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  The panthers lived in a rather vast part of the protected forest near Sophia’s family home. Over the years, with a few of the panthers having prowled the plane only to return with mates, the cat population had grown to nearly thirty. It was easy enough for Quincy to make his way to Domino’s den.

  The cat’s sister, Cleo, slept there still. Quincy used a wise amount of caution when approaching the female. Although the panthers were all tame by their standards, an animal was an animal. No sense risking a claw swipe or bite.

  “Cleo,” Quincy said. He had to repeat her name several times before she opened her eyes and yawned. Her wide mouth revealed sharp, yellow teeth. “I need you to take me to Domino and Sophia.”

  The panthers born of the bloodline leading back to Olivia’s panther friend, Aurora, and her mate, Titan, all possessed a heightened level of intelligence. He knew Cleo, as one of their grand-cubs, understood him.

  “Please. It’s very important,” he said, allowing his concern to filter through his tone. “Sophia’s upset and I need to speak with her.”

  Cleo rose and stretched, then scented the air and the ground. Within a minute, they were off and running.

  Quincy wished he could fly to Sophia. The thick trees wouldn’t allow for an extension of wings, but even more importantly, the heavy enchantments in place around the homeland—necessary to contain the unpredictable powers of the Kynzesti—also prevented it. So he kept up with Cleo as best he could, ignoring the burning of his lungs and the sheen of perspiration that formed as they progressed.

  The sun was low in the sky before they reached a small clearing. He heard the sound of movement before he saw them. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath and center himself, Quincy wondered what to say. He knew Sophia would be furious and upset.

  Finally, he decided he would say whatever he thought would help get her through this. If she decided to lash out at him, well, it wouldn’t be the first time. He could handle it.

  Cleo hurried straight into the clearing, so Quincy now followed her. When he got within sight of the three cats, he blinked in confusion. They were all rolling around among a clump of rather matted-looking plants. Sophia was stretched almost her full length on a bed of the crushed greenery.

  “Sophia?”

  She rolled slumberously and looked up at him. Her deep blue-green eyes stood out against her blonde fur, making his breath catch. Even in this form she was spectacular.

  Then she started to rise. Her sleek grace and controlled power was apparent in every movement. Much to his surprise, however, she didn’t just rise up on all four paws. Instead, she dissolved the shift.

  He felt his jaw slacken. His pulse thundered in his ears. With the last rays of golden sunlight dappling her naked skin, she looked every bit like a goddess from human mythology.

  “Hello, Quincy,” she said. “I wondered if you’d come.”

  Chapter 13

  “Sophia.”

  That was all Quincy managed. He couldn’t command his limbs to move. His eyes were so focused on her in all of her magnificence that he hadn’t blinked in over a minute. When she approached, he had the insane urge to run. This was way too much temptation for him.

  And it was so far outside of Sophia’s usual behavior that he thought she must be possessed.

  “You’ll have to forgive me, Quincy,” she said as she reached for her panties. They practically fell out of his loosened grip and he had to adjust his hold on the rest of her clothes. “I believe whatever plant that Domino introduced me to affects cats in an unusual way. It’s lingering even after my shift.”

  Her words finally eased him from the spell she had cast. Deliberately not focusing on her body as she began to dress herself, he looked into her eyes. They were glassy. Her cheeks were flushed. She had to hold onto his arm as she put her panties on, telling him her balance was at least somewhat compromised. Then she giggled, the sound definitely unnatural for her.

  “You’re drugged,” he said in disbelief.

  “I am?” she asked, her face transforming into a smile. “How lovely.”

  He looked more closely at the plants. “That’s nepeta cataria—catnip. It affects some cats like a drug might affect a human.”

  She took her bra from him with a sound of acknowledgement, apparently unconcerned over her condition. He started to say something else, but realized she had brought the fastening of her bra to the front and was trying to get the hooks to catch. Her movements were deliberate and focused. And unsuccessful.

  Cursing, she handed the bra to him. “Help me with this, would you?”

  He must be dreaming. He had to be dreaming.

  “Sophia…”

  She rolled her eyes. “Just hook it for me, Quincy. Surely you can manage that, even if it requires you touching someone as freakish as me.”

  Now he frowned, his temper rising. If for no other reason than to get her covered so his blood could cool off, he tossed her other clothes onto a log, grasped her arms and began putting the bra on her, praying he was doing it right.

  “Stop calling yourself a freak,” he said.

  “Why?” she retorted, though her tone was calm in contrast to his irritation. “You obviously think of me as one. You haven’t been able to look at me for longer than a few seconds at a time since I turned thirteen and assumed this form. And I heard you tell Tate I wasn’t pretty.”

  She turned her back to him and moved her long hair over her shoulder so he could clasp her bra in the back. The deep blue-green crescents running along her shoulder blades marked where her wings would emerge whenever she wanted to extend them. Like the rest of her class, she also bore a symbol on the back of her neck marking her as a Kynzesti: a deep blue-green sun with gold, light green, light blue, dark blue and blue-gray flames…a blending of their bonded parentage.

