Page 45 of The Curse of a Kingdom
What a waste of time. Just when she closed her eyes to transfer again, she heard them.
“Look for them again,” Arkimedes growled, and Nava stumbled back, hoping the shadows of the heavy furnishings would hide her from view.
“I will, Your Highness. I—I’m trying. The king ordered we burn all the books that mentioned the queen—” The man paused, and she heard the shuffling of feet.
Nava held her breath, too afraid to call anyone here to her in the room's silence. It was now clear that she had ended up in that library because of Arkimedes; he had been in despair and calling for her. Nava now knew her soulmate was hunting for answers about his past.
“I’m sure there are more here, and I hate to think you are holding information. I need to know what happened before my mother left the kingdom.”
“Before you were born?” the other man asked, and the candlelight flickered as Arkimedes’s magic burned through the air.
“Yes. I know when something doesn’t add up, and I need more information.”
“I will turn every book, every page, in this library.”
Silence descended, and for a moment, Nava thought they might have left. She stood still, her back pressed against the cool wall.
“What about the prophecy?” Arkimedes’s voice lowered, and for a while, nothing broke the heavy silence.
“The prophecy,” the old man repeated, clearly buying himself time. “I don’t know what—”
“Save yourself the trouble, Ellis. I know about it. Where is it?”
Nava let her body relax against the heavy bookcase, breathing slowly as she listened.
“Someone stole it from this library around the time you were taken, s-sir.”
“Are there any records of it?”
Nava peered behind the wood corner of the shelf. The old fae pointed at a spot, his twisty old finger shaking. She followed the direction of where he pointed, finding a section of the library burned to the ground. The metal gates were still black with burn marks, and soot extended along the walls and ceiling.
“They are all gone,” he said.
Arkimedes said nothing, but the churning disappointment in her stomach told her more than he could say with words. “You may now go.”
“Sir,” the other man said, and Nava heard the distinct dragging of feet.
She took a deep breath and chanced another glance behind the rack she hid behind.
Arkimedes pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. “Come out of the shadows, Nava.”
Her throat ached as she tried to swallow, making her body as small as she could between the heavy bookcases. She could try to transfer now to avoid this terrible situation.
He exhaled, and she could feel his annoyance pulsing down their bond like a wave. She hesitated but stepped out of the shadows. The sun pierced through the massive windows behind him, grazing their skin.
He considered her in silence, and his already sullen expression darkened. “What are you wearing?”
“My old clothes. I'm tired of the dresses,” she whispered. He prowled toward her, and she shuffled back, pressing her back against the bookcase. A rim of fire haloed around his wings. He towered over her.
“Why are you wearing traveling clothes, and how did you get in here?” His voice was significantly lower than what he’d used with Ellis.
Her body shook from the top of her head all the way to the tips of her toes. Based on her fast heartbeat, scared didn’t cover how she felt. And the heat pooling between her legs confirmed this. Her libido was back with an appetite. That horny bitch never knew when to lie low. “Back away, Arkimedes.”
“Don’t call me that name. How. Did. You. Get. Here?” His body was less than a foot away from her. Tendrils of darkness rose from his body. Oh, he was pissed. “This area is warded. No one but the royals are allowed in.”
“What about—Ellis?”
Both his hands caged her in. So much for having him trust her.
