"Second, Anjani used her succubus nature intentionally once, and believe me when I tell you, I felt the difference. Your head gets light, you're off balance, your body tingles, and your heart beats at an alarming rate. You can feel it, Vita. It's something so intense, it's impossible to ignore or mistake for something else. Your mind stops listening, and all you can think of is touching, kissing, and feeling everything."
"So, it's basically more intense than pure physical attraction?"
"It's like hugging the sun, Vita. You burn and you can't do anything about it. Putty in their silvery hands." He chuckled. "Anjani used her nature on me once at full power, just to prove a point. Trust me, you can tell if Bijarki ever uses it on you. No doubt about it."
I nodded, feeling a wave of relief washing over me. At the same time, my heart twisted into knots, as I got the confirmation I needed-I had feelings for Bijarki, all of them mine, not a single thread fabricated by the incubus, not even a smidge to sway me in his direction. And Jovi had noticed. The realization smacked me over the head, making me gawk at him.
"You know about Bijarki?" I managed to ask.
"It doesn't take a scientist, Vita." He smirked. "There's clearly something going on between the two of you."
The way he took my words and used them against me merited a round of applause. I nodded my appreciation with a faint smile.
"That being said … yes, of course I'm afraid I'll get my heart broken, Vita."
He looked at me. His gaze softened, and his lips stretched into a faint smile.
"I'm falling for a warrior succubus, after all," he added. "But that won't stop me from trying for what I want. And I want her. Life is way too short and, in our case, far too dangerous to worry about a broken heart. I'd rather regret something I've done than look back with my last breath and hate myself for not having acted on my feelings."
His words sank into me like cement bricks in a lake. I mulled over his reasoning as we went back out into the corridor. We had two rooms left on the top floor before we moved our search downstairs.
"Don't get me wrong, Vita, I really enjoy your company, but I get the feeling we'd cover more ground if we each take one room. What do you think?" he asked, smiling sheepishly.
I laughed lightly and patted him on the back.
"Of course. I can't stand you anymore, either." I grinned, then pointed at the bedroom on our right. "You take the bedroom. I'll take the study, and we'll meet up downstairs, okay?"
"Sounds like a genius plan." He smiled and pecked me on the cheek. "Thank you for listening. I've not spoken to anyone about this. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime, Jovi." I sighed. "We are family, after all. And here, we're closer than ever."
He grinned and disappeared into the bedroom, while I made my way into the east wing study. It looked far more spacious than it actually was, mainly because the bookshelves that covered the walls from ceiling to floor were carved inward rather than mounted. There were hundreds of books on them, most of them leather-bound.
I sighed, taking it all in, and leaned against the writing table set in the middle. It was a beautiful room, with a comfortable chaise-lounge under one of the three large windows facing east. There was plenty of natural light coming in, and the wood floor flaunted a handcrafted herringbone detail beneath the smooth lacquer. This room had been cleaned recently, and I couldn't help but wonder which one of our group had taken an interest in it.
I had my work cut out for me, so I started from the left, flipping through pages and checking every book for the swamp witches' symbols. I lost track of time. When I reached the other side of the wall, I'd had no luck in retrieving the third book.
The silence was blissful, as I continued processing everything that Jovi had told me about his budding relationship with Anjani. No matter how I flipped my own situation from one side to another, the conclusion was the same. Life was short and dangerous for an Oracle like myself, I clearly had feelings for Bijarki, and all I had to do was gather the courage to do something about it.
A creak to my left startled me. I jumped back a couple of steps when the library wall split open. One of the shelf segments was pushed forward like a secret door.
///
I felt the cool breeze blow over me and froze when Bijarki emerged from the darkness. The torch in his hand had died out.
He stilled in the bookshelf doorway, clearly surprised to find me there. The look of confusion on his face as he quickly scanned the room made me realize he didn't know where he was.