Chapter 41 Get me a candle
BRYNNE
The royal library annex is quiet, yet somehow, it feels so alive. Sunlight filters through tall windows framed by cream drapes, catching on the dust motes that drift in the still air. Lamps hang from the ceiling, their shine dimmed by the natural light. When compared to the main academy library, the annex isn’t large, but it has a warmth that the other one lacks.
Shelves climb all the way up to the high ceiling, packed with books too rare for common hands. Carved chairs with soft, firm padding circle polished tables, and further in, couches sprawl lazily across rugs.
A fire burns low in the hearth, giving the room the sense of a sanctuary tucked away from the world. I can be anywhere else in the academy, but I chose this place for this reason. The tranquility. Too bad my brothers beat me to it. I will be unable to fully enjoy the place to myself.
Kade lounges on a couch with his usual arrogance, munching the chips he grabbed from the annex’s food bar, while Tristan half-drifts in the silence. I should have headed back to my room or classroom after grabbing the book I wanted, but since my brothers are here, I choose to stay back.
“…she ignored me at breakfast yesterday,” Kade is saying, irritation sharp in his voice. He’s not used to being ignored, so whoever did that should be applauded. “Didn’t even look at me. And this morning, she was missing at the dining table.”
It takes me a second to catch on. He’s talking about Soma. She’s the only one who shares a table with us in the morning. I scoff before I realize what I’ve done, curiosity and annoyance prickling my skin. Lowering into a chair, I slide the book I pulled free onto the table.
“Are you sure she hasn’t run away yet?” I tease.
Sienna wasn’t joking about her lacking a backbone, but I’m interested in seeing how she navigates the academy.
If Soma understands the power Father vested in her and uses it wisely, she will have a peaceful time during her entire stay. But she doesn’t know that the only ones who are truly above her in the academy are the four of us. Tristan, Kade, Sienna, and I. Everyone else is expected to serve her. But that’s not information I’m willing to share with her. Not when I want her out of here.
Tristan snorts. The sound startles me enough to glance over. He almost never replies to anyone unless forced.
“She has actually made a friend,” Tristan says, his voice low and matter-of-fact. “A pretty one at that. Year 2.”
How does he know? I study him with a frown. Since when does he notice things like that? Is he watching her?
Kade groans, tossing his head back against the couch. “I can’t believe Lilith sent her a maid.”
Again, Tristan shocks me by speaking up. He doesn’t look up as he stretches out, sliding further into his seat.
“If Sienna gets one, why can’t she also have one? She’s going to be our Luna anyway. This is all part of her training,” he mutters. My heart clenches at his words, but I keep my expression distant, bored. “Besides, if you need one, Father won’t hesitate to send you a manservant.”
A grimace pulls at my lips at the thought of a man waiting on me, shadowing me, and obeying my every word. We are doing fine the way we are. All we have to do is shower, eat, and get to class. People already handle everything else. Anything more will feel too suffocating.
“You two are distracting me,” I mutter, flipping the book open in front of me, even though the words blur.
Tristan scoffs again, but with lazy amusement this time. He leans back fully, his legs thrown over the armrest of the couch, and his eyes half-lidded. For someone who speaks so little, he can say plenty without words.
I stop at a new chapter of the book titled Triggers. The first few lines talk about fire magic and its ties to certain things before proceeding to list out some triggers.
Proximity to fire. Intent. Focus. Emotions. Desire. Intimacy with one’s mate.
The last one makes me scoff, the sound too sharp in the quiet annex. Mate. As if. Soma can’t be my mate. Not only is she weak, but she's also an omega. She can't--she is not my mate.
Kade looks up from his spot, a grin tugging at his mouth. I can already tell my youngest brother is up to no good.
“What are you even reading so seriously?” he asks.
Maybe I can try the first trigger. Not bothering with an explanation, I shut the book halfway and mutter, “Get me a candle.”