Although I made it past the busted door and back out of the archives with my stolen goods, my heart didn’t stop pounding as I climbed the stairs. Part of that must be my still-lacking cardiovascular prowess, but I also felt I just might be close to unraveling part of Fieran’s plans for me.
Had Shadowbane forced Fieran to care for me because he wanted Fear and me to be mates?
Or was Fear trying to make me not just his wife, but his mate?
Mortals did not have fated mates…but mortals also did not have dragon marks.
Fifty
Kiegan was waiting for me, but he wasn’t alone.
Tay was by his side.
Rees growled at Tay, and Tay gave my dog a worried glance.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I wanted to spend the evening with you.” His eyes were troubled, and a knot of emotion tightened in my gut. “With the claiming coming…”
My brother thought I might die.
Kiegan, looking as if he might have an allergic attack to feelings, held out his hand for the books. “Give those over. I’ll look for myself if any dragons seem worthy.”
“That’s not how it works—you know what, good luck. Any dragon would be lucky to bond with you.” I handed over the pair of books.
Tay looked slightly concerned at the tomes being produced from under my tunic, but it was a familiar expression on his face. His furrowed brow made me smile, remembering all the times I’d seen that look.
“There’s no reason to worry about the claiming,” I said.
Kiegan snorted, and both Tay and I startled.
“I found a garden in the labyrinth that reminds me of home,” Tay said. “Come with me and see it?”
“Promise we won’t get lost?”
“No.”
But I wanted to go with him anyway. There was a faint sheen in his eyes, even though he was smiling, as if he were barely holding back tears.
“Can you look after Rees?” I asked Kiegan, since Rees still looked agitated.
Did Rees sense the queen’s presence with Tay somehow? He was Fear’s dog, and I wondered how much Rees and the queen had crossed paths.
“He’s as grumpy as you are sometimes.” Tay said with a grin.
“Fear likes her grumpiness,” Kiegan observed, and I wondered if that thought came from his desire to taunt me or from Fieran himself.
“Tell Ander where I went.”
Kiegan gave me a long, searching look, but I was just being careful. I couldn’t trust my brother, but we could stay on the grounds and talk. Ander might be irritated, but he would understand. He had told me to pretend all was normal with Tay.
And if the queen intended to twist my brother in some way, Ander and Kiegan would know I was with him.
Whatever Kiegan saw in my face, he nodded. He whistled to Rees, who reluctantly trotted at his side, glancing back at Tay and me.
There were so many hidden, magical places in the academy’s caverns that it didn’t surprise me Tay had found another one.
Tay said he’d written to Mother and Lidi and had letters back already. Even though I hadn’t, a rush of guilt and hurt tangled in my chest at the thought that no letter had come for me.
