“Notgorilla,” Zane said, still grinning. “Guerilla.”
“The term guerilla warfare,” Casimir began, voice slipping into instructor mode, “refers to unconventional—”
“Means fighting dirty.” Koa cut in, shooting his brother a quelling look. “Using terrain, surprise, whatever’s at hand. Zane has a gift for it.”
“Like the time he garroted a vampire with piano wire,” Casimir muttered, and I pressed closer to his steady heartbeat, equal parts fascinated and horrified. “Zane’s creative. He can turn almost anything into a weapon. Once, he killed an enemy with a stapler.”
“Astapler?” My eyes widened.
“Desperate times, starlight, desperate measures.” Zane shrugged, his smirk widening.
“What about you two?” I shook my head, my mind boggling at the idea. “What are you best at?”
“Cas is the best sniper, but his real talent is strategy.” Koa traced the edge of a throwing star that suddenly appeared in his hand. “Ihandle close encounters.”
“Translation, if it bleeds, stab it,” Zane stage-whispered. “If it doesn’t bleed?” He mimed double dagger strikes. “Stab it some more.”
I giggled just a little. It was strange, hearing them talk so casually about things that felt so far removed from the quiet life I’d known, yet there was something comforting about their confidence, their ease with each other. And in their absolute proficiency with all things deadly.
It made me feel just that much safer.
“Let’s continue the tour,” Koa suggested. “I think you’ll like the library, beloved.”
He took me from Casimir, who could have sat me down on any of the chairs or stools in the room, but had held me the entire time.
Like he was savoring every second of it, I mused and hoped my wistful thought was true.
#
Koa carried me through oak doors that smelled of lemon polish and old books, and right away, I knew this was going to be one of my favorite rooms at Evermere.
Tall, arched windows let in streams of golden light, illuminating shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. The scent of old paper and polished wood filled the air, mingling with the faint aroma of leather and ink. Books of every size and color lined the walls, their spines gleaming with gold and silver lettering. Illuminated manuscripts rested in glass cases, their pages adorned with intricate designs. Scrolls of maps were carefully rolled and stored in wooden tubes, and modern bestsellers were neatly stacked on a table near the fireplace.
“It’severything,” I breathed.
“There’s certainly a little bit of everything. Literary classics, modern novels, nonfiction, lots of history, grimoires, magical modern theory.” Koa lowered me onto a tufted window seat, fingers lingering at my waist as he watched me take it all in.
“Could I… Would it be all right to borrow some?”
“You are the queen here, remember?” Casimir straightened a stack of journals. “Plunder away.”
“Just don’t dog-ear the illuminated manuscripts,” Zane collapsed into an armchair, long legs draping over the armrest as he watched Brumous nose the leather-wrapped books.
“Thank you,” I murmured with damp eyes. “I’ve never had access to anything like this. I can’t wait to find books on lunar magic.”
“I’ll help you find whatever you need.” Koa knelt to pull a volume. “Start with Celestine’s treatises.” He held the book up to me. “Her work on lunar harmonics aligns with your—”
“Magical puberty?” Zane suggested with a snort.
“Gifts,” Koa growled, shooting his brother a warning glare.
I hugged the text to my chest, ink and aged paper filling my lungs. Here, between these pages, I might finally find answers to all the questions I had about my own magic.
#
Zane scooped me up next, his arms steady as we left the library. His smirk was as casual as ever, but there was a gentleness inthe way he carried me, like I was the most precious thing he’d ever held.
“Next stop, the torture chamber where we make pretty boys cry.”
