“Uriel had been feeding me information,” he murmured, and I cast my look at Uriel, who still had an impassive expression. Was that why he looked like that? He was communicating telepathically with Theodore the entire time the man wasn’t here, so his attention was split.
When I turned my focus back to Theodore, he was giving an odd look at Winston. I caught the slightest of nods from the Prince before Theodore faced me. “Bea, since we’re all tiedtogether now, you must know that I’m an assassin for the Prince. Nobody knows this, not even the school staff.” He glanced around. “And now, everyone here. Don’t think I have to say to keep this to yourselves.”
An assassin.Not a librarian?
He had a small smirk. “Librarian is my official job. Dare I say I’m pretty good at it, too.”
Not if he spent half the time watching me read.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re an assassin. Cool.” Amos waved him off before exclaiming, “What do you mean, ‘wife’?”
“We’re not married,” I blurted. “Not even engaged.”
“Not yet,” Theodore corrected me. “Not my choice, nor yours, if my duke father has anything to say about it.”
“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” I hedged, glancing at all of them. “We have so many current problems that I’m having trouble keeping them straight in my head. And we have school tomorrow — today! I haven’t eaten since breakfast, but seeing that hand is making my stomach turn, anyway.” I faced Derrick. “Can you reattach a severed limb?”
He nodded, looking at the thing. “If it’s in good condition, it is possible with Recovery magic. It will leave a scar, though. Evidence of magic use.”
Good information to know for the future.
“I’m keeping him alive since he hasn’t spilled a name yet,” Theodore supplied as he bagged the limb in a satchel, leaving a puddle of blood. “Maybe the promise of reattachment will convince him. Great thinking, my lovely wife.”
“Stop calling her your wife,” Claude complained.
Theodore scoffed. “I will if you stop calling her ‘baby girl’.”
“But she’s my baby girl!”
“Precisely.” Theodore tied the satchel close. “All of you should thank me that I’m not claiming Bea only for myself.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not even yours in the first place.”
“Not yet.” Theodore turned to Winston. “I delivered the bastard in the dark place. Up for some interrogation?”
Winston studied me instead of answering him. “Bea needs to rest. It’s very late. Have a big breakfast when you wake up. The healing magic should be curbing your hunger right now.”
“Recovery magic has a side-effect of removing one’s hunger for some time,” Derrick explained, as he brushed along my wrists, the rope burns long gone because of magic. “Useful in dire situations, but understand you’d still need to eat since your body needs actual nutrition to recover energy and mana.”
“All of you are welcome to stay the night,” Winston announced, arms wide open. “Plenty of available rooms. For the students, I’ll arrange something with the administration about your classes, and as for the staff … tough luck.”
Uriel was unamused. “This isn’t my first time staying up. What’s important is Bea’s condition. She was kidnapped on our watch. It’s unthinkable.”
“Security will definitely have a word with me. Samuel, if it is possible, come along with me when I have a chat with them.”
“I’m heading to bed now,” I proclaimed, standing up from my seat. “My knights will stay with me in my room. I’ll feel more comfortable with them around.” I turned and found my knights gazing at me with reverence.
Winston stayed quiet for a while until he conceded. “A reasonable request. Watch over her.” He directed the last one to Robin and Reuben, who had a hardened look on their faces as they nodded.
When Elias stood up next to me, I whispered, “Elias?” I hoped I didn’t need to add more words to that question, that he understood my intent.
But he shook his head. “I need to be outside right now. I’m sorry, Ela.” He glanced at my knights and gave them an approving nod, too.Ah.He figured it out. And at the same time, I learned something new about him — was it his dragon urging him out? It made sense that the wilder half of his soul would crave to be in nature.
As the other men around me made sleeping arrangements with the Prince, my eyes strayed towards Uriel, and his complete attention was on our small group.
Was he reading their minds? Did he figure out my relationship to them? If he did, he remained silent about it, although it was nerve-wracking.
When he realized I was watching him, he turned his head away, hands gripping his thighs.
