Page 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

“ I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Cael grumbled, leaning against the back of a leather couch in the Stoneridge library.

Xenia dusted off the shoulders of his pine green jacket. “Come on, pterodactyl. How hard could it possibly be to spend an afternoon reading love poems to your fiancée?”

“ Love poems?” Cael groaned. “Since when was that part of the plan?”

“You need to get close enough to swipe the necklace without her noticing. And how do you expect to do that unless she’s a pool of melted butter in your lap?”

Cael narrowed his eyes. “You are alarmingly okay with this.”

Xenia shrugged. “I’m not above using your dashing good looks and charm to get us the intel we need.”

“And what if I am?”

She smiled, baring her cute, blunt teeth. He wanted to feel them on his skin. “Then you’ll stoop to my level. Because we have no other choice.”

“Don’t we?” He moved in as close as he dared without touching her. There were a few other patrons scattered about the hall, not close enough to hear their conversation but close enough to read their body language. “We could always, I don’t know, do what I suggested in the first place and ignore this little side quest? I fail to see how opening that box will help us get the tracking device out of your neck or figure out how my father ensnared the dragon?”

She shook her head, her curls wafting her sweet, orange blossom scent and his cock twitched in his pants. He woke up to that scent each morning and it lingered long after they parted. Having her in his bed every night was torture. Pure, blissful torture.

“I’m working on that,” Xenia promised. “I’ve only read through about three-quarters of the literature in here on your father’s history. I plan to spend the entire day today searching through the rest. We’re close, Cael, I can feel it. Just like I can feel Elodie is hiding something. I walked past the dining hall the other day and she was standing in there staring at those stuffed animal heads on the wall. Like she was hypnotized. Who does that? I’ve seen her skulking around the library, too. She startles every time I turn the corner and catch her. And remember how I caught her walking into your father’s office? What if she’s the one who’s been feeding intel on the rebels to the Emperor?”

He let out a long sigh, and even though he suspected this was a time-wasting distraction—if Elodie wanted intel on the rebels, there were certainly better places to find it than Stoneridge—he was helpless to deny Xenia anything. A small part of him maybe even agreed with her.

Elodie’s behavior did sound odd. And if the contents of that box could illuminate her motives, perhaps it was worth a try.

Besides, if there was something damning in there, maybe Cael could use it as leverage to get his father to call off the whole damn thing.

Xenia straightened his lapels, then gestured to a stack of thin volumes on the table.

He plucked up the top one. “ Odes on the Seasons of Love ?” He frowned. “I think you’re seriously overestimating my acting skills if you think I’ll be able to get through this drivel.”

Xenia placed her hands on her hips, glaring adorably. “Laetitius is one of the most celebrated wordsmiths in all of Ethyrios. He was the official poet for the Imperial Court for centuries until he passed. Only an uncultured beast would call his work drivel .”

Cael laughed despite himself, unable to resist when she sassed him. He lowered his voice, using the tone he knew worked best to tame her. “You like that I’m an uncultured beast.”

She stared at his lips, sinking her teeth into her own. “That. Right there. That’s the voice you need to use on Elodie. Don’t forget the goal—pool of melted butter in your lap.”

He chuckled. “All business today?”

“No distractions. I’ve got my eyes on the prize. The real prize.”

“Which is what?” he asked, unable to drop his smile. Happened a lot when she was around.

“You and me, far away from Stoneridge,” she whispered, sending heat down his spine. “So you can finally show me exactly how uncultured and beastly you can be.”

He nearly snarled with desire, had to shove his hands into his pockets to keep from bending her over the back of the couch. “You know, a male might question why a female who claims to be interested in him is pushing him into the arms of another.”

She cocked her head, surveying him with a knowing smirk. “You’re in a playful mood today. The affirmations are helping, aren’t they?”

He snickered, remembering the one she’d left for him this morning: I am capable of achieving greatness .

He still felt stupid saying them, but he’d promised her he would. And as crazy as it sounded, he did think they were helping bolster his mood.

But was it the affirmations? Or was it the daily proximity to the woman who’d provided them?

He grinned. “Not sure I would classify stealing a necklace from my fiancée as greatness , but we’ll go with it.”

“Good,” Xenia said, just as the door to the library opened.

