Chapter 21 #2
Piper’s voice drags me from the thoughts consuming me. I look up to find a set of large, curved doors with intricate patterns. I turn to her in shock.
“This is the library?”
She nods and smiles. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
She pushes one of the doors open, and my breath catches.
I tilt back to look up and find myself staring at hundreds of shelves filled with books.
They stretch high up, stopping at the edge of the domed glass roof.
They love their glass ceilings around here.
I’ve never seen anything quite as beautiful.
I step further inside, my mind reeling at all the possible finds I may make here.
Books were always a luxury back at the bloodhouse.
That’s why so many purebloods took to rereading the same books.
I’ve never been much of a reader, but just being here makes me want to consume everything.
I wish that Willow could see this. She would love it.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” I whisper. Piper moves next to me, leaning her own head back to take in the space.
“It never gets old either. There’s always something new to discover.”
“I can imagine.”
“Do you read much?” she asks, her words soft in the large space filled with tables that stretch far and wide, dozens of chairs around them.
I shake my head. “Not really. My sister is the one wh—”
I stop as soon as I catch myself. Shit. I got so lost in my surroundings that I forgot who I was talking to. Damn vampires.
“You have a sister—”
“No.” My word is coated in more venom than I intended, and the sadness that fills her eyes sends a sliver of guilt through me, but I push it away. “I’m fine from here. I can find what I’m looking for.”
There’s a short pause.
“Of course. I’ll leave you to it.”
She turns and leaves before I can even think about apologizing. I blow out a breath and move away from the door, trying to keep my mind on the task at hand. I notice an older man sitting behind a desk, and I hurry over to where he is.
“Hi,” he says, a smile filling his face. His eyes carry a warmth that feels familiar. That feels human.
“I was hoping you could help me find some books?”
He nods his head and waits for me to continue.
I lower my voice. “On mating bonds.”
His brows furrow in surprise, but the gesture is gone before I can think too much about it.
“There are not many on that particular topic, I’m afraid. The last recorded bond dates back to at least a century.”
“That’s fine. I will read whatever you have.”
He considers me for a moment.
“I’m afraid you’re not the only one who has shown interest in this lately. Perhaps you should follow me.” I hesitate, unsure if he’s tricking me, but since my life is bound to the prince, I doubt he would let me wander the palace if danger awaited me.
I follow the man. He leads me between two tall bookcases that seem to stretch on for an eternity.
We stop only when he spots a small table tucked into the back of the library, filled with stacks of books, and a few open ones littered across the table.
Sitting alone is the girl from the throne room with the bright white hair. The one the prince called Iza.
“Perhaps you can speak to Isadora. She has every available book on bonds with her now. Maybe if you ask nicely, she might share.” He offers a warm smile and taps his nose a couple of times.
I take in his warm hazel eyes and the short wisps of white hair on his head and find myself surprised by how comfortable he appears here.
He doesn’t seem to carry the heavy burden that I see on the faces of the laborers who work by the bloodhouse or the fear of the purebloods who live there.
There’s an odd sense of calm that envelopes him.
I almost catch myself asking how long he’s worked here, but think better of it.
Instead, I thank him before hurrying over to the table.
Iza startles as soon as I reach her.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. The librarian brought me here.” She looks behind me, but he is long gone.
“Oh.” Her eyes shift around awkwardly as though I’m disturbing her moment of peace, but I cannot leave without reading at least one of these books that she has.
“He said that you have all the books on mating bonds that are currently available?”
She peers up at me from behind her thick-rimmed glasses, her blue eyes wide.
“Yes, Prince Karius has asked that I study them, given the current situation.” Even though it’s only the two of us, she whispers the words as if afraid someone might overhear us.
“I’m Adina, by the way.”
She smiles awkwardly. “I know. Isadora,” she offers. “But everyone calls me Iza.”
“Would you mind if I join you?”
Her eyes widen at my words, and a long stretch of silence passes between us before she finally answers.
“I suppose…there is no law against it…then again, there hasn’t been a situation like this…”
It’s as though she is having a conversation with herself.
