Page 159 of His Darkest Desire

Growling, he picked up the bestiary, which had remained at the top of the stack, and strode to the shelves beside the reading nook. Shifting two tomes aside, he slid the bestiary onto the shelf.

“Nature. Fauna,” he muttered before turning away.

But he halted when he inhaled. The library had always been dominated by the distinct, comforting scent of books. A different smell lingered in this spot. Orange blossoms, honey, and rain. Each component natural and individually sweet, but in that combination, they became so much more alluring. Became irresistible.

They became Kinsley’s.

Her scent lingered on the cushions, pillows, and blankets here, where she and Vex had sat so many times to read together, laugh together, and dream together.

Where they had made love.

Vex clenched his jaw. How long before her scent faded? How long before naught of her remained in this place but his memories?

Kinsley’s laughter sounded from the nook, clawing at his heart from the unreachable past.

Vex turned his face away and shut his eyes. He could not bear to glimpse another specter.

“So you really hand wrote this one, too?” she asked. “I don’t understand how your hand didn’t fall off. The writing is so tiny.”

Though his lips moved, his words came from the reading nook rather than his mouth.

“You would doubt me, human? Recall how easily boredom has accosted you in your short time here. Then recall how long I’ve been here.”

She laughed again. “Fair point. But that doesn’t excuse your writing being so dry.”

Vex opened his eyes and stalked back to the table. The knots inside him drew tighter with each beat of his heart, but he wouldn’t let them prevent him from doing his work.

Should have gone down…

“No.” He sorted more of the stack, placing books into piles according to their categories.

Should have gone when she called.

“To what end?” Vex slammed down a tome about herbology, fingers twitching on the cover. “Did I not waste all of yesterday in that dank chamber? And to what avail?”

Should have gone…

When Kinsley’s voice had rippled through the cottage not long ago, calling from another world, Vex’s urge to go down to the ritual chamber had grown stronger than ever. He knew she was in the stone circle on the other side of the veil. Had he but accompanied the wisps down there, he could have…

Could have what?

Been close to her.

Close to her, yet worlds apart.

Could have heard her, yet never understood her.

Could have felt her but not touched her.

Could have been reminded even more thoroughly that he’d chosen this. That he’d sent her away, knowing full well the price he would pay for it.

“Naught would have come of it,” he muttered, continuing through the stack. “My time is better spent here. Tending to our—”

His throat constricted, and he gritted his teeth, pressing a hand over his chest as though it could soothe that hollow ache.

“My home.”

But that correction was a lie, bitter and vile. This place was no longer his. In the short time Kinsley had spent here, it had become theirs, and it could never be anything else.

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