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"How’s that?" Mychael’s voice was a bare whisper, a deep, rich, wonderful whisper It was his spellsinger’s voice I closed ic

"Good," I ht end up in a puddle on the floor, but I was fine with that Puddles couldn’t have headaches, or not be trusted, or worry about kidnapped girls, or connections to soul-sucking stones

I took a breath and let it out on a sigh "So what do you think Banan wants with--"

"Shhhhh Relax"

I smiled a little "That’s easy for you to say"

"Apparently it’s not easy for you to do" I heard the humor in his voice

I opened my eyes Mychael’s eyes were close to me-- and so was the rest of hi’s masquerade ball ere this close and my face was cradled in Mychael’s hands My heart did a double thu," I breathed

Mychael’s blue eyes had darkened "No, it’s not" His voice was deeper, huskier

I sed "Relaxation’s way overrated"

Mychael was close enough to kiss for the second ti we had Ronan Cayle and four Guardians watching us No kiss then No one atching us now

Mychael bent his head until his lips barely brushed mine I felt the warainstThen Mychael slowly ering kiss, a kiss that banished ue, and er and healer Nice coood kisser," I whispered, kind of dazed

I felt Mychael’s lips curl into a so to bed" His voice was low and vibrant

"Bed?" I was dazed, but I was liking it Actually what I felt was a little tipsy If this hat a ht on doing it

"Bed," he repeated, like he thought he wasn’t getting through toup "Whose bed?"

Mychael blushed and lowered his hands from my face to my shoulders Much to o away

"That would be your bed," he told ht have been leftover tipsies, but I do believe I detected regret in that yummy voice

Mychael took his hands off ofyour dinner to you there"

Chapter 7

Thanks to Mychael’s attentions, and ht, and way later than I’d planned the next day It was early afternoon before I left the citadel for the Conclave Scriptorium aret me past the front doors

I could have easily found my way there by ard, Riston, and a ridiculous nuard and Riston were uniformed, armed, and virtually plastered to my sides If I had to draw a blade in a hurry, I’d have to knock one of them out of the way first

The rest of ht be after h their outer peri watchful eyes on the faculty, parents, students, and various visitors crowding Mid’s winding streets this tiave us a wide berth

The Conclave Scriptoriuht reading was not soranite walls was the largest and most co else you could write, scratch, or engrave words on in the seven kingdo sounded about right Not to ic-wise I’d spent ties’ private libraries, and while their bedtiical punch, it had nothing on the Scriptoriuic overload that’d over pale in coard nodded in understanding

"Yeah, it gives me a headache, too," he said "Nontalents dorooes are allowed to spend tih I don’t see why they’d want to"

We passed through massive, iron-banded doors into a cavernous, cool interior lit by lightglobes recessed into the walls The counter at the far end was a wall-to-wall monolith of black marble manned by librarians who looked less like academics and more like a black-robed line of defense for the precious books that lay beyond There was a single opening in the center to allow mere mortals to pass into what the librarians no doubt considered their inner sanctuh without per moved above us, and I looked up

There was a kid stuck to the ceiling

I blinked "What the…?"

Riston and Vegard looked up Riston winced; Vegard chuckled