Page 14

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

W hen they returned to Lucius' apartment, he needed distance between himself and his beautiful counterpart.

Every moment in that carriage and in the gardens had only deepened his fascination with her—the way she smiled at every beautiful thing, experiencing it all as though the world was new.

He would have loved to spend the rest of his existence showing her all the beauty Saol had to offer, and he knew she would soak it up with endless wonder.

But he didn’t want tomorrow to come.

He would be putting her in danger tomorrow, and suddenly, he wondered if his artifact was worth the risk. The fae sitting before him was becoming increasingly precious to him.

She sat on the sofa, eating chocolate.

Her boots were off, and she sat cross-legged, her dress bunched up in her lap, while her trusty squirrel companion slept in front of the fire.

He sat on the other sofa, needing to keep some distance. It was getting harder and harder to control his feelings. Every time she was close, he found excuses to touch her—a slight brush on her arm or a fleeting touch of her hand.

“The masquerade's tomorrow,” Tavia said between bites of chocolate.

Lucius nodded, tapping his fingers along the armrest of the sofa. “Yes.”

“Now would be a great time to fill me in on what we will be doing.”

Lucius hesitated, reluctant to continue down this path. The artifact wasn’t just sentimental; it was powerful, capable of protecting anyone he cared about, including her. But he struggled with the thought of bringing her into the masquerade and exposing her to all the risks inherent in his plan.

“Lucius,” she said, tilting her head at him. “What's wrong?”

He couldn’t admit his feelings.

They felt foolish, and he still wasn’t sure if his infatuation stemmed from his long confinement in a coffin.

But an invisible thread was binding him to her, and the more time he spent with her, the tighter that pull became.

It was becoming difficult even to sit this far away.

He wondered if she felt the same inexplicable connection.

As if answering the question in his mind, she stood up, box of chocolates in hand, and walked over to his sofa. She sat beside him, too close, tucking her legs beneath her.

“What is it? Are you worried about tomorrow?”

He scoffed, more at his own vulnerability than her perceptiveness.

“I am, too,” she said softly, her tone free of annoyance. Instead, it was understanding, as though she could sense his inner turmoil.

The fire crackled.

“Yes, well . . . it isn’t too dangerous,” Lucius said carefully. “But there will be some acting required.”

“Acting?” she asked, her brow arching .

Finally summoning the courage to outline his plan, Lucius explained, even as doubt crept into his mind about the whole idea.

“My item is most likely in the vault of the Brotherhood. They have a location here, and the fae who betrayed me is there too.”

Tavia's brow furrowed. “The one who got you captured?”

Lucius nodded.

Tavia's gaze darkened, a fire lighting in her teal eyes. “Does this person know you're alive? You could be in danger.”

“It's all right,” Lucius assured her. “She doesn’t know I’m here.”

“It’s a woman?” Tavia’s voice dropped as though the revelation surprised her.

“Yes,” he replied.

Tavia frowned, considering this new information. “Was she special?”

Lucius understood what Tavia was asking and decided not to lie. “I thought she was,” he said, shrugging. “But it seems I was merely a target. ”

Tavia frowned again. “What if she notices you and alerts them?”

“The masks will hide our identities,” he said.

“I don’t know . . .” Tavia's voice trailed off. “Are you sure this is worth it?”

Lucius sensed her hesitation. If the heist ended, so would their time together. She would have no reason to stay, even if he wanted her to.

“If we can do this safely,” he said, “it will be worth it. We’ll be gone from the city before they even realize I was here.”

Tavia sighed, her shoulders sinking as she leaned back against the sofa. She gazed at the box of chocolates, picking another square and popping it into her mouth.

“So we go to the masquerade, pretend to be married, dance and then what?”

Lucius explained his plan in detail, including the staged argument, the distraction, and the sedative he would use to manipulate the guard’s mind through dream walking. Tavia listened intently, though her expression grew increasingly uncertain.

“And what about me?” she finally asked. “ I thought I was supposed to unlock something.”

“If this works,” Lucius said, “you won’t need to. I won’t need you to break into the vault.”

“But that’s what I’m good at,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness. “I’m a thief. Don’t you think I can do it?”

“No, no, that’s not it,” Lucius said, quickly taking her hands. “Why risk it?”

He hoped she would understand why he had changed the plan to reduce the danger to her. But he saw the doubt in her eyes, and it cut him deeply.

Desperate to convey his feelings, Lucius kissed her hands. Her eyes widened, her body stiffened, but she didn’t pull away.

“I find the idea of putting you in harm’s way extremely uncomfortable,” he said, his voice soft but earnest. “You may think it’s foolish, but I’ve rethought this plan repeatedly.

I won’t risk you getting hurt or caught by the Brotherhood.

If you were harmed . . .” His voice deepened. “I’d burn them all to the ground.”

Her gaze softened, her eyes glistening with emotion. She smiled at him.

“Okay,” she said. “We’ll do it your way. But I still don’t know how I’m supposed to get this guard alone—or get him to drink.”

Lucius didn’t release her hands. “Captivate him,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “The way you’ve captivated me.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she bit her bottom lip, turning away with a shy smile.

“We have a long day tomorrow,” he said. “Why don’t you get some rest?”

Lucius released her hands and stood, retreating to the fire to stoke the logs.

“Good night,” she said softly as she stood, gathering the box of chocolates. Her squirrel scampered onto her shoulder, and she walked toward the bedroom.

Lucius nodded, watching her until she disappeared into the room.

One more day.

He stabbed the burning log, suddenly wishing tomorrow would never come.

Tavia may not have awakened to her true feelings, but Lucius had been alive long enough to understand the depth of his emotions.

And that was more terrifying than the mission.