Page 75 of Research with Rivals
Was that what she wanted? “I?—”
“Of course, if you think Lord Arctos’s sarcastic comments about us were his way of hinting at our repressed attraction, and that this trip was partially an experiment to see if he could help us along, I’m also fine simply answering the door and telling him you’re here.”
Gods, I loved her.
Oh, my gods.I could not be thinking that.
I cleared my throat. “The second one sounds preferable.”
She smiled sweetly and slipped from the bed. I regretted that either action took her from me, but we were at Compass Lake. Ostensibly, we had work to do. I pulled on my clothes while she did the same, then opened the door.
“Can we help you, Lord Arctos?” she asked, sticking her head out into the hallway.
I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell from his voice that was precisely what he wanted to hear. “We, you say? Have you taken Mr. Yarrow captive in there?”
She huffed, and I was sure she rolled her eyes at the god. I had no idea where she got the courage.
I pulled the door the rest of the way open, summoning the same strength she had. “I can confirm I’m here willingly.”
Lord Arctos’s eyes danced with mischief. “I’m glad I’ve found you both. Carter has an errand to run. He wanted to know if you needed him for any tests before he left.”
I was about to say we didn’t need him. My test had failed; without it, we had nothing to test on the god and Compass Point. But at Lord Arctos’s comment, Evelyn’s spine straightened like she’d had a thought.
“We should have you two test one thing, if you have time.” She glanced over her shoulder at me. “You were able to find the knot this morning, correct?”
Of course she’d noticed.
“The knot?” Lord Arctos’s eyebrow raised. “If this is a kink, feel free to keep it to yourselves.”
This time, I did see her roll her eyes. I answered her question with the necessary details: “I couldn’t burn it, though.”
She bit the inside of her lip like maybe she’d expected the response. “I think it’s the location.”
Why hadn’t I thought of that? Part of Lord Arctos’s reason for our trip was that location mattered with magic. Our currentlocation meant nothing to our connection; it was the first time Evelyn had been here. “Compass Lake would be a location of importance to the connection between Lord Arctos and Carter.”
She turned back to Lord Arctos. “We need you to test something at the lake.”
The god looked giddy. He shifted into a bird and flew away without another word.
“I think that means he’s going to collect Carter?”
She shrugged. “We should at least have them check that they have the same type of connection.”
“You don’t want them to try and destroy it?” I thought I knew where this was going.
“I’d rather test that part with us first, if you’re still amenable,” she said. “It feels unconscionable to test breaking it on a god and the most powerful Vesten of our generation.”
I let out a breath. “I completely agree.”
“So,you want us to stand in the lake and see if we can feel a physical manifestation of our connection?” Lord Arctos glared over his shoulder at Evelyn. He had collected Carter and brought him to the beach outside of Vesten House. The god didn’t sound amused, but Evelyn didn’t wither under his appraisal.
“That’s right.”
The lake was quiet and as still as glass. Was it like this every morning? I couldn’t imagine a more peaceful way to greet the day, except maybe waking up with Evelyn Knowles in my arms.
“You must have missed my skepticism of your idea since I mixed it with sarcasm,” Lord Arctos pointed out.
Evelyn’s hands were on her hips now. “I did not.”