  When his fingers brushed against the soft skin of her back as he fumbled with the clasp, they both reacted. He clenched his jaw against the desire to touch her more. She shivered.

  He finally got the bra hooked. Rather than let her turn around, however, he moved closer to her, pressing himself against her back. He heard her breath catch. Settling his hands on her shoulders, he bent down so his mouth all but brushed against her ear.

  “As I tried to explain when you visited me in my cottage,” he said softly, “you couldn’t be more wrong. I don’t look at you for too long because I’d never be able to hide how powerfully you affect me.” Now, he did allow his lips to brush against the sensitive skin of her ear. Her breath quickened. He allowed his hands to glide down the smooth length of her arms. “I told Tate that you’re not pretty. You’re spectacular. Sophia, since the moment I first saw you in your fully mature form, I’ve had to restraint myself from touching you like this. Every moment you’re near me is blissful torture.”

  She turned. He lowered his hands, but held her gaze.

  “You’re not a freak,” he said when she just continued to stand there staring at him in the indigo twilight. “You’re a wonder. More special than any other Estilorian. Your abilities are unique and amazing, and something to be proud—”

  She interrupted him by reaching up with both hands, grabbing him by the back of the neck and bringing his lips to hers.

  Just as the effects of the catnip eased, Quincy’s addictive touch and potent words had their own impact on Sophia’s senses. The feel of his warm body pressed against her half-naked back had been beyond description. Combining that with his lips against her ear, whispering such incredible words in his musical accent, had nearly made her knees buckle. She began to think she was more heavily drugged than she thought, and he was merely a hallucination speaking words she had long dreamed to hear.

  Almost as if to prove that had to be the case, she decided to kiss him. Unfortunately, that only told her she was utterly wrong.

  At first, he stiffened in shock. But he quickly sank into the kiss, making her realize just how little she knew about this particular activity.

  His warm lips moved tend
erly against hers, telling her that her urgent pressing of her mouth against his wasn’t quite right. She deliberately relaxed, focusing on every sensation as his hands moved to cradle her, one hand against the small of her back and the other at the base of her neck beneath her hair. Every touch sent delicious waves of pleasure coursing through her. It was even more potent than the charge of energy she experienced when she shifted.

  A soft moan built in her throat as his lips moved against hers. She felt his hand move from around her neck to the side of her jaw. When he traced the delicate skin there, it sent another shiver through her.

  “Open for me,” he whispered.

  When she obediently parted her lips, he kissed her in a way that put even her most lucid dream kisses to shame. His tongue touched hers, introducing a whole new layer of sensation to the experience. She suddenly understood why this was seen as such a huge moment in someone’s existence. It was amazing.

  Before long, the kiss took on a sense of urgency that frightened her. Yet she found herself making even more noises of approval in the back of her throat. Combined with his touch, she thought she might ignite into a pile of cinder.

  He broke their connection when they both needed to catch their breath. The abrupt parting brought with it a healthy dose of sobriety.

  When she pulled away, he didn’t stop her. They stood staring at each other for a long moment. She easily saw the emotions that he had been keeping from her all of these years. He clearly struggled to keep his eyes on her face, verifying what he told her a few minutes ago. She suddenly saw the last five years in an entirely different way.

  And it broke her heart.

  Moving over to the log holding her clothes, she dressed in the moonlight, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. She wondered if he would speak, but wasn’t surprised when he didn’t. He knew her well enough to understand that she required time to process information, especially regarding new discoveries.

  When she was once again dressed, she faced him again. “I really wish you had told me this sooner, Quincy.”

  His silver eyes caught the moonlight. She read the regret there. “I should have.”

  “You understand now that in the span of half a day, I’ve learned that you’ve kept two life-altering pieces of information from me,” she said levelly. “You’ve kept them from me for years, despite the fact that I had a right to know both.”

  He started to say something, then stopped himself. Eventually, he just said, “Yes.”

  “You’ve shattered any trust between us,” she said, feeling emotion burning behind her eyes and fighting against it.

  “I know,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I won’t offer you excuses. But I will ask you if you think there’s any chance I can rebuild that trust.”

  She hadn’t ever felt such an overwhelming mix of emotions as what coursed through her right then. Anger had her wanting to lash out at him and insist there was no way she would ever trust him again. But because he finally held her gaze for longer than a brief moment, she saw how much her words impacted him. There was no way she would be able to sift through everything she had just learned in such a brief span of time.

  Though she knew it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, she gave him the truth.

  “I don’t know.”

  Chapter 14

  “Hoygul feels that the scroll piece is safer in the hidden library than it would be outside and in the possession of an individual,” Clara Kate said.

  She sat next to her mother on one of the large logs around the outdoor fire pit not too far from the training paddock. When Quincy and Sophia returned, it was to find everyone getting ready for a gathering around the fire. The families usually did this a couple of times a month, letting the kids roast marshmallows and stay up past their usual bedtimes. At the moment, the younger kids all played a game in the distance, freeing their parents and older siblings up for this conversation.

  Quincy sat with Tiege and Ariana on a log next to Clara Kate and her parents. Tate sat beside her parents with Zachariah standing behind her. Jabari, Sebastian and Ini-herit took up the next log, leaving Sophia seated beside her parents on the other side of the fire.

