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Sebastian stepped beside me, poised to fight at any moment, as if the book owner was any real threat. I tried to stop my sigh, but it came out all the same. I remembered what Erianna told me, how Sebastian had gone mad when I was kidnapped, hating himself every day until he found me. She’d divulged how he’d barely slept, fed, or did anything other than look for me. My chest tightened, and I grabbed his hand—mostly for him, but a little for me.
The owner tapped his bony finger against the desk, an unsettling smile on his pointed features. My magic purred in his presence, a familiarity reaching inside of me although I had never met him before. “For the right price, I can find anything,” he said.
Sebastian stepped forward, shielding me from view. “Then name it.”
“You’re desperate,” the man gathered, peering behind him and at me. “A thousand stagma.”
I grabbed him before he could lunge at the man, sensing his rage before he could act upon it. I didn’t use my magic to take other's emotions from them often, absorbing them as my own, but this time I had to. His rage simmered down, and he side-eyed me, his jaw clenched.
I would deal with his annoyance later. I opened my mouth before anything worse could happen. “We are not desperate enough to pay an extortionate amount. My husband’s just on edge, but we can take our business elsewhere if you don’t have what we’re looking for—at a fair price.”
“You won’t find any books with that information easily,” he informed, moving his bespectacled eyes to the row of books to my left.
My magic connected with the man, and I realized he was a sorcerer. He must have sensed the same in me, because his lips fell open, his brows knitting together. “I wondered, but you look too…” he tapped his chin, “immortal to be a sorceress.” He glanced toward my wingless back, and I glared back, keeping my expression as emotionless as possible.
I was the only person alive who was both immortal and a sorceress, escaping the curse of vampirism that came with eternal life. If he figured it out, he’d know who I was.
“Sorceress,” I blurted.
Sebastian side-eyed me, then nodded. “That’s right. Not immortal, just very, very beautiful.”
I smirked. Did he have to add that extravery?
I stepped forward, careful not to appear too flawless in my movements, stumbling just enough to appear mortal, avoiding the stacks of books as if my eyes couldn’t detect any obstacles from a hundred feet away. Sebastian walked with me, but I waved him down. The man was no threat. I could sense his motives from here. Darkness swarmed in his aura, as if he had witnessed the same depravity and torture as me. But, with it came a hatred and it wasn’t directed at me. His eyes narrowed on Sebastian.
Vampires. He didn’t like vampires. That’s why Azia insisted on me coming.
Which would beg the question of why he’d set up shop in the middle of the kingdom that housed them. “So, can you helpme?” I asked, annoyance building as Sebastian stayed by my side. Every time he came closer, the sorcerer’s rage built.
I pivoted, facing Sebastian. His jawline somehow appeared even more chiseled under the light, if that was possible. I shook my head, not letting myself get distracted as the bond lulled me closer to him, his eyes like magnets. “Can you give us a moment alone?”
Desperation and warning mixed in our bond. Then something else pierced through it—fear. “Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I added.
His jaw clenched, then he shook his head. “I’ll stay.”
I loosed a sigh, pressing my fingers against my temples. Ever since I’d escaped the aniccipere, my patience hadn’t been the same. Even toward the one I loved more than anything, irritation reared its head. “I’m not asking you to go. I’m telling you.”
His eyes widened, his dark brows furrowing as he held his breath. I forced a look, one that said please trust me.
He shot the sorcerer a glare, a look I didn’t see often—one reserved for his enemies. He squeezed my hand, then hesitantly turned. The bell tinkled over the door as he stepped outside, but his eyes landed on me through the grimy window.
I licked my dry lips, the musty air worsening my thirst. “I apologize,” I said, as the man stroked his pointed beard. “I’m…” I paused. Even though many knew me as Seraphina, my birth name, some still knew me as Olivia. “Alexandra,” I finished, trying to keep a straight face as I blurted the alias. “He’s just protective.” I nodded in Sebastian’s direction and the owner forced out a heavy exhale, moving behind his desk.
“Alexandra,” he mulled, not seeming entirely convinced. “I’m Charles. Normally, vampires don’t come in here. It’s an unspoken rule, but this store is reserved for sorcerers.”
“Oh. Well then, I’m in the right place.”
He drummed his fingers against the wood, the sound echoing in my ears. “Do you know why I have my store here?”
I scrunched my nose. “Because there are more sorcerers in the city?”
“Then why not keep my store in my home kingdom?”
I pressed my lips tight. “Because the sorcerers here need more help?”
He shook his head. “Because the king demanded I did. It was this, or slavery.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, realizing. “They took you from your kingdom.”
