Page 30 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)
Samian
I waited until Sybil left the library, my eyes never leaving Ambrose.
Icy hot rage sliced through me, filling my veins with a fury so potent that it threatened to consume me whole.
The air, thick with tension, stretched around us, building every second it took for Sybil to run through those doors, leaving us behind.
Ambrose, still leaning against the desk, refused to meet my glare while he spun a pen between his fingers.
Boredom carved along his face, as if this moment were nothing but an inconvenience to him, something that wasn’t worth his time or energy.
The thought prickled through me, making my blood boil.
The moment the doors closed behind Sybil, Ambrose finally deigned to look up, his lips curling into a smug smile. “Did you have to come back so soon, Samian?” he drawled. “The lesson was just getting to the good part.”
I let loose a snarl, low and vicious. “Stay away from her,” I growled. “She has just started to learn who and what she is. She doesn’t need you messing with her head. ”
Scoffing, Ambrose stalked toward me, not stopping until we stood merely an inch apart. Ambrose lifted his nose, his eyes narrowing, glowing with ire. “Now what do you mean by that?”
“You know exactly what I mean,” I said, my voice lowering to a dangerous tone. Shoving him away from me, I continued. “I know you, Ambrose. I’ve watched you plot and scheme your entire life. I’ve seen all that you have done and who you have hurt in the process. She will not be one of them.”
A mirthless laugh escaped him, his face tightening into a predator-like calm.
“You’ve seen all I have done? My, my, aren’t you the ever-watchful dog ,” Ambrose spat as he grabbed my shirt and slammed me against the wall.
I grunted from the force of his strength and locked my hands tight around his wrists, baring my teeth.
“You think I don’t know how you like to hide behind corners and closed doors?
How you follow everyone around, scraping for a morsel of information?
” Snarling, Ambrose moved closer, his voice lowering as he said, “You think I don’t know how you, the great and mighty Samian, have been following our lovely Sybil since she was a child?
And all without her knowledge. I wonder what she would think about that.
Would she see you as her great protector or would she be disgusted, horrified even, by your lurking in the shadows? ”
Pushing away, Ambrose turned his back on me, releasing a soft, cruel laugh.
My blood turned to ice. How long had he known?
I had made sure I slipped out of the realm without any of his spies following me.
My stomach dropped as realization slowly dawned.
I was the one that led him to Sybil. My fixation on keeping her safe brought her here.
My chest, my body, my veins filled with a loathing so strong I heaved.
Whether it was for myself or for him using me to get to her, I wasn’t sure.
The lights flickered, the wood of the walls groaned from the power that hummed inside of me .
Picking up on the shift in the air, Ambrose slowly turned, facing me.
The temperature quickly dropped, and frost climbed along the walls and windows.
“What secrets are you trying to keep, Samian? Why would you be following her around? What is so important about a human girl that you would seek her out?” Ambrose goaded, his eyes bright with the promise of violence.
“Stay away from her,” I repeated, moving my hand to the hilt of my dagger hidden beneath my jacket.
He threw a shard of ice in my direction, my blade slicing through it when I realized too late that it was merely a distraction. Ambrose lunged at the same time, a dagger in hand, pushing me back against the wall, the blade resting against my throat.
Blood trickled down my neck when Ambrose opened his mouth, only to be cut off by a startled gasp and the sound of books falling.
Whipping our heads toward the sound, a pale-faced female stood by the door frame, her eyes wide.
She lifted a hand to her chest, her eyes shifting between us, not knowing if she should run or stay frozen while the books she had been carrying lay on the floor around her.
Coming to her senses, the female blinked and hastily ran to the safety of the bookcases.
Ambrose straightened, taking a step back, his lips forming a thin line as he sheathed his dagger.
Closing his eyes, Ambrose breathed deeply, rolling his neck and shoulders before opening his eyes again.
His cold stare met mine as his hand stretched out, straightening my disheveled shirt.
Once satisfied, he smirked, lightly tapping my face before leaning in close, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Last time I checked, Samian, I give the orders around here. You will do well to remember that. Do I make myself clear?” Pulling his head back, his face was dangerously calm .
