Page 40 of Prisoner of the Lycan Prince

“Prince Einar isn’t a monster,” he’d insisted.

So what was he? A bully or…something else?

Someone who treats your injuries, a little voice whispered in my head.

Yeah, but he did that to make sure I didn’t get an infection. He said it himself.

He lined up bags of flour and salt for you.

I looked at the shelves, my heart thumping faster. In my mind, I imagined him pushing a shopping cart down the grocery aisles, his arrogance and royal airs woefully out of place in such a mundane environment. But he’d done it—and he’d done it for me. He’d done other things for me too. Like sit at the foot of my bed, his eyes shifting from silver to gold as he issued orders in a near-growl. “Be a good girl and make yourself come.”

Were those the words of a man who couldn’t wait to escape my presence? Follow the facts. If I wanted to do that, I needed to go to the source.

Whirling, I strode from the pantry and made my way to Einar’s study. The door was cracked, and I stopped outside, my heart pounding in my ears.

This was stupid. I told him I never wanted to see him again. Now I was seeking him out? He was probably going to laugh in my face and then send me straight to my room.

Despite my misgivings, my feet carried me forward. I nudged the door wider, and Einar’s desk came into view. But he wasn’t behind it. Heart thumping, I pushed the door all the way open. The study was empty. No fire burned in the hearth. Maybe he wasn’t working today.

Or maybe he really was avoiding me. Just as I turned to go, a leather-bound book on the desk caught my eye. Thick and wide, the book was far too big to fit in any of the study’s bookcases. Silvery lettering decorated the cover. As I hesitated in the doorway, the book appeared to glow.

I looked toward the study’s tall windows, expecting to see the sunlight responsible for the book’s aura. But the sky outside was overcast and gray. No, the glow came from the book itself.

Only half aware of what I was doing, I eased past the door and approached the desk. As I neared it, the book’s silver script glowed more brightly. The letters were thick and ornate—and definitely not English.

A sound at my back made me whip around. Einar stood in the doorway, his wide shoulders filling the frame. His eyes gleamed like pewter, and his dark blond hair looked damp as if he’d just come from the shower. The faintest hint of forest and leather teased my lungs.

“Harper,” Einar said, his deep voice rumbling across the space between us. The two syllables of my name curled around me, caressing places I had no business thinking about.

“I…” I swallowed against a dry throat, his penetrating stare doing odd things to my stomach. “I was just…”

“You were curious.” He closed the space between us, his eyes holding something…soft. Before I could figure it out, he stopped beside me, his large frame casting a shadow over the desk. “But it’s dangerous to be curious about this book.”

I tore my gaze off him long enough to look at the glowing letters. The long, elegant swirls seemed to shimmer and dance like a mirage in the desert. “Why?”

He stared down at the book, his features even more rugged in profile. “It displays itself differently to each person. Whatever entices you the most is what you’ll see.” Slowly, he reached out and touched a fingertip to the edge of the leather. The book rippled like the surface of a lake, the silver letters wavering and then reforming.

Goosebumps pebbled my skin. Every time I thought I was used to magic, something new surprised me.

I looked at Einar. “Why is that a bad thing?”

Einar met my gaze. “The book gains power when it’s read. If you read long enough, it will show you whatever knowledge your heart desires. But there’s a catch. Over time, its magic has evolved to make you so engrossed you’ll start reading and never stop. To open it is to risk surrendering to its power. People have wasted away in front of it.”

Wariness drifted through me. “Why do you have it?”

A teasing look entered his eyes. “I think you’ll agree I could stand to use a little more knowledge.”

Wait. Was he flirting with me? “Aren’t you afraid it’ll trap you?”

His gaze dipped to my mouth. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but gold appeared to flicker through his eyes. “Are you worried about me?”

My breath caught. “No,” I said, my voice husky in my ears. Warmth spread through me, echoes of lust teasing at my nipples and the sensitive places between my legs. I throbbed there, heat building.

Einar lifted his gaze to mine. A knowing, challenging look glinted in the gold-sheened depths. “Ah, Miss Ward. I smell a lie.”

Chapter

Fourteen

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