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“It’s amazing,” I breathed, admiring the walls and rows of books. There were a few demons about, some reading quietly and others shelving books. Most moved about with an air of belonging, and I assumed they worked here. “Can I read them?”
Carnon chuckled quietly. “You can read whatever you like here, Elara,” he said, my name sounding too formal on his tongue. “But I’m hoping to start with books that may give us answers about your magic, and what the Crone may want with you.”
“Other than my heart on a stake, you mean?” I whispered, moving toward the closest row of books. Carnon didn’t laugh.
“I won’t let that happen,” he said darkly behind me as I looked at the titles on the shelf.
For a moment I flashed back to the hallway when Vera had snuck me into the Coven meeting, and I remembered my grandmother saying she needed me for something. To bring down the Bloodwood, she said. But Carnon had implied that the witches grew the Bloodwood in the first place.
“Who raised the Bloodwood?” I asked, turning to face him as he perused a shelf behind me.
“The witches, as far as I know,” he replied without looking at me, pulling a title from the shelf and blowing off a cloud of dust.
“That doesn’t make sense,” I said, frowning at the increasing stack of books he was gathering. “My grandmother wants to bringdownthe Bloodwood. She said she needed my help to do it.”
Carnon looked up at me sharply, eyes narrowing. “When?”
“I overheard her two nights before my birthday,” I replied, meeting Carnon’s gaze. “But why would she need help if the witches created it?”
“That is an excellent question, Red,” Carnon said, standing with the pile of books and giving me a contemplative look over the top of the stack. “I’ll ask the scholars to look into it.”
“So where should we start?” I asked, turning to face him. He smirked over his pile and made his way to a cushy seating area with armchairs and low tables.
“Wedon’t start,” he said, dropping the books unceremoniously with a heavy thunk. I winced, and several scholars hissed in reprimand at the rough treatment. Carnon rolled his eyes at them, then turned back to me. “You start. These should give you a basic explanation of the four Daemon Courts, and of how demon magic works. That should be enough to answer at least a few of your questions and give you some idea about how to control your magic.”
“You’re not staying?” I asked, feeling conflicted about this as he shook his head, nodding toward the armchair and indicating that I should sit.
“I have duties to attend to,” Carnon said, gesturing vaguely toward the door. “But if you need help, any of the librarians or scholars can assist you.”
“What duties?” I asked, frowning at being left alone, despite the fact that I had wanted him to leave me alone for days now.
Carnon smirked. “Kingly duties,” he said, giving me a wink. “I’ll leave Akela with you. Let me know if you find anything useful.”
???
Despite my annoyance at having been left alone with a huge stack of books, it was fairly interesting reading, and the afternoon passed quickly. Cerridwen popped by at one point, ostensibly to “say hello,” but I was fairly certain Carnon had sent her to make sure I was still there, and she helped me with a little research before leaving again to fulfill whatever nebulous “duties” she had. I realized I hadn’t asked her about her job, and I felt a bit like a bad friend for not showing enough interest in her.
Akela kept his head on my lap most of the afternoon, and I didn’t notice how long I’d been reading until a booted foot tapped mine. I looked up to see Carnon staring down at me, his hands in his pockets and a bemused look on his handsome face. He was dressed in his travel attire, and he looked so much like he had when I had called him ‘Hunt’ that my stomach lurched.
“What magic is this,” he asked quietly, crouching until his eyes were level with mine, “that you are exactly where I left you?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn’t deign to respond, closing the book I had been perusing and lifting my arms in a stretch. Carnon’s eyes flashed with a heated look, and I hoped I was making him uncomfortable as he played with that damned ring.
“What time is it?” I murmured, my stomach giving a deafening growl that made Carnon grin wickedly, his pointed canines clearly visible.
“Dinner time, I think,” he replied, standing and offering me a hand. I looked at it warily.
“Don’t you die if you touch me?” I asked, trying to remember the exact terms of the bargain. “I’m supposed to ask you, remember.”
“A non-romantic touch is within the realm of safety,” he replied, still holding out his hand. “Does this concern mean youdon’tlong for my death?”
I scowled again, taking his hand enthusiastically. He laughed loudly, earning a glare of rebuke from several librarians.
“Quiet,” I hissed as he pulled me to my feet. “You heathen.”
“It’s my library,” Carnon whispered in return, picking up the stack of books and depositing them on a nearby cart. He gestured to the scowling librarians. “They work for me.”
“I’m not sure they agree,” I pointed out, watching as a librarian with curling brown horns and a tufted tail rolled his eyes and gathered up the books that Carnon had just left.
