– The Pantheon, page 193. Missing from the Restricted Root Level, Living Library.
Lyvia – TheHydra, Atrulean Sea
Kellan’s throat bobbed as he waited, the air between us going taught.
“Mm-hmm,” I murmured, my voice trapped as I wrapped my arms around myself.
We hadn’t talked. Not really. Not since Tynan’s Hell. Not since I’d felt that strand of power connecting us in the Abyss and followed it to him. Not since we’d somehow jumped into each other’s minds and endured each other’s hell before swimming out of the Abyss.
Not since he’d seen, since he’dexperienced, all that I’d done. All the sinful acts that had darkened the shadow of my soul. Not since I’d made him suffer. Not since I flew us out of that hellishrealm and back into our own. Not since he’d said those words to Bayne in the Onyx Tower’s throne room…
My stomach dipped as he nodded. His eyes darted to the column of my throat and back up. He turned on his heel and led me to the captain’s quarters.
Golden light flitted against the warm wooden walls of his office, casting flickering shadows against the line of weapons displayed. He strode behind his desk and paused. His hand slid against the black wood. My eyes landed where his hand did, and memories of hot skin and desperate breaths surged forward as our shared dream threatened to explode in my mind.
I tore my eyes away from the desk to find Kellan’s pinned on mine. His gaze darkened by the second as if he were thinking about exactly what had transpired here in our minds. Heat crept up my neck, and I blew a hard breath through my lips before reaching for the chair.
Kellan tore his gaze away and shook his head. He reached for a key resting on top of a map of Votruvia before turning toward the adjacent wall.
“This way,” he said, his voice rough.
He murmured words beneath his breath as he placed his hand on the sharp edge of a long, curved blade hanging on the wall. Its plain golden hilt was dull and dingy. A soft hiss blew through his lips, and I started as a long line of blood dripped down its edge.
The blood halted at the dingy hilt, and aclicksounded as the broad panel connecting to the blade sank into the wall. Kellan stepped back, his hand splayed wide against the wood panel as he pressed the hidden door open and stepped to the side. His head dipped as his eyes locked on mine.
“After you, Bonscaíh,” he said softly.
My brows knit, curiosity piqued, as I took a lit taper holder off the desk and strode into the secret room onboard theHydra.
I inhaled the sweet yet musty scent of books as I stopped in the center of the library. The walls were lined from floor to ceiling with what had to be hundreds of old tomes. I turned in place, eyes wide, scanning the magnificent space, and my heart sighed in the presence of the wealth of knowledge.
“What is this place?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Kellan’s cedar and leather scent washed over me, mingling perfectly with the old scent of books and scrolls as he approached from behind and moved to the corner.
“My library,” he answered, plucking a thick, red tome from the uppermost shelf.
“Is that theGristiary?” I asked, stepping forward in eagerness.
Kellan paused, his lips twitching as he nodded and handed me the ancient book.
“This book has been lost for a very long time,” I murmured, arching a suspicious eyebrow at the pirate lord.
Kellan smirked, the sight sending snowflakes dancing in my belly.
“What can I say?” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the stack behind him. “The Lords of Marisarma are renowned treasure hunters.”
I carefully closed the book and slid it back into its place.
“This is what you’ve been hunting for? Knowledge? Who knew the People of the Stars were such bookworms?”
Kellan dipped his chin in confirmation, and his eyes brightened. I turned and waited for him to confirm what we all assumed, based on what Dark King Daimos had claimed in the final battle.
“Indeed,” he murmured, keeping his eyes locked on mine. “Though I have the Conduit ability, I’m merely a descendant of the demigods.”
His eyes darted to my hands, and the phantom spark of his power popped at my palms. The strong column of his neck worked as he swallowed.
“And a descendant ofhim,” I finished for him, searching his dark eyes, tracing the marbled gray that occasionally sparkled like the silver of a star.
