Chapter 26
I couldn’t wait to see Theo this morning.
How was he going to react to seeing me again?
I was nervous to face him, worried that maybe he regretted what we had done or that he was angry with me for tempting him.
And then there was the matter of the conclave tonight.
Everyone had been nice enough last night, they all had been happy not to talk politics and strategies at the cocktail party, but that would change tonight.
Although I had no part in the upcoming talks and would remain in the crowd to gauge the reactions to Theo’s speech, I was full of nervous energy. Now factoring in that I was facing this hell of a day with little to no sleep, it was no surprise that my mood changed from one minute to the other.
I quickly got dressed, taking a little extra care with my appearance.
After everything that had happened the night before, I just wanted to feel like the best version of myself.
The happiness bubbling inside me felt new and fragile, and I wanted it to show, in the way I walked, in the way I smiled, in the way I faced whatever came next.
As I made my way down the hallway toward the parlor, I was walking on clouds, my heart beating so fast I was sure anyone passing by could hear it.
When I walked into the breakfast room, the others were just gathering around one of the many tables at the end of the room.
I could feel the exact moment Theo turned around to look at me, because everything around us slowed down.
My whole vision zeroed in on him, drawing my attention to his eyes, his lips, his hands that had been doing the most delicious things just hours ago.
He looked at me intently and all my worries that things might be awkward between us disappeared when he winked at me and smiled.
Maybe he had seen the uncertainty on my face from across the room or maybe he had felt it too, but now that I was walking towards him, all my worries seemed to dissolve. “Good morning,” Lythandra said cheerily and gave me a big hug.
“Someone is awfully happy this morning, considering they partied until the early hours,” Malek commented dryly, nursing a cup of coffee and ignoring the breakfast spread. Sunglasses hid his eyes, probably shielding him from the aftermath of last night.
Lythandra waved him off. “A good old-fashioned party never hurt anyone.”
She must have seen the question on my face, because she added, “Not that kind of party, don’t look so shocked. No orgies for me until after the conclave! Although I believe there was at least one party going on last night on our floor, though I have no idea who was involved. Just scandalous!”
Oh, Fates. I knew there was a chance someone might have heard us—or me—but I had hoped most people had still been at the party.
My eyes flew to Theo, who was just taking a sip of his coffee, hiding a grin behind his mug.
“Now, now,” Lydia said thankfully, “we don’t want to fall into idle gossip.”
Caelan leaned back, smirking, his voice dripping with mock concern.
“Idle gossip? Oh, please. I think someone here had a very interesting night, and I’d love to hear all about it. No pressure, of course.”
He glanced pointedly at Theo.
Theo raised an eyebrow, tilting his mug and speaking with that calm, deliberate charm of his.
“I don’t know why you’re asking me. I’m the purest one here. Remember… prophecy and all that.”
Caelan narrowed his eyes, but dropped the subject. Thank the Fates.
“What are your plans for today? Other than worrying about the conclave tonight,” Lydia asked in between bites.
Malek murmured something about going straight back to bed to nurse his hangover, Lythandra had made plans with some of her friends, and Lydia was talking about making use of the training room in the basement.
When it was Theo’s turn to answer, he simply said, “I have some correspondence to attend to,” and winked at me.
Nobody noticed our inside joke and his response only gained him an eye roll from Lythandra and a scolding from Malek who told him to let loose for once.
Theo did not take the bait and looked over to me.
“What are your plans for today, have you decided yet?”
I hadn’t given it much thought, but looking out through the window and over the sprawling city that lay beneath us, I spontaneously decided that I was going to do some sightseeing.
“I think I am just going to do some exploring today” I smiled, and when I looked at Theo, I pointedly said, “and attend to my correspondence as well, of course.”
Theo only smirked.
When we had all finished eating, we said our goodbyes and headed back up to our respective rooms.
I grabbed my bag and some money I had been given monthly for my work at the library and headed out the door. Theo’s door was slightly ajar when I walked past.
Should I go in? I should, shouldn’t I?
He was sitting at his table, working on something, so I knocked.
Without turning around, he said, “Come in, I’ll be ready in a minute.”