This one is insane. Just take what you need and return to your room.
She’s not insane. She just seems uncomfortable, like she’s not used to being around people.
Great.
I ignore Athriel, turning my attention back to her.
“I just thought that it might be useful for you to have a second pair of eyes. Perhaps we can find answers a little quicker.” She seems to consider my words for a moment. “And there’s no one more passionate about studying whether there is a way to break the bond than me,” I add.
The tension seems to leave her shoulders, and she finally nods. Thank the gods.
I clutch the back of the chair opposite her.
“Can I…?” I gesture toward the chair, and she nods profusely.
“Sorry, yes…let me just move these out of your way.” She stands up quickly and starts moving the books aside, making room for me. I want to tell her that it’s fine, but she is already halfway through before I get the chance. A small smile tilts my lips upward as I watch her.
She blows out a breath and pushes her glasses up her nose once she’s finished.
“There, that’s better.”
“It is.” I agree with a smile as I sit down. “So, have you found any information?”
I pull a book toward me titled The Decrees and Laws of the Gods.
“Not much,” she admits. “A lot of it is what we already know, but I’m trying to focus more on how the bond is formed. There isn’t quite as much on that.”
I flick open the page of my book.
“Is that why you’re looking into the laws that the gods created?”
She nods.
“They are responsible for the mating bonds. It was a gift of sorts to all the crowns to help strengthen them during their rule.”
“Oh. Are you saying that the gods already knew who would be mated then?”
“Not just knew but created specifically. Mates are near-perfect matches in strength and power. They are specifically designed for one another. It’s quite romantic.”
I force back a grimace. There’s nothing romantic about being tied to Karius. I sink back into my chair as I take the information in.
“Have you worked for the prince for a long time as his…”
“Royal researcher,” she says proudly. “My family has always served the crown of the court of shadows, but I’m the last of my line.”
My brows furrow. Humans don’t have lines. We don’t even know our heritage. The fact that I was told that Willow was my sister is a shock in itself.
“I don't understand. How can you know that?” My eyes scan the area, making sure no one is around. “Humans are not permitted to know such things.”
Her mouth forms an O shape.
“I’m…sorry…I didn’t mean to confuse you. I’m not human. I’m a vampire.”
I scan over her features, and while she is very beautiful, her blue eyes match neither the sired nor the born.
“I don’t understand.”
She looks down as though embarrassed, and my confusion only grows more.
“My family was killed during the war. I’m the last surviving vampire of my house, but even during adolescence, my powers never manifested.”
“At all?” I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t even be asking, but something about this knowledge piques my curiosity.
She nods her head.
“You can’t…” I’m not even sure what is appropriate to ask or why I’m even asking. Knowing anything more than the fact that vampires are monsters is unnecessary, and yet I find myself eagerly awaiting her answer.
“I have slightly heightened senses, but nothing like the others of my kind.” She pushes up her glasses again. “And my shadow-wielding abilities are nonexistent.”
“Why?” As soon as I ask, I want to kick myself. “Sorry, that was rude and none of my business.”
“It’s ok. I’ve been whispered about my entire life.
It’s kind of nice to have someone ask so directly.
” Something tightens in my chest as I watch her.
“I’m not sure why, no one does, but Karius lets me live here and work for him.
I could have dissolved my house like many did after the war and merged with another, but I’m one of the twelve, and I had hoped to continue my family name. ”
Recognition suddenly hits. The empty seat back at the bloodhouse.
“You’re a council member, but you weren’t at the meeting back at Blackwood Bloodhouse.”
“I am, and I wasn’t. Karius always invites me, but I’m very rarely welcomed by anyone else. Sometimes it’s easier to avoid those kinds of things altogether. It’s hard to fit in when nobody truly knows what you are.”
Her words hit me hard. I know that feeling, and sometimes it can be so damn lonely. I look up to find her eyes glistening, and guilt clutches at my chest.
“I understand.” I can’t explain why, but I can offer her that. “So, why don’t you tell me everything that you’ve learned so far, and we can go from there?”
She looks up at me in surprise, and then a smile parts her lips.
“Ok.”