“You’re the one who’s more likely to spill it,” he jested. “How’s your studying going?”
“It's harder than I thought.”
“Is there any way I can help?”
“Not really. Some of these symbols are so similar, I keep getting them switched around. I just need to keep practicing.”
Casimir poured a cup and handed it to her. “Drink.”
“Bossy general,” she muttered, suppressing a smile. She took a sip and hummed at the minty flavor. “Thank you.”
“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
She shook her head. “I’m still full from dinner. I’m alright.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “What?” he said.
“You always do that.”
He leaned back in his chair, toying with her unbound hair. “Do what?”
“Get me tea…fix my plate…make sure I’m eating…and so on.”
“I like taking care of you.”
“I like it too. But let me take care of you sometimes.”
With a twinkle in his golden eyes and a smirk on his face, he lowered his voice to a sensual growl. “Oh you already do, love.”
She smacked his shoulder. “Naughty fae brute. You ruined a sweet moment.”
He chuckled.
Ava tilted her head. “So, what are you up to besides shamelessly flirting with me in the library?”
“It’s getting late. I came to bring you tea and to convince you to come to bed…”
“And?”
“And to let you know we’ve finalized our plans to leave for Igneothenia.”
Ava paused. The next significant step in this war was here. “When do we leave?”
“Three days. We’ll meet up with Saxumdale’s army on the way.”
Ava took another sip, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.
Casimir reached across the space between them and cupped her cheek, leaning in. “Come to bed,” he said as he kissed her. “You can study more tomorrow.”
She hummed against his lips. “Only if you tell me a story about when you used to get into tavern brawls when you were younger.”
Casimir groaned. “Raine…”
10
Aweek later, they were camped in a large field on the outskirts of their kingdom, not far from Oakshire—the town Andras had decimated. That battle felt like it happened a lifetime ago. Ava would never forget the way Raine had collapsed after Andras’ assault, the terror that gripped her as she tried to escape her enemy’s clutches and get to her friend.
The journey to Igneothenia was precarious. If they marched too far south, they’d skirt the edge of Deidamia’s primary war camp—whose numbers had grown since Casimir’s rescue—but if they moved too far north, they’d pass by Frosthaven, the ice kingdom allied with the daemon queen.
