He kept his promise, I realise. Things have undeniably taken a turn for the worse, and yet his temper is leashed. A warm glow takes up residence behind my ribs, and I automatically reach for the diagram the Arcanaeum drew.
“Boss.” Lambert hesitates, then powers through the quelling glare I level at him. “At least sit down and eat. We need to start with some theory first, right?”
The huff of annoyance that escapes me as I fall back into my ghost form is long and drawn out. It lingers in the air as I wave a hand at the little sleeping nook, dismissing it so there’s nothing left to hint at the…cuddling incident.
“Lambert, I am old enough to know my limits and how to respect them. If I say I am fine, I mean it. Now come and don’t dawdle. Mr Ó Rinn, please put your shirt on. The rules…” Oh, wait. Technically, there are no rules about patrons being properly attired. “Well, never mind what the rules say. This is a respectable establishment.”
I really should add it to the list of rules… But… Well…
Oh, for magic’s sake. I just like looking at pretty heirs. Wait. No.Men.Allmen. Not just heirs. I’m sure there are other attractive men out there… They just don’t frequent the Library as often as they ought to.
I am not fixated on the heirs.
Leo smirks as he fetches his shirt, redressing as Lambert offers me a knowing look. Wisely, however, they both keep schtum about the matter as I lead them downstairs.
“So, this is good, right?” Lambert starts. “You should take tomorrow off to celebrate. Or at least tonight. We can grab a movie! Or maybe?—”
“No time.” Leo dismisses the idea. “I need to start work on the next runeform. All of this progress is useless if we can’t finish what we started.”
“It was a success,” Lambert insists as we join North at the bottom of the stairs. “Hey, dude, Leo’s curse is one step closer to being broken.”
At some point, Eddy joined her twin, and she beams at the news.
North lifts his chin in Leo’s direction, which is probably as close to a congratulations as he’ll give. “Cool. The others turned up while you were occupied, but I redirected them to the study nook.”
“And Pierce?”
North shrugs. “Late, I guess.”
“Maybe he won’t come,” Eddy adds helpfully.
I misstep, though it’s thankfully less noticeable in this form. Being late is so unlike the Carlton heir that I instinctively do a sweep of the Arcanaeum, in case he’s up to some mischief.
No sign of him.
Interesting.
I assumed he’d be here. Why show us Mathias meetingwith his mother and then just disappear? Pierce, for all his superciliousness, fits the mould of adept heir perfectly. I’ve met dozens of versions of him across the years, and they all delight in playing their power games.
He wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to steal the pendant, manipulate the enchantment, and then risk discovery by wearing it to meet Mathias, if it wasn’t to gain something out of it.
As if in answer to my thoughts, a black door swings open, admitting the man in question into the bathroom several halls away, of all places.
Did the Arcanaeum do that on purpose? The smug creak of the hammer beams makes me suspect it did.
“Can you direct everyone to the Eastern Garden?” I ask it quietly. “We’ll meet them by the door.”
A book on the table beside us flaps once in answer, then zooms off into the halls.
“Are we finally going to see the secret garden?” Lambert asks, practically skipping at the idea.
“One of them.”
“There were four, right?” North asks, surprising me. At my suspicious look, he shrugs. “It was in the blueprints I studied when I was trying to steal that fucking book.”
Eddy elbows her twin. “Did you ever apologise for that?”
The memory of North on his knees and the dark reluctant way he offered that apology lingers between us as our eyes connect. A whisper of a dare flashes through his expression so briefly I might’ve imagined it, but I know I didn’t.
