I follow her to the register. The woman behind the counter smiles at Quinn. "Back again?"
Quinn winces. "Is it that obvious?"
"You were here yesterday."
"And the day before," another employee calls from across the store.
Traitors. I don't miss the way Quinn's face flushes. Interesting. She's embarrassed by books. Not by being forced into an arranged marriage. Books.
The cashier starts scanning them, I glance at the total, and then I hand over my card.
Quinn's head snaps toward me. "What are you doing?"
"Paying."
"No." The answer is immediate.
I raise an eyebrow. "No?"
"I can buy my own books." There's a stubbornness there I haven't seen before. I find that I like it.
"I know you can."
"Then why are you trying?"
Because I want to, the answer arrives far too quickly. I ignore it.
"Consider it an investment."
She narrows her eyes. "In what?"
I glance at the pile. "If I'm going to spend the rest of my life listening to you talk about dragons, I should probably encourage the habit."
For a second she just stares at me, but then she laughs. That same genuine laugh from earlier, the one that does strange things to my chest.
I pay before she can argue further.
Outside, I carry half the books despite her protests. Marco is waiting by the car when we reach the curb. His expression gives away absolutely nothing, which means he's judging me.
"Thank you for the books," Quinn says quietly.
I look down at her; the wind catches a strand of her hair and blows it across her face. She tucks it behind her ear.
"You're welcome."
For a moment neither of us moves, but then she smiles. "I'll see you at the engagement party."
Only four days until the entire Syndicate is watching us. I nod. "Four days."
She turns and heads down the street, I immediately spot one of Ronan’s men following her. I watch her go longer than I should, when she disappears around the corner, I get into the car.
Marco pulls away from the curb. "You bought the books."
I glare at him. He keeps his eyes on the road. "I told you not to say a word."
His mouth twitches. I look out the window. For the first time in weeks, my mind isn't on the leak. It's on a girl with too many books and an irritating obsession with dragons.
And somehow, that's worse.
