Page 173 of Magic of the Damned

“That’s not his title.”

“Not yet, but whenever he”—she scrunched her nose—“when they… when the… you know?” When he kills his father. It was a distasteful thing to think and even harder to say. I was surprised at her astute reading of the situation.

“I’m quite observant. One would have to be particularly dense not to see the malicious intent they have for each other. It will end badly for one of them. The hostility between them won’t be resolved by something trite like a spirited game of chess. Just straight to murder.” She winced.

“You gathered all of this from a day with them, yet you don’t realize Gus is in love with you?” I asked in an attempt to pull her thoughts from the dark place they had clearly delved into.

“He’s not.”

Her selective observational skills should be studied.

Emoni’s lips parted to say something else but closed, her teeth gripping her lips, leaving me speculating whether she could read my thoughts on my face. Dominic had confessed that he loved me, and we hadn’t had a chance to discuss it. Before I could get into the subject with Emoni, I wanted to talk to him and make sense of my complex feelings. My heart wanted to throw caution to the wind, but my mind was in a perpetual state of risk analysis assessment.

Emoni studied me for a few minutes before allowing herself to be distracted by the sculptured art.

“What happened between you and Jackson can’t factor into whatever decision you make.” Jackson cheating with a former best friend had crossed my mind and the betrayal still stung. But Dominic and Jackson were entirely different and so was this situation.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” I said.

She frowned and mouthed, “Liar.”

“Okay, I did, a little.” I brought my fingers closer together leaving an inch of space. She closed the distance between us and spaced my fingers wider.

“If it was that little, your face didn’t know it. This family is a mess, magic is the absolute worst—I stand by that. I don’t care that I find it a little fascinating, I miss my wonderful world of blissful ignorance. But with everything that’s going on, your life in constant danger and dealing with the fucking Lord of the Underworld, there’s still an ease to you that I haven’t seen in a long time. You were never truly at ease with Jackson.” She shrugged. “Could be him, or the fact you’re getting laid,” she tacked on, beaming.

“He’s a prince,” I corrected.

“I know what his title is. I’m getting used to his new position and designation.”

“You don’t even call him prince?—”

“Not going to, or lord. I’m just making a point.” The silence was heavy but the mirth that lingered in her was a welcome comfort. “I really don’t want to be that person—but I have to be because I’m always going to look out for you. I know it’s easier to think things will get better and resolve and you’ll have your old life back, with the addition of a sexy man and all its perks”—she sighed, giving the home a once over—“but I think it’ll be more of the same. Consider that with any decision you make and determine if it’s worth it. If he’s worth it. I think you already know that. I’m just the voice of reason you need to hear.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“Let me show you the library,” I offered in a jarring topic switch. She was the voice of reason, but it needed to be delayed in place of more pressing things. Emoni wasn’t likely to drop the subject without some other distraction, and their breathtaking library would be a worthy redirection.

I waved her forward, navigating through the home and ignoring Emoni’s smirk.

“You’ve already made yourself at home.”

Standing at the entrance of the library she exhaled a breath of appreciation. A slow rove of the full bookcases, the ladder that allowed access to the taller stacks, and the seating. The whimsical look dropped from her expression as she snapped her attention to her left, where she got a glimpse of Sabin.

“What the fuck?” she said under her breath, her undivided attention on him.

Mine was on Ileana who accompanied him. She’d arrived from another entrance, allowing direct access to Dominic’s wing of the house to avoid Areleus being aware of her presence.

My interest overrode polite restraint. I quickly moved toward them with Emoni on my heels. We cleared a surprising amount of ground and were at the bottom of the stairs by the time they were midway. Sabin looked over his shoulder with a mysterious glitter in his eyes. He greeted me with a devilish smirk before offering one to Emoni. She stopped on the step and stared after him.

Sabin was enjoying her response until Ileana called him. He hurried up the steps, following her in the direction of Dominic’s office.

Stricken, Emoni hadn’t moved from the spot on the steps. Her lips slightly parted and her eyes sharpened, still looking at where Sabin had stood. “Was that the creepiest or the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen?” she asked herself aloud.

“For me it’s a little of both.”

She’d known about Ileana’s creatures from my recounting of my time in Vita, Ileana’s realm, but hearing about the creatures and seeing them was quite different. By the time we were upstairs, I could tell from Emoni’s flustered look that she hadn’t resolved how she felt about Sabin.

They’d disappeared into a room. I headed toward Dominic’s office where he met me in the hallway. The dim lights cast a soft glow, accentuating the intensity of his gaze. His eyes homed in on me, searching for information that was easily revealed.

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