“We shall see,” was all he said. He didn’t preen or look proud of himself, and I liked him even more for that.
We had reached the end of the corridor. Rafe gave a simple push on the right stone in the wall, and a door opened into the cellar of my dorm house. I stopped and turned to look at him. He had paused, too, his eyes never leaving mine; our faces were only inches apart, and his gray eyes flickered in the dim light. I thought for a second that he was going to kiss me.
“Good night, Aurora,” he said finally, moving back. “I will be gone for a while, so please stay out of trouble.”
I flushed, straightening. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t want to burden you with all the boring details,” he said, a small smile curving his full lips, “but I have some work I have to do for your uncle. How much do you know about what is going on in Illiador?”
I shook my head. “Not much. I know that Lucian is trying to invoke an old law naming Illiador as the high kingdom and Morgana as high queen.”
He nodded. “Yes, and there is unrest all over the seven kingdoms. Your granduncle has gone to Andrysia and Kelliandria to make sure that they don’t succumb to Morgana’s threats.”
“Yes, he told me, but do you think they will?”
Rafe shook his dark head. “Who knows? Morgana has now allied herself with the Drakaar, and Andrysia and Kelliandria are right in the middle. They may not have a choice. If it comes down to force and numbers, Morgana could very well take over the whole north. The fae that are left in Illiador are suffering. I must help the ones who want to leave to move south.”
“When will you be back?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really know.”
My heart sank, but I nodded nevertheless. “Good night, and take care of yourself.”
To my surprise he held me gently by the arms and pulled me against his chest, kissing the top of my head. I melted into his arms and put my hands around his waist. I wished I could have stayed there forever. I couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to him while he was gone.
“I will be fine,” he whispered into my hair. “And I want you to stay safe too.” His voice was rough. “You really scared me today, Aurora. I don’t even want to think what could have happened if I hadn’t got there in time.” Rafe gently backed away, took my hand in his, kissed it, and gave a short bow. He pressed one of the stones on the wall, and the door started closing on its own. “Till we meet again, my princess.”
My heart cried for him to come back. But all I could do was stand rooted in place, watching him disappear into the shadowy recesses of the secret corridor. That was when I knew for certain that what I had felt for Alex Carrington was just a silly crush. I was falling in love with Rafe, and it didn’t matter who he really was. There was absolutely nothing I could do to prevent it.
I snuck back to my room and opened the door slowly, creeping on tiptoe toward my bed.
“Where were you?” Vivienne whispered, lighting a small candle and sitting up in her bed. “I was worried.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I lost track of time.”
Vivienne raised both her eyebrows. “What are you not telling me?” She jumped off her bed and came over to sit beside me.
I finally relented and told her about the Blackwaters and how they tricked me.
“I told you Damien was dangerous,” Vivienne said after I had finished my story.
I nodded.
“And how did you escape?” Her eyes were wide.
“The Black Wolf saved me.” I knew I had a stupid grin on my face, but I couldn’t help it.
Vivienne gasped. “The Black Wolf! Is he as handsome as they say he is?” She nearly swooned at the mention of his name.
“More,” I said, grinning.
Vivienne leaned closer. “Who is he?”
I shrugged. I guess it was better that I didn’t know. Then I didn’t have to lie. “No idea, but it makes no difference. He’s quite amazing.”
“And dangerous,” said Vivienne, looking like a stern professor again. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “You don’t even know him, Rory. I have heard stories about the Black Wolf that would make you shiver. He may be very charming and handsome, and ladies all over the lands practically swoon at his name, but there are those who say he has killed members of the Shadow Guard, and anyone that powerful is not to be trifled with.”
I wanted to point out that she had also nearly fainted when I mentioned the Black Wolf, but I chose to hold my tongue.
“It doesn’t matter,” I ended the topic. I really didn’t want to get into the you-don’t-know-him-he’s-dangerous conversation again. “What’s really important is what the Blackwaters have in that pouch they bought from the thief lord.”
“I don’t think we should get involved, Rory,” said Vivienne. “If we get caught, there’s no telling what they might do to us.”
“I can’t forget it, Vivienne. Whatever is in that pouch is probably something that my guardian would like to know about. Please help me. I need someone to be a lookout while I search for it.”
She looked at me as if I had sprouted two heads. “You want to search Zorek’s and Damien’s rooms?” Vivienne shook her head. “No, no, I can’t. If I get expelled from school, my father will disown me.”
“Please, Vivienne,” I begged. “I really need to do this.”
“Why?” She crossed her arms and glared at me.
“What?”
“Why do you really need to do this? Your guardian has many people working for him who are more qualified spies. Just send word to the countess, and she will handle it.”
“No!” I got up from the bed. “I have to do this