  Knowing his guilt was all over his face, Quincy tried not to look at any of them. It had been a very painful and quiet walk back with Sophia.

  He’d really made a mess of things now.

  Gabriel looked over at him. “Quincy, when you dealt with Hoygul, what convinced him to give you and Saraqael the map?”

  Bringing his focus to the issue at hand, Quincy responded, “Saraqael told Hoygul about his quest to save Kate. Hoygul and Saraqael got into an odd conversation about Hoygul’s writing…the stories he was forced to leave behind on the human plane when the planes were separated. He asked if humans still studied his work under the name Homer, and whether Saraqael could tell him who Odysseus’ love was.”

  “Penelope,” Clara Kate, Sophia and Olivia all said at the same time.

  “Yes,” Quincy said. “As soon as Saraqael answered him, Hoygul agreed to give us the map.”

  There was a moment where the only sound was the fire crackling. Quincy noticed a few looks shared between the parents of the Kynzesti and the elders and imagined they were exchanging thoughts.

  Though he knew he shouldn’t, he glanced at Sophia. The firelight made her already beautiful features even more striking. When he found himself remembering how unbelievable she tasted, he forced himself to turn his thoughts. That was when he realized she was looking across the fire in his direction.

  His heart rate picked up. Was she also thinking about their kiss?

  Then he clued into the fact that she wasn’t looking right at him, but beside him. Feeling like an idiot, he also looked over to see what had captured her attention. Ariana sat wringing her hands and staring into the fire. Her face was pale, but she appeared calmer than in recent days.

  “Hoygul’s point that the scroll is safer in the library is a valid one,” Jabari said, turning his attention.

  “However,” Gabriel added, “Hoygul’s home isn’t exactly secure. While it isn’t easy to find and it’s surrounded by a jungle that most beings won’t willingly pass through, it isn’t protected in the same way as Central or the homes of the elders.”

  “Why not?” Tate asked.

  Ini-herit answered. “It was not seen as necessary. Very few know that Hoygul holds the map to the ancient library. Nearly as few would have any interest in traveling there. Most Estilorians, in fact, are unaware of the library’s existence.”

  “How did you find out about it, Quincy?” C.K. asked.

  “I, uh, was told about it by commander Raphael,” he replied.

  He tried not to flush when he felt his elder’s gaze settle on him. He hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with his class commander regarding his reasons for wanting access to some of the oldest and most powerful texts on the human plane. He suspected that after Saraqael died, his elder found out that Quincy had basically deceived the commander.

  “Do we have any idea if Eirik knows about the library?” Sophia asked.

  “Uriel is communicating regularly with his scouts,” Gabriel said, “but they haven’t discovered Eirik’s location. It appears that he’s laying low rather than rebuilding his forces.”

  “We have no reason to believe that he knows about the library yet,” Jabari added.

  The “yet” wasn’t lost on any of them. Quincy considered what might happen if Eirik somehow learned about the library. Hoygul would likely be brutally tortured, if not killed, for the powerful information he held.

  “I don’t understand why you just don’t make Hoygul give you the map,” Tiege said with a frown. “You’re elders. Why should he have a right to refuse you?”

  Jabari sighed. “The map is not a physical item,” he explained. “It is passed to a being through Hoygul’s abilities. It’s almost as though the map becomes a part of you.”

  That was a fairly accurate description, Quincy thought. Sara
qael had been the one to receive the map to the library. After Hoygul used his skills to activate the map, Saraqael flew there as though a homing beacon had been inserted into his head. Quincy, on the other hand, had received an internal “map” that only worked while inside the library. It ultimately led to the scroll Saraqael used to save Kate. If they hadn’t worked together, they never would have found it.

  It appeared that Hoygul had a strong sense of protectiveness toward the items in the library and didn’t want to take any chances. That was what made him such a great map-keeper.

  “Because the map requires Hoygul’s cooperation to obtain,” Jabari continued, “there is no forcing him to provide it.”

  “Besides,” Sebastian said, “he’s only doing what we empowered him to do in the first place.”

  Quincy considered Eirik and his penchant for torturing others. While it wasn’t something the elders would ever resort to, he suspected there might, indeed, be a way to force the map out of the Scultresti male. It was a true concern.

  Tiege’s expression darkened. “That still makes no sense to me. You said yourselves that Hoygul is the only way we have to get to the library before Eirik does.”

  “Not the only way.”

  Ariana’s words were soft but clear, especially since they issued from right beside Quincy. Her lavender gaze remained focused on the fire. When Sophia got to her feet, Quincy glanced at her. She walked right toward him, making all of the thoughts vaporize from his brain.

  Her gaze never met his. The deliberateness of it hit his heart like a viper’s strike. She walked past him and then knelt in front of Ariana. Her scent, like a mix of night blooms blended with crushed exotic spices, floated up to him as she took the other female’s hand.

  “You’re right, Ariana,” Sophia said. “You can find the scroll piece.”

  “How could you ask her to do that, Soph?” Tiege demanded. “She’s—”