Page 75 of Beautiful Beast

To keep her safe.

It was all that mattered.

CHAPTER THIRTY

________

KATALENA

Iwas too restless to go sit in the workshop with Mesene. Or perhaps restless was the wrong word. Energized. I wanted to see what this new world had to offer when my old one had been so limited.

The palace library in Rensara was excellent, but it was no university, and there were certainly no dragon texts. Unless you counted the ones that explained how to kill them. Which I did not.

But it was only after I’d gone to the workshop and tried to take up the same scroll that I realized I couldn’t simply sit. And Mesene had told me of Skalisméra’s library. The entrance was far lower than I’d gone before. Not low enough to get me in trouble, I was assured, but down all the same.

I was not prepared.

A long, slim tunnel lit with rocks that glowed like the crystals in her workshop. Long enough that I realized I was crossing into a different mountain. How long had it taken to excavate these places? Was dragonfire so hot they could merely melt the rock and form it to their will?

Idroal had spoken of their talents, and both Endre and Sirrus had something different. Perhaps there were dragons with the power to carve rock? I needed to ask.

The tunnel opened, blooming outward and upward into another open, towering peak. Another set of never-ending, swirling steps. But now the walls were lined with shelves. I spotted alcoves with tables and chairs along the path up and ladders to reach the books taller than a human could reach.

I’d never seen so many texts in one place. The entire palace library would take up less than one spiral of this mountain. My stomach plummeted at the thought. Had the human world ever had access to knowledge like this? Had it been lost? Or were we just too young compared to the dragons to care about it?

The mere thought of climbing that many stairs made my legs ache once more, but I wasn’t going to simply stare at this place. Perhaps I would wear my mind out along with my body and be able to sit still.

Part of my unease and nervous energy was them. They’d been summoned so quickly and they didn’t seem to think it was a good thing. I had to wonder if it was me. Did the Elders know I was still alive?

I climbed one spiral and stopped to rest at the alcove there. A worn, comfortable chair, more than big enough to curl up in, the way a reptile in human form might enjoy. The glowing rocks scattered over the walls and shelves disappeared into the gloom above, sparkling like false stars. No matter where I looked, there didn’t seem to be any windows to let in sunlight, much like Mesene’s workshop. But the light here was softer and bluer. Less harsh.

I didn’t see any dragons either.

Another spiral revealed a large table with a surface made of the glowing crystal. The blueish glow shone through my hand when I placed it on the top.

Up a third spiral, and my body told me exploring this entire place wasn’t going to happen. These halls and stairs weren’t made for humans or human stamina.

I forced myself up a fourth spiral and found another comfortable chair where I finally sat. The dark fabric of the clothes Belleo gave me shimmered in the soft light, and the dense silence surrounded me like I was wrapped in feathers.

It was peaceful, even though I was alone. I probably should have stayed in the Heirs’ chambers and slept. I felt my eyes closing with tiredness. They’d kept me awake, after all.

My skin flushed with heat and remembrance.

The soft sound of a step scraping on stone sent me to full alert, hand falling to the dagger at my thigh.

“Lena?”

I blew out a breath and let my head drop against the back of the chair. That was Zovai’s voice. Relief swept through me. Maybe that was a source of my restlessness. I didn’t know who in the city wanted to harm me. Just because there was a decree to keep me safe didn’t mean there weren’t ways around it. Endre likely thought so as well, since he returned my blade.

“Here.” I didn’t raise my voice, knowing he could hear me. A few moments later, his head crested the spiral where I sat, and he smiled. The ill-fitting black pants he wore didn’t take away from the fact that he was shirtless and one of the most handsome men I’d ever laid eyes on. His skin began to deepen into red before it disappeared into the pants.

That living, burning thing between us snapped tight. His eyes roved over me, and it didn’t seem to matter that I was fully clothed. He looked at me with the same feral desire.

“It hasn’t been very long.”

“Did you expect longer?”

I shrugged. “It’s the Elders. I know nothing about them, or about how you speak with them. The way you left, I wondered if they might keep you all day.”

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