And although I could no longer feel Ambrose’s distance like a constant tightness in my chest, I thought of him anyway. We hadn’t discussed the evolution of our relationship. But the things he’d said to me couldn’t be misconstrued, could they? Ambrose was so careful with his words. He wouldn’t say things he didn’t mean, but maybe I was the problem. What would I do when he got the Vesten historian position? When he moved to Compass Lake?
We could mean the words we said. Our actions could be more than just passing time. We could care about each other deeply. I might even love?—
I shut down that thought.
Life wasn’t guaranteed to work in our favor.
The morning came too soon, and with it, the meeting with Lord Arctos, Carter, and Ambrose to complete the project. I arrived at the library at my usual hour. No one was there yet, and this return to normalcy almost felt calming. The study carrel across from mine sat empty, and maybe it was a little bit of that hope Mom tried to reinforce, but I left the chair there just in case.
I worked on my notes. We needed to get everything documented, and while I was sure Ambrose had pulled out his notebook and pencil once I left yesterday, I didn’t want to miss anything. Documenting blood magic tests between living entities was supposed to be my area of expertise.
Time passed, even with my mind tied in knots. Eventually, the large double doors creaked, and Ambrose entered the Great Room. He looked tired, and his auburn hair was untidy as ever, but when our eyes met across the expanse, a small smile curved his lip. Something fluttered in my chest, and I leaned a little more on Mom’s hope. Maybe we could make it through whatever came next.
As he walked toward me, the familiar large black bird flew through the closing door. He shifted in the way that I now considered showing off, where he waited until the last second before seamlessly striding forward on two legs.
“Good morning, Evelyn.” Lord Arctos glanced around as if expecting something. When Ambrose finally made it across the Great Room, the god smiled. “Aren’t you late?”
Ambrose’s brow furrowed. “You sound like Evelyn.”
The comment from Ambrose caught me off guard, and I laughed, wondering how distracted Ambrose was that he finally snapped back at the Vesten God.
Lord Arctos only grinned. Then they both turned to me. “Is the Vesten Point here yet?”
“I am.” Carter and Gabriel, entered the Great Room next.
As they walked toward us, I tugged Ambrose to my side and whispered, “Have we considered how we’ll do this if they can’t burn away the connection like we did?”
We knew how we’d broken the magic. And Carter had found something when they’d searched for a similar connection. I had been so confident up until this precise moment that this would work.
Ambrose opened his mouth, but before he could respond, Lord Arctos cut him off. “I’m sure we can figure it out. If not, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
I decided to set aside the comment about tricks up his sleeve and return to a stalwart belief that this would work. We’d done this only yesterday. We knew how to complete the project. The most powerful Vesten alive and the god of our court could certainly replicate what we had done.
Ambrose’s hand briefly swept over my arm, then dropped. The heat it sent through me was incandescent. It was a little voice in my head, reminding me that this thing between us was worth fighting for. And maybe I couldn’t control the future, maybe circumstances would tear us apart, but right now, he was with me.
“Do we want to do this here?” I asked, searching the room. Based on my and Ambrose’s tests, I didn’t think there was a risk to the materials, only a risk to being observed. As if on cue, Landon and Tatyana walked in. They gave our group a curious glance.
“Let’s move to the Restricted Section. I assume we don’t have to worry about damages?” Carter asked.
“The risk is low,” I said.
He nodded, and we moved to the room Ambrose and I had fought over entering. I held in a laugh, and the way his ears pinkened, I wondered if he was remembering that particulardiscussion, too. The restricted section was a smaller room but completely filled with books. All four walls were lined with leatherbound volumes, and additional shelving units created rows in the center. I couldn’t imagine the value of the knowledge within.
With everyone repositioned, I glanced at Ambrose. He urged me to start with a small gesture. That flame flared in my chest—not one of a magical binding, but one of shared understanding, a language of gleaned gestures and noticed facial expressions that only we cared to decode.
“We broke our connection yesterday,” I said. “We will walk you through the steps to do it yourself.”
I urged Ambrose to speak next with a glance. We had come this far through collaboration. It felt right to finish the project that way, too.
Ambrose nodded. “Can you locate the connection between you again? I think last time you said it was more of … a bridge than a rope?”
Carter shared a look with Lord Arctos, and I wondered what hidden understanding lay within it.
“Once you find the connection, the next step is simple,” Ambrose said.
“Burn it down.” I smiled sweetly.
Lord Arctos arched a brow. “Really?”
