My eyes widened. “What?”
Nevan pushed his spectacles up his nose. “The entire city of Fairwitch. It’s a complicated process but something that is a possibility.”
I scratched my jaw. “It seems there’s a lot of discuss.”
Cillian nodded. “Luckily Sir Arthur is quite the interrogator. He got the brotherhood to admit they didn’t intend to enter Fairwitch. It was a complete mistake. So hopefully that buys us some time while we figure out a plan of attack.”
I raised a brow. “So no more searching for a bride?”
Nevan smirked, and Cillian shoved him. “No. You were right, Wolfe. I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing. Nevan found a bookthat mentioned only the castle can choose its queen. No one else. So I guess the castle will choose my wife when it sees fit. I just hope she’s as lovely and kind as Niamh.”
Laughter burst out of me, and Cillian and Nevan’s mouths dropped open.
“Is he laughing?” Nevan whispered.
“I think so,” Cillian said. “Or he’s completely losing it.”
“What happened between you and Niamh?” Cillian looked over my shoulder again. “Who are you and what have you done with my guard?”
The words sobered me, and I shoved a hand through my hair, thinking about what I’d told Niamh. “Not your guard. Just your brother,” I said.
“Right. I’m okay with that, actually.” Cillian let out a laugh and clapped me on the shoulder. “Well, we’re glad you’re back. Both of you. Niamh helped save us. If she hadn’t moved Arthur, if she hadn’t discovered that library, we’d be in a much poorer state right now. We’re lucky to have her.”
I looked back at Niamh as she shot a peek at us, her smile shy, her face glowing. “We are lucky,” I said, and I wouldn’t take any of it for granted, not ever again.
CHAPTER 40
Niamh
Istood near the back of the library, returning books that had just been dropped off by one of the local schoolteachers. We needed more books, and I wasn’t sure how we’d get them, but I had a few ideas that involved traveling to nearby kingdoms and initiating a trade system between our libraries. From what I could tell, nothing like that had ever been done before, and I thought it was about time we started sharing knowledge instead of keeping it for ourselves. The more we worked together, the easier it would be to defeat the brotherhood and keep them from gatekeeping our magic.
I slid in one of the books, and it popped back out, flying past me and situating itself on the opposite shelf.
“Oh no.” I shook my finger at it. “Stop trying to move yourself.” I grabbed it and put it back. “We have system of organization so you can be found and read. Don’t you want that?”
The book vibrated, and I took that as a yes.
“Well, if you keep moving yourself to the wrong place, then thatwon’t happen because no one will be able to find you. You’re also ruining the system Morton and I are implementing.”
Some of these books had such strong personalities, and I was getting to know them more every day.
Morton slithered along the floor, raising the upper half of his body. “I’m having trouble with theWar of Godwitches and Earth. It keeps trying to pick fights with the other books, and when I ate it, it gave me a horrible stomachache.”
I tapped my chin. “Maybe put that one behind the counter on the bookshelf. Separate it from the other books for a while and see if that makes it behave.”
My gaze caught on Wolfe’s form as he stepped into the aisle behind Morton.
“Why are your cheeks getting all pink like that—” Morton stopped when Wolfe cleared his throat, and the bookwyrm turned his head. “Ah, I see.”
It had been over a week since Wolfe and I had returned, and I’d been so busy with the library, and Wolfe so busy with his new position in the council, that neither of us had been able to see each other much.
Wolfe strode toward me, lifting my chin and pressing a kiss to my lips that set my body on fire.
“Oh, here we go.” Morton huffed behind us, and Wolfe pulled away as we turned to the little bookwyrm.
“Do you have a problem?”
Morton glared at Wolfe as I tried to suppress my smile. “Just don’t go fornicating”—Wolfe choked—“among the books. It’s completely inappropriate.”