Elodie stepped in, her hazel eyes landing on Cael and Xenia as soon as she crossed the threshold. She frowned as she wended through the couches and armchairs. Xenia stepped aside, clasping her hands and bowing her head.

“What is she doing here?” Elodie sneered, curling her fingers into the skirt of her lemon yellow dress.

Cael lifted Elodie’s hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “She works in the library now, my darling. She was reassigned per your request. Stays hidden within the stacks all day so she doesn’t bother anyone else with her incompetence.”

Xenia, head still bowed, shot him a look out of the corner of her eye that said, Asshole .

He shot her one back that said, You asked for this .

Elodie’s lip twisted as she raked her gaze down Xenia, who shrank further beneath it. “Doesn’t explain why she’s here talking to you.” Cael fought the urge to growl at her. She raised her hand to her throat, running the tiny brass key along its chain and letting out a little huff.

Cael gestured to the poetry books. “She collected these for us. I thought we could read them together.”

Elodie squealed with delight. “I adore Laetitius’s work!” She placed a hand on his chest. “Oh, Cael, you know me so well already.”

Xenia stiffened, shot him another look that said, See ?

Cael tried not to roll his eyes as he addressed Elodie. “I look forward to getting to know you even better.”

Xenia rolled her eyes at Elodie’s giggle, and Cael bit back a laugh.

Elodie turned to Xenia, leaving a possessive hand on Cael’s chest. “You’re dismissed.”

Xenia curtsied, then shuffled toward the stacks, leaving Cael with his preening fiancée and a pile of love poetry.

Stygios fucking take him.

But before she slunk into the aisles, Xenia turned back, gifted him one of her glorious, sunshine smiles and mouthed I am capable of achieving greatness .

He kept his face neutral, didn’t want Elodie—who was still staring up at him—to read anything across his face. But he sent the thought toward Xenia anyway.

With you, I am.

It was much harder than Xenia had anticipated, trying to concentrate on all this boring historical literature knowing that just beyond these stacks, Cael was cooing sweet nothings into his fiancée’s ear.

She hadn’t checked on them.

Much.

She was the one who’d encouraged Cael to woo Elodie, after all. And she’d known without a shadow of doubt that Laetitius’s romantic words read in Cael’s deep, sultry voice could soften even the most hardened female.

But seeing the successful results of her scheming in the form of Elodie draped across Cael, cheeks flushed and eyes shining, had Xenia seething with envy.

She’d thought she’d seen Cael’s dark gray gaze flick her way when she peeked out of the stacks, a tiny smirk curling his sculpted lips as she’d huffed and ran back to her own table.

She hadn’t gone to check on them again. But the image was burned behind her eyelids.

How long did it take for someone to steal a necklace from a distracted female anyway? Surely, Cael could have done it by now.

Or was he enjoying his time with Elodie? Xenia knew how powerful Laetitius’s words were. She’d read his poetry plenty of times, had swooned at the passion captured within the simple stanzas.

Maybe reading them aloud was causing Cael to feel the same. Maybe he was out there right now, staring down at Elodie’s graceful Fae features and thinking to himself that he’d like to marry her after all.

“You’re the one that caused this mess,” Xenia grumbled. “Stop being so silly and read .”

I am capable of achieving greatness , she thought to herself, taking a long, deep breath through her nose and pushing it back out through her mouth. I am capable of achieving greatness .

“All by myself and without the help of an uncultured beast with adorably floppy hair and the voice of a sinful god,” she muttered.

Then laughed at herself. She was being utterly, utterly ridiculous. She knew Cael. Knew him in a way that Elodie never would.

Unless…

Unless their plans failed.

It was that thought that allowed Xenia to push her jealousy aside and focus on the task in front of her.

She’d just finished reading through the last book in her current pile and hadn’t found anything useful, so she decided to peruse the shelves. She kept her gaze carefully away from the reading couches and the couple entangled there.

The library was well organized, topics arranged by floor. Fiction on the top, history, religion, and folklore on the second. The sciences—engineering, biology, chemistry, magical arts, and mathematics—made up the main floor stacks.

She’d already searched the history and folklore shelves. Maybe she could find something in the engineering and magical arts sections. The dragon was used to craft weapons, after all.

She strolled the silent aisles, examining titles. Many were written in Aramaelish—Xenia had a passing understanding of the language thanks to her studies at the Temple—but she was surprised to see many in the common tongue as well.

