I turn to find Valen watching us silently. I reach out, palm up. He hesitates, his throat moving. Lucas huffs and snatches Valen by the ruined jacket and hauls him in. Valen sneers, butacquiesces to our tight embrace. Jinx’s tail flicks around them and she headbutts my back. It’s warm, snug, and a place I find myself never wanting to leave.
Dimitar’s enraged roar makes us jump, the volume rattling my teeth. “Someone get their fucking ass up here and open the goddamn door!”
Jinx huffs and slinks up the stairs to escort the shifters from the basement and shop. Valen shrugs out of his blood-stained jacket and drapes it over my bare shoulders.
I sigh, wrapping it tightly around me. “Shall we get cleaned up and mended?”
Valen nods, his arm sliding around my hips. Lucas tosses his over my shoulders and I hum in satisfaction. A girl could get used to this.
CHAPTER 30
The days that follow are a blur of healing and cleaning. My inventory is a mess. I’ll have to close the shop for a week to ensure all the books that snuck across the magical divide are found and shoved back.
I sigh, leaning back against my front counter and eyeing the stacks before me. At least the buyer ofThe Arachnomiconcame and went with little complaint. Mr. Solomon Nightingale was a little wary when Lucas refused to open the iron box to let him inspect the book. I offered him a small discount to offset the costs of repair, which I adamantly refused to do in-house. The man’s eyes bugged when Lucas handed over the overstuffed key ring to all the various chains and padlocks.
Finally,The Arachnomiconwas out of my life. For the first time in weeks, I can breathe easily.
Valen emerges from the stacks, looking better than he has in days. Together, we managed to heal most of his scars, except for the one that slices his right eyebrow in a heart-fluttering sort of way. The sight of it now brings heat flooding into my cheeks.
His blue eyes flick up to meet mine and my breath leaves me. His hair has escaped the pomade and brushes his forehead gently.
My pocket grows heavy with the weight of the ring box that holds the engagement ring he gave me seven years ago. I retrieved it to prove that I wasn’t lying about keeping it. Now my heart is fluttering so fast that I fear I might faint. I stumble over my words like a besotted teen. “Was your search fruitful?”
“I found twenty-seven hidden in the children’s section.” He’s standing inches from me, no counter dividing us this time. His voice is a smooth melody that worsens my growing desire. “I’m not sure which is more disturbing: that there were twenty-seven cursed books, or that you have a children’s section.”
I laugh. “It’s for show. I don’t get children in here.” Nerves surge and I fiddle with my cuffs. “You’re pretty good at this. If you wanted to stay in the city, I could give you a job while you get on your feet.”
His smile turns forlorn and a sinking sensation tightens my hands. “Perhaps an alternative.” He’s closer, his heat warming me. “You could come back to the Order once my father takes control. I’m sure the archives could use someone with your expertise.”
I laugh, but it doesn’t reach my heart. “Yeah, but then I’d set up a smuggling ring with Lucas and we’d make a fortune.” Tears begin to win the battle and I duck my head. “Actually, this could work. Let’s discuss.”
Sadness tightens his gaze.
My breath trembles. “Do you even want to be Archweaver? Truly?”
He hesitates. “It’s for the good of the Order.”
“But what about you? When do you get to do the things you want?”
“It’s for the good of me, too,” he whispers. His fingers brush along mine and they leave a hollow ache inside my chest.
“I don’t believe that.” I shake my head, my voice turning strained. “I think it’s what’s expected of you.”
“Tori.” His hands cup my face. The sincerity in his eyes weakens me and I lean heavily into his touch. “Come with me. Please.” His thumb strokes the corner of my mouth, his voice low. “My love.”
My lip trembles, hating this moment with every fiber of my being. Valen’s gaze flicks away and snags on something behind me. I turn and falter.
Lucas watches us from the row of stacks leading to my loft. He turns his head away sharply and holds up his hands. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be—” He gasps for breath. “I’ll give you two space.” And he slips into the back room before I can think of something to say. My heart aches, unsure if I should go after him.
Valen murmurs, “He has a knack of appearing when he shouldn’t.”
I say nothing while I observe the way Valen’s gaze lingers on the silk curtain, the way his throat works and his eyes shift. A small hint of deep longing filters through his expressionless mask. The raw emotion softens my voice so low that only he can hear. “You could have him, too, you know. If you stayed.”
A haunted shadow crosses over Valen’s eyes, his mouth tightening. I know what he’s thinking. Though Vincentius Bauer the Third may not care if Valen has two lovers, he sure as hell will care if one of those is a magician. It would cause a divide between father and son, a fight that Valen is not sure he’s willing to have.
The rising heat of hatred worsens the pain of this moment. Vincentius. He has ruined so much for both Valen and me. I search Valen’s eyes and find none of the betrayal that I feel. It’s the hard truth of Valen. He loves his father, fully and unconditionally. It’s a foreign love to me and I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.
I mumble my question towards my shoes, unable to meet his gaze, “When are you leaving?”
