The professor and I have alotof work ahead of us. It’s going to take time for me to make my way through the text, transcribing it into a fresh document that Rook and his occult studies friend can eventually—hopefully—translate.
And that’s assuming the Codex continues to cooperate.
But goddess, the fact that we even got this far tonight? It’s just… It’s indescribable.
Rook joins me before the fire, and when I meet his eyes, I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.
“The Cerridwen Codex,” I whisper. “The freaking Cerridwen Codex!”
“It’s like it was waiting for you, West. Just waiting for you to connect with your magic and figure out how to reach out to it in a way it would understand.”
“How did this even happen?”
With a soft sigh, he takes my hand, lacing our fingers together and squeezing tight. “I keep asking myself the same thing.”
He holds my gaze, his honey-brown eyes shining in the light of the fire, and I can’t help but think he’s no longer talking about the Codex or the magic we unlocked tonight.
Seconds pass like hours, and still, Rook doesn’t look away.
He cups my face, his thumb brushing across my lips, unleashing a torrent of butterflies in my stomach. My breath hitches, and I stretch up on my toes, reaching up to run my fingertips along his lightly bearded jaw…
“I… I think we’ve done enough work for tonight,” he says, capturing my wrist and pressing a sizzling but all-too-brief kiss to my palm.
“What? But we’ve only just opened the book! There’s so much more to read and transcribe, and we still have to—”
“Hey. Tonight was a good night, West. Anamazingnight. Trust me—we’ve earned a break.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, and I try not to shiver at his every touch. “Besides, if memory serves…” He leans in close, his eyes dancing with new mischief. “There’s a new movie available. Something about two gargoyles and a very feisty, very sexy,veryinsatiable witch.”
“Rook Van Doren.” I crack up. “Are you inviting me on a date?”
“A private screening.” He holds out his arm as if to escort me. “You interested?”
Those butterflies whip into another frenzy inside me, and I take the offered arm and grin. “I’ll make the popcorn.”
Chapter Sixteen
AUGUSTINE
“Taste this. I think it may need more salt.” Cupping my lovely sous chef’s chin, I tip the wooden spoon into her mouth, anxiously awaiting her assessment.
From her perch on the counter, West nods, licking the excess from her lips in a way that has me staring at her mouth like a sex-starved idiot, remembering the way Jude and I took her last night—an event she’s taken to affectionately calling our “Ménage à Trois Miracle Cure with a Voyeurism Booster Shot.”
“Not more salt,” she says, bringing my attention back to the cooking. “I think it could use a bit of cumin, though, and maybe a pinch of chili powder? Just a little something to punch it up.”
“Brilliant.” I lean in for a kiss, lingering until the sauce begins bubbling on the stovetop.
After spending the early part of the evening in the library with Rook working on transcribing the newly opened Codex, we decided Blackmoor Manor was overdue for a feast. She wanted to celebrate the big win—the Codex finally beginning to reveal its secrets. And I wanted to celebrate the fact that she’s still with us. That she survived the car crash and attempted kidnapping. That I even have the luxury of her company and her kisses while making dinner tonight.
We decided on the menu together—a vegan twist on some old Italian favorites, featuring a vegetable-pumpkin lasagna with a light tomato-sage sauce, vegan caprese salad, and a series of appetizers. I’ve just started dicing the tomatoes for the bruschetta when Draegan returns from the city, heading straight for the pantry and his not-so-hidden stash of cognac.
“Rough night at the office, dear?” I ask.
Pouring himself a double and downing it hastily, he says, “Remind me to never get involved in another hotel renovation project in which compromising with the twats on the city council is a requirement.”
“Noted.”
After pouring a second drink, he finally glances over at Westlyn, who’s been silent since his arrival. His eyes soften, but the tension between them is still uncomfortably thick.
“Are you… feeling well?” he asks.
