Page 24 of Claimed By Midnight

"What? No, I just—" The lie tastes stale on my tongue.

A wicked grin splits her angular features. "Please. I know that look on your face. You're too precise to make that basic of a mistake."

Heat creeps up my neck. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." She leans forward, midnight hair falling across her face. "Want to know a secret? I fuck with Uriel all the time. Sometimes I like to mix up his bookshelf or steal his favorite weapons."

My mouth drops open. "That must make him furious."

"Oh, he gets that way." She straightens, and I catch the slight tremor in her left leg before she shifts her weight. "But what's he gonna do? Stop letting his best weapons scout work for him?"

"I just get so tired of being treated like I'll break."

"So break something of his instead." Raven picks up the blade, twirling it between her fingers. "Much more satisfying."

A laugh bubbles up from my chest, surprising me with its darkness. She hands me the blade with an exaggerated bow.

"Now finish up these runes - properly this time - and let's go raid that special vintage he thinks I don't know about. The one he keeps behind the false panel in his office."

"How did you?—"

She winks, her violet eyes sparkling with mischief. "I make it my business to know where all the good stuff is hidden. Besides, what's the point of having a bad leg if you can't use it to gain sympathy and information?"

I make a few more right before I mess up another. It makes me grin, knowing how much it will piss Uriel off.

But then, heavy footsteps echo through the workshop, and I freeze mid-rune. Koros fills the doorway, his massive frame blocking the light. One golden eye and one black fix on the workbench, taking in the covered workbench and failed enchantments.

"Those runes look wrong." His deep voice rumbles through the space. He moves closer, each step deliberate, his nearly-black wings brushing the ceiling.

Raven shifts, but doesn't rise from her perch. "Just teaching the little human some basics."

"No." Koros traces the air above my latest attempt, his scarred face unreadable. "She's breaking the flow on purpose. See how the lines cut against the grain?" His mismatched eyes lock onto mine. "Amateur mistake. Or a clever one, depending on your goal."

My heart pounds against my ribs. "I?—"

"If you want to cause real trouble," he continues, running a hand through his dark red hair, "target the stabilizing runes instead of the power channels. Harder to trace, and the effects are..." A wicked grin splits his face. "More entertaining."

Raven barks out a laugh. "Told you she was good."

"Good, but sloppy." Koros picks up the blade, his huge hands somehow gentle with the delicate piece. "Watch." He draws a series of interconnected symbols, each one flowing seamlessly into the next. "See how these connect? Break this one—" he taps a specific rune, "—and the whole thing destabilizes. But it looks like natural wear."

I lean closer, studying the pattern. "Won't Uriel notice?"

"Uriel notices everything." Koros's voice holds a hint of admiration. "But I'm just teaching you how runes work." He hands me the blade. "Try it."

My fingers shake slightly as I copy his pattern. The runes glow faintly, pulsing with potential energy. At the crucial point,I let my hand slip - just so - creating a hairline break in the stabilizing symbol.

The entire sequence flares bright blue before fizzling out with a sad sputter.

"Perfect." Koros's approval sends a thrill down my spine. "Now that's how you cause chaos."

And that's how I spend my afternoon, laughing with Koros and Raven, stealing Uriel's wine, and learning runes so well I know how to break them. By the time we get to dinner, I've managed to put how angry I am with Uriel out of my head.

The dining room's warm glow can't mask the shadows that dance across Uriel's as he comes in, though, wings spread wide in frustration. His golden curls catch the light from the enchanted chandelier, creating a halo effect that clashes with the cruel twist of his mouth.

"Every single enchantment." His glare sweeps across the three of us. "Ruined. I thought you were learning how to do themright."

I duck my head to hide my smile, pushing the roasted meat around my plate. Across the table, Raven catches my eye and takes a long, deliberate sip of wine - the special vintage we'd liberated earlier.