Page 45 of His Darkest Desire
Kinsley cleared her throat. “So were you locked away in that room downstairs, brooding?”
“I was within that chamber,” he replied as he lifted his gaze and fell into step behind her, “but I was not brooding.”
“Sulking, then?”
“No. Nor was I overseeing the elvish slaves who tailor my clothing, as they do not exist.” He locked his hands behind his back. “And while I indeed possess several enchanted sticks, not a one has ever been or will ever be—what were your words?—shoved up my ass.”
Kinsley faced forward and bit down on her lips to keep her laughter from bursting out, but she couldn’t stop the muffled sound from escaping. “You heard that, huh?”
Shade laughed quietly from beside Vex.
“It’s not as though you made any attempt to speak softly, human,” Vex replied.
“I wasn’t exactly yelling either.” Kinsley trailed her fingers over the ivy growing on the shelves. “What is that room?”
“My workshop. Or mayhap…laboratory is more accurate.”
“A lab?” She stopped and turned to face Vex, her nose crinkling. “So do you have human body parts floating around in jars down there, waiting to be sewn together?”
Vex’s brow furrowed. He was studying her again, scrutinizing her, but somehow, there was no judgment in his gaze. “You’ve a rich imagination, haven’t you?”
“Considering what I’ve seen and experienced here, it’s not all that farfetched. And there are sick people who do that sort of thing, you know.”
“I am well aware.”
“So what’s down there then?”
The muscles of his jaw ticked. Just when she was sure he wouldn’t answer, he said, “Potions, salves, tinctures, and a myriad of reagents and arcane items that are both powerful and dangerous, especially for a mortal. Hence the locked door—which shall remain so.”
“Aww. I don’t get to see your dungeon?” Kinsley stuck out her lower lip in a pout.
His eyes fixed upon her lip, and heat again swirled in their crimson depths. Distractedly, he replied, “It is not a dungeon, as I’ve already stated, and you shall not see it. I would not risk undue harm to you.”
Of course. He couldn’t let anything happen to his baby maker.
Kinsley swept her hand out. “What are all these books?”
Vex finally looked away from her, turning his head to survey the room. He moved closer to a set of shelves, running his fingertips across the books upon it. “They contain all manner of knowledge. Herbology, cartography, metallurgy, linguistics… A great many subjects, though most pertain to arcane and mystical arts.”
Shade drifted in the wake of Vex’s hand, casting a ghostly glow on the books.
“Are any of them books that you’d read for fun?” Kinsley asked.
Vex looked back at Kinsley, his brow furrowing. “For fun?”
“Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt is confused by the concept, but yes, for fun. You know, reading because you like to. Reading books with adventure, excitement, romance and tragedy, books with gripping stories.”
“Treatises detailing the alchemical properties of madame’s cup lichen fail to rouse excitement in you?”
“Potentially interesting, but very, very far from exciting.”
“How unfortunate.” Vex stepped back and swept his gaze across the shelves. He kept one hand raised, marking the progress of his eyes with an extended finger until, finally, that finger stopped. “There.”
Shade floated up to the high shelf Vex had indicated, illuminating the books there.
“Fae histories,” Vex said, “brimming with tales of love, ambition, and betrayal. The deeds described within would seem as myths to a human.”
Kinsley crossed her arms over her chest. “All right. History isn’t what I expected, but that sounds promising.”