As she passed a section on battle strategy and fighting techniques, her heart squeezed. What was Cassandra enduring in Tartarus? Xenia cursed every corny joke she’d ever made about the prison back when Cass was performing robberies in Thalenn. Cassandra Fortin was the strongest, bravest person Xenia had ever known. She had faith that her friend would survive.

Xenia had always believed that when one was uncertain of a future outcome, it was best to assume the most positive one.

She held onto that hope as she left the section, and an awareness prickled at the back of her neck.

Someone was watching her.

She pivoted, but the aisle was empty. She gazed through a row of books into the next aisle, but it was similarly unoccupied.

She shrugged off the prickly sensation, continuing her review of the titles. When she came to the end of aisle, she turned and slammed into a hard body.

“Careful, little human,” Erik smirked, placing a steadying hand at her hip before crunching his fangs into a ripe green pear. “You never know who you might run into in here.” His jaw worked as he chewed, juice shining on his full lips. “You looking for something in particular?”

Xenia’s chest constricted. She couldn’t get a read on Erik. He’d seemed kind the other night when he’d found her outside Arran’s office. But he’d also seen Cael marching Xenia toward his bedroom the other day. The High Gods only knew what assumptions Erik had made about that . Best to be careful around him.

“Not looking for anything. Just…taking a stroll.”

Erik regarded her with a bemused expression as she cleared her throat and rubbed at her neck. The movement drew his attention to her scar. He brushed her hand away, then trailed light fingers across it. Goosebumps pebbled across her skin. He was just as handsome as Cael, and Xenia couldn’t help her reaction. When an attractive, powerful Fae male touched one’s throat, it was hard to not have a reaction.

“Such a barbaric practice,” Erik muttered, taking another bite of his pear. “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore. Though I’m not sure why you would care? You don’t know me. And I’m a human . Your father has made it quite clear what he thinks of us.”

Erik smirked again, offering her a bite of his pear which she waved away. He shrugged, then lowered his voice. “Not everyone in this household shares my father’s disdain for your kind. Though I will admit, I certainly thought my brother did.”

From the gleam in his chocolate eyes, she knew precisely which brother he was talking about.

Xenia held his penetrating gaze, aware that he could hear her accelerating heartbeat. “He’s been nothing but indifferent toward me. Not sure why you would assume otherwise.”

“Do you know that I intercepted the most interesting letter today? It was from Ohan Stolia. And it was addressed to Cael, of all people.”

Xenia’s stomach plummeted, but she tried to keep the shock off her face. “Oh?”

“It’s a good thing I found it before my father had a chance to pry it open.” Erik finished off his pear, then sent the core floating on a gust of wind toward a trash bin at the end of the aisle. “It mentioned that Cael had lost something in Rhamnos. And that Ohan had orchestrated its return to him. I wonder what he was referring to?” He grabbed her hand with sticky fingers. “Come. I want to show you something.”

Xenia barely had a chance to protest before Erik dragged her past the stacks and into a dim corner between two shelves.

Erik muttered something, words Xenia didn’t recognize. Not Aramaelish, and certainly not the common tongue.

A plain wooden door with a brass handle materialized in the bare wall, and Xenia emitted a tiny gasp.

“Concealment spell. My father thinks he’s the only one who knows the incantation, but he underestimates just how sneaky his waste of a fourth son can be when he puts his mind to it.” Erik winked, then pressed the tab atop the handle and opened the door. “Have fun in there, little human.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “If I were you, I’d start with my father’s journals. Enlightening stuff.” He dipped his fingertips under her shirt sleeve, tapping on her hidden cuff. “Call me on this when you’re done and I’ll come let you out.”

Xenia pulled her head back, searching Erik’s gaze for any hint of why in Ethyrios he was helping her. “Why would you show this to me?”

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Erik said, softly. Wistfully. “As if you’re the warmest ray of light parting the clouds of his lifelong gloom.” He nodded toward the open door. “My brother could use some sunshine.”

She turned toward Erik, but he was already gone. She’d barely felt him move.

Xenia took a deep breath, then crossed the threshold into the hidden section of the Zephyrus family library.

And after several hours of pouring through Arran’s journals, Xenia could say two things with absolute certainty.

First, they were just as enlightening as Erik had claimed.

And second, Cael and Xenia were going to need a miracle to have any chance of freeing that dragon.