A Beast's Tale

Chapter 36

 She didn't go home during her lunch break.

I knew because I finished my work early and went to the library, and there she was, curled up on the window seat with a blanket over her lap, a book in her hand—and Leon standing over her. They were both smiling. When they turned and saw me, the right side of Leon's smile tipped up into a smirk, and then he returned his attention to her, dropping a hand on her head and ruffling her hair. She swatted his hand away, but his playful gesture made her smile even wider.

Ridiculous.

That decided for me. I was taking my selected book elsewhere.

Now, I had to select a book.

I was running out of new reading material. Belle's promised foreign military manuals held great intrigue for me, but she had to send her attendant back to the store to retrieve them. I'd have to task Clavis with a shopping trip when he returned to see what other gems that store had on its shelves.

I sighed and pulled the book of Garnetian poetry from its spot between two other poetry collections. He had until tonight. If he wasn't back by midnight, then he needed assistance, and I'd have to ride out first thing in the morning to confront Gilbert myself. I hoped they would simply settle the terms of their deal and schedule Clavis' nonsense, but it was possible Gilbert would seize this as an opportunity to lure me into a trap, and if so, he wouldn't release my fool brother until I played his game. And if I refused, it was no loss to him. Clavis had his uses, and he'd doubtless killed the spy by now, tying up a loose end and eliminating a failure from his ranks. He'd achieved what he'd set out to accomplish.

"Chevalier," Leon greeted me, walking into the back room. "Seems like Ivetta's over whatever happened between you two yesterday, which is good news for you. I was ready to slug you just for making her clean up that blood in the gardens."

"I see you don't trust Jin's judgment, either."

"'Either'? Who—nevermind. I can guess." Leon grinned. "I trust him, but he makes too many allowances for his little brothers sometimes, and you're impossible to read. Ivetta can't hide anything, though. If she says everything's good, it's good. So, what's the deal with Clavis?"

"The situation is under control," I said, brushing past him on my way out the door.

He followed me. "What's under control? I get you can't tell me the details, but the stunts Clavis pulls often affect my faction, too, and I'd like a little heads-up if he's about to make more work for me."

Ivetta had returned to her book, I noted with a glance toward the alcove. "That is unlikely, and this is not the place for this discussion."

"I realize that. Your office?"

"Your room."

His amber eyes widened. "My—what?"

I didn't reply. Nobody would look for me in his bedroom, and if he insisted on bothering me, then he could shelter me there for a few hours, especially since he'd want to talk about Ivetta and our little competition as well. I needed to withdraw from that. Goading him by flirting with her was no longer an option. It was in my best interest to minimize such contact with her, and if that meant conceding defeat, then I had to do so. Not that I counted this as a loss to him. She wanted to be on good terms with him and the rest of my brothers, but she had no desire for anything more than that. We had all lost.

"Clavis hasn't really turned traitor this time, has he?" Leon asked as he let us into his room.

I couldn't recall ever having been here before. Varying shades of blue colored the walls and the ceiling, with gold accents along the trim and a chandelier composed of polished gold and glistening clear crystals hanging in prominence above us. Two seven-foot windows along one wall gave a clear view of the storm, which had lost minimal strength over the morning, and rich blue, red, and gold decorated his bedspread, pillows, and padded headboard. All to be expected in a prince's bedroom. I had not, however, expected to see built-in bookcases flanking either side of his bed.