Alabaster Cities (Kings and Thieves Book #2)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Ari," Jamie giggled, pulling away for the thousandth time. "We're supposed to be focusing."

"I am focused." Giving her his best lopsided smirk, Ari absently pulled the sleeve of her gown back up from where it had slipped on her shoulder and let his hand skim over the smoothness of her skin.

"I'm serious." Jamie turned away as she tried to set her hair back to rights, fixing him with a glare that made Ari want to kiss her again.

Ari leaned back to inspect her expression, at the little twitch of her nose which meant she was trying to be stern and was failing. "Alright, fine," he relented. "We can go through the books again, but I'm telling you— there is no documented evidence of a poison consistently containing these symptoms."

"I believe you." She thumbed through one of the pages of the volume they'd been studying, her forehead wrinkling delicately. "I don't understand any of this sort of thing. Medicine and chemicals, and such."

"That's alright. I don't think exactly how I did it matters, at least right now. Who and how are my top priorities at the moment." Ari pushed his hair out of his forehead. Their conversation with the witch coven the night before had been more helpful than he'd expected; especially with Dahlia's elixir potion thing, or whatever it was.

"Do you really suppose her tea cleanses toxins from the system?" said Jamie, as if she'd read his mind.

"I don't doubt it. Witch magic is... surprisingly reliable." At least that left one less thing to concern himself with; Ari really wasn't trying to worry about getting poisoned in the middle of his investigation.

"We should go; we're joining up everyone back at the palace."

"I'll meet you in five minutes." He tugged on Jamie's wrist, kissing her on the cheek before he could decide not to. She blushed and exited through the sitting room door. She glanced once at him over her shoulder, as if she didn't want to leave.

Ari hurried back to his room to fetch his things, feeling somewhat relieved.

His new tactic was just not thinking; rather doing the things that he wanted without ruminating too long on the consequences. It was liberating, in a way, and when he wasn't brooding over Jamie Ari had more room to focus on his job; the most pressing matter at hand.

Despite the situation at hand, could things, just once, finally be going his way?

A rap sounded at his door. Ari shucked his coat on around his shoulders.
"What is it?"

"Captain," Inez's voice muffled through the door. "I believe Aveline wanted to speak to you."

"Alright, I'm coming." He grabbed his pistol from the table and stuffed it in his belt before leaving.

Aveline, Lyla, and Eli were waiting in the Great Hall, their heads bent together as they conversed in hushed tones.

"There you are." Lyla raised her chin as she saw them approaching. "We have to be more careful about our investigating. Apparently someone saw us leaving last night."

"One of the guards," Eli clarified, rocking back on his heels. "I made up an excuse, but you'll have to be practically invisible from now on."

"Which should be difficult, since Dana asked us to accompany the princess and her entourage on an outing today," put in Aveline. Ari wondered if she noticed the longing stares that Eli continuously gave her when she wasn't looking, but if she had she didn't let on.

"What? Why?" said Jamie.

"Rather than outwardly kicking us out of the palace after all the trouble we've caused, it seems they're trying to keep us as busy as possible."