Page 176 of Serpent and Shadow

Thinking about that, he gripped the collar in his hand, and suppressed a low growl.

“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?” Arcturus asked. He jerked his head in the direction of the iron bars. “You’ve got the fox all wound up. Look at her. She’s acting crazy.”

Caelum’s eyes followed the kid’s to the primal-like, glowing fox.

He was disconcerted to discover Arcturus was right.

The fox, which was a silvery-blue today, was pacing back and forth in their cell, snapping its jaws and flicking its fiery tail back and forth. It looked directly at Caelum, and he could have sworn the thing snarled at him, or maybe hissed.

“What’s wrong with her?” Arcturus prodded.

“How the fuck would I know?” Caelum asked. “And why are you so sure it’s a her, anyway? It’s a fox. Why not a him?”

Acturus sighed in obvious annoyance. “It’s a her,” he said. “And stop changing the subject. I told you what I felt. I was taught in school I’m not supposed to try and interpret what I find, not until I know more about how different kinds of magic function. I’m supposed to describe, not guess.”

He looked over at Caelum, the frown still visible in his forehead.

“Why are you being a dick?” he asked. “Is it because of Leda?”

When Caelum stiffened, Arcturus bit his lip.

“Is she all right?” he asked.

“Of course she’s all right.”

“Did you get in a fight?”

“No. We didn’t get in a fight.”

“So tell me what happened, then!”

“Nothing happened, for fuck’s sake! Go back to sleep.”

Arcturus ignored him, his fingers curling around his knees.

Caelum let out an annoyed sigh, combing a hand through his platinum blond hair. The truth was, he could feel it, too. Where the fuck was everyone?

It was too quiet. He’d expected some kind of punishment for what he’d done with Leda on that hill, but no one had been down here since he got locked up. Malefic had definitely known what Caelum had been doing. Hell, his father practically caught them fucking, but he’d not said a word, just ordered him back to the Black Tower where Orrin locked him up.

Did he know about Mordopast?

Caelum tried to push it out of his mind.

He was about to try and answer the kid’s question, to give him a real answer that time, when Arcturus’s head and eyes suddenly shifted sharply to the right.

Caelum heard it the instant after he did.

The iron door hinges creaked.

The fox had stopped pacing and stood perfectly still, its head up, its black eyes alert as it stared towards the iron bars. It pricked its big ears forward as it stared at something, and slowly began wagging its fiery tail. Caelum felt his nerves rise exponentially when the fox opened its mouth, letting its tongue loll out in a very doggy-looking grin.

Would the damned fox be that happy to see Rolf? Sirena?

Probably not, but he couldn’t take the chance.

He looked at Arcturus sharply.

“Pretend you’re asleep,” he warned in a stern whisper. “If it’s Sirena, don’t give her any reason to pay attention to you this time, all right? Just keep quiet. No matter what she does, just fucking lie there. I don’t need your help. I can handle it, okay?”