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I took to the study and called on a servant. The maid appeared almost instantly.
“Yes, Alpha?”
“I’m going to need coffee,” I informed her flatly. “Actually, make that an espresso. It’s going to be a long night.”
“Yes, Alpha. Right away.” The maid hurried out of my study, and I immediately got to work, blocking out everything else until there was a rap on my door a short time later.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Cirilla appeared, much to my surprise.
“Since when do you not just pop in and out at leisure?” I asked, sitting back in the leather swivel chair to make a steeple of my hands. “Are you drunk?”
She didn’t smile, and my own smile faded as she closed the door behind her. “I was looking everywhere for you. I wasn’t expecting to find you here so late.”
I glanced at the time, and my eyes widened. It was almost seven o’clock.
“Shit! Dinner! Elix is going to be waiting for me.”
I stood up, but Cirilla shook her head. “Wait a second. Before you do that…”
Studying her face, I reclaimed my seat slowly, my stomach sinking as I read the expression on her face. I had known Cirilla since I was a baby, and I had never seen her look uncomfortable before. But there was no other way to explain the look on her face as she began to pace the thick area rug in front of me, her gaze darting about as if she didn’t know where to rest her eyes.
“Ciri, what’s going on?”
There was another knock at the door, and Cirilla shook her head vehemently as I stood to answer it. “Don’t!”
“It’s a servant,” I grumbled. “Why are you acting so weird?”
Throwing open the door, I allowed the maid through with the silver tray and dismissed her, Cirilla keeping her back to us the entire time.
“Okay, she’s gone,” I announced dramatically. “What’s the big—oh…”
Suddenly, I remembered. She had been waiting on results from Elix’s bloodwork. My own blood ran cold. “Is this about Elix?”
“Yes,” Cirilla sighed. “Sit down, Jace.”
“Let me go get her. She should hear this.”
“NO!” Cirilla’s tone left no room for argument. “Not yet. You need to hear this first. Sit down, Jace.”
I thought about refusing, but I had never seen Cirilla in such a state, and it worried me. I forsook the coffee andslowly retreated behind the desk to sit, my eyes trained on the enchantress.
“What is it?” I growled. “Stop with the suspense.”
“I want to start by telling you I ran a DNA test on Saint, too.”
Ire spiked through my veins. “You what?!”
“I took the straw he used the day he was visiting, so it wasn’t intrusive.”
“I specifically told you that you weren’t to do unauthorized tests?—”
“I didn’t do anything to him,” she interjected. “He wasn’t violated in any way.”
“He was because he said that he didn’t want to participate in this!” I hissed, slapping my hands down on the desk. “There will be consequences for this, Cirilla!”
“Fine. Punish me if you must, but aren’t you remotely curious to find out what I’ve learned?” She batted her lashes at me, violet eyes glinting in the lighting.
