Page 42 of Of Blood and Banes
I open my mouth to respond, then slowly close it as realization dawns on me. I don’t. The only, single thing I can trust is Melaina trusts him. And maybe that’s even a blind mistake.
Cole turns his attention back to surveying the shelves. “Exactly…and I know I broke your trust in me. So, I wanted you to see it yourself. If he’s going to break the pact, perhaps you can read in the journal how to stop him from doing so.”
“What does it look like, so I can help?”
He crouches down to the bottom shelves of the ornate bookcase. “It was a small, thin book. Smaller than anything here…”
I walk over to the other side of the desk and open the drawers.
He continues, “But it was hard to see. In my meeting, we met by candlelight. And he had stacks of maps and other things on top of it. All I could see were the words ‘Breaking Magical Binds’ on the cover.”
I begin to sift through the stacks of papers, folded letters, scrolls, magnifying glass, and items to complete a wax seal. “Did he say why he returned so early? He was supposed to be gone for several days.”
“No, he didn’t. I don’t think he ever left, to be honest.”
“It’s not in here.” I sigh and slide the drawer closed, almost pinching my fingers between the top of it and the lip of the desk. I pause, tilting my head to the side as I stare at the engraved intricacies in the thick wooden edge.
Squinting through the darkness, I kneel on the floor and run my fingers across the length of the ridges until I come across a bump. I pinch it between my forefinger and thumb and tug it toward me gently. What should have only been a two-inch-thick edge of the desk, turns out to be a secret drawer no bigger than the width of one book and deeper than the lengths of two. Sitting there, in the darkness, is a small, black book.
“Is this it?” I whisper and pull the book out gently as if it’ll disappear in the wind should I remove it too quickly. But hedoesn’t have to answer because as I draw it near me, there on the cover in red it says ‘Breaking Magical Binds.’
Cole looks up from where he’s been sifting through books on the shelf. A hopeful smile cracks his lips.
“Great.” I toss a look toward the windows. “Now let’s get out of here before those guards wake up and alert someone.”
As we both rise from the floor, a key rattles at the front door, and we turn toward each other, color draining from our faces. There’s no way we can make it to the window and out without being noticed.
Cole motions toward a massive, ornate wardrobe tucked into the corner of the office, and we both dash toward it. He swings one of the doors open and I climb inside, pressing my back up against it as Cole slides in with me. He stands toe-to-toe with me, a few inches separating us. But as he goes to close the door behind him, it won’t budge.
I slam the book to his chest, grip his sides, and rip him into me. My breath rushes out of me as his full weight crushes my chest, and the door closes behind him. Leaving us in almost complete darkness.
My breath rises and falls in quick succession with his, the side of my face flush with his chest. I don’t dare move my hands from his ribs. Don’t dare move at all. The only movement I allow myself is breathing, and even that I force myself to steady.
Sethan’s characteristic growl is muffled by the wardrobe we’re hiding in. But based on the cadence, he’s shifting around the room. “Have you swept the patrols across the outskirts?”
“I already have a group of soldiers on it now, sir. A second group is posted at the southern part of town in case any intruders try to head south,” Corvin responds.
“Have you checked all of the Arterians?”
“Not quite, sir. We’re planning on checking all of their quarters next after we ensure the borders are secure. That way no one gets out.”
Fuck.
Cole manages to slip his hand to my shoulder, squeezing me to calm my nerves—it’s going to be okay.Though, it’s hard to ignore the slamming of his heart against his broad chest as the side of my face is pressed against it.
“We thought you might want to confirm nothing is missing, in the event we need to question anyone we catch tonight,” Corvin continues.
Shuffling sounds about the room outside, drawers sliding open and closed. My heart hammers in my ears, picturing him getting closer and closer to finding out that the little black book is missing from his secret drawer. And him getting closer to the wardrobe we’re hiding in. Cole leans his head down to rest his head on top of mine. As if he’s trying to help contain my buzzing panic.
“If you catch them with something of mine, no need to question them. Just kill them,” Sethan responds plainly and slams a drawer.
Hard.
I squeeze my eyes shut, even though it’s only a touch darker than it is in the wardrobe. He definitely found that the book is missing. Just in the way he slammed it—I know.
“Sir, the two missing guards have been located,” an unfamiliar voice calls.
“Bring me to them. Corvin, take a group and check in with those at the southern point.”
