Chapter 3 - Glory #2
My attention finally settled on the two men behind the desk.
The one sitting down was the demon in question, who I recognized from the sketched portraits in the newspapers.
He lounged in his chair, his feet propped on the desk to show off the tall boots made of supple brown leather and the tan breeches that hugged his thighs.
His white shirt was open at the neck, revealing the spattering of dark hair across his chest, and his brown vest lay unbuttoned and gaping, giving me an unnecessary hint of the flat, muscular torso and broad shoulders that hid beneath the shirt.
My gaze roved up to his face, and I bit down on my contempt at the smirk I found there.
A pair of crimson eyes gleamed with amusement and arrogance in the middle of a handsome face—all tanned skin, dark stubble, and a sweep of chestnut hair above a high brow.
The only flaws in the man’s features were a scar that cut through his left eyebrow and another on his chin, and instead of marring his beauty, they enhanced the roguishness wafting off him like a spiced cologne.
I didn’t know the man standing beside him.
Tall, easily six-and-a-half feet. His brown eyes, flecked with gold, scanned me from head to toe.
Dark auburn hair shot through with fiery red stood in sharp contrast to his tailored charcoal-grey suit, though I caught a hint of cloth-of-gold lining hidden beneath the businesslike exterior.
A single gold earring hung from his right ear.
Under the coat, he wore a red-and-gold waistcoat, a white shirt, charcoal tie, gold cuff links…
and a copper pocket watch, which I found peculiar given the rest of the gold.
I wished I were here to speak with the man in the suit, but of course my appointment—and foreseeable future—was with the man who looked as though he’d been dragged out of a brothel.
It was no surprise that Cammon was beautiful; he was a demon.
Everything about him was designed to tempt the unwary into exploring their most primal instincts.
I’d never heard of him indulging his appetites to the point of killing his conquests, but death by demon wasn’t my fear.
Death by demon breaking down my guarded walls and revealing my secret to a king who would order my execution was what terrified me.
I’d already experienced the power of his foyer, but it was nothing compared to the energy wafting off him like a miasma of attraction.
And there was something else. Something…
I drew in a deeper breath through my nose to follow the subtle scent, rich and tantalizing.
Blood. Not a lot, but enough to make my mouth water.
Olodin’s bookcases, this was bad. Ashara’s warning floated through my head again, and I clung to it a bit more fiercely.
The seduction in Cammon’s expression I could ignore, but his blood smelled amazing.
I clenched my teeth and swallowed my sudden flare of hunger, grateful I had a supply—if less appealing—at home to satisfy it.
Those striking red eyes swept over me, lingering over a few places on my person before settling on my face, which I kept carefully blank.
I wondered if he tasted my bloodlust and was confusing it for something else and worked harder to tamp down the yearning for the ambrosia running through his veins.
“Cammon Ruxo?”
He grinned, revealing straight white teeth that stood out against his golden skin. “You must be the mage your king said was coming.”
“I am Gloria Dolan, a member of King Evaniel’s mages’ council. You know why I’m here?”
Cammon quirked an eyebrow and canted his head, reassessing me. “He mentioned something about a job. I didn’t realize the person he was sending would be so…” He flicked his fingers at me to sum up his opinion, and I didn’t bother to interpret the gesture.
“As fascinating as this is, I have a job to prepare for, so I’ll leave you to it,” the other man said.
He gave me a small bow and retreated, and as soon as the doors closed behind him, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Cammon’s gaze might have been curious, but no real interest lurked behind the red, and I understood as clearly as if he’d voiced it that he had no more desire to speak with me than I did to remain in his presence.
“His Majesty is in need of assistance,” I forced myself to say. “You’ve heard about his betrothed?”
Cammon’s eyes narrowed. “Poisoned, wasn’t she?”
“Cursed. Either way, she’s comatose and fading. The royal healers believe she doesn’t have more than a month or so left. As you can imagine, King Evaniel is distraught.”
He sucked in his cheeks in an effort to hide his smile. “Is he really? I can’t imagine your emotionless leader distraught.”
