Page 117 of Crown of Briars
I swallowed, glancing down at Sybelle once again. This felt like a trap. Clearly whoever was in the bathing chamber wasnotSybelle. What if someone was trying to lure me away from her side so they could attack her?
“Varius, please.” Sybelle’s voice was a strained moan now, and my entire body stiffened at the note of pleasure in her voice.
She sounded like…
Mother of Shade. Was this real? Surely, I was still dreaming. I flicked one of my claws over my forearm and felt a sharp lanceof pain. Black blood bloomed from the wound, and I sniffed it. The tangy metallic scent was familiar to me.
This was real.
I looked at Sybelle again, who turned her head slightly and let out a soft sigh. More moans echoed from the bathing chamber.
My curiosity got the better of me. Telling myself I would only peer into the chamber without actually losing sight of Sybelle, I inched closer to the bathing room. The glow intensified, forming a strange orange light that flared as if it had its own rhythm. In and out. Brighter and dimmer.
“Can I touch it?” Sybelle asked breathlessly, her voice bouncing off the chamber walls. Her breath hitched, and a surprised laugh rang out.
The light sharpened, and I squinted against its brilliance. When it faded once more, I pinpointed its source: a pile of towels.
I frowned. This had to be someone’s idea of a prank.
I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Warwick was behind this. It sounded like something he would do to drive me mad.
“Varius, Ineedyou,” Sybelle crooned.
The glow flashed, then faded, and I cocked my head, brow furrowing. There was a small bundle stashed under the pile of towels. Whatever it was partially blocked the glow.
I crept into the bathing chamber, each step slow and methodic as I waited for an assailant to jump out at me. When I reached the towels, I crouched to the floor before carefully easing them off the bundle.
I recognized Sybelle’s cloak immediately. After sifting through the layers of fabric, I found a pouch made of some kind of rough material. The flash of light glowing from within nearly blinded me. Hissing against the blazing intensity, I pulled on the strings, fumbling with the small, round objects contained inside before I found the one that was glowing. When my fingersclamped around it, the glow disappeared, and I heard Sybelle’s voice in my head as if she were crouched right next to me.
“Stones, Varius, it’s so big,”she breathed.“Will it hurt me?”
My mouth fell open in shock. I looked over my shoulder, half expecting to find Sybelle there, uttering these things. But I was alone in the chamber.
She was panting now.“Please,”she rasped.“Please, I can’t wait any longer.”
The object felt like a small rock. I pulled it completely out of the pouch, trying to blot out her loud moans from my mind.
It was a gemstone. The brownish-gold color matched the glow that had been beckoning me earlier. My eyes narrowed as I realized the gem looked familiar.
It was nearly identical to the one Sybelle wore around her neck every day.
Shock rippled through me. She said her fae magic was tethered to gemstones. Was this her magic at work? Was she summoning me to her in a dream?
My throat tightened. I didn’t have to guess what she was dreaming about.
Me.And her.
Naked.
Sybelle cried out, and I jumped to my feet in alarm. Her shout tapered off into a moan of delight.
Whatever was happening in her dream had just escalated.
I looked down at the pouch on the floor, then glanced toward the bedchamber, unsure of what to do. Discard the gem and run to wake her? Or keep the gem in my hand in case the strange glow reappeared?
What did this magicmean? Was she trying to communicate with me? Was she in trouble? Or was this entirely accidental?
I clenched the stone so tightly in my fist that it formed small grooves in my palm. Gritting my teeth, I strode out of the bathing chamber just as another cry of ecstasy flooded mymind. Those sounds were driving me mad. She whispered my name, her breaths becoming more frantic and wild.
