Page 32 of The Night Prince

The floorboards creak beneath my feet as I wander around, stroking the spines. There are a lot of medical books, which is what I’d expect for a healer, but also history, religion, and even fiction. Absently, I chew my fingernails as I try to decide where to start. I hiss when I accidentally tear a bit of skin from my finger, then I select a few of the big, leather-bound books at random.

The cushioned window seat looks out onto the loch and the burnt-orange mountains outside, and I place my pile on it. Outside, the water is covered with early morning mist. Evenafter all the violence I have seen in the Northlands, I’m awash with the sense of peace.

I’m about to settle down when a giggle permeates the silence. I startle. A small mop of dark hair peeks out from behind the door and I smile. “Hello, Alfie.”

He grins. “I’m going to pick a book,” he announces. “About flowers, or boats, or monsters.”

Elsie appears moments later, dressed in an elegant grey dress with long sleeves. Her dark hair is tied in a bun that emphasizes her cheekbones and bright eyes.

She taps Alfie on the shoulder. “Go on, then.”

The boy squeals, tears into the library, and starts pulling books from shelves. I cannot imagine Blake is going to be pleased about the mess. The thick air is uncomfortable, and I try to share a reassuring smile with Elsie in the hope it will put her at ease, but she doesn’t react. I wonder if I overstepped last night, when I pulled her child away from the priestess.

Tense, I sit down and pick up one of the books.

She sighs, then walks toward me. “Thank you for looking out for him last night,” she says.

My shoulders soften. “It wasn’t right, the way the priestess treated you both.”

“No. It wasn’t.”

She scans the bookshelf by the window seat. I feel as if there is something else she wants to say.

“Why did the Moon Priestess treat you like that?” I ask. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Turning to me, she pulls up her sleeve. She has a tattoo on her wrist. It’s a key, with two crescent moons in the bow. Myheart beats faster. It’s the mark from the chapel that reappeared in my dream last night. “I’ve seen this before,” I say.

She steps back and readjusts her sleeve. “It’s the mark of Oidhche.”

“The God of Night.”

“Aye.” Her expression is defiant. “It’s the symbol for his prison.”

My insides tighten as I remember what Callum said about Night’s Acolytes. Blake said Elsie was not one of them at the ceremony last night. I can’t help but ask. “Why do you have this?”

She folds her arms. “My father worshipped the God of Night if you must know.” The line of her jaw is as sharp as a dagger, and I know I’ve offended her. “He meant to sacrifice me to him, hence the mark.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” I bite my bottom lip. “My father doesn’t care too much for me, either. He used to have me beaten in one of the houses of worship in the name of the Sun Goddess.”

I instantly feel as if I’ve overshared, and I’m unsure why I want to connect with this wolf so badly.

“You must know exactly how I feel, then.” Her tone is sarcastic, and I blush.

“Where is your father now?” I ask.

“The night before I was supposed to be sacrificed, I prayed to the gods. They sent me my brother.” She smiles, and something in her expression makes me shudder.

“He killed him?”

“Aye.” She looks me up and down. “He’s not good at showing it, but he likes you, you know?”

I lean forward on the cushioned seat, and my eyebrows knit together. “Who?”

“My brother.”

“Your brother is here?”

“Aye?” Her forehead creases, and she looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Blake.”

---