“Wait!” I say, and she turns, eyes sparkling. “Would you like to join me for dinner this evening? I’d be happy to let you look through His Majesty’s books after.” I don’t know what’s come over me, but I don’t want her to go—I want her to stay here with me. The prospect of beautiful company after so much solitude both excites me and makes me cringe at my lack of restraint. I find her stunning, something about her quiet yet exuberant demeanor intoxicating. And the questioning look in her eyes when our hands touched… Could she—I don’t let myself finish the thought.

She blushes, and it lights me up with excitement for what might be. “That would be wonderful.” Her eyes are bright with what I swear is longing, and there’s a small spark between us. Despite my earlier decision not to pursue anything romantic with her for her own safety, something about that look in her expression makes me waver in my resolve.

“It’s decided then. I’ll find you when I’m done here for the day, and we can retire to my room for dinner.” I emphasize the last word, suggesting dinner is the furthest thing from my mind. She blushes again before walking down the spiral staircase, and my chest flutters.

What would Laurel say, seeing me flirting with Velmarans? Practically inviting one to sleep with me?

Shaking my head to clear the thoughts of Genevieve from it, I open the massive Old Fae book and the dictionary I’ve been using to translate. My vocabulary has improved quickly, the knowledge refreshing from the depths of my memory. I started translating the section on fae mates two days ago, and I return to that section now.

Reading a passage about how mates discover one another, through blood, I catch the word used in the book’s title, though here it makes little sense to be translated as legend. I wrack my brain, searching its depths for alternative translations. I flip through the dictionary for the character in question, then scan through the various translations to the common tongue. Legend, myth, fable, story, and tradition are all listed as viable translations. Tradition. The word stands out to me, making the most sense in the context of the passage. Does that mean the title of the book is The Traditions of the Fae? That puts the volume in a whole new light.

Does that mean fae mates could be real? Or were real, at some point?