“Surely there is some way to break it.” Basil stood stalwartly beside Beatrice, despite facing enraged noble fae. “It’s just the beginning of a binding, even if it’s a mate bond. It isn’t fully formed yet.”
“No, it isn’t.” King Theseus rubbed at his temple, as if this had already been far too long of a night. “But given the way it was begun in a court-organized Revel, it’s far from tenuous. Not to mention, fated mate bonds are trickier to break than even normal bindings. There is a way, I’m sure. We’ll just need to find it.”
“I’ll search the Library. There will be information on how to break a mate binding somewhere.” Basil’s declaration held a staunch determination. If anyone could research a way to breaking a mate bond, it was Basil.
So maybe having protective older brothers wasn’t so bad.
“You’ll need to hurry. While I can’t say for sure, I suspect that you’ll need to break the beginning of the binding before the next Midsummer Night is over.” King Theseus swept his gaze over them. “Otherwise, the magic of the dual Midsummers will make the binding permanent.”
Permanent. Beatrice’s knees wobbled. There was no way she could be permanently bound in marriage to Benedict of all people.
Lady Jonlius screeched again, while Lord Jonlius began arguing with King Theseus, as if the king had any power to change the Laws of Bindings of the whole Fae Realm. But it seemed the lord needed someone to blame for his son potentially marrying a human, and he’d decided that since King Theseus had held the Revel, he was the one to blame.
Beatrice shot a look at Benedict. Strangely, he was already looking at her. Instead of a sneer, his expression held something closer to longing. The sight sent a flutter through her chest.
But that couldn’t be right. This was Benedict. A human-hater from a line of arrogant fae human-haters. She must have misunderstood. That was the only explanation.
She ruthlessly squashed the flutters.
Chapter Five
“Ahuman! This is a disaster!”
Benedict resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mother’s dramatics. Instead, he took a bite of his pink toast topped with a green egg so he’d have an excuse to avoid joining the conversation. It seemed the dramatics the night before weren’t enough. His parents had to continue them over breakfast.
If one could call it breakfast, considering how late in the day it was. After the amount of wine they’d consumed the night before, his mother and brother had slept long. Benedict had resorted to eating a small, early breakfast to tide himself over.
“It’s a disgrace is what it is.” Borachio spread jam on his toast. “The Library should have known better.”
“It’s King Theseus’s influence on the Library. And Head Librarian Marco’s.” Benedict’s father sliced into a sausage. “The Library is only semi-sentient. It takes on layers from its king and head librarian. This is another sign of that.”
Benedict swallowed his bite, plastered a disaffected sneer on his face, and leaned back in his seat. It seemed it was time to join the conversation after all. “It all started when King Theseusthrew his lot in with the Wild Fae Primrose. That fae lord’s love for humans is affecting the whole Court. The Wild Fae Primrose is the cause of all of this.”
“How right you are.” Borachio waved his jam knife in Benedict’s direction.
“That’s why it is all the more important that someone more…supportive of our views is chosen as the next head librarian.” Father stabbed the bite of sausage. “This is a chance to influence the Great Library away from its current love for humans. It is too bad neither of you is positioned to become the next head librarian.”
Borachio hadn’t stuck with it and had become a dissolute member of the court as soon as his time as apprentice librarian was up. And Benedict was a mere apprentice librarian himself at the moment. Thanks to the war, he hadn’t had the chance to work his way up.
“We’ll just have to influence the likeliest candidates as best we can.” Borachio picked up his toast before taking a large bite. “Domitius has always been more aligned with our view. And perhaps Demetrius could be persuaded. He has a regrettable friendship with that librarian who married a human, but he is of good noble stock and he married Helena Cappulet.”
Benedict’s skin prickled. Both of those master librarians were ones that Claudius had swapped for his people. Was this Claudius’s plan? Put one of his own people into position as head librarian?
Yet surely that wouldn’t work. As the Library had the final choice, certainly it would recognize a real librarian from a false one. Wouldn’t it?
There was still plenty of chaos the false master librarians, fake swordmaiden, and counterfeit member of the Court could cause for the choosing of the next head librarian. All it would take would be a tear into the Realm of Monsters, an attack byClaudius and his followers, and the whole choosing ceremony could be disrupted, sending the Court of Knowledge into unimaginable darkness and terror.
Benedict only half-listened as his family listed the other master librarians who they thought should be considered for the position of head librarian.
In the end, there was little any of them could do to influence the decision. He suspected the position would go to the master librarian who loved the Great Library the most, and that certainly wasn’t Domitius, real or fake. Or any of the others who were in it for the power and prestige.
But he still paid enough attention to note the names they mentioned. Anyone his parents and brother considered worthy of becoming the next head librarian could be Claudius’s spy in the Court. Benedict would have suspected Master Librarian Domitius, if he wasn’t currently sitting in that secret dungeon.
After finishing his breakfast, Benedict pushed to his feet, leaving his plate for the servants to pick up. “Well, I’m headed for the Library.”
“Search for a way to end that binding.” His father waved a languid hand. “I don’t trust that human-loving librarian to do it properly. He will probably botch the job on purpose, hoping to force you to marry his human sister-in-law, elevating her into a noble family of the court.”
His father was horribly misreading the situation if he thought BasilwantedBeatrice to marry him. But Father didn’t understand the concept of marrying for love rather than power.
