Page 32 of Bound By Fate
"There she is," he said softly. "Break time."
"I don't get breaks. Marrow said?—"
"Dean Marrow isn't in my Archives. I am. And in my Archives, we take tea breaks at 3:00 PM." He held out a hand.
I watched, holding my breath. A week ago, Amelia would have slapped his hand away. She would have made a comment about his lack of magic or his blood status.
But today? Today, she hesitated. She looked at his hand like it was a lifeline.
Slowly, shakily, she reached out. Arthur pulled her up effortlessly.
"Fine," she said, dusting off her knees. "But only because I'm dehydrated."
"Of course," he winked. "Come on. I found a first edition ofThe Theory of Magical ConstraintI think you'll hate."
They walked past my hiding spot, heading toward Arthur's office. I pressed myself flat against the bookshelf, heart hammering.
As they passed, I saw Amelia’s face. The mask was gone. She looked young. Terrified. And... hopeful.
"You're an idiot, Arthur," I heard her say, but her voice lacked its usual venom.
"Probably," he agreed.
I waited until their footsteps faded into the office before I let out a breath.
I had come here for a book. But I found something else.
Amelia Vance wasn't just a villain anymore. She was a recruit.
I slipped out of the stacks, abandoning theNull Theorysearch. I needed to tell the Triad.
The war had shifted. We had a new player on the board.
By the time I made it back to the penthouse, the weather had turned.
"He's planning something big," I said, bursting into the room.
Rhett was sharpening a dagger on the coffee table. Kai was sketching sigils. Lucien was staring out the window at the darkening sky.
"We know, babe," Rhett said, theshhhk-shhhkof the whetstone filling the silence. "The guy eats magic."
"Not that," I said, locking the door. "Amelia."
"What about her?" Kai looked up, frowning. "Did she try to curse you again? I'll turn her into a ficus. A really ugly ficus."
"No," I shook my head. "I saw her in the Archives. With Arthur."
"Arthur?" Lucien turned from the window. "Is he safe?"
"He's... flirting," I said, still trying to process what I’d seen. "Or something like it. He’s civilizing her. He gave her tea."
"Tea isn't a redemption arc, Lina," Rhett grumbled.
"It’s a start," I insisted. "She looked different. She didn't look like a Vance. She looked like a girl who just realized her parents are monsters."
"Join the club," Kai muttered.
"If Arthur can turn her," I said, pacing the room, "if he can get her on our side... she knows things. She knows where the bodies are buried. Literally. Her father funded half the dark magic research on the West Coast."
