The smallest smile graced Alaric’s lips as he looked at Samara with a heated intensity. “If I promise to make it up to you, will you let it go?”
I caught Kieran’s eye, and he just grinned before we went back to listening to this unfolding drama like the juicy entertainment it was.
“Yes.” Samara tilted her head as she continued to study Alaric. “I remember every nasty thing you’ve said to me though, just so you know.”
A sliver of turquoise slid through Alaric’s light green eyes. “Guess I’ll be on my knees a lot in the future then.”
“Fuck.” Kieran slammed a book shut. “The two of you are making it really difficult to concentrate, which really isn’t fair, considering I got yelled at for suggesting we relax before diving into work.”
“Relax?” Samara laughed. “I believe your exact words were, ‘Everyone, take your clothes off. I got a jar of honey and some ideas.’”
“I still have the honey.” Kieran smirked at her.
“I’m with Kieran on this,” I said, gently setting the book I’d been scanning onto the table before leaning back in my seat.
“You want the honey?” Alaric asked in confusion.
“No, I don’t want the honey.” I paused and thought about it before amending, “I don’t want the honeytonight.”
“I think what Roth is trying to say is that we actually do need to concentrate tonight,” Samara said dryly. “Vail and I are leaving just before sunrise, and Draven has some meetings in the morning, so hopefully it will be at least a few hours before he realizes we’re gone.”
A weariness flashed across her face before she buried it. My beautiful forgotten queen was excellent at tucking away her emotions, which was a little concerning.
“We assumed the wraiths were the Unseelie Fae,” Samara continued, her eyes dropping back down to the journal she’d been translating. “I don’t know what it means that they’re actually the Seelie, or how they got shadow magic. We don’t even really know what the Seelie’s original magic was because all the texts are kind of vague about it.”
“The Seelie spent most of their time lamenting about how arrogant and devious the Unseelie were,” I said. “Most of the writings we’ve found have been Seelie, so we’re most familiar with their point of view. They rarely talked about themselves. And what we do have from the Unseelie is . . . not all that informative.”
“Because it’s all useless poetry,” Alaric griped.
“I wouldn’t say it’s entirely useless.” Samara’s lips curved into a grin, and I felt mine doing the same.
“It is strange how little we have from the Unseelie,” I mused. “Most of the Unseelie fortresses were entirely stripped of books and scrolls. Literally all that was left was poetry and a few other random texts.”
“Maybe Vail and I will finally find some answers up north,” Samara said. “Instead of just more questions.”
“We’ll keep researching while you’re gone,” I assured her. “Learning the wraiths are actually the Seelie is confusing . . . but at least we’re no longer going down the wrong path.”
Samara rubbed her face, and I could see the exhaustion of the last couple of days weighing heavily on her.
“I don’t know what the queen comment meant,” she admitted. “The House bloodlines are clearly different from most of the Moroi, but I’ve never come across anything to suggest the Harker line is more unique than the Tepes, Corvinus, or any of the others. The only queen we’ve ever had is Velika, and that was a self-appointed title.”
“Maybe it’s somehow connected to the crown?” Kieran suggested. “Seems like a strange coincidence for the wraith to refer to you as a queen while we’re also searching for the other half of a Fae crown.”
“Maybe,” Samara said, but she didn’t sound convinced. “I’m going to switch to translating my mother’s journals. I think the odds are better of us finding something useful in them.”
“I’ll get us some snacks,” Kieran offered. “Seems like it’s going to be a long night.”
“So you’rewho Samara has been keeping away from me.”
I froze in my seat as Prince Draven appeared between thebookstacks at the back of the library. How had he gotten in here without me knowing? My heart was racing at finding myself in such sudden close proximity to the Moroi Prince. I willed myself to rise casually from my chair, turning my head just enough so I could glance at the double doors. Still closed. I definitely would have heard them open. There were a couple of windows in the back, but I always kept them locked . . .
“Apologies, I’m not sure what you mean,” I said tightly before adding, “my prince.”
A small, knowing smile played across his lips as he strolled down the line of bookcases on the wall, his finger trailing across the shelves. I glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed inwardly. It was late afternoon. Alaric was supposed to have kept Draven busy in meetings all day, and then Kieran was going to make an excuse for why Samara wasn’t at dinner. The hope was that we could delay Draven from knowing Samara had left until tomorrow.
I’d missed working in the library, so I had snuck in here this morning, even though I’d promised Samara I would stay in her suite while she was gone. My plan had been to only be here for a few hours and return to her rooms for lunch, but I’d lost track of time while researching.
And now I was trapped in a room alone with Draven, exactly what Samara had been trying to avoid.
