Page 7 of To Sway a Prince (Tempting Thieves)

7

NOT WHAT I THOUGHT

M y mouth went dry as I found myself staring up into those fierce, unblinking violet eyes. For a moment, I didn't know whether he wanted to kiss me or kill me.

My insides twisted.

What was wrong with me?

I glared right back at him though, my heart racing. His fingers flexed against the wooden shelf, the board creaking beneath his grip. "That is more than enough," he growled. "I vowed I would not harm you."

"A strange statement from the man pinning me to the shelf," I said. I hated the little tremor in my voice as much as I despised the way my skin prickled at the nearness of his touch.

He drew back and squared his shoulders, though he kept one hand against the shelf. His jaw worked. That scent of frosted silver and warm cedar filled my lungs. "If I was going to hurt or kill you, I would have done so already. You are a terror. And I cannot keep wasting time on you."

"Then throw me out." I lifted my chin. "Those are your options. Kill me or throw me out."

"Or imprison you."

"I'll get out. I'll find a way around your binding spell."

He shook his head, fury flashing in his eyes. "Why are you so stubborn? This matter is settled!" Drawing back, he flung one arm up in the air. He turned and paced to the far side of the library.

"You bound me to keep me from reaching my dragon. My best friend! Even knowing he may be injured and die! I will not abandon him."

"I am doing this for the good of all this realm and for you. He belongs here. You do not, Astraia."

Again my stomach tightened. Something about the way he said my name…I shook my head, trying to dislodge the thought. "You have a dozen dragons down there. You yourself said that it might not take all of them."

His jaw clenched. Emotion flashed in those violet eyes of his. Pain? "It is dangerous work," he said quietly. "It is our calling."

Part of me wanted to now set all the dragons free. Commonsense warned me that that was a fool's quest. I didn't know these dragons. And they were at their core deadly predators who apparently played a role here. I had heard of the Sentinels and their work in the Chasm, but it was such a different matter when it was involving someone I cared about. Maybe it was selfish to want to spare Zephyrus that. Asking the others to be more at risk because he was not there? And yet the thought of sacrificing him broke my heart. It all confused me so much. "Will you at least remove the bond then and let him choose?"

He stared at me in somber silence for a moment so heavy I could not breathe. Then he shook his head. "I know what you are, and I cannot. He has bonded with you. He knows you, and he will want to make you happy. And at least keep you safe. He knows you should not be here, and he knows you are in no danger from me. So he is likely just to leave with you if he believes that's what you want."

"This is unacceptable—" I started, balling my fists.

"If you find my tower so odious, you are more than welcome to leave," he said, his voice once more that gruff calm from before.

My temper rose again. Something about this man made me feel on edge and sharp. "Just leave, huh? I bet that's what you want."

His eyebrow crooked upward, and he cut his eyes at me as he reached the doorway. "I believe I have made it clear that that is precisely what I want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have matters of great importance that require my immediate attention. As you are a guest here, you may avail yourself of the food. Guest quarters are on the fifth floor. You'll recognize it by the marking of a shield with three swords. I would tell you what areas to stay out of, but you strike me as the sort who would make that an invitation."

And just like that, he left me again.

I set my hands on my waist, my mind spinning. Why was he acting this way? I'd just disrespected him in his own home, and he was still allowing me to remain here as a guest? I dragged my hand through my hair, but my fingers snagged on some of my curls. Wincing, I freed myself.

"I'm missing something," I murmured. Nothing about this situation settled well within me. He was definitely a rune fae, so I could assume certain things. The laws of hospitality required that I not do harm directly to his person or to any of his beasts. Not that I would be inclined to do so anyway. But…that also meant that since he had allowed me to be a guest, he could not harm me either.

I crossed over to his books. Runic magic had to be written down. That was part of its power. It wasn't an oral tradition. And while he probably didn't have some sort of guidebook that contained absolutely everything I needed, perhaps I might find something.

Time faded as I pored over those texts. His library was well stocked, which was not particularly surprising. I pulled out book after book, scanning runes and translations. A few were so old I feared they'd crumble beneath my touch, but someone had taken care to enchant the pages and keep them whole. A lot of love had gone into the upkeep of this place. Hours passed, one flowing into the next, until my eyes burned. A headache cut across the back of my head and up along my temples.

I always carried emergency rations and supplies on me, so I ate those. Dried moon fruit served well to satisfy both thirst and hunger, but it did not do much for resisting sleep. Nothing really prevented that.

Rubbing the sides of my head, I sighed. This plan wasn't working well, but I hadn't come up with something better. Knotweaving magic wasn't particularly useful when it came to shifting through all this knowledge and all these possibilities. My own runic magic was built around supporting the knotweaving. More or less. I did have a few spells for life and Zephyrus. I rested my chin on my fist.

Maybe I needed to stop approaching this so logically. Ramiel was cold, calm, and clear. And I couldn't best him on that. But…I could be chaotic.

Yes…that was one of my skills.

Picking up the books I had been scanning, I crossed the room and shelved them elsewhere. Then I moved one of the small tables over just a few inches. On his desk, I rearranged the items, ensuring I avoided anything that looked especially important.

Part of me had expected him to return. His absence relieved and concerned me. But I'd make the most of it.

As I scanned for anything that might reveal his weaknesses, I rearranged the books. It was petty and annoying. Moving the furniture steadily over a few inches here or there was far more likely to attract his attention. Moving his wineskin and its small redwood stand to the opposite side of his desk would annoy him as well.