“Yes,” I said, swallowing my rage.
“Good,” he said, finally turning to the female, giving her a lazy smile. “Oh, before I forget, Sybil will be joining Arianna and Ezra during their rounds to the outer villages this week—without you.”
My lips curled and I pushed down the curse that fought to escape me. My hands fisted, resisting the urge to swing at him. But with an audience, I knew that would be a dangerous and foolish thing to do, and I had to keep my promise. Shoving my anger down, I responded with a tight, “ Fine .”
Keeping his eyes on the bashful female, Ambrose waved his hand to the door. “That will be all, Samian,” he said, his voice nothing more than a purr.
Sneering, I left the room, the sounds of the female’s giggles filling the air.
Passing through the lounge of the third floor, I sighed when I found Sybil’s books still lying on the table.
My anger and disgust were quickly extinguished, leaving nothing but a resounding emptiness in its wake.
Stopping to gather her things, I looked out the window.
The sun was setting, casting a shadow around the trees of the gardens.
My throat tightened as I made up my mind.
I would not allow Sybil to fall for his tricks.
I needed a plan. A plan which would require me to meet with the rebels tonight instead of the agreed upon time.
Leaving the library, I rounded the corner, grunting when the lithe body of a female ran into me.
Looking down, Arianna glared at me, rubbing her nose.
Arching a brow, I swallowed my growl, ready to excuse myself when an amusing thought formed.
“If you’re looking for Ambrose, I just left him in the library,” I said coolly, fighting a smile.
“I have better things to do than look for Ambrose,” Arianna sneered. “Get out of my way, dog. ”
My jaw clenched, but I shoved that insult aside when her eyes flicked to the library door.
Smirking, I moved, letting her pass, giving her a dramatic bow as she went.
I swallowed my laugh and continued walking down the hall.
Ambrose was about to have an interesting night, and I hoped Arianna would burn him alive.
When I stopped in front of Sybil’s door, a part of me begged to knock, to check if she was okay.
But I was still furious with her, furious with how she let Ambrose get so close to her.
I was torn between wanting to throttle her, spending every moment warning her against him, and letting fate play her little games.
But I knew, even if I spent every waking minute urging her to see reason, Sybil would not take those warnings to heart, not when he toyed with her emotions.
Deciding not to knock, I set her things by the door.
Leaving the hallway behind, I entered my room, walking to the bookcase that blocked the hidden room and passageway.
I pulled on the book that opened the bookcase and slipped through.
My meeting with the rebels wasn’t for another two days, but with the timing of the soldier’s visit to Lowbrook, two days wouldn’t give them enough time to prepare, which meant I needed to meet with him as soon as possible.
The meeting that pulled me away from Sybil earlier today did not go well.
Ezra was on edge when we met to discuss Sybil’s training.
According to him, Ambrose decided they would make a trip to Lowbrook, a village outside Volmire.
Seeing as Ezra had just returned from Lowbrook on his latest round, he figured—as I did—that the trip was just a disguise.
Officially, it was a search for rebels that may be camped close by.
But we knew that some type of plan was being put into place.
With him ordering Sybil to join their search, every part of me itched to take her away—to take her someplace where Ambrose would never find her again.
But I knew that if I did, Sybil wouldn’t see it as me trying to help her, to protect her.
I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat.
Sybil was smart; however, she was still too wary of this world and her magic.
She needed more training and Ambrose knew that, counted on that.
Breathing in the stale air of the passageway, I bristled, thinking back to yesterday, seeing him sitting by the window. The clod knew being in the city was reckless, yet he showed up anyway, pretending his scarf was enough to hide him from the guards that patrolled the city.
I walked along the dark passage that led into an empty field near the back of the palace, annoyance from his foolishness trickling down my spine as I went.
Pulling my hood up, I hastily made my way through the field into the dark, haunting forest I had warned Sybil of when we came, and eventually found myself in front of a once beautiful but now rusted gate.