“What if I said I don’t care about the curse?”
“Don’t act foolish, Librarian. It doesn’t suit you.”
“We can untangle it in time. We’re so close?—”
“Thendo it,” he snarls. “Do it so I can hug you, kiss you, and then pass you to my brother and let him do the same. Butuntil you do—until you and Lambert are safe—I won’t stay here. Keep your Sanctuary for those who need it.”
My body sways into him, drawn into his orbit despite his words. His eyes dip to my lips again. For an instant, I think he might give in. Might finally kiss me. No. Instead, he relinquishes that proprietary grip on my throat, blindly grabs his papers, and swoops from the room like the hounds of hell are chasing him.
In the process, he brushes past Lambert, who’s frozen at the top of the stairs, wearing a stricken expression. Time seems to slow as the magiball jacket falls from his grasp, landing on the floor with a soft thump.
Oh stars. How much did he hear?
Northcliff
“Brother?” Lambert repeats dully as Kyrith presses a hot chocolate into his hands. “I have a brother, and none of you guys thought to tell me that he’s been right under my nose for years?”
“I didn’t know,” I raise both hands, one still clutching my Newkie Brown.
I was saving the drink for his game later, but when shit hit the fan, I figured I might as well start early.
“Neither did I. I’ve been out of the loop, what with the kidnapping and all.” Jasper accepts a hot chocolate from Kyrith, then steals her hand before she can draw away and presses a kiss to her knuckles.
I wait for the jealousy to hit, but it doesn’t. Instead, I’m just fucking relieved that she has someone who can do all of that romantic shit. I suck at it.
“I thought you knew,” Dakari says. “Your mother andAtlas Ó Rinn divorced when Leo was two. She moved on, but Atlas didn’t, and then he decided to take his own life when his curse killed her. It was big news. Your mum was the Winthrop heir. When she died, your aunt Georgina took her place and… Well, look how that turned out.”
I swig my beer, trying to remember what Lambert told me about his aunt. Not much. She’s some kind of socialite, right?
Kyrith purses her lips, but Lambert’s too shocked to notice the guilty expression on her face. How much did she know?
Probably all of it, given the way she can’t even look at him.
Eddy plops down onto the sofa on my left. “Does it matter? You weren’t raised together.”
“It matters,” Kyrith says. “Leo is obsessed with ending his ensorcellment because Lambert is the person he thinks will be affected.”
“So I could, like…die?” Lambert blinks at her. “Leo’s been trying to save me because I’m his brother?”
“I thought you knew about the curse,” I point out.
“I always figured he was just being paranoid.” Lambert gives a single, heavy shrug. “It made no sense. We were just friends, right? He spent more time with his books in the Astrology Room than with me. It would’ve made more sense for him to lose the ability to read or something.”
The room lapses into silence, most of us faking interest in the ads flashing across the screen. Kyrith’s hands flutter around like she isn’t sure whether to offer Lambert comfort or give him space. When her eyes catch mine, I tilt my head slightly towards him, answering her question.
Touch is Lambert’s lifeblood. He’s one of those rare blokes who hugs his male friends and doesn’t give a shit about what others think.
Her hands fall onto his shoulders, rubbing gently at the runeforms exposed by his magiball uniform.
“Why wouldn’t he tell me?” Lambert murmurs, resting his head against her arm.
I snort. I can’t fucking help it. “Come on.He’s trying to protect you by keeping you at arm’s length. If you knew he was your brother, you’d be up his ass trying to build sibling bonds and shit when you should’ve stayed away.”
“Well, maybe I should’ve been able to make that choice!” Lambert’s gaze darkens with a hint of temper, and he shrugs off Kyrith’s hands. “People are always making decisions for me. I’m an adult. I can decide what risks I’m willing to take.”
The Librarian freezes, her cheeks creasing with a small smile, before she schools her expression.
“I’ve made a similar argument,” she admits. “But he’s just as stubborn as you are.” She pats him gently before moving away to the kitchen island, where a bunch of papers are already popping into existence. “Try not to worry. I’m almost there with the next runeform. With luck, it won’t matter.”
