“Not anyone… There aren’t many.”
“Keep me updated?”
“Of course. Keep her safe.”
“I will.”
By the time Malachi made it back inside, Evren had packed up his notes for the day and Rhys and Ava were chatting by the computer. Ava appeared to be checking her e-mail while Rhys read over her shoulder, laughing about something in a friendly way. Looking up, the scribe spotted Malachi coming into the library and the teasing look fell from his face. Stern grey eyes met narrowed green ones as Malachi approached. He glanced at Ava with a possessive gleam, then looked back to Rhys.
Cocking his head, the corner of Rhys’s mouth lifted before he asked, “Hey, Ava?”
“Hmm?” She never turned to look at Malachi, even though he knew she must have sensed him.
“Where did you want to go for dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know. You know the town better than I do.”
Malachi stopped. Bastard. He’d planned on taking Ava out to dinner in the village to get her away from the scribe house, but apparently Rhys had already thought of that.
Continuing toward them, he took the seat on Ava’s other side. “I’ll join you. There’s a place I know with a beautiful balcony I think you’d like.”
Finally turning, Ava sighed. “Malachi, I don’t…”
She trailed off as he picked up her right hand, casually playing with the ring on the middle finger the way he’d wanted to for weeks. It was her own nervous gesture, but he’d been fascinated with her hands every time she did it.
“Do you remember that coffee shop you liked near the Bosphorus?” he asked, continuing to play. “The owner of the restaurant is a cousin of the man who owns the coffee shop. We’ll get a good table, I promise. And the food is excellent.”
He didn’t let go of her hand. Her cheeks flushed, and she pursed her lips as if she was holding back words.
Rhys said, “It’s Friday night. Are you sure you can get a table for three?”
If Rhys wanted to tag along, Malachi could work with it. “I’m sure. Ava?”
He finally set her hand down, letting his fingers trail over hers as he drew back and crossed his arms across his chest, flexing his forearms and the intricate spells he’d worked over them. He’d seen her looking at his
“Yeah, that sounds fine. Table for three?”
“Of course. I should have taken you out before. I’m sure you’re tired of the kitchen here. It can be rather simple food.”
“It’s been fine.” Her voice was a bit rough and the color on her cheeks was heightened. “Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll put my stuff away. Meet you two in the garden?”
Rhys said, “Good idea.”
They both watched as Ava gathered the bag with her laptop computer and left the library. When she was a suitable distance away, Rhys turned on him.
“I see someone has finally removed his head from his posterior. Congratulations. You’ve thoroughly pissed her off at this point. Hope you like a challenge.”
He shrugged. “I’ve never backed away from one.”
“Good.” Rhys stood. “Neither have I.”
“Rhys.” His friend froze halfway to the door. “I’m not backing away again.”
The scribe shook his head and grimaced. “You changeable bastard.”
“She doesn’t feel that way for you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I do.” Malachi rose and walked toward him. “The same way I know she’s for me.”
“Are you sure about that?” Rhys’s eyes met his in challenge.
“Absolutely sure.”
The three met in the garden as the sky took on the deep, midnight blue of the evening. It was late, but Malachi had already called the restaurant, reserving his favorite table in a corner of the balcony. They walked toward town, Ava between them, and Malachi forced himself to remain casual, even when the scent of her perfume drifted to him on the breeze. It held notes of jasmine and smoke, a sweet fragrance with hidden depths he knew would be even stronger at the curve of her neck where he had kissed her before. Kissed her neck. Her mouth. He imagined nibbling on the skin that peeked from above her waistband when she wore the green shirt he liked.
Malachi let his mind wander down sensuous paths, knowing she would hear the tone of his thoughts even if she couldn’t understand them. Ava turned around, eyes wide and color high. He simply smiled before he shrugged and kept walking, letting their hands brush casually on the uneven sidewalk.
“What kind of food does this restaurant serve?” she asked, obviously trying to ignore him.
“Turkish, along with some Cappadocian dishes that are very good. There is a lamb dish I think you would like.”
“I love lamb,” Rhys said. “Quite the delicious fluffy animal, don’t you think?”
Ava gave him a mock scowl. “Do you dine on kitten, too?”
“Only if they’re prepared with the right sauce, love.”
The two joked all the way to the restaurant. Malachi tried not to let it bother him, but they had obviously become familiar over the past week. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Ava to like Rhys. He was one of Malachi’s closest friends, after all. But he also knew the look on Rhys’s face, and it was one he hadn’t seen in two hundred years. The Irin was infatuated with the woman. And Malachi had thrown them together.
He really was an idiot. He could only hope that his gut feeling was correct, that Ava didn’t feel for Rhys the same way she felt for him. They had none of the electricity that charged the air between her and Malachi. When Ava gave Rhys’s shoulder a friendly jab, Malachi tried to hide his smug expression.
The restaurant was bustling that night, but Malachi nodded to a waiter he recognized and they were shown to a private balcony looking out over the town. Low lights and candles flickered. It was an unmistakably romantic setting that he hoped would impress her.
It did.
“Oh! This is so beautiful. Look at that view!” Ava’s eyes glittered with delight as the waiter held her chair for her. Rhys gave him a dirty look.
The table where they were sitting was private enough that he knew they didn’t have to worry about being overheard, which let him relax as Rhys and Ava began chatting about Irin history in the region.
“You were born near here, weren’t you?” Ava asked him. “I’m sure it’s changed a lot over the years.
He smiled. “This area? No, but I remember visiting here with my father as a child. The cities change more, of course. Cappadocia can almost feel like a time capsule. I was born west of here. It’s still a very rural area. The village where I was born in is no longer there.”
Malachi thought he saw a troubled look filter across her face. He wondered if she was thinking about the Rending.
“I have many happy memories from that retreat and the one in Germany,” he added, hoping to ease her mind. “Both were wonderful places to grow up.”
Rhys distracted her with a joke about Malachi, and within moments, the troubled look left her face. He would have been resentful if he wasn’t so grateful.
Malachi watched them at dinner, trying to discover her feelings. It was clear she liked Rhys, but Malachi was still convinced that his and Ava’s connection was unique. It had to be. Even when he was young, he didn’t remember being drawn to one woman the way Ava drew him. Of course, he’d had his flirtations and even a few brief relationships with suitable Irina when he’d been young, but nothing like this. He could spend hours just watching the subtle play of emotions across her face.
