Theo chuckles from behind me while my cheeks heat and my heart races. I’m not embarrassed, but I can’t think about what we did and not get worked up. “We’re all decent,” I reassure him.
“Sadly,” Theo whispers in my ear. “At least for now.”
Genie drops his hands. “Excellent. We’re going to need a warning system, because no amount of therapy is erasing that visual.”
I shrug. “I’m not apologizing for doing something that comes naturally. Where’s my broom?”
Genie swipes a hand down his face, making his wispy chin beard curl down before snapping back up. “He’s, er, started courting someone.”
What? The knights and I stare at Genie and wait for him to explain.
“There was an incident with a bottle of berry wine. It was spilled.”
“Okay, following you so far.”
“Sir Sweeps-A-Lot tried to clean it, but as you know, he’s not designed for liquids. He’s more of a dust and dirt kind of sidekick.”
Actually, he’s neither. He’s a magical artifact meant to complement the way I shape the narrative. But potato, potahto.
“Still with you,” I urge.
Genie palms the back of his neck. “I have a mop for these situations. Golly Miss Molly. So she swoops in and clears up the mess, and he attached himself to her. They’ve been inseparable since.”
“I have no words,” Hart grumbles.
I grin. My broom is in love. We all need that in our lives—a reminder of what we’re fighting for.
“You’re just bitter that he has a more successful love life than you,” I taunt.
“Truth.” Genie rolls his eyes. “Glad to see you are almost back and almost whole.”
What does he mean? I have my dragon, and my dark knight finally claimed me and showed me threefold. Both last night and again this morning. He definitely claimed another first.
“Can you tell us which Idols are in the library?” Nash asks before this descends into a sausage fest.
Theo huffs a laugh against my neck.
Genie squints and holds up a finger. “Hold on.” He poofs out.
I glance around. Nope, he definitely disappeared. “What are we holding on for?”
Theo shrugs. “Who knows? I’ve learned to roll with it.”
I agree. It’s less complicated and comes with a lack of expectations.
Genie reappears. “I have good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?”
“Good,” I reply at the same time all the brothers chorus, “Bad.”
Genie waves off the knights in favor of my preference. “The good news is they are no longer moping around the library making a spectacle of themselves and scaring the bunkum poop out of folks insane enough to loiter nearby.”
“That is good news,” I agree. “Makes getting into the Living Library much easier.”
“And now the bad,” Hart demands.
He winces. “The bad news is there are more Idols in the castle than ever, and they have taken up residence in the great hall, various chambers, and the courtyard. You can’t turn a corner without running into an Idol bossing someone around or making a crazy demand. It’s exhausting. Everyone has been sucked into a game, but nobody knows the rules.”
“Which Idols?” Nash repeats, as if the news of the Idol invasion is nothing more than an inconvenience.