I could admit my choice of adjective was inaccurate, just as Cammon’s was in his choice of emotionless. The king of Golthwaine wasn’t one to emote outwardly, it was true, but he hid his thoughts behind a glaze of contempt, not neutrality.
“Be that as it may, he’s determined to save her. I happen to have a way to do it.” I allowed my pride to come through my statement. I wanted him to taste it, to know I would be in charge of this mission.
That eyebrow of his quirked higher, taunting me to snatch a pair of tweezers to pluck it one feathery hair at a time. “If you already have the answer, why do you need me?”
I tongued my canine tooth, a vampiric habit even when my fangs weren’t elongated, and swallowed the foulness of my next confession. “I know where the means exists. I’m not currently in possession of it.”
A curling smile rose to match the eyebrow. “Do tell.”
“It’s an amulet. Enchanted to heal even the most dire of cases according to the notes of the mage who created it.”
I did my best to bury all the ifs and maybes, but it was impossible to leave them out completely. The nature of my research didn’t lend itself to absolutes despite the certainty I’d tried to show His Majesty.
Cammon slouched deeper in his chair and rested his entwined fingers across his stomach.
The shift teased open the neckline of his shirt, revealing more sun-kissed skin, and displayed to better advantage his muscle-hardened chest. I kept my eyes on his face and raised the guards around myself even higher.
“Where exactly is this supposed cure, then?”
I ignored the patronizing wording of his question and wrapped myself in the confidence of my findings as I pulled a map out of my satchel, the result of years of labour.
“All my notes point to this region in northeastern Golthwaine. Not far from Blue Harbour.”
I stretched the heavy parchment out on the desk, and Cammon dropped his legs to the floor to lean forward.
The first hint of interest flickered in his expression as he surveyed the expanse of the country, from the forests that surrounded the city of Golth, the jagged mountains that cut through the east, and the winding coast that lined the Never Sea to the north.
All places I’d never been or imagined I would ever go.
The thought of embarking on this journey tugged harshly on my nerves, but I shushed the anxiety. I would have my books and maps to guide me. After all I’d read about the world, how scary could facing it in person be?
“It’s been a while since I’ve gone that way,” Cammon said, jerking me out of my ruminations. “Not too bad by ship. A week at most depending on weather.”
“It would be,” I agreed, “if we could travel by ship.”
He looked up at me, pinning me with the intensity of his stare. “Oh?”
I quietly cleared my throat but pulled my shoulders back so he didn’t take the cough as a sign of unease.
“The information I have about this amulet comes from a centuries-old journal and a few previous researchers’ notes.
They’re not complete. I have good reason to believe the amulet exists and that its resting place is near the harbour, but in order to locate it, I need to follow the path mentioned in the journal.
According to the entries, Mage Tersey created signposts—landmarks—to guide him back to his artifact should he ever need it again. ”
More judgement leached into Cammon’s eyes, and I gritted my teeth.
This was one reason among so many that I hadn’t wanted to seek anyone’s help.
We didn’t have time for me to convince this demon that my deductions were based on more hours of research than he’d probably put into anything in his life.
I was more than able to take this on by myself.
I had found the reference to the amulet in the old texts.
I had done the research about where it might be found.
I had compiled all the information and maps needed to track the amulet down.
All I needed to do now was follow the trail, solve the clues, and find the damned thing.
“You have an idea on where these signposts will take you?” he asked.
Not wanting to waste my breath explaining the details when I knew he’d dismiss them anyway, I pointed to the notations I’d spent countless nights making on the map.
“These purple marks are where I suspect the first few signposts to be. The blue ones are based on vague references in the notes where more might be. As long as I’m able to interpret the directions on each signpost, we should be able to discover each subsequent one with relative ease.”
I hoped so, anyway. Princess Brynna didn’t have time for us to fail.
Cammon set the tips of his long, solid fingers on the first mark.
“This is quite the journey.” He slid those fingers across the length of the parchment, not lingering over any of my notes. “You’ll pass through ogre territory, shifter territory, and right through dragon territory.”
With every word, my stomach tightened, and I stared harder at his fingertips as they made the trek and tapped lightly over every region.