A small part of me twinged, almost regretting this invasion of his hospitality. Then I reminded myself that he was the reason Zephyrus was here. And I wouldn't do anything too horrid. Nothing that would threaten the safety of the tower or the Chasm. Just enough to really aggravate him. The sort of thing I had once done to my brothers and cousins when they annoyed me or I needed to get them to be reasonable by wearing them down.

It really wasn't that hard. And in this, I could use some of my knotweaving. Magical trip wires that made you stagger or drop things. Someone as graceful as Ramiel probably wasn't used to that. Whatever he was up to, he'd discover this soon enough, and yes, it would annoy him.

As I finished, I surveyed what I'd done. Nothing obstructed the primary exits, so if some catastrophe with the Chasm did develop, I wouldn't be making it worse.

But I hadn't found anything to help break the binding. Cathartic as it was to sow some chaos into Ramiel's life, it didn't actually resolve my actual problem. I was behaving like a child.

I made my way back down to the stable. Fresh food had been set out. Droplets of blood stained the flagstones near each feeding trough. A few of the dragons were now in other cells, piled up on one another in a puddle. They'd all moved deeper back into the stable where it was warmer. Zephyrus remained alone in his cell, and his eyes fell on me immediately. He lifted his head as his talons scraped on the flagstone, an eager grunt rising from his chest.

I crossed closer, taking care not to trigger the binding spell. "I don't know what to do, Zephyrus. Is this where you want to be? You don't look happy in there."

Zephyrus huffed at me, his tone more chiding than usual. He sat up, peering down at me over his long blue snout. Cocking his head, he chirred.

I sat on the floor as close to him as I could manage without being close enough to pulseport. More than anything, I wanted to curl up against him and bury my face in his shoulder. To tell him it was going to be all right. To hear him confirm in his own draconic way that it would all come together.

He snorted again, steam rising from his nostrils. He looked lonely. Anger burned within me to see all the other dragons now curled up, and he was still here. Being alone was horrid. And I couldn't manipulate the levers to get him inside with his kin if that was what he wanted. "I'm sorry."

He tilted his head slowly. The low grumbling churr that followed sounded like a reassurance that everything was all right. A little deeper than his usual comforting rumble.

"Are these all your family?" I asked softly. "Do you want to be in there with them?"

He jerked his chin in my direction, and his amber eyes narrowed as he chirred again.

"I can't come any closer, Zeph. I'm sorry." A knot formed in my throat.

He grunted and growled, his eyes blazing brighter.

"I-I'm fine." I hugged myself. "I just haven't figured out how to fix the binding spell yet." An odd thought occurred to me. Ramiel had said Zephyrus wouldn't want to stay with his family because of his bond to me. What if he'd been waiting for me?

Swallowing the knot of emotion in my throat, I stood. "It's all right. I really am fine. If—if you want to be with them, it's all right. I want you to be where you want to be."

He glanced between me and then the nearest of the dragon snuggle piles four cells in. The low growl that rumbled in his chest sounded like a question.

I nodded, hugging myself tighter. "Yeah. I'm sure. Go on."

I wasn't even sure how I knew it was possible for him to reach them, but the thought crystalized in my mind. He cut his amber eyes at me once more and then strode back deeper into his cell through that dark space. Within moments, he emerged in the cell farther down. The purple and dark-green dragons lifted their heads sleepily. The grey-blue one nuzzled his neck and nibbled at the scales as he flopped down. Zephyrus's gaze remained fixed on me as if to ensure I was telling him the truth.

I forced a smile and nodded. Ramiel was right. I felt it in my gut. Thread rot. "I'm going to go get some rest in a safe place," I said softly. "It's a little too exposed here."

The grunt that followed made it clear he understood.

Slipping out of the stable, I made my way up the stairs. My thoughts drifted to all the possibilities and what I should do. I wanted Zephyrus safe. But if he was supposed to be here, how could I manage that?

I halted, realizing my hand was on the door handle and I had already pushed it open into a hall. In all the pulseporting, I hadn't been here yet. The air thrummed, a distinct but intense magic pulsing through the air. I frowned as I listened.

This wasn't the floor with the guest rooms. Then again, I wasn't going to sleep in his guest room either. Something about that felt too—intimate. It'd been years since I'd slept in a bed anyway. No sense starting now. I pulled back a step and looked at the marking on the central panel of the door.

There was nothing really unusual about it. It bore a similar crest to all the rest on this floor: three swords emerging from the mist. Each sword had a runic inscription on it, charges for steadfastness, courage, and honor. Interestingly enough, each carried the statement "to death, through death, and beyond death."

Yes. Death walked these halls. I wouldn't let it claim my best friend, but now I had to figure out how to protect him and let him be with his family.

That tugging sensation intensified. In fact, I wanted to go to a specific room. Maybe there was an answer up here. The air vibrated softly, no other source of sound in the long, dark, gently curving hall. My eyes adjusted easily to the dim light, but there was something even softer in this place. It was…comforting.

The only wards and sigils I saw were the standard ones for restoration and protection. They appeared in combinations that suggested this was a beloved place. Perhaps a hall of memories or remembering? Our palace had had both, but I couldn't remember the distinction any more.

One door seemed to call to me. The fifth one in. A marking for sand centered on this one, the etching so delicate it could almost be missed. There were other symbols that I couldn't fully translate, but I knew enough of the base to see that there was no threat here. I pressed the door open and peered inside. My mouth fell open.