Page 124 of A Baron of Bonds
“What book? Which one?” I asked quickly, forgetting to dampen my tether.
“Finding the Source: A Medicus Guide to the Art of Understanding Disease.”
I huffed a sigh of relief. At least we’d know exactly what to look for if we could just get Viridis back.
“It’s a rather lengthy title, and I doubt the writing is very enjoyable.”
“You…you read books?”
“Should we continue this chat, and I’ll list my favorites for you?”
I huffed. I didn’t like her sounding human. I liked her right where she was, a monster. “If this really is what we seek, I’ll keep to our deal. If not, I will close you out forever and destroy you.”
“What a delightful empty threat. I look forward to our talks, Little Sprout.”
“Karus!” The door burst open and Revich stood there, breathless. He raced across the room, taking my hand into one of his, the other grabbing my waist.
He looked up at me, a wild fear in his eyes as he took in the chair I was standing on and where I was looking out into.
I searched briefly for any sign that the Blightress was still there in my mind and found that she had gone.
Good. I shut her out again completely and smiled down at my love.
“I know what we’re looking for. I know the book we need.”
Chapter 51
Saelyn
I would beseventeen in two days and fretted over the silliest things.
“No, no, likethis,” I corrected, exasperated with Thevin and his inability to correctly arrange a single paper banner across the trees.
“That’s what I did,” he grumbled, stepping down from the enormous tree stump, watching me correct the angle of the string.
“No, yours were all wonky and sad,” I retorted, ensuring my correction would not fall by securing it around a low branch of the tree.
“You’re all wonky and sad,” he mumbled under his breath, catching me at the waist as I jumped down from the stump. I faltered slightly, but his strong hands held me steady, keeping me from falling as I landed into his hard chest.
By the love of my mother, I wanted to stay there.
My breath quickened and a red flush covered my neck and face. I could feel it there, creeping through my skin without permission as he grinned down at me, my hands pressed to his chest. The small cleft in his chin had become more charmingnow that his age had overtaken mine by over a year since he spent so much of his time outside of Felgren.
I swallowed, his hands still at my waist. “Am not,” I murmured, not wanting to move away from his body, but doing so anyway. “Can you help me with these laynterns?”
“Laynterns?” he laughed.
I giggled, shaking my head. “Lan-terns.”
He nodded, picking one up and hanging it on a tree. “You always did struggle with names.”
I pretended offense, “I was very small, and to be fair, Pah-Pah’s name is not the easiest to pronounce.”
He laughed and crossed his arms, looking up at the colorful banners and lanterns that now wove through the trees where the party would begin in less than forty-eight hours.
“I like it,” he commented, glancing around at all the little details I’d added.
I grinned and found a low branch to hang another lantern as he finished, “It’s very…you.”
