“Fine. Well done. You have succeeded at being the singularly most irritating male I’ve ever encountered. Go and congratulate yourself elsewhere.”
“It’s my castle. You’re welcome to leave, if my presence bothers you so much.”
I roll my eyes, and go back to my book about the Snowlands. “I have a theory about the bond, by the way.”
“You do? I’m all ears, little rabbit.”
I smile, because I sense him putting his guard up. He’s caging his emotions so I won’t feel them. I slide my feet from the cushion on the window seat, and turn so I’m facing him. I study his features—his light-brown eyes, framed by dark lashes, his chiseled jaw, his hand resting on the bookshelf. I want to be able to detect any change in his demeanor.
He leans forward, placing his hands on either side of my thighs, his fingers sinking into the cushion. His face is close to mine, and his eyes gleam, like he knows what I’m trying to do and he’s showing me how unconcerned he is. Arrogant bastard.
I inch closer, so our breath mingles. “I think the Heart of the Moon can break it,” I say.
His lips part, and he gasps softly. Triumph swells inside me, until I realize he’s making fun of me. A frustrated noise scrapes my throat, and I jerk up my knee so I can hit him in the crotch.
He grabs my calf, his fingers curling around the muscle. My skirt has ridden up, and the heat of his hand sears my bare skin. He stiffens slightly. My breath hitches.
“You treacherous serpent!” I pull away, and he releases me.
He grins—one of his stupid real grins—and stands straighter. The bookshelf creaks as he leans against it. “Interesting theory. Although the Heart of the Moon has been lost for centuries.”
“I have a theory about that, too, actually.” I bring my legs back up onto the window seat.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re reading about the Snowlands. You’ve been speaking to Lochlan. About your mother’s journey from the Snowlands, and the moonflower at Glas-Cladach, I presume?”
My head snaps toward him. “How did you know about that?”
His brow creases as his amusement pulses through me. “I was the one who told the Wolves to look for the Heart of the Moon in the Borderlands, remember?”
“You knew Sebastian had been there.”
“Of course I did, little rabbit. I have eyes everywhere.”
I pick my book up. “Fine. You’re so clever. Why don’t you go and bother someone else?”
“I’d rather bother you.”
I nod at the dark grey clouds that roll over the mountains outside the window—dulling the orange and the greens in the wild landscape. “Shouldn’t you start poisoning yourself in preparation for the storm? Like you did last time.”
He sighs. “Perhaps. I think I’ve finally got the ratio right for a sleeping tonic that works on Wolves.”
“Good for you. I hope you don’t accidentally slip and give yourself too much wolfsbane.”
A soft chuckle escapes his lips. “You’d better hope that’s true. If I die, you die too, little rabbit.” He pushes off from the shelf and strolls to the doorway. “If the tonic fails, perhaps I’ll distract myself by discovering what the alpha’s secret might be.” He raises the book Elsie gave me, which I didn’t realize he’d picked back up. His eyes glint. “If the other book you were reading is anything to go by, I’m guessing it has something to do with his abnormally large cock.”
A soft growl scrapes, unprovoked, against my throat. “Oh, go away!”
He laughs softly to himself as he heads down the spiral staircase, and I’m finally left in peace.
***
By nightfall, Callum has still not returned.
The shadows in the library are long and ominous and thunder rumbles through the castle. It’s like a bad omen of things to come. Worry tightens my chest. I need to know that Callum is alright. I feel helpless, because there’s nothing I can do.
I’m not usually afraid of the dark, but I shiver when I put my books away, grab my candle, and hurry down the stairs. The torches in the corridors burn low as I make my way back to our chambers. I want to be in bed, safe, under the covers.
I quicken my step. I hum the tune my mother used to sing to me as a child. One of the vials of wolfsbane I took fromthe infirmary is in the pocket of my dress, and I let its weight comfort me.