She holds my gaze a bit, but then finally smiles at me. “Not officially, but yeah, that’s kind of how I think of them. They’re my best friends.”
“It’s quite a thing for a human to gain the trust of a raven.”
She beams. “I know—I’m humbled by it every day. This place is… Wow.” Her eyes glimmer with awe as she tilts her head back to take it all in—wall-to-wall bookshelves towering two stories high, the old hayloft converted into a cozy reading room. The main level has a fireplace, small kitchen, bathroom, and an open plan common area with library tables and several computer nooks. Overhead, massive skylights grant us a view of the stars. “You guys built all this?”
“The old barn was original to the property,” I say. “But over the centuries, we’ve remodeled it to suit our needs. It’s been a library for the last three hundred years or so.”
“You’re… you’rethatold?” She presses a hand to her chest, her cheeks blushing. “Sorry, that was probably rude. I mean, I know you’re immortal, obviously, but I didn’t realize… Goddess. Just how long have you all been here?”
I exchange a glance with Auggie, wondering how much Drae told her about our history. He gives a quick shake of his head.
Nothing, then.
“We’re veritable antiques.” I wink, leaving it at that and holding out an arm for her. “Would you like to see the reading room?”
Thankfully, she’s more than happy for the tour, and while Auggie makes us a fresh round of coffee drinks, I take her up the ladder to the loft, pointing out a few of my favorite collections on the shelves.
“The library houses all the books we’ve amassed over the centuries,” I say, “and it keeps growing. Most of it is nonfiction—well, what I consider nonfiction. The mundane among us might call it mythology and allegory, but there’s a trove of information and insight to be found. We’ve also got a ton of scholarly work here, along with sacred texts from all the major religions and a good bit of the fringe stuff too. Children’s stories are another excellent resource, if you know what to look for.”
“In every myth there’s a grain of truth,” she says, carefully turning the pages of an old fairy tale book. “This artwork is just beautiful.”
“The author was fae.”
“Really?”
“A lot of the art and literature that’s been attributed to human creators over the millennia was actually made by supernaturals.” I run my fingertip along the spine of an old French grimoire and sigh. “Conversely, many of history’s worst atrocities were also mis-attributed to humans, when so much of it is just the same supernatural wars playing out in different ways across time immemorial.”
“Creation and destruction. Two sides of the same annoyingly complicated coin.”
I laugh, all my earlier reservations evaporating in the light of her smile and a cloud of apple-scented air.
“Sorry to interrupt the inaugural meeting of the World’s Sexiest Nerds club,” Auggie calls up, “but the coffee’s ready, the fire’s crackling, and we’ve got work to do.”
“The great Augustine Lamont has spoken,” I whisper, giving her another wink. “Best get to it.”
Chapter Twenty-One
ROOK
“I’ve already pulled a few books for us to start with.” I gesture to the teetering stacks spread out across two library tables. “Right now, we’re simply looking for any connections between dark fae and demon princes. No detail is too small to—”
“Demon… Sorry. Did you say demonprinces?” Westlyn’s on her feet so fast, she nearly knocks over her latte. “Please tell me that’s just a point of interest for you and not related inanyway to the demon I almost married last night. And what do the dark fae have to do with it?”
Again, I glance at Auggie. “You’ve told her nothing?”
“I thought Drae mentioned it,” he says.
“Draedidn’tmention it,” she replies. “All I know is I’m supposed to help you figure out how to steal something from the Archmage. He didn’t even say what it was.”
Damn it, Draegan.
I offer her what I hope is a calming smile. “No worries, Westlyn. We’ll get you up to speed.”
“West,” she says, reclaiming her chair. “You guys can call me West. Assuming you’re actually about to tell me what’s going on. If your big plan involves keeping the little witch in the dark, all bets are off. I’m serious. I will do whatever I can to help you, but I have a new rule: no blindfolds.”
“It’s not our intention to keep you in the dark, West.” I take the bench across from her, meeting her gaze over the stacks of books. “So, yes, it turns out Zorakkov is a prince of hell. We don’t know much about him, or how long he’s been in our realm, or what he and the Forsythes intended with the marriage and blood bond. All those things are big question marks right now, so you know about as much as we do.”
She sips her latte, then blows out a breath. “And the dark fae? Drae said they cursed you guys?”
