Chapter 17
Davien didn’t want to alarm Cosette, but he had the feeling she might be right. The question that begged to be answered was—exactly what sort of beast were they dealing with?
So far he hadn’t noticed anything that might indicate she was an aswang. An unnatural female had cursed him nearly twenty years ago, while the key to Cosette’s ‘affliction’ was that damned locket. She was blighted with something infinitely different. He knew the power connected to it was getting stronger, as it was daring to breech the walls of Cosette’s consciousness, and not just the hours when she slept.
Dangerous wasn’t even the right word he would use if that power kept growing.
Catastrophic was more apt.
Now, more than ever, he knew that they had to find a way to break the curse—for both of their sakes. Cosette was right. They couldn’t give up.
But where else could he look that he hadn’t already?
It would take some thought, but for now, he needed to reassure Cosette that he was fine. Those scratches looked worse than they felt, but she looked as if she might cast up her accounts at any moment.
“You’re going to have to start tying me up,” she whispered.
“While that is not without its merits,” he returned dryly, “I believe we have a completely different inclination in mind.”
As he hoped, she blinked and then rolled her eyes. “Can’t you be serious? I could have terribly injured you.”
He walked over to her and took her hands. Lifting that gorgeous body to her feet. “I would, if only I wasn’t so tempted.” He brushed her hair away from her face.
She looked down at the floor. “I shouldn’t think you’d want anything else to do with me.”
Davien felt the shadows around him expand. “You can claw me, bite me, and draw blood. It won’t change how I feel about you.” He set a finger under her chin and lifted it, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I told you that you’re mine now, Cosette, and I meant it.”
“But—”
He cut her off. “You’re mine,” he said firmly. He tossed her shift at her. “Let’s go have a drink. I know we’ve both earned it after the past few days.”
He gathered his things and headed downstairs.
~ ~ ~
Cosette joined Davien in the library a few moments later. Not only had she put on her shift, but also a simple, light blue dress. She felt she needed the extra reinforcements for the conversation that was about to take place.
The duke had changed as well, donning a pair of full-length black trousers and a black shirt. The latter was left undone, the section of his upper chest revealed to show off those crisp, black hairs that she’d enjoyed running her fingers through earlier. She resisted the urge to do so now, although she accepted the glass that he pressed into her hand. He took a seat across from her at the small table.
She took a sip from the dark red wine, the sweetness exploding on her tongue. “Mmm. What is this?”
“Port,” he replied cordially.
Cosette knew this was normally a drink reserved for gentleman, and now she understood why. It was rather good.
They fell silent, each nursing their respective drinks. Finally Draven finished his off in one large gulp before setting the empty glass aside. “I don’t think we should bother searching Calmet’s book any longer.”
Cosette nodded. She’d already decided that it was useless to look for answers between those pages.
“And since Paris was our only lead, and is no longer an option, there is only one avenue left for me to explore.” He met her gaze. “I need to return to the Order.”
“Return to the Order? You’ve been there recently?”
He tapped a finger against his empty glass. “I’m a member.”
“I see.” She was silent for a moment, letting the importance of what he’d just admitted to sink in fully. She didn’t like this idea, not one bit. “Are you still actively . . . involved?”
“Not since I met you.”
