Chapter 20

20

T rudging around my room, I debate if I should find Dax . He will be able to answer my questions about the book; it was in his library after all. But I don’t want to disturb him. I know the guys are in a war meeting and then they have training. It is why I will be staying in my room; that way no one needs to guard me, and they can train.

Groaning , I pull the book away from my chest and peer down at it. I want to ask why an apple is on the cover of a Spells and Curses book. It is an odd choice for a cover. My curiosity is getting the best of me.

Huffing out a sigh, I let my curiosity win. Marching to the door, I swing it open, only to find Branimir with his hand poised to knock. His wide eyes meet mine, and he lowers his hand. “ Oh , um… I just wanted to tell you we are on our way out to train.”

Smiling , I nod. “ Have fun.”

He smirks and leans forward, brushing his lips against mine briefly before stepping away with his usual bright pink cheeks. “ I don’t believe training is supposed to be fun, Darling .”

Rolling my eyes, I amend, “ Then have a horrible time.”

He chuckles and gives me a nod. “ Will do.” He makes his way down the hall as Bene takes his place.

Pointing to the book in my hand, he smiles. “ Don’t bury your nose into too many books without me, little bookworm.”

I’m a bit surprised to find the rest of the males patiently waiting while Bene and I talk. Are they all waiting to greet me before training? Nodding distractedly, I say, “ I won’t.”

He presses a kiss to my forehead before pulling away and following Mir . Shaking my head with a smile on my face, I find Alair moving closer to take his place. “ Do I get greeted by each of you before you leave?”

He shrugs and boops me on the nose. “ Stay out of trouble. Unless you plan to invite me, Little Fox .”

Laughing , I say, “ I’ll make sure to keep my ideas a secret till you return.”

His grin is wide as he starts to walk backward after the others. “ Sounds like a plan.”

“ Look where you’re going!” I call, but he just gives me a wink and turns around.

Asher gives me a big smooch on the cheek before following Alair . “ Have fun today, Snow Bunny !”

“ Be safe,” I yell back.

With a mock salute, he turns, running after Alair . I turn to find Rev standing in front of me in all his dark glory. Arching a brow, I ask, “ Decided not to pop out of the shadows in greeting today?”

The corners of his lips twitch as he lifts a hand to caress my cheek. “ Not today, Sunshine .”

I turn to press a kiss to his palm. “ Then , I look forward to the rest of the day.”

He hums, pulling away. “ Cheeky , Sunshine .”

I hold my free hand up and wiggle my fingers. “ Spooky , Shadow .”

He grunts, and I swear it’s a laugh. I’ve never heard him laugh, so I’m counting it as a win. With one last shake of his head, I see the tilt of his lips as he heads in the direction of the others.

I point to Rev as I turn to Kas . “ I made him laugh!”

Kas is wearing his typical scowl as he arches a brow. “ Is that what you call a laugh?”

With narrowed eyes, I say, “ Yes ! When it comes to you and Rev , it’s hard to even get a smile. I’m counting it as a laugh.”

He takes a step forward, crossing his arms. “ Where are you headed?”

“ If you must know?—”

He interrupts, “ I must.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “ As I was saying, if you must know, I am going to talk to Dax .”

He snaps his fingers over his shoulder and orders, “ Take her to see the prince.”

My eyes widen when two soldiers step away from their posts to stand behind Kas . “ I can go by myself.”

“ Do you know which way to go, Princess ?” he asks, unable to hide his smirk.

Huffing out a sigh, I growl, “ No .”

He gives a satisfied nod. “ Off you go.”

“ I hate you,” I reply as I pass him.

He snorts and turns to make his way down the hallway. “ Hate you, too, Princess .”

I follow quietly behind the guards as they guide me to Dax . It’s only a few moments before we are standing in front of wooden double doors. The guards give me a bow, then return to their posts.

I knock and wait a moment before opening the door. “ Dax , I was wondering—” I immediately slam the door closed with a squeal.

Dax laughs on the other side. “ Come in, Little Raven . I’m done playing.”

