“I haven’t forgotten that you agreed to teach me how to tend for this library,” I say as she approaches.
“And yet you never come to learn.” She stops the cart beside me and slips a heavy tome onto the shelf.
I purse my lips. “I’m sorry, I have other things on my mind.”
“Help yourself to our shelves, but I’m afraid you won’t find what you’re searching for here,” she says, her voice deep with warning.
“What do you mean?” I ask, furrowing my brows.
“I told you, we don’t keep many books about the Bloodbane here. The answers you seek aren’t in any of our records,” she says as she begins to push her cart away.
I jog after her. “Why not?”
I never asked about the animosity between them; how it started and why. I don’t know how long the Bloodbane have plagued the Fae, or if the Fae started it all. I only know that Altair and his people want nothing to do with the witches in the mountain. And if they knew how close I feel to the Bloodbane, they would want nothing to do with me.
“The Fae and the Bloodbane witches have been enemies for thousands of years. King Alshain had many of our records that contained information about their magic destroyed as a precaution,” she explains.
“King Alshain?” I pull my lips into a confused frown.
“King Altair’s father,” the librarian says softly.
Altair’s father. He’s never told me his name and I’ve never seen portraits of him or the Queen anywhere in the castle. I wonder if Altair tries to forget them. “Why would he do that?” I muse.
The librarian shrugs and trundles away. The squeaking of her cart’s wheels fade, and I’m left alone in silence again. I bite my lip, wishing someone would leave me with more answers than questions. But the doesn’t seem to be he way of the Fae. If I can’t find the answers I need in Altair’s library, I don’t know where else to look. A memory of the library in Desmarais flashes through my mind and I feel a spark of hope. But it disappears when I remember that not even Altair can access their records. That library is sealed.
With a huff of frustration, I carry what books I have managed to find back towards the sitting area. I used to read in front of the floor to ceiling window. It made me feel special when Altair would fly by to check on me. Now, I don’t want him or anyone watching me. So, I read in the corner where I dragged a comfortable arm chair. It strains my eyes to read in the dimmer light, but it’s worth it to have my privacy.
I round the corner, turning away from the light-filled lounge and towards my dark corner. My heart stops as I notice that someone has dragged a chair in front of mine and is sitting with his back to me. My stomach turns as I take in the dark hair. I come here for solace and privacy, yet Altair has sent another soldier to keep an eye on me like a child.
I exhale sharply through my nose, and I know the Fae has heard my frustration. I want him to know. I want him to leave me alone. I sit stiffly in the chair, setting my books aside before turning to the soldier. My eyes widen as I realize that this is no soldier; it’s Dain.
He smiles, his dark eyes intense. “Hello, Verity.”
“Dain,” I say, blushing. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you again,” he says simply. “I know how much you love the library, so I thought I would find you here.”
I look around at the massive room. You could be searching for a person all day and never find them. “How did you know I would be here? In this chair?”
“It seems like you’re in need of privacy,” he says simply. “I guessed.”
“Good guess,” I mutter. I turn to him, suddenly worried. “You shouldn’t be here. If Altair sees you, or finds out from one of his guards –”
“I’ll deal with that when the time comes,” he cuts me off.
I chew my bottom lip. I don’t miss the way his eyes settle on my lips hungrily. “How was your Summer’s Eve?”
“Pleasant,” he says with a grin. “Very pleasant.”
I’ve seen that same grin on human men who’ve slept with a beautiful woman. “Who is she? A lover?” I ask, pretending to be disinterested. I study my stack of books while I wait for him to reply.
“Something like that,” he says. “But I couldn’t get you off my mind.”
My heart beats faster at his words and I feel a flush wash through me. “Dain,” I say, my voice laced with warning.
I can’t continue down this path. I can’t let my body heat with desire or give in to the man who makes his interest in me clear. Even if Altair has set me by the wayside, I’m still committed to him.
Dain smiles, but his eyes are sharp. I feel a spark of curiosity while I stare at him. At first glance, he’s a normal Fae man. But there’s some intelligence in his eyes that’s dangerous, and very magnetic. He leans forward, his fingers tracing my knee. I don’t move to stop him, even though every cell in my body is screaming at me that this simple acceptance is betraying Altair. Dain’s smile broadens.
“I have a gift for you,” he says.
“A gift?” I echo, lost in the tingling sensation of his fingers on my skin. Even through the fabric of my trousers, I can feel his heat.
“That’s why I’m really here,” he explains. He pulls away from me, leaving me aching internally. I watch as he draws a heavy text out of his satchel on the floor. He offers the book to me.
“What is it?”
