Page 23 of Wicked Curses
She was still too prickly for his liking, but she was entertaining, and he suspected this little witch might help him figure a way out of here. If anyone could do it, it was this obstinate, intelligent woman who would do whatever it took to protect and get back to the ones she loved.
He wouldn’t let himself think about the nearly four hundred other immortals here who, at one time, were also determined to leave. A rare few of them were probably smart, too, and they were still stuck here.
“Why are you here?” she demanded.
“Belda told me you signed up for library duty. I wasn’t surprised.”
Sahira planted her hands on her hips. “And why is that?”
“You seem like a bookish little witch.”
“I don’t know what a ‘bookish little witch’ is supposed toseemlike, but it’s not me. I would have preferred the gardens.”
Orin tilted his head as he studied her. “Then why sign up for the library?”
He’d be extremely disappointed if she did it to avoid the witches. She’d never backed down from a challenge before, and he disliked weak immortals far more than prickly ones. He’d still have sex with her but wouldn’t enjoy it as much.
“Why do you care?” she demanded.
“I’m curious.”
“You do know what happened to the cat, right?”
His amusement returned. No, this woman couldn’t have avoided the gardens because of the witches. She was too feisty for that.
“Are you going to kill me, witch?”
“I’m sure I’d have to fight through a pretty long line to get the chance.”
“I chopped off that line in this realm. No one would dare to get into it now.”
“I would.”
He laughed as he leaned closer; the little witch didn’t move away. She hadn’t signed up for the library to avoid the witches. She didn’t avoid anyone.
“So why the library?” he asked.
Sahira’s attention shifted to the three-story wood structure behind him. Like the rest of the original buildings, the wood facade hid a steel frame that made it more secure against an attack.
“Because I figured that if there were any answers in this realm, the library might be the best place to start looking for them. Working here would give me more time to hunt for them.”
Not only wasn’t she backing down, but his witch was using her brain. He approved… even if she was going down a road he’d guarantee almost every immortal in this realm had already traveled. He’d started along it too.
“Don’t you think most of the immortals here have already gone through most of these books?” he asked.
“I’m sure many of them have gone throughallof them. But we could have ten thousand or amillionimmortals and humans all searching for an answer and never finding it. Then we could haveonewho looks at things differently, or sees something different, and discovers the answer.”
He rubbed his chin as he returned to admiring the swell of her breasts. An enticing body to go with all that determination and brains. He liked it.
Of course, he was sure some of the other women he’d been with were smart and beautiful; he’d just never talked to them long enough to find out. Because of their relatives and now this place, he’d spoken with Sahira more. He was glad she was proving not to be a wilting flower.
“It only takes one to change everything,” he murmured as he shifted his attention back to the library.
Maybe Sahira would see something in one of the books he’d read that he hadn’t. He doubted it, but it was worth a try.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Sahira rolledher eyes before brushing past him. Orin was sure she would have preferred not to touch him, but she couldn’t get past him without doing so.
