The Hunter and the Mage (The Raven and the Dove #2) - Kaitlyn Davis Page 0,108

sign Cassi was playing her part well. When he burst through the exit, he stayed low, sprinting for the nearest column. Luckily, the city was still in that quiet part of night. The streets close by were empty, but taking to the air would be too noticeable. Having always lived as one raven among many, he found it strange to be in a place where his wings were so conspicuous. Funnily enough, Cassi must have had the same feeling now too, except for the first time in her life she blended in.

Rather than stand out in the open, he hid inside a library room, leaving the door slightly ajar while he waited for her to reappear. Before long, she emerged from the tunnel, her black-and-white speckled wings stark against the russet backdrop.

"Psst," he whispered as she neared. "Psst."

She found him immediately, needing no more prompting than the briefest whisper, reminding Xander once again of her lethal grace. Though she stepped easily, a slight sway to her hips, those eyes couldn't hide their cunning. Cassi was sharp, and he'd do well to remember that, especially with the doves knocking on his door, people to whom she owed far more loyalty than to him.

As she approached, he slinked back into the shadows of the room, remaining out of sight while she slipped inside. Despite the hint of light seeping in beneath the door, he couldn't see anything until she flicked on the lantern. Leather-bound books and cramped shelves surