“Tell me, is this the first time someone hasn’t been interested in you? Is that why you’re struggling to accept it?”
He laughed then, and it filled the cold courtyard with warmth. “I’m struggling to accept it because just last night you were sending me all sorts of different signals. I think you’re just scared to admit that you like me. Because that conflicts with everything you think you hate.”
I injected boredom into my voice as I said, “You would think with how busy you claim to be, you’d have more pressing things to do than make up scenarios in your head.”
“There’s nothing I enjoy more than making up scenarios. All of them involving you,” he said softly, in a way that had me picturing scenarios of my own. Him, no clothes, lightning flashing outside the windows.
I hated how effortlessly he dug his way beneath my skin, but gods, did it make me feel alive.
“You should get a move on to your meeting,” I said, forcing ice into my tone. “Unless you’d like to prove you can last longer than twenty seconds?” It was meant to be a barb dipped in venom but came out far more suggestive.
His grin vanished, replaced by something wild and starving. He lowered his head, lips angling millimeters away from mine. I sucked in a breath as he whispered, “In fact, I would like to prove that. Will you let me?”
I shivered at his request, aching for him to close the distance between us, but he pulled away, leaving me breathless.
“I’ll see you after lunch, Lirah. I can’t wait.” Kilian tossed over his shoulder as he disappeared past the archway.
By the time eleven thirty rolled around, I was an anxious wreck. After my encounter with Kilian, I had paced the length of the courtyard, taken a brisk hike up the slope of the summits to the spot Septimus had shown me, watched the sun journey across Lomask and then returned to Valhan House to pester Moric for an hour.
He was sufficiently annoyed with me by the time we made our way to the courtyard to meet Lana and Rayna.
“Remind me again why you invited her?” Moric grumbled. He clearly still held a grudge against Rayna for whatever she had done to him during that first unofficial challenge.
I looped my arm through his. “Because she’s the entire reason we’re going to speak to Augustine. She has a right to join us.”
“She can go on her own,” he protested.
I clicked my tongue. “We’re down to the final eight. Harboring hate won’t get us anywhere. We should be working together to pass the final Trial.”
Moric muttered something incoherent but did his best to plaster a smile on his face. Rayna and Lana stood near the archway, both dressed in sparring leathers.
I gave Lana an apologetic look as I neared. “Sorry about this morning.”
She waved me off. “I need to update you later.”
“Please. I need all the details.”
She smiled, her entire face lighting up. Moric was right. Hate-sex really did do wonders for the skin.
Pyxis was swarming with elven by the time we entered the library. Many milled around the reception, some studying the books that lined the staircase. But most were already seated up on the fourth floor, where an area had been designated for the signing. Plastic chairs littered the space and a podium stood at the front, a microphone affixed to its end. Thick books towered on every inch of the table to its right, behind which Augustine Devior sat.
The male was as handsome as the photo on the bulletin board had suggested. Despite knowing that he was older than seven decades, he didn’t look a day over twenty-seven. His pale hair was slicked to the side, blue eyes assessing the gathering crowd. He adjusted his lapel and stood, crossing to the dais.
He leaned forward slightly, his mouth close to the mic. “Testing, one, two, three.” The deep timbre of his voice echoed through the library, and he pressed a button at the base to decrease his volume. “Welcome and thank you for coming.”
Lana tugged at my elbow, pulling me toward a seat in the back row.
“As many of you are aware,” Augustine said, “I have been a scholar my entire life. This book–” He looked fondly at the stackon the desk, “– is a culmination of my life’s work. I can’t begin to describe how grueling it has been, poring through research and tracking down firsthand accounts of historical events. Not to mention the many sleepless nights spent wondering whether this would all be for nothing.”
Lana coughed and rolled her eyes.
Augustine continued, “I questioned my line of work several times, but the scholar in me refused to give up. I knew I had been created for this purpose, to share knowledge and impart wisdom, for who are we if we do not know our own history? How can we seek to be better than our predecessors if we do not know which mistakes we should not repeat? And how can we know where we are going if we do not know where we came from? These are the questions I set out to answer when I sat down to write this book. It has been a labor of love and a true test of faith, but I am so pleased to stand before you today to presentTarlor Through the Ages. I’ll open the floor up to any questions before we commence the signing.”
Hands fluttered through the air and chatter broke out amongst the crowd as they pelted question after question at him. He greeted and addressed each one with dexterous ease.
Lana leaned over to whisper, “Sounds a bit full of himself, doesn’t he?”
We waited as Augustine patiently worked through each question lobbied his way. And then the signing portion of the event began. It was clear this was what most had attended for. A long line stretched halfway down to the third floor, and we leaned back in our seats, prepared for the wait. Moric burrowed into his chair, eyes drifting shut. He started snoring softly a few moments later. I was relieved he was finally getting some sleep.
