We’re silent for a long moment. Then Jacobi says, “At least you know why you like her so much now. You can just…stop.”

“What?”

“Come on, Shy. She’s still human. You can’t have a relationship with her anyway.”

I haven’t been able to sort out my feelings for Anora, between the incessant pull and all the drama surrounding her, but being told I can’t like her—being told I can just stop—infuriates me.

“I don’t need a reminder from you, Jacobi. Natalie does that enough.”

He looks a little pale. “All I’m saying is it’s bad for both of you!”

I’m quiet for a moment. “Don’t tell anyone what you found, Jacobi. Do you understand? The fewer people who know, the better.”

He nods. “Okay, fair enough, but what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “Keep it to myself. The longer Roth goes without realizing we’ve caught on to him, the better chance we have of figuring out what he really wants with the Eurydice.”

I take a deep breath, mostly to ensure the next thing out of my mouth doesn’t sound bitter. Maybe this is why I didn’t want to tell Jacobi about the pull between me and Anora in the first place.

“Thanks, Jacobi.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Anora and the Queen’s Ransom

Shy picks me up at one that afternoon. When I shut the door of his Jeep, he offers an easy smile, and yet I feel his tension. It corners me, stealing my breath, and I can’t help asking, “Are you okay?”

He seems surprised by that question. “Yeah. Why?”

I shake my head, trying to form words. “I just thought I’d ask. You know, after last night.”

His smile broadens, and it reaches deep into my heart. “I’m more than okay after last night.”

I blush and look away, though I know he’s not being completely honest. I can feel that he is troubled. Like tendrils of smoke, it surrounds me, caressing my skin. It makes me want to touch him, to feel his energy deep in my bones, because somehow, I know it will comfort us both.

The thought keeps slicing through me, sharp and startling. Something changed between us last night, and it didn’t even start with the kiss. My dreams suddenly make more sense.

I know his soul.

He was my calm in all the chaos.

It was the last thing I wanted to feel for a shadow knight, especially after Chase.

Why do I feel this way now? Was it Samael’s incense or seeing Shy in his Valryn form that created this connection? Both make me uneasy.

“What about you?” he asks.

“Huh?”

“What about you?” he says again. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Sleepy.”

He smiles. “Me too.”