“My Prince,” she said, then flicked her eyes to Skye. “It’s good to see you. I see you’ve brought your enigma of a Key.”
Rafe went very still. So still, it wasn’t natural. He could’ve been confused with a statue. He’d probably even stopped breathing.
“What an interesting choice in words,” Skye commented with a furrowed brow.
“Indeed,” Rafe murmured. “What do you want from me, Marion?”
That wasalsoan interesting choice in words, but Marion only offered another polite smile. “I just wanted to come say hello. I spoke to an old friend that I believe you met with recently. A certain Sensor in the islands?”
Rafe tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes slightly. “True,” he said slowly. “And what did you discuss with this old friend?”
Marion shrugged. “Lots of things. We’re both quite old, you know.”
“Yes, I don’t imagine you still discuss the weather,” Rafe said, sounding a bit bored. Whatever had caused his alarm a moment ago seemed to have passed.
Skye and I looked back and forth between them as if we were watching a tennis match.
“Oh, we do. We also discuss books. Are you one for literature?” She looked between the three of us. I shrugged while Skye nodded. Rafe only blinked. “Well,” she went on, “One of my personal favorites isThe Tragedy of Renard. I’ve just read it again, recently.”
Skye hummed thoughtfully. “I haven’t read that since highschool.”
Marion hummed back. “Highschool was quite a bit longer ago for me than for you, I’m sure.”
Skye offered her a tight smile, and I didn’t need to be connected with her to feel her apprehension. I could only wonder if highschool even existed when Marion was a teenager.
Skye and Rafe were on edge even as they appeared unaffected. Marion’s words were cryptic, but I had no idea why or how. She left after a few more mindless pleasantries, and Rafe’s grin dropped the moment she’d gone.
“I need to find Wyatt,” he said quickly, his dark eyes darting around the room a bit frantically.
“Sure, maybe he’ll want to read that boring-ass book.” Skye said dryly.
I snorted. “I’ve never even heard of that book.”
“You definitely have,” Skye said. “It’s required reading in highschool.”
“Baby,” I said with a grin. “Do I look like I ever did a required reading?”
Skye snorted, then giggled when I rubbed my nose against hers.
The book was a code,Rafe said into our minds suddenly. I almost jumped.It’s a story about a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for his entire life, only to be struck by lightning when he was freed.
And it’s boring as all hell,Skye replied.One thousand pages of wallowing.
Shafer’s dungeon comment. Now Marion recommends this book while discussing Shafer? We need to get into those dungeons.
Oh, Skye’s eyes widened before she dropped her gaze.
Ohwas right. Rafe was a lot smarter than we gave him credit for.
My mind is everywhere except here,Skye started to explain, and Rafe cut her off. He spun around, grabbed her by the hips and pulled her against his body before kissing her way too deeply for public decency. Even I fiddled with my collar as several men and women looked on. Some appeared horrified, while others almost seemed jealous.
Why does it matter that Renard was struck by lightning?I asked when Rafe finally let Skye up for air.
“Don’t you want to dance, darling?” Rafe asked as we began to move through the crowd.
Skye only hummed.
It doesn’t,Rafe replied to me, seeming a bit distracted as he answered my earlier question.
