12. Sorcha

Chapter twelve

I rolled my dagger at my side, waiting for Zarios to finish changing. Though we were tight on time, the metal sounds could draw unwanted attention. When he approached, gone was the intricate armor, and he was left in a tight pair of black trousers that matched his fur and no shirt. It almost allowed me to imagine him naked.

I shook my head. I didn't need my thoughts to drift there. After sneaking through the garden, we went around and through the servants' doors to get back in.

"You remember the plan?" he asked me.

My fists were white at my sides. "No, I totally forgot," I pressed. "I'm just a silly girl along for the ride."

He sighed, and his tone softened. "I don't think that," he said, as if he truly meant it. "We just can't raise suspicion. If anyone discovers our plan, we won't get another chance."

I let my body relax and nodded. He was right, everything was at stake, and we couldn't let it go awry. "I remember. We won't fail."

I saw my determination mirrored in his gaze. We set out into the hall, heading the opposite direction of the party I could still hear in full swing. We should have full access while people thought we were having a mating ritual of our own.

We padded quietly through the halls, careful not to make any noise. Luckily, all the floors were carpeted, probably to be comfortable on hooved feet, and it went a long way to muffle our steps. Though everyone should still have been at the celebration, we didn't want to alert anyone who may have left. I held my skirt high, careful not to trip over myself.

Soon, we were in a smaller hall lined with doors I assumed to be the offices. I followed Zarios until we reached the last one. He gently clicked the door open, and we made our way inside. Once it was closed, I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the dark. It was a simple office, with plants growing on the windowsills and dark wood furniture.

"You start with the filing cabinet," he said in a hushed tone. "I'll check the desk."

We set out to our tasks, looking for anything incriminating. I would be shocked if it was Atalin, she seemed to have respect for Zarios, but it was anyone's guess at this point.

I opened each cabinet and examined them carefully, pulling out anything I thought could be something, financials mostly. If we were right, the person who stole the magestones was probably planning to sell them, so this was the best bet. We planned to take the files back to our room to review them further before returning them in the morning. I checked the desk, going through the drawers, feeling for any false bottoms or hidden compartments, but nothing stood out to me.

Once satisfied, I turned to find Zarios leafing through some papers, stacks set all around him.

"Find anything," I whispered as I approached.

He shook his head. "I pulled the financials, though, just in case."

We each took a stack of files and fled. I got to the door first, checked it was clear outside, and motioned for Zarios to follow. With my training, I was taught to always pay attention to where I was going, making it easy to lead us back towards our rooms.

As we cut through the hall, Zarios placed his large hand on my shoulder, and I froze and looked up at him. His eyes were on the hall before us, and I soon heard it too, footsteps. They were dulled by the carpet but were heavy. We were only a few halls from our room, but we still held the files in front of us.

I was about to ask him what to do when he pressed me up against the wall, body blocking mine. The files were between us, mostly covered by Zarios' large body. His fur was soft against my skin, making me shiver at the contact. His arms wrapped around my middle, shielding the papers from view.

I looked up, and his eyes were pinning me in place, the dark orbs warming me from the inside out. My breath caught as I saw his gaze flick to my lips. I assumed whoever was at the end of the hall would continue down, but I could hear them approach instead.

"Do you trust me?" Zarios leaned in and whispered.

I nodded without much thought.

As I did, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I hadn't been kissed many times, but it had never felt like this. He tasted earthy, like a good cup of tea with a bit of added sweetness, but what I really noticed was how different he felt. The fur on his body, his longer, thinner lips—so different and yet the best sensation.

We held each other impossibly close, my curves pressing into his large, hard body. Though he was fluffy on top, there was nothing fluffy about what was underneath.

As the footsteps closed in, he deepened the kiss, his rougher, larger tongue meeting mine. We were quickly morphing from an innocent kiss to something that felt much different, much more real. Yet, I didn't think about that as I let his tongue explore me, let him dominate this kiss in a way no one had ever done before.

I wished to grab his shoulders and somehow pull him closer, but I had to hold the files between us. Something hard and way-too large poked into my abdomen that made me gasp just thinking about. I knew he would be larger than any human, but I didn't think he would be quite that large. A light snicker sounded as they passed, but I barely heard it over the sound of my own heart.

When he pulled away, I was left breathless. The hot breath from his snout hit me and made my lashes flutter. His eyes shifted as he backed up, taking his files back.

His throat cleared. "There. They just thought we couldn't get to our rooms quick enough. "

"Yes, exactly. Good thinking." I said, trying to keep how flustered I felt to myself. He was right. That was just for the sake of the mission, nothing more.

We hurried back to our room without any more distractions. I threw my pile down on the small desk and looked forlorn as Zarios added to it. I was suddenly regretting forgoing sleep earlier in the day. I was so caught up in making this work, I forgot how late we'd be up.

I plopped down in the chair, prepping for a long night. "What should I look for?"

"Odd correspondence, unlabeled movement of money, anything like that," Zarios said, grabbing his own stack and heading to the armchair in the corner.

"Got it."

We spent hours pouring through the documents, careful to keep them in their same order. I could feel my eyes threatening to droop, but I was determined to keep at it. Zarios brought tea at some point, but that wasn't even enough to keep me up.

"Find anything?" Zarios asked.

I jolted, the sound making my once-closed eyes widen. He was smirking at me, knowing I fell asleep, but I refused to acknowledge it.

"Nothing of note," I said, throwing the last file down.

"Why don't you get some sleep? I can finish this."

"I'm fine," I insisted, going for the next one in the pile.

Zarios plopped his hand on top of it, stopping me. "You need your rest. There isn't much left. I'll finish and wake you to put them back. Wouldn't let you miss any of the action."

I scowled. "I don't need you to wake me. I can sleep when we're done."

I yanked on the file, and it tore free. He shrugged, grabbing the next and leaning back in his chair.

My eyes moved to the single bed on the far wall. It was large enough for the two of us for sure, but we obviously wouldn't share it.

"I'll take the lounge chair," I thought.

"No, you can sleep in the bed," he said easily, his eyes never leaving the pages.

I blinked, unaware I'd voiced that aloud. "You're far too big for the lounge," I said, flipping through the invoices. "I'll be fine."

He gave an irritated huff and whispered something under his breath I didn't catch. I smirked to myself and settled in, glad to have one that sparring match.

All too soon, however, the words on the page turned to drivel, and I drifted off too soon.