Theo raised an eyebrow, tilting his mug and speaking with that calm, deliberate charm of his.
“I don’t know why you’re asking me. I’m the purest one here. Remember… prophecy and all that.”
Caelan narrowed his eyes, but dropped the subject. Thank the Fates.
“What are your plans for today? Other than worrying about the conclave tonight,” Lydia asked in between bites.
Malek murmured something about going straight back to bed to nurse his hangover, Lythandra had made plans with some of her friends, and Lydia was talking about making use of the training room in the basement.
When it was Theo’s turn to answer, he simply said, “I have some correspondence to attend to,” and winked at me.
Nobody noticed our inside joke and his response onlygained him an eye roll from Lythandra and a scolding from Malek who told him to let loose for once.
Theo did not take the bait and looked over to me.
“What are your plans for today, have you decided yet?”
I hadn’t given it much thought, but looking out through the window and over the sprawling city that lay beneath us, I spontaneously decided that I was going to do some sightseeing.
“I think I am just going to do some exploring today” I smiled, and when I looked at Theo, I pointedly said, “and attend to my correspondence as well, of course.”
Theo only smirked.
When we had all finished eating, we said our goodbyes and headed back up to our respective rooms.
I grabbed my bag and some money I had been given monthly for my work at the library and headed out the door. Theo’s door was slightly ajar when I walked past.
Should I go in? I should, shouldn’t I?
He was sitting at his table, working on something, so I knocked.
Without turning around, he said, “Come in, I’ll be ready in a minute.”
I hesitated, was he expecting someone else maybe? Just to be certain I cleared my throat so he would realize it was me and stepped inside his room.
I hadn’t seen his private quarters before, but wasn’t surprised to see that the room was filled with books, ledgers, and paperwork, all neatly stacked into piles.
“Do you always travel with half your library?” I asked and heard him chuckle.
“My life is pretty boring, I told you. I don’t socialize muchand spend most of my time locked up in here, where I feel like myself.”
I looked over to him and marveled at his posture, his broad shoulders and the concentrated look on his face as he was scribbling down words in a foreign language.
“Do you want me to bring you anything from town?” I asked, just to fill the silence.
He shook his head. “No. I’m coming with you.”
I turned to him, surprised. His eyes searched mine, as if he were measuring every flicker of my expression. Was I happy to spend the day with him? Worried? Disinterested? The bare hint of uncertainty in his gaze made my chest tighten. For a moment, the usual calm and control he carried so effortlessly vanished and his vulnerability seemed… almost human.
When my smile finally spread, relief flickered across his features. He rolled up the parchment he’d been working on and placed it inside a wooden box.
He was dressed in his usual cream-colored robes, his beard had been trimmed, and he smelled like he had taken a shower earlier, his hair still wet in the neck.
“Let me just get changed real quick,” he said and disappeared into the bathroom, only to walk back out 5 seconds later, dressed in black slacks and a form fitting dark blue shirt.
He caught the surprise on my face and winked. “A little magic, darling.”
* * *
