Page 58 of Compass Points
Arie had another idea.
“I’ll distract him while you two get out of here,”he said with delight.
Rose saw him spread his wings and dive toward the clerk as he returned to the atrium.
“What the—”
Rose heard the clerk’s exclamation as she nodded at Luc. “Arie says that’s our cue.”
Luc ran, still carrying Rose, around the outside of the aisles. They were able to slip out the main entrance unnoticed as Arie continued to dive toward the clerk, herding him out of their path.
Luc set Rose down as they stepped onto the street. She couldn’t help but laugh wildly at their endeavor.
“We must have looked so ridiculous,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“You might have looked ridiculous. I looked like a hero, sweeping you into my arms to save the day.”
“Ah yes, how could I have missed that.” She carefully placed the dagger in her bag. “So I guess we call this mission a success?” she asked.
“Most definitely. A little breaking and entering, a bit of magic, and a lot of Norden history. I hope we have a thousand more nights like this.” His face sobered as he realized what he’d said, what he’d implied.
Rose took his hand. “There’s no one else I’d rather commit petty theft with,” she said as she squeezed it.
She didn’t question it when she felt a black cat slink around her ankles.
“Alright, Arie?”
“I agree with Luc. That was fun. Do we have any more secret missions?”
“I’d say that was enough for today. Let’s go get some food.” She couldn’t hide her grin as they set off back to the military quarter.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Things went according to plan for the first time in days. The dress they allegedly came for was delivered in short order. She didn’t even check the dress as she asked, “Who picked this out?”
“I sent instructions for it before we arrived.”
She narrowed her eyes at him as she asked, “You don’t think I wanted to pick it out?”
“First, no. It doesn’t seem like something you’d want to do. Second, as your current romantic partner, I consider myself highly qualified in understanding your physical attributes and the best way to showcase them in a rather daring statement.”
She rolled her eyes and finished packing up for their return journey.
The two days of travel seemed oddly relaxing in contrast to the plans they had when they arrived back at Compass Lake. She couldn’t help but enjoy her time with Luc. He was an excellent partner in crime, a strong leader from what she’d heard from his army, and a thoughtful fake romantic partner.
Being honest with herself for once, she acknowledged that he was everything she wanted for herself in anactualromantic partner. If the chemistry between them was any indication, she must fit what he was looking for quite nicely too. She just wasn’t sure how to come to terms with the fact that he was the Suden Point.
So much had changed for her in such a short time. The mist had taken Tara from her, though only temporarily, she hoped. She’d left the isolation of Bury to come back to the one place she’d run from. She was on the arm of the Suden Point as his fake lover. She knew the weapons she magically forged could stop the mist plague, though not heal those who had fallen to it. She’d also told the Suden Point, of all people, that she was the rightful Norden Point and able to wield the magic of two fae courts.
Unheard-of change and unheard-of claims, but Luc had been there with her through all of it. He’d been a solid and somehow reassuring presence. How did she reconcile that with the idea that if she successfully reclaimed the Norden Point position, she wasn’t supposed to be with him? Ignoring it seemed best as they crested the mountain pass, and she could see Compass Lake again.
She’d been away only days after leaving for years but found that her magic missed Compass Lake’s power.
“Does your magic miss the lake when you travel?” she asked Luc.
“Definitely,” Luc replied. He hesitated momentarily but continued, “I told you that my power is never stronger than when at the Suden house, but it also feels different in other areas filled with their own magic. The Lake of the Gods felt good. I can see why you settled there. The magic was wild but also very soothing.”
She nodded. The words probably made no sense to someone listening to their conversation, but they made perfect sense to her. She had picked it for its wild isolation. In that wilderness, she found unbelievable peace. Considering what she’d run from, she’d thought she would never know peace again.
