A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, the pops of the firewood the only sound in my rooms. That and the occasional rasp as Faylinn turned another page in her book.
I’d never seen her so relaxed, so at ease. As if my rooms were always supposed to be her home.
I couldn’t help but feel an immense amount of masculine pride over the way she simply melted into the couch, hair piled on top of her head, wearing a pair of loose pants and a tunic. She was breathtakingly beautiful and only served to bring life and joy into my usually dull living quarters.
I cleared my throat, pulling Faylinn’s attention from her reading with a soft smile.
“Would you like to look at that book I found now?” I asked, fidgeting with some loose fibers on the black blanket spread across our thighs.
Her face brightened further as she shut her book with asnap.
“Don’t you want to mark your page?” I asked, alarmed.
Faylinn simply laughed and shook her head. “I have my placement memorized. No need for a marker.”
“But you’re reading multiple books at once.”
She shrugged as she moved closer to me on the couch, only stopping when our shoulders brushed. Cotton vacated the couch when he realized his sleeping space was shrinking, opting for a spot in front of the fireplace.
“I have them all memorized.”
“You say that like it’s normal—like everyone does it.” I huffed a laugh, running my hand through my messy hair. Faylinn tracked the movement, eyes darkening as she watched my bicep flex. “It’s incredibly impressive,” I finished, voice huskier than normal.
Faylinn hummed and gestured to where the tome I’d found hidden in Alois’ study rested atop a side table.
I handed it over, fingers brushing hers in the exchange.
She sucked in a breath at the contact, and the Bond preened.
Fuck. If it feels like this with just a few casual, innocent touches, what’s going to happen when we have to sleep together?
I shot a glance over my shoulder at the door leading to the bedroom and swallowed roughly.
An exercise in restraint, this was.
Faylinn caressed the book reverently, fingers bumping along the grooves in the cover.
“There’s a few runes I recognize, but many that I don’t,” she admitted softly, continuing her perusal.
“That’s more than me,” I teased.
Faylinn laughed softly, but pointed to a rune at the very top. There were two interconnecting circles of runes embossed on the cover, overlapping in the middle.
“This one”—she tapped it lightly—“means beginning. And this one”—she tapped one at the bottom—“means end.”
They were so similar looking, I was certain I would need a thousand lessons before I could read even half as well as Faylinn.
“What about the one in the middle?”
Faylinn chewed her lip, something flashing in her eyes. “The Bondsmith,” she said, voice devoid of emotion.
“The Bondsmith’s beginning and end?” I asked.
Faylinn shrugged. “Something like that, I would imagine.”
“But the book is empty.”
She laughed, light and melodic. “Yes, I’m certain an artifact would be.”
