Rain pounded on the roof, some of the damp seeping through the stone walls, but when I finally managed to get myself sorted and downstairs, three pairs of eyes greeted me the second I barreled through the door into what could be called the library-slash-morning room.
“Good morning, Lyrae. Sleep well?” Ryland’s voice vibrated with that deep, early morning huskiness that turned my skin to gooseflesh and I’d never been so grateful to have every square inch of my skin covered up.
“Mattress was a bit lumpy, food was shit, but other than that, the accommodations were acceptable.”
“Lumpy mattress. Shit food. What an absolute travesty.” Ryland looked unfairly handsome this morning, the sun outlining every curve of his face in golden light. And Varian, watching from beside the enormous fireplace…my skin caught fire as his eyes ever so slowly traveled down my body, reminding me of every fantasy that had kept me awake half the goddamned night.
Two of them.
At the same time.
How, exactly, did that work?My brain was committed to figuring it out.
“I don’t know, maybe Rooke can do something about your dreadful sleeping experience.” Ryland’s grin was half wicked, half mischief as I refocused on whatever we were talking about. “Perhaps find you a softer mattress for tonight?”
Right.The lumpy mattress. Only then did it occur to me I’d stolen Ryland’s bed and had no idea where he’d slept. Probably in that chair, from the look of his sinfully rumpled hair.
Well, it served him right for that bullshit he’d pulled at the tavern.
Varian’s lips quirked. “I’ll see what we can do to improve your sleeping experience, my lady, but today, we have places to be, if you’re up for a bit of reconnaissance?”
“What are we reconning?” I asked, glad of the shift in conversation, easing my aching, strung-too-tight body into the nearest chair as gracefully as my stiff muscles would allow.
“A place called Gravespire,” Ryland explained with an easy smile. “Used to be a temple to the old Fae gods, but now it’s abandoned. I’m assuming the Old Gods no longer need it.”
“Considering they’re all dead, I think it’s fair to say they don’t.”
Varian was heading my direction, carrying a plate over, along with a steaming cup of… “Is that coffee?” Every cell perked up at the rich, dark smell, my fingers curling around the warm mug as I practically shoved my nose into the hot liquid and took a deep inhale. “Gods, that smells good. How in the world did you get coffee?”
I peered over the rim at Rooke, brooding sullenly in the shadows dressed in what I assumed was his signature head-to-toe black, and was that a…crow perched on his shoulder?
“I may be a prisoner here, but I am not without my resources.” He sniffed delicately. “Actually, Varian brought me that delicious treasure, but I’m happy to share, given I won’t be trapped here much longer.”
“That’s pretty bold of you to assume.” I took a long, hot sip, scalding the top of my mouth, not that I cared one bit. “After what you did to Varian, I’m tempted to bolt the front doors and leave you here to rot.”
“Well, commander, my suffering is a precious thing. You will have to get in line.” He leaned forward into the sun and I sucked in a muted gasp. His face was bruised, bottom lip cracked open, a bead of red blood welling. I looked immediately to Ry, who just grinned and hooked his thumb at Varian.
“That wasn’t me. Varian evened the score.”
On closer examination, I saw what I’d missed before. Varian’s knuckles were broken open, as bloody as Rooke’s bottom lip, and every time he clenched his hands, they bled a little more. But that look on his face…I hadn’t seen Varian grin like that in so long, and the tightness around my heart loosened.
“Dare I even ask what happened?” I muttered into my coffee. “Did you try to beat the asshole out of him?”
“What did you say?” Rooke demanded testily. “I couldn’t quite hear you from all the way over here.”
“I said…I wish I’d seen Varian beat your ass. I probably would have slept better, despite the shit mattress.”
“Regardless, I haven’t spent fifty years locked up inside this mausoleum to wait around all godsdamned day while you three eye-fuck each other over coffee.” His expression was empty, the look of a male locked up for too long, slowly withering away. “When are you leaving for Gravespire, and how long will it take for you to come up with a solid strategy to retrieve the artifacts?”
“I’m not eye-fucking anyone,” I muttered, sliding deeper into my chair.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, just sleep together and get it over with.” Rooke’s eyes brightened. “If you want a fourth, I wouldn’t be opposed to joining. I’ve beendreadfullylonely.” I picked up the stale biscuit off my plate and heaved it at him.
The bastard was faster than he looked, ducking out of the way, the raven cawing balefully as it flapped down to peck the biscuit apart.
“After you retrieve the artifact and free me from my eternal prison,” Rooke’s dark eyes gleamed with wickedness as he sank back into his chair with a drawn-out sigh, “we can talk about bedroom arrangements. After all, it has been fifty years, and I have so many delicious fantasies to explore.”
“That is never happening,” I hissed. “So stop…thinking about exploring.”
