“I don’t need your help. Point me to Pricilla.”
He scoffed, “And allow you to roam the manor alone?”
“I have an infected hand. I’m not running away in this condition.” She ripped free of his hold.
“Do you plan to run later then?”
He sped in front of her, and Amaris slammed into him at his abrupt stop. Another surge climbed up her arm. Her vision narrowed again, and he gripped her shoulder to keep her standing.
“No,” she lied, “and stop manhandling me.”
“You can barely stand by yourself,” he retorted.
“You aren’t even allowing me to try.”
He released both hands, but her legs gave out. She dropped to her knees and breathed through the pain rippling up her arm.
“Do you want my assistance or not?” He took a step back, likely to mock her fragile state.
What an asshole.Amaris stood, but the blood drained from her face at the fast movement, and her vision went black.
Chapter 14
Theo
Theo dove forwardto catch Amaris. She was agonizingly stubborn. The pressure in his head grew as he heaved her up. She was heavier in his arms than he expected, with more muscles than soft curves. With his head pounding, he hadn’t noticed the other night when he’d thrown her over his shoulder.
In a short time, she’d already started to get on his nerves, won Esaias’s affections, and managed to piss off most of the army. The audience with his father had been a disaster. If she didn’t have such a sharp tongue, he would’ve felt more inclined to side with her against the allegations made of her.
The sweet smell of vanilla wafted from her hair as her head bobbed against his chest. A few groans slipped past her lips as he carried her through the empty halls. The curtains had been drawn for the night, and the servants were going around lighting the torches. The few they passed paid them no attention as he lugged her through the darkened halls toward the library.
His eyes skimmed the portraits outlined in golden frames. His mother always hated this wing. She used to say she was being watched by the beadyeyes of the portraits gazing down on her. Theo had never taken issue with them before, but since he’d returned, their eyes followed him, knowing, taunting.
He forced open the door. It didn’t need to be decorated in vines or elaborate renditions of past battles to stand out among all the rest. In fact, he preferred the simple nature of the solid wood with brass handles. His mother may have hated walking down the hall of piercing glances, but she’d always said it was worth it to reach the treasures at the end of the hall. She would’ve spent her entire life behind the library’s doors if she could’ve.
Theo was greeted with the lovely scent of old leather, musty books, and candle wax. All the librarians were either still eating or had gone home for the night, but one woman always stayed later after supper than anyone else. Along with being a librarian, Pricilla was capable of healing small ailments and had begged to take over the duties of the mystique until a new one came along.
Her fascination for the mystique world had always baffled Theo, and the old mystique spent a great deal of time shooing her away. She wasn’t much older than Theo, but with the number of books she digested, she was one of the smartest people in Luana Bay. It was a good thing Amaris was unconscious. Not only was Pricilla intelligent, but she was also the sweetest and most gentle creature he’d ever met. Amaris would’ve eaten her alive.
He followed the fortress of towering bookshelves leading to the mystique tower at the back of the library. He found it hard to believe anyone other than an accomplished reader wouldn’t get lost in here. In the center of the library, a frosted-glass ceiling overlooked a wide gallery of the librarians’ desks and other tables. Theo used to find home at a small table shoved at the back near a shelf of books on sailing adventures.
He hefted Amaris tighter to his chest and continued his trek through the endless rows of stories and adventures to the back staircase. He approached the open arch, but scaling the tight spiral staircase would prove to be a challenge with Amaris in his arms. He moved slowly, using the tip of his boot to feel each step with the light of the few torches lining the walls. Itdidn’t make sense to place the infirmary five stories up, but the manor was several hundred years old and hadn’t been built with that in mind.
The door was already open, with candles illuminating the center of the room. He stopped in the doorway, clearing his throat. Pricilla stood nose deep in a book perched on the worktable.
She lifted her head of snowy-white hair, smiling sheepishly as a glassy daze settled over her violet eyes. At the sight of Amaris, her smile faded, and her eyes were alert and fixed on her, cradled in Theo’s arms. “What happened?” she asked in her light and airy voice.
“She fainted, but her hand is what concerns me.” Theo placed Amaris on the small bed by the hearth, her figure crinkling the pressed white linen.
A fire glowed beside him, sending the aroma of a campfire to settle through the room. The popping and cracking of embers sounded in his ear as he kneeled beside her to brush a clump of hair clinging to her lips.
Pricilla kneeled beside him, bowing her head with a graceful nod before she studied Amaris’s bandaged hand. Her fingers moved in slow, fluid movements as she unraveled the loose linen. A yellow substance seeped from the wounds on her knuckles, and her fingers were red and swollen with bruising. He should’ve been more attentive to her injury.
“Do we know what caused this?” Pricilla studied her hand gingerly as she turned it over to assess the swelling of her fingers.
“A mirror.”
“Who is she?” Pricilla didn’t lift her gaze as she dragged her thumb over a cut, leaning closer to analyze it.
