. “And I’m not sick, so you don’t have to do that. Faeries aren’t prone to sickness like humans are.”
I raised a brow and gave him a knowing look but nodded, not wanting to pry.
Samian returned my look before walking away.
I rolled my eyes, shooting glares into his back but followed him, bristling at the uncomfortable silence between us.
Something must have happened yesterday to make him act so detached.
As if he could feel the weight of my gaze, Samian stopped short, making me gasp when I almost ran into his back.
Hesitating for a moment, Samian clenched and unclenched his hands before turning to me.
He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, glancing at the wall beside us.
I could feel him wrestling with the words he wanted to say, and my heart squeezed at seeing him look so uneasy.
I watched him closely, my nerves eating away at me as I noticed the muscle in his jaw feather over and over.
“I apologize,” he said a moment later, his face tight with apprehension. “I received some troubling news last night, so my mood for today is not the best. However, I will try not to let that get in the way of our day.”
“Did something bad happen?” I asked, wondering if it had anything to do with my meeting with Ambrose and the plans we spoke about yesterday.
Pausing, Samian held out his elbow, waiting for me to take it so we could walk together. Sliding my arm into his, he gave me a warm smile, and the tightness in my chest eased, filling with warmth, though it didn’t last long.
He’s with Aster , I reminded myself, feeling guilty from how it felt so easy to be around him, to find comfort in his touch.
“No,” Samian sighed. “Fortunately, nothing has happened yet. But I would also like to apologize for canceling our lesson. How was the rest of your day? Did you read the books I gave you?”
Plastering a smile on my face, I laughed nervously.
“It was nice. I had a chance to explore the palace while expertly avoiding Arianna and her crew of unhinged busy bodies,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t notice how I avoided his second question.
“I also found my way back to my room without getting lost.”
“However did you manage that one?” Samian laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
The change in his voice and the lightness of his laugh made my heart swell. I pulled my arm away and opened the top book and pulled out my map. Handing it to Samian, his smile grew wide while he studied it.
He handed me my map, and we continued our walk.
“I guess I should let you lead us to the library then. But,” he paused, tapping on a section of the page that had a lousy drawing of a dragon statue, “you should probably keep away from that area as much as possible if you’re trying to avoid Arianna and her band of followers. ”
Nodding, I thanked him while I took out a pen to jot that down.
The rest of our walk felt relaxed. I described everything I saw yesterday, Samian oohing and aahing like he had never been around the palace before.
It was silly, but my heart felt light for the first time in days.
Samian’s stiffness had eased by the time we made our way up the stairs, but when we turned toward our study area, Samian quietly let out a curse.
His body went rigid beside me. Surprised, I looked to our table, only to find Ambrose leaning against it.
The books that were piled in neat stacks yesterday were thrown about the table while Ambrose thumbed through one of them, his face set in a mask of casual boredom .
Hearing us step closer to the table, Ambrose lifted his head, a wide smile brightening his face. His hair was styled back, and those dark blue eyes twinkled.
“Ah,” Ambrose said, closing the book with a soft thud. “Right on time. Are you ready, my dear Sybil?”
I sucked in a breath, my face blanching. He said that he had appointments this morning, which would have given me enough time to tell Samian about our meeting and today’s plans. However, here he was, bright and early. Mortification bled through my entire being.
Samian took a sharp breath, pulling me closer to his side. “Ready for what?” he asked flatly.
Ambrose tilted his head and studied Samian for a moment, as if he were questioning whether to answer him or not. “Sybil and I have a date today,” Ambrose finally answered, smiling wickedly as if to taunt him.
Samian whipped his head toward me, my cheeks flushing when I met his gaze. Anger flashed across his face; his eyes filled with something close to suspicion. Tightness crept its way up my throat, and I swallowed thickly, not understanding the meaning of that heated look.
“Ambrose thought it would be a good idea to show me around the city today,” I said, my voice soft and timid. “It would give us a chance to get to know each other better.” Even though I was just repeating the words Ambrose had said to me yesterday, they felt thick as I said them.
Samian searched my face, slipping into his mask of indifference. My stomach twisted at the cold dimness in his eyes before he turned back to Ambrose, disregarding me entirely. “We have a very busy day today. Sybil cannot afford to miss her lessons.”
Waving a dismissive hand, Ambrose chuckled while he sauntered over to us, his body tense as if ready for a fight.
“I believe, Samian, that our sweet Sybil will be fine missing one lesson. And it’s not like you had that same sentiment yesterday, when you missed the rest of her lesson to laze around in your room, right? ”
Samian’s jaw clenched, a low threatening growl rumbling from his chest, and I couldn't help the fear that skirted down my back. Ambrose stepped closer, his hand grabbing onto Samian’s shoulder and tightening.
“Sybil and I will be leaving now. You’re dismissed for the rest of the day.
Why don’t you go back to your room to continue whatever you were doing yesterday? Understood?”
A tense moment passed before Samian looked away, his jaw clenching. Ambrose smiled, tapping his hand on Samian’s cheek and laughing as if the strained bubble surrounding them had never existed.
“Great,” Ambrose said, turning his attention to me.
Sweeping his gaze over me, his face softened, though his eyes still resembled those of a predator hungrily eyeing its prey.
I shivered at the thought. “I’ve been looking forward to this all morning, my dear.
So much, in fact, that I canceled all my meetings so we could spend more time together. ”
Ambrose offered me his hand, but I glanced at Samian, unease making my chest tight.
Samian stood unnaturally still; the line of his jaw was hard, and his hands were balled into tight fists.
Ambrose cleared his throat, a hint to not keep him waiting any longer.
Samian gave me a sidelong glance, tipped his head in a slight nod, and took my books.
Taking a deep breath, I warily took Ambrose’s hand, trying not to let the disappointment I felt show on my face.