"How about we skip the head trauma entirely and start reading?" I interject, dropping a heavy leather-bound book into Kayden's arms. "Time to nerd out."
Kayden lets out a dramatic sigh but doesn't argue. His grin softens, eyes flicking between me and Asher as he follows us into the kitchen. The three of us settle into a quiet rhythm around the table, the low rustle of pages and murmured commentary replacing the earlier chaos.
Around us, the house is alive with motion—Maeve organizing herbs and stones for the wards, others flipping through tomes, weapons being quietly laid out and checked.
We're preparing for war, and we're doing it together.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sage
I try to ignore Kayden's fidgeting. He's shifting every few minutes on his chair like an unruly school kid.
"Uh, that's interesting," he mutters, two hours into our research marathon.
I glance up, hopeful. "You found something useful?"
He tilts his head with an exaggerated shrug, then taps the open page. "Depends how you define useful. This one's titledHow to Convince a Woodland Nymph to Sleep With You."
I groan. "Seriously?"
He smirks, entirely unrepentant. "Well, I managed it without the book, didn't I? Look at me, a natural-born scholar."
Asher exhales a sharp breath through his nose that sounds like a growl. "Focus. This isn't a joke."
"I am focused," Kayden says, flipping the page. "But so far, it's all Greek myth and tree-fucking lore. How to charm them, how to grow a more fertile orchard, how to not get cursed if you insult a dryad. Nothing on defense. Let alone offense. At least with vampires, you get garlic, stakes, crosses. Mostly useless crap, but it'ssomething."
"Yeah, well, creatures like nymphs are life-bound. People didn't usually need to kill them because they weren't out there draining blood and terrorizing villages," I retort.
Kayden gives me a look. "That's my point. There's nothing in here that helps. We need to start thinking outside the box." His eyes narrow with that calculating gleam I've come to know too well. "If we used slightly more… persuasive methods on the druid, I bet we could convince her to help in arealway. I've got a few ideas—"
"No." The word snaps out of me like a whip.
He lifts his hands, mock-innocent. "Just brainstorming."
"There was a mention about protecting against satyr influence with celestite," Asher cuts in, steering us back to the task. "There could be more like that. Not weapons, exactly, but countermeasures."
"Maybe," Kayden concedes. "But let's be real, unless one of these books grows legs and starts shouting useful advice, we're wasting time. We've got, what, five hours before your horny ex-fiancé rolls up in his dark wizard limo? We can't afford to screw around."
I rub my temple, already exhausted. "Then what do you suggest, natural-born scholar?"
Kayden frowns, brows furrowed like he's trying to do math without a calculator. I open my mouth, ready to sayI thought so,but then his expression shifts. His eyes light up.
"Actually… yeah. There is something we could do."
I pause. "What?"
"Well," he says, leaning back, "Goat-man himself showed up here, skipping his billionaire blood-trafficking errands, because he's running on a deadline. Spring Equinox. That's when he wants to marry you, right? For the extra power boost your favorite druid mentioned."
I nod, unsure where he's going with this.
"So," Kayden continues, "if we take marriage off the table, we jam the gears in his little power-hungry machine."
Asher's eyes widen with realization. Mine don't. I'm still catching up.
"I don't understand," I say flatly. "What are you suggesting?"
Asher nods slowly, processing. "It could work. At the very least, it would stall him. Buy us more time."
