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I wiped sweat from my brow while Ladon placed books on the top-most shelf. He’d been abnormally quiet while we worked. He hadn’t even taken a moment to taunt or scold me.
“That one’s upside down,” I said.
He looked at me first and then stared at the row of books with a puzzled look. They were all right side up.
I laughed. “I’m just kidding.”
“Ha ha,” he deadpanned. I was happy the silence had finally been broken.
“Have you come across anything interesting?” I flipped through the pages of the book in my hand, a theoretical study of elemental magic. Dull, but potentially useful. Would it be possible to sneak it back to our room?
“This one is full of images of mythical creatures fornicating. A gryphon, a ghoul, a sea witch…”
“What?” I yelled, closing the distance between us. “You can’t be serious. Let me see.”
The corners of his mouth pulled up into a grin, and then he huffed a laugh. “I’m just kidding, princess.”
My mouth fell open. His smile was disarming. I was so used to the annoyed looks and hateful words he threw my way that I was entirely stunned by this moment of jest.
He shook his head while he placed the book on the shelf. “My, my, do you have a tentacle kink or something, Emilie?” he teased.
I smacked his arm with the book in my hand. “No.”
“It’s okay if you do. Don’t be ashamed.”
“Stop it,” I said, but giggled, nevertheless.
“I mean, I personally would never, but if you’re into it—”
I prodded his side, and he laughed like he might be ticklish there. It dawned on me that this was the first time he’d allowed me to touch him without threatening my life in return.
“Unbelievable,” I said, turning back to a messy pile of books. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw him still smiling. It was a breathtaking sight to behold.
We went back to working in silence all afternoon, though the air around me felt lighter somehow. I didn’t realize how badly I needed the distraction but I’d never admit to Ladon that he helped in a way.
There was a stack of seven books that I wanted to take back to our bedroom, but I realized I’d have to pare it down. The most I could slip under my shirt without it being obvious was two.
“The Power of Your Mind or Murvort’s Mysteries?” I asked Ladon, holding up two thick leather-bound books, one green and the other a mustard yellow.
“What is Murvort’s Mysteries?”
“I think it’s supposed to be a child’s fictional tale, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to know some of the folklore around here. Dreslen’s children’s stories are often rooted in truth. Maybe there’s something useful.”
“Why not take both?”
“I can’t. I can only take two and there’s no way I can leave behind the Medical Studies of Suppression and Neutralization.”
He rolled his eyes as if I were being unreasonable.
“Here,” I said, thrusting one into his hands. “You put it in your shirt.”
“Emilie,” he sighed, pushing away my hands as I tried to press the book against his abdomen. I pinched the fabric of his shirt, hoping if I could just lift it a little, I could slip it in myself. “Emilie.”
His hand closed around my wrist, and we were right back where we started. His eyes filled with an ice storm and the heat of his palm spread like wildfire across my skin. I should’ve known our truce wouldn’t last.
“Sorry.”
He loosened his hold before releasing me altogether. “It’s fine. Give me the book.”