“ I think I’ll stay right here,” I reply with an edge of hysteria. I knew these men were dark. I’ve seen Ash covered in blood. On the other hand, though, I was not ready to see a man hog tied with an apple stuffed in his mouth and covered in blood.

“ Come in, Eira . I feel this is a great learning moment for you.”

“ I’d rather not,” I whisper.

I hear footsteps, and the door suddenly swings open. I jump back with a squeak. He holds out a hand with a dark, deceptive smile. “ Come now, Little Raven . There’s nothing to fear.”

Right , nothing to fear, except for the men I keep forgetting are the villains. Taking a deep breath, I slip my hand into his, and he escorts me into the room. My eyes automatically drift to the bloody male. I jump when I hear Dax’s deep voice explain, “ This is his punishment for attempting to spy on me for my father.” He shrugs as we pass the man, stepping up onto the platform where the throne sits.

He escorts me over, gesturing for me to take a seat. Doing as I’m told, I hold the book closer to my chest. He smiles as he steps away, briefly looking back down at the man. “ What brought you to me, Little Raven ?”

“ Right .” My voice comes out high-pitched. Clearing my throat, I try again. “ Right , um… I had a few questions about this book I found in the library.”

He hums as he circles the restrained man. “ What questions do you have?”

Holding the book out so he can see it, I say, “ First , I’m wondering why there’s an apple on the cover of a Spells and Curses book.”

Humming thoughtfully, he pulls the apple out of the man's mouth. The man begins to yell for help but is cut off when a tendril of darkness covers his mouth like a gag. Dax doesn’t seem bothered by the man as he inspects the apple in his hand. “ Do you know the symbolism behind an apple?”

I shake my head, and he continues, “ Knowledge , immortality, and temptation.” He points to the book in my hand. “ That book holds all three.”

Arching a brow, I ask, “ What do you mean?”

His eyes flick from the apple to me. “ Did you know my father used apples to gain his power?”

My eyes widen in shock as I reply, “ No .”

Holding the fruit up, he frowns. “ He would poison them. Infect them with a curse.” I watch as the bright red apple in his hand turns to a sickening brown. “ The only issue with that is you cannot just hand an apple like this to anyone and expect them to eat it.”

I watch with wide eyes as the darkness around the man's mouth disappears, and Dax shoves the rotten apple back into his mouth. He looks back at me with dark eyes as he wipes his hand on his shirt. “ You have to bake it into something. That is why the cooks know so many apple recipes. It’s also the reason apples are the only fruit that will grow in this god-forsaken wasteland.”

I point at the man as Dax continues walking my way. “ Did … did you just poison him?”

He shrugs. “ He deserves a slow death.” Clapping his hands, he sits on the arm of the throne. Tapping the book in my hands, he says, “ That book contains forbidden knowledge and words of immortality. It contains things that any power-hungry being would be tempted by.”

“ Why is it in your library?” I whisper.

His eyes turn pitch black as he growls. “ It belonged to my father.”

That makes a lot of sense. Opening the book to the page I bookmarked, I hold it out to Dax . “ I was wondering what this passage meant.”

He leans in, looking at the page, and gives me a sad smile. “ It’s a spell, Little Raven .”

“ But what does it mean?”

His eyes shift back to bright blue, but they seem to have lost a bit of their shine, and he sighs. “ It is how the others share my curse. How they share the darkness with me, so that I do not bear it alone.”

My brows pinch as I close the book. I cover his hand with my own, giving it a squeeze. “ What does the spell do?”

He looks away as he answers, “ It binds your soul with another. Forever bound.”

My eyes widen. “ I thought magic was gone; it was outlawed years ago.”

He looks down at my hand still holding his. “ It was outlawed after my father became consumed with the dark magic that book gifted him.” Then he adds in a whisper as if not meant for my ears, “as well as the mirror he found.”

“ Mirror ? Is that why you have all the mirrors covered in the castle?”

He gives me a false smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. “ A story for another day, Little Raven . Anyway , as I was saying, just because magic was outlawed does not mean that magic is gone. Dark magic does not just disappear because it is outlawed.”