Page 65 of Crimson Shadows
I finish my water and stand up, my mind racing. I need to talk to Corvus and find out if this is what he knows. If so, we can discuss it and be prepared for whatever that might mean.
Flaming out of the dining hall, I land outside Corvus’s room and knock loudly. He opens the door, his eyes narrowing as he sees me. “Iggy. What’s up?”
I place a hand lightly on his shirt to push him out of my way so I can enter his room, not waiting for an invitation. “We need to talk about Adelaide.”
Corvus closes the door behind me. “What about her?”
I turn to face him. “Do you know what she is?”
He blinks. “Do you?”
Good. He hasn’t just blurted it out. That’s good. That means he will protect her. Even from me.
“Yes, she just told me.”
He sneers. “Don’t believe that for one second.”
“Why? She told you, if you’re telling the truth about knowing.”
“Actually, I figured it out.” He gives me a superior glare.
“Well, good for you,” I murmur. “So if you know, you know we have to make sure this secret remains locked away for as long as possible.”
“No shit.”
“I don’t believe you know,” I challenge him.
“Well, I don’t believeyouknow either,” he retorts.
I shrug. “Look, you know something, I know something. I don’t want to say in case you don’t have all the facts.”
“Same.”
We stare at each other.
“On three?” I suggest as a trick.
“Oh, please. You expect me to fall for that.”
“Nah, not really. Okay, look, I know she’s rare.”
“Very.”
“How are we going to get past this?”
“Get her here and ask her.”
I consider Corvus’s suggestion for a moment. Getting Adelaide here to confirm what we know could work, but it also feels like a violation of her trust. She shared that information with me in confidence.
“No,” I say finally. “We can’t do that to her. She’s already dealing with enough, trying to adjust to all of this. We shouldn’t put her on the spot like that.”
Corvus raises an eyebrow. “Since when are you so concerned about her feelings?”
I feel a flare of irritation at his tone. “Since the day I first spoke to her.”
He studies me for a long moment, his dark eyes unreadable. Finally, he says, “You care about her.” It’s not a question.
I don’t deny it. There’s no point. “And you don’t?”
