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With a spring in his step, he hit the colonnade, although he was careful not to make a lot of noise as he entered his private quarters—
“Oh! You’re up—and I see you found the bathroom and my robe.” He frowned and stopped. “Rahvyn?”
When she didn’t look up at him—but just sat on the corner of the bedding platform, staring at her hands that were twisting in her lap—he felt an alarm start to ring at the base of his skull.
“What’s going on?”
She took a deep breath and reached to the side. “I found my book. In the library.”
He glanced around. “All right. You’re allowed to read it, if you’re worried about—”
“It was an interesting biography.” She finally stared over at him, and her silver eyes were dark as pewter. “Naturally, you are in my book.”
“I would hope so.” He motioned her to continue. When she didn’t, he shook his head. “What’s wrong?”
Placing her palm on the front cover, she cleared her throat. “I need you to be very truthful with me right now because there is a lot riding on what I am going to ask you.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “Let’s have it.”
“You have stated all along there is nothing that you would not do for those under your care.”
“You know I have.”
“Yes, I heard you.” Now she touched the side of her head, tapping her temple. “I have been replaying everything you told me, actually. All along. And there is this one thing that I cannot get out of my mind.”
“What’s that.”
“?‘I can build on that.’?” She shrugged. “It’s such a throwaway line, really. You spoke it unto me after I attended the King’s dog. At that time, I was so… happy at your decision to return unto me, I did not question it a’toll. But after reading my book, I have to ask myself, what is he amplifying? Why would you say that.”
“Because I wanted you to fall in love with me properly.”
“Yes, that is exactly right,” she said in a choked voice. “And why was that.” She put her palm forward. “And this is where I need you to be very honest with me. Why did you want me to fall in love with you?”
“Why the hell are you asking this?”
“Do you know about a spell in the Book, one that provided Devina could fall in love as long as she separated us?” As he ever so subtly stiffened, she nodded as if she could read his mind. “You do know about it, do you not. And when did you know. Was it when you left me in the field of flowers? You must be honest with me now.”
A choking sensation made it difficult for him to breathe, sure as if a hand had locked on the front of his throat. “No, I didn’t know then.”
“No, you did not, that is correct. But you knew after you were attacked and had recovered, when you stated that you were coming back to me and staying. Then, you knew about the spell—you knew if you and I were together, the demon, Devina, who has been tormenting your vampires, those whom you would sacrifice all for, those for whom you would do, in your own words, a bad thing for the right reason, would be denied a union with her desired mate.”
There was a pause. And a lancing pain went through his chest.
“So I am not wrong,” she said. “You came unto me, you spoke all the right things, did all the right things, to engineer a very specific result.”
“Rahvyn… you’re wrong about this.”
“Well, you see, I went and found another book.” She took a second tome out from behind her. “I had to figure out the cataloguing system to locate it, and that required a good deal of time. The object of the demon’s love. Do you know who that is?”
The way he closed his eyes probably made him look worse, but goddamn it, this couldn’t be happening—
“It is the son of the Omega. Devina is in love with him, and if they were to form a union, both would be more powerful and dangerous than they are the now.” Her eyes were luminous with pain. “I complete the spell. You and I do. If we are together, the pair of them cannot unite forces and redouble their energy—and you knew this when you seduced me.”
“I didn’t seduce you—”
“Oh no? You did not tell me everything I wanted to hear, knowing that if we’re together, your vampires are safer?” She put her hand up again. “I believe that you feel bad about this. When I think about those moments, especially in the beginning when you were kissing me, there was tension in you. I know now that it was because you were aware you were doing a job and you are not completely cruel.”
