“It’s not magical,” he says. “It’s only a diary.” He eyes the folded furs, mantles, and other bits and pieces. “What the hell were you doing?”
“Cleaning. It was filthy.” I sniff in his direction. “Like you. You need to bathe.”
“Excuseme?”
“If I’m to stay with you. Until I find a way out of here. Have you smelled yourself?”
His lips peel back in a snarl. “After refusing to follow my instructions and keeping this cursed book with you, after deciding to take over my resting place and trying to open my diary, you feel you’re entitled to demands?”
“And your nest was full of trash.” I hide a smirk because by this point, I relish his annoyance. “Better start living like a man instead of a beast if you want me to treat you like one.”
I’m not surprised when he turns around and walks away again.
Deflating, I lean back against the furs and put my hands over my face. Why is he bringing out the worst in me? And why do I live for these interactions?
This is sick… I need to stop needling him, but he keeps getting under my skin and the sting is so sweet.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
NOT EASY
ADELINE
“She’s crazy. And as stubborn as a geriatric mule. She’s a liability and you know it.”
That grave voice belongs to Roane. I’d recognize that deep, bell-chime quality to it anywhere and it sends a pleasant rush through me. I keep my eyes closed, the furs piled on top of me because it’s damn cold inside this temple.
“She should never have come here,” he goes on. “Nobody has come here in decades.”
Wait… is he talking about me?
“That doesn’t change the fact she’s here now,” Ardruna argues.
“Just because she insulted you, saying you stink, you’re annoyed with her,” Talton says. I recognize his squawk. “She’s human, Ro. Her senses are different from ours, but let’s be honest. When was the last time you bathed? Even birds bathe more often than you.”
“Fuck you, Tal.”
A croak that sounds like laughter.
“All I’m saying is, she’ll get us killed with that book unchained and unbound,” Roane says more quietly.
“You’re exaggerating a little,” Talton says.
“Am I?”
“Just a smidgeon.”
“You have a point, Roane,” Ardruna says slowly, as if giving weight to every word, “but I suppose she has one, too.”
“Really? You’re taking her side?”
“Ro—”
“You can’t be serious,” Roane grumbles. “That book is fucking dangerous.”
“We’ll change her mind. Give her some time to rest, get her strength back. Relax a little.” A pause. “We should find her some clothes.”
“Oh, yes,” Talton croaks. “Find clothes! I’ll check the houses. I’ve seen clothes in a trunk somewhere.”
