Jace's smile drops.

Cole turns to me, a slight gleam in his unreadable eyes. "Sounds about right."

My brows almost reach my hairline, and my mouth falls open with the unexpected humor.

I think Cole just cracked a joke.

"I meant Satan," Jace quickly quips.

"Demon of anger…really?" Cole turns his gaze back to Jace.

"Yup, sounds about right," he retorts, a pleased grin spreading across his lips.

Was Jace cracking a joke about Cole being a big angry demon? I mean, he was, but still.

A small chuckle leaves my lips at the antics of the two men.

Cole raises a dark brow toward Jace. To others, it would seem like an intimidating move, but I could see it…the slight gentle tilt to his lips, the playful glint in his blue eyes, and his relaxed shoulders. He was being playful in his own way.

I flinch as a figure appears at my side. He jerks forward and stands before me. His brows synch together as they scan every inch of my body for something.

I clear my throat to draw the statuesque Fae from his thoughts and back to me. Wondering if, by chance, he, too, was worried whether I had been hurt.

Probably not.

Ilyric snaps out of whatever trance he is in.

He squares his shoulders, relaxing his creased brows, as his haughty smile once again slowly spreads across his full lips.

“I see you’re perfectly fine. And why shouldn’t you be? It was only one beast. If you couldn’t handle something like that, you shouldn’t be a Librarian.” The arrogant and pompous character is back in place. His chin tilts up with a nonchalant look in his eyes. The complete opposite of the uneasy look that colored his face moments ago.

The switch is too sudden and swift for me. I decide to poke the smug Fae, his eyes still lingering on my face.

“Found what you’re looking for?” I ask, a smug tone to my voice as I raise my brow at him.

His eyes narrow, the crease returning to his brows.

A smug grin spreads across my lips, “If you continued to stare, I was going to start charging you a premium rate.”

An incredulous look splashes across his face before he quickly fixes it.

A smug smirk of his own grows. “Then I should also receive a large fee…since your eyes haven’t left me since I arrived."

I almost choke with the pompous look in his eyes and confident tilt to his chin.

“Do I get a discount?” Jace wriggles his brows, a mischievous glint in his eyes, as he joins the conversation. He wraps an arm around me, giving Ilyric a small glare.

“I also don’t mind trading for hard labor…I’m quite good with my hands.” He gives me an innocent look that turns teasing, adding a little wink at the end.

“They only look good for washing dishes,” Cole adds.

Jace opens his mouth, another snappy one-liner on the way, so I cut him off by placing my hand over his lips.