I hesitated, was he expecting someone else maybe? Just to be certain I cleared my throat so he would realize it was me and stepped inside his room.
I hadn’t seen his private quarters before, but wasn’t surprised to see that the room was filled with books, ledgers, and paperwork, all neatly stacked into piles.
“Do you always travel with half your library?” I asked and heard him chuckle.
“My life is pretty boring, I told you. I don’t socialize much and spend most of my time locked up in here, where I feel like myself.”
I looked over to him and marveled at his posture, his broad shoulders and the concentrated look on his face as he was scribbling down words in a foreign language.
“Do you want me to bring you anything from town?” I asked, just to fill the silence.
He shook his head. “No. I’m coming with you.”
I turned to him, surprised. His eyes searched mine, as if he were measuring every flicker of my expression.
Was I happy to spend the day with him? Worried?
Disinterested? The bare hint of uncertainty in his gaze made my chest tighten.
For a moment, the usual calm and control he carried so effortlessly vanished and his vulnerability seemed… almost human.
When my smile finally spread, relief flickered across his features. He rolled up the parchment he’d been working on and placed it inside a wooden box.
He was dressed in his usual cream-colored robes, his beard had been trimmed, and he smelled like he had taken a shower earlier, his hair still wet in the neck.
“Let me just get changed real quick,” he said and disappeared into the bathroom, only to walk back out 5 seconds later, dressed in black slacks and a form fitting dark blue shirt.
He caught the surprise on my face and winked. “A little magic, darling.”
* * *
It turned out Theo hadn’t told anyone about going out with me, he didn’t want anyone else tagging along.
His usual robes were gone, the golden paint nowhere in sight, leaving nothing to mark him as a god.
My pulse quickened as we slipped down the side staircase, keeping just enough distance between us to remain proper, yet close enough that the air between us felt charged.
We were almost clear when the Abbot appeared around the corner. Theo froze and motioned for me to stay behind a pillar with him, his eyes glinting as he gauged the situation.
“I take it you don’t want him knowing you’re in the company of such a bad influence as me?” I whispered, teasing.
He tilted his head toward me, slow and deliberate, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
“Oh, you are the worst influence, wordsmith,” he murmured, eyes locking on mine. “And I thought I’d learned my lesson from those little notes the other night… but I see I was mistaken.”
Le sigh.
We waited, barely daring to breathe, until the Abbot disappeared up the stairs. Even standing apart, the space between us crackled with unspoken tension. Neither of us wanted to move, but I eventually tore my gaze away from him and practically ran out the doors. I needed fresh air.
I didn’t know what I expected from the capital of the God realm, but I had never seen a city so vibrant and full of life before.
Old and new architecture melted into one another, creating a feeling of nostalgia, but with a modern twist. The shops were full of colorful clothes and extravagant hats, cafés lined up along the street, trying to entice customers to stop for a deliciously smelling coffee and merchants arranged their goods in the shop windows in elaborate arrangements.
Theo had been here often as a young man and knew the city by heart.
We walked past tall buildings and temples, each one of them carefully cataloged in Theo’s mind.
He told me stories of the beginning of the city, pointed out important landmarks and for about 30 minutes raved on about the mechanical genius behind the great fountain in the center of the grand plaza.
It was breathtaking watching him, how his behavior changed when he was not within the walls of the temple. He seemed to glow here, his eyes bright and full of energy.
He seemed happy, I realized, and in turn my own heart leapt a beat.
It was way after lunch-time when my stomach started to growl.
“Are you hungry?” Theo asked with a concerned look on his face.
“A little bit,” I admitted and looked around to see if there was a café nearby.
“We can just head back to the Celestium and have some lunch,” Theo offered, but I shook my head.
“No way, I am not going back there a minute before I have to! Let’s just find something to eat around here.”
“Are you sure? I can’t recommend any place to eat, Fates know what kind of food they serve here.” Worry lines had appeared on his forehead and he seemed rattled.
He probably hardly ever went out to eat to try new things. This situation was obviously far out of his comfort zone.
“Well, this is our chance to find out. Let’s try and find something we have both never tried before,” I said cheerily.