“Do you mind handing me that pile over there?” he asked as he tapped the edge of a stack of papers to line them up. I glanced to a loose pile of documents and paperwork sitting at the far front corner, a manila folder resting on top.
“These?” I asked, laying a hand on it, and he nodded absentmindedly. I carefully scooped up the pile, the stack heavy as I rounded to where he stood.
“You’re rather messy for a king,” I teased, and he cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Apologies, my queen. I shall do better,” he responded with a wry grin, and my damn heart fluttered hearing the title on his tongue.
I laid the stack before him, but it shifted, the manila folder and papers sliding across the desk. He stiffened as photographs slipped from the folder.
“Shit! I’m so sorr—” My gaze snagged on the photos as they spilled over, my brows furrowing. They were pictures of Kat. Not selfies or snapshots with friends, but ones taken without her knowledge. I reached across the table and grabbed the folder before Damien could stop me.
“Cas...” Damien started, but I opened it, my breath catching in my throat.
It was filled with photographs of Kat—of her on campus, entering work, even eating out with Cody. My stomach twisted, and I flipped through to the contents. There weren’t just photos, but documents on her parents, the schools she’d attended, everything.
“What’s this?” I demanded, dropping the folder on the desk, my attention snapping back to him.
Guilt flickered across his features. “I can explain—”
“You need to start doing that right now, Damien. Why are you spying on Kat?” Oh God. Had he spied on me at some point? Had he dug up files like this on me? Did he—
“It was necessary—”
“Why though?” I bit out, nearly cutting him off.
His gaze flickered from me, and he drew his hand across the back of his neck as he carefully chose his words. “I needed to make sure she wasn’t a darkling.”
I stilled. “A darkling? You seriously thought she was a darkling?”
His lips parted, and he hesitated. “I couldn’t know for sure until we looked into her background, kept tabs on her whereabouts. I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“Did you spy on me like this?” I asked, heart racing.
He looked at me as if shocked I’d even considered it. “Of course not,mea luna. I knew what you were the moment I met you.”
His statement came with a small measure of relief, but it didn’t erase his actions.
“Who?” I breathed, trying my best to remain calm, even as I struggled.
“Who what?”
“Who else was a part of this? Who else knew?” I ground out, my irritation growing.
“James and... Cody,” he admitted.
“What the hell, Dami—wait...” The name clicked through me, halting any thoughts or words I had. “Cody?”
Damien nodded, and my brows furrowed. An icy feeling crept through my chest, and it stung to know he’d kept this from me. “Kat’s... boyfriend, Cody?” I confirmed.
“Cody’s an immortal. Half, to be precise.”
“Cody’s an immortal? Since when—I mean, of course his entire life, but—God, Damien, I—” My mind flew into a flurry, my skin hot. “Was he actually with her? Or was it just so he could spy on her this entire time?”
“His affection for her is genuine, Cas. I promise you, and I felt terrible asking him to keep tabs on her. After she was attacked, I figured it was safe to assume she’s not a darkling—”
“So, it took her being attacked for her to clear her name? It took her nearly dying for you to figure that out?” I scoffed.
He winced. “There was no other way to confirm she was mortal, Cas. I couldn’t exactly walk up to her and ask her if she was a darkling.”