“Whoever goes on this trip will be lucky to survive the first leg, let alone make it home intact.”
I’d known that without him telling me, but surely it couldn’t be as bad as all that.
After all, he’d done it often enough on his own.
But fine, I could admit that maybe—maybe—the idea of facing some of these trials had made going by myself a little daunting.
But I would have figured it out, I was sure of it.
I stared at the top of his head when he refused to look up. “That’s why you were recommended to His Majesty.”
“You seem capable enough. Why doesn’t he send you by yourself?”
Although his tone was flat, I registered the mockery in every syllable. If he hadn’t schooled his expression, those flawless lips would have curled into a smirk.
The urge to snatch my map away from him and walk out made my toes twitch, but I forced myself to remain still. I was here under orders. If I obeyed those orders, I would get everything I wanted. Putting up with this ass was a small price to pay for my dream.
Burying my pride, I said, “I don’t have the…
skills required to make the journey alone.
” Despite his best efforts, those lips ticked upwards, and I barrelled through, needing to get the words out before I changed my mind and kicked him in the testicles instead.
How dare this man dismiss me so easily? Dismiss my work?
“I would have preferred it, believe me, but His Majesty insisted you accompany me as someone experienced in this sort of matter.”
I allowed myself a moment to assess the demon, arching my eyebrow in an expression of blatant disapproval.
Cammon sank back in his chair, resuming his infuriating slouch. “I am most certainly experienced, and I am the best at what I do. Alone. Let me know how much your king’s willing to pay, give me the map and the journal, and I’ll go myself. Given my track record, I’m sure Evaniel won’t object.”
A laugh burst out of me. “Oh yes? Do you read Ancient Folish? Do you know the legends of Argatha and Klaytol to help us follow the clues that will take you to the amulet?”
“No,” he admitted, but before I could grace him with a smug grin, he rushed to add, “But I’m the best for a reason. I can figure it out with enough information.”
This man! No wonder his estate was so big. It had been built to house his arrogance.
I did my best to dispel my frustration, knowing he could taste every bit of it, but I couldn’t sand down the sharp edge to my voice as I said, “King Evaniel has given us a deadline of four weeks to walk to the heart of dragon territory and sail home. We don’t have time for you to poke around and hope you ‘figure it out.’”
I brushed away the fact that, not too long ago, I’d sworn I could do the same thing by going on my own. I was the one with the knowledge.
The lines around Cammon’s eyes hardened as his stubbornness kicked in. I’d seen a similar expression on the king’s mules. “I don’t work with other people. So you can tell His Majesty I’m sorry about his lover, best of luck finding a solution, but I’ll have to pass.”
We glared at each other across his desk. Oh, how I wanted to tell him I’d send the message along and walk out. It would be the safer choice. My secrets would be too difficult to keep in close quarters, and that was if we managed to go a single day without driving each other mad.
Think of the library. Think of the new position. The title of royal researcher and that tiny, tucked-away office are yours if you do this. Anything is worth that.
I breathed in slowly and reached into my satchel once more. “Your reputation precedes you on that score as well. That’s why His Majesty told me to offer you this.”
I handed him the second envelope Segrew had given me. I had no idea what the letter contained, but I also didn’t care. What passed between King Evaniel and Cammon Ruxo was their business.
Though I had to admit to a certain curiosity when I observed Cammon’s reaction to the king’s words.
A light flush crept up his bronzed neck, and his nostrils flared with the slight quickening of his breath.
I might not have noticed except that, with my senses heightened thanks to my awakened bloodlust, I was all too aware of his heart rate quickening, pumping extra blood through those thick, delicious veins.
As the spiced scent from the foyer spilled throughout the room, I realized this demon was the source, and of all the temptations in this house, it was by far the strongest. My teeth ached, and I pressed them into the inside of my bottom lip to keep them in place.
It would hardly do to reveal myself before we’d even left the capital.
Cammon pursed his lips and folded the letter along its crease. “Very well, Mage Dolan, we leave tomorrow. I’ll meet you at The Wandering Mare at sunset.”