Page 50 of Librarian

Those same eyes watched on while Mathias stabbed me, and yet…

I’m no longer in the habit of denying myself. I’ve almost died twice now, and all without ever experiencing what it’s like to kiss a gorgeous asshole who might hate me.

Or at least, that’s what I tell myself as I take a step toward him next.

“To the victor…” I trail off, taking his wrist in one hand to check the cut he received.

It’s gone. Even the blood has disappeared. Did he heal it? I turn his hand over in mine, noting the thin cuff he showed me earlier, and the others he wears.

The runeform etched into the one above it is for illusion. Before I can decipher it, he pinches my chin between the forefinger and thumb of his other hand, forcing my head to tilt up

Pierce’s mouth descends on mine with a ferocity I wasn’t prepared for.

Oh.

I have no idea what I expected kissing him to be like. I should’ve guessed he would be as unyielding and demanding in this as he is in everything else. There’s nothing for me to do butgive in, falling headfirst into the hurricane of need and secrets that passes between us with a hushed moan.

I’m breathless, swaying slightly, when my palm lands on his sweat-slicked chest to steady myself. The skin that looked so smooth feels unexpectedly rough. Suspicion stiffens my spine, and a little part of me dies inside.

I stroke down, feeling more hidden raised lines.

A second pass of my palm confirms it. What I was admiring before was a veneer. A lie.

Pierce Carlton is covered in scars that no one else can see.

He notices. Of course he does. I expect him to draw back, to pin me with a warning glare. He doesn’t. Instead, he kisses me a little deeper, tongue sweeping out and tangling with my own until my thoughts become slippery and hard to pin down.

Stars, I’m panting as hard as he is, and I can’t meet his eyes as I step away.

The urge to confront him about it is there, but he’s made the choice to hide them. It would be impertinent to disregard that.

Later…later I’ll ask. For now, I’ll respect his privacy.

“Right, well…” I try to summon my composure. “If you’re all done messing around, I have a grimoire to fill.”

I’m not imagining the way Pierce’s scowl eases slightly at my announcement. I turn away before I can read too deeply into it.

“I thought we might escape having to deal with him,” Lambert grumbles as I return to my work. “But that’s not happening, is it?”

I don’t have an answer, which means I’m almost relieved when Hazel bursts into the gym, searching the room.

Finally, she finds her brother and blurts, “Isidora Carlton is coming!”

Fifteen

Dakari

We’ve been expecting them ever since we broke Kyrith out of the Arcanaeum, but seeing the convoy of silver Aston Martins approaching the fort doesn’t ease the stranglehold of anticipation wrapped around my throat. It just makes it worse.

They’re still a few minutes out, but there’s no way it’s anyone other than Isidora Carlton. Did she come here herself? Or are these just Carlton minions sent to intimidate us?

“They turned up.”

Leo is the last person I want to see right now. Given the grudging expression he wears as he climbs the steps onto the battlements and leans over the edge, he feels the same.

I say nothing. Below us, the McKinleys are hurriedly renewing the runeforms chalked onto the outer wall. Adding more.

They’ve got the defence of this place sorted.