Apparently I was.
I left at five-fifty-eight, because giving Cosima Verraine the satisfaction of perfect obedience by being early would have been unbearable, and being late felt stupid in a way I could not afford.
The east tower common room was empty when I entered, except for Cosima at the long table beneath the windows.
She had two pages in front of her.
One was Council paper.
One was not.
“You came,” she said.
“Your message was hard to ignore.”
“It was meant to be.”
“I didn’t know you could send messages through my basin.”
“I can’t. Juno can.”
I stopped with one hand still on the door.
“Juno agreed to this?”
“Juno agreed before I finished asking. She’s my Oracle too, you know.”
I hadn’t known, but somehow it didn’t surprise me.
I stepped inside and closed the door.
Cosima’s gaze moved to the brooch at my chest.
Then to my mouth.
Then, briefly, to my wrist.
“Kieran Marsh,” she said. “Interesting choice, with a blade hanging over you. He wouldn’t have been mine.”
It was becoming embarrassing how many people in this building could apparently identify a kiss that was supposed to be secret.
“That’s a very rude thing to know.”
“Green apple,” she said. “Wind. A very annoying amount of self-satisfaction.”
My hand went to my wrist before I could stop it.
“You can read that?”
“A little. Enough.”
My face heated.
Cosima noticed, because she seemed to notice everything I didn’t want her to.
“Sit down,” she said.
I sat across from her.
