“Obviously,” Millie said. “Most definitely.”
“I’m staying in for the night,” I said. “I need to review my manuscripts. See you later?”
Silas bent down and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “See you later.”
I took a long shower and scrubbed the dust and grime of the day off. I put on some clean pajamas, thanks to Millie, then climbed into bed and pulled up the covers. I heaved a stack of Fae texts onto the bed and started combing through them.
After a while, Millie brought me some tea and a chocolate biscotti, which I nibbled on aimlessly as I flipped through the pages. I could have sworn I’d seen something in here that resembled the sigil I’d seen on the boat. I just couldn’t remember which book it had been in, so I dutifully paged through all of them, searching for the now-familiar Triskelion interlinked circles that had burned itself into my mind.
When Millie knocked on the door and let herself in quietly to relight some of the candles that had flickered out, I looked upand blinked, realizing it was well after midnight, and I’d been reading for hours.
“Millie,” I said, surprised to find her still awake. “You should go to bed.”
“So should you.”
“I will. I’m just wondering if I misplaced a book somewhere,” I said. “Did I leave one sitting out in the living room? Did you by chance move one somewhere, and I’m just missing it?”
“I’m sorry, but no. I wouldn’t dare touch those texts, and I haven’t seen any laying around.”
“I figured as much,” I said, “I just wanted to check. I’m looking for something specific and can’t find it. I remember seeing it in one of the books, and it’s driving me nuts that I can’t find it.”
“Do you need help?” Millie asked. “I can help you search for it.”
“No, no, it’s late. It’s not that big of a deal.” I made a show of starting to stack my books on the nightstand. “I’ll look tomorrow.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Anyway, Silas will be back soon.” Millie tilted her head as if she could feel his approach. “I’m going to head to bed, but if you need anything, you know where to find me.”
As soon as Millie left, I heard the door open and Silas enter. I reluctantly shifted the rest of my books off to the side because Millie was right—it was late. I needed sleep. Silas needed sleep. Everyone needed sleep.
The thought of another day spent sitting in front of Seer Goddard was already exhausting, mostly because it felt like it took everything out of me just to figure out what the man wanted from me.
“You’re still up?” Silas asked as he entered the bedroom. “Everything okay?”
“Fine,” I said. “I could have sworn I saw the Triskelion Sigil in one of these books. Yet it feels like I’ve looked through every page in every book, and I can’t find a mention of it anywhere. It’s not documented very well. Which I guess makes sense, seeing as you said the original meaning has been somewhat lost.”
“There are a lot of symbols in those books. It’s possible that your eyes were so tired they flicked right over it?”
“It’s definitely possible I missed it. My eyes are starting to cross. I swear it was like a full-page illustration though, something that would be hard to miss. I remember seeing it the other day, you know?” I watched as he unbuttoned his shirt. “Anyway, it’s not important. I’ll figure it out tomorrow. It’s not like I understood it the first time I saw it.”
“I know it’s frustrating, but it’s late, and you should get some rest. You have another full day of training tomorrow.”
“Are you staying?” I asked, the hopefulness evident in my voice.
In answer, he came over and kissed me on the head. “Yes. I just need a quick shower.”
A few minutes later, freshly rinsed and smelling like clean soap and woodsy outdoors, Silas climbed into bed next to me. I curled against his warmth, grateful to have him here. Yes, I had Millie, and yes, there were strong wards in place. But nothing could replicate the feeling of safety that came with being tucked into my mate’s arms.
“You don’t talk about your history much,” I said, tracing Silas’s bare chest. “Why not?”
“It’s complicated.” His voice was gravelly and faint. “It’s a very long history, and there are many parts I don’t enjoy discussing. What makes you ask?”
“I spent most of the night reading ancient Fae texts, wishing I knew more about my history,” I admitted. “I mean, my real history. Not my New York history. I know more than I needto know about New York. I wish I’d grown up understanding more about the Fae Queens and the lore and magic associated with them. It’s all so new to me, it’s like my history has turned into this void I know nothing about. I feel like there’s so much knowledge I’m missing because I haven’t been a part of this world for long at all.”
I could feel Silas smiling in the dark. “You’ve been here for the blink of an eye, Alessia. Especially when you compare yourself to someone with a lengthy history like mine. Give yourself time, and you’ll make your own history.”
“I know, but I can’t help feeling like I’ll never catch up.”
“I don’t know that you need to catch up.” Silas stroked my hair back from my face. “I think you start right where you are. Your other history, your New York history, counts too. It made you into who you are. It shaped you into the queen that you are, that you will be.”
