Page 72 of Cathmoir's Sons

“Rho, have you thought this through?” Luca asks, his voice low. “You won’t be able to compete for Bevvy if you withdraw.”

I nod. “Yeah, I know. I hate to let Coach and my team down. But I had a lot of time to think while I was recovering and there are things more important than Bevington’s swim team. More important than my degree. And they’re all right here in this room.”

I squeeze Kellan’s fingers.

“Great.” Lords groans. “Now that you’ve sorted out your love lives, can we turn back to the subject of assassinating the Oak King?”

We don’t talk moreabout Kellan’s plans to kill the Oak King. She deflects Evan’s questions like she’s the one who has been training for the White Cloaks. She turns the conversation around on him again and again, getting him to parse through every detail of the memory she forced into his mind until Evan’s ashen and his hands are shaking. As soon as we finish eating, he excuses himself. His exit is too speedy to be anything but a retreat.

Law’s eyes follow Evan out, alight with grim satisfaction.

“You could be less of a dick to him,” I point out, not just for Law’s edification but also for Kellan’s.

“I could,” Law agrees. “But I’m not going to be. He needs to understand that if he puts himself between us and the Oak King, there will be consequences.” He shifts his eyes to Kellan. “How much do you know about the ley lines?”

“I haven’t spent any time studying them beyond the basics at Bevvy. But I know someone who has and we’re having dinner with him tomorrow night.”

Law arches his eyebrows as he finishes his coffee. “One of Princess Teddy’s husbands?”

Kellan chortles. “Please call her that. I can’t wait to see how she responds.”

“Which one?” Luca asks. “Darwin?”

Kellan nods. “He and Teddy created a ley line while they were at Bevington. Darwin’s not an academic the way Teddy and Gabe are. He got pulled into politics immediately after they graduated. But he could have been. He certainly has the intelligence and skills for it. His thesis was on ley lines if I’m remembering correctly.”

Luca hums. “I’ll grab a book or two and brush up before tomorrow night.” His eyes slide to Law, narrowing, pupils expanding. I love that expression on him: sly and cattish. “Are we doing the thing today?”

“What thing would that be?” Law responds, his expression an echo of his twin’s but it doesn’t make my chest stir.

“The thing where we get her wet and run around in the dark.”

I put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. I know what Lu’s talking about. I’m pretty sure Law does, too, since it was his suggestion. But Kellan doesn’t.

“No,” Kellan says, her icy eyes darting between the twins. “Not while you’re students.”

Luca throws his head back, laughing.

“You and your dirty mind, Professor Wyndham.”

Kellan glares at him. “Okay, what are we really doing?”

Law slides his hand over Kellan’s and curls their fingers together. “Trust me?”

“You know I do,” she responds.

I glance back and forth between them, waiting. When Kellan just smiles at Law, I ask, “You’re not going to qualify that?”

Kellan shakes her head.

I sense Luca and Law are holding their breath. Mine whooshes out of me with a smile. “Okay, then.”

Chapter 20

Painting in the Dark

KELLAN

It’s the hormones that make me cry. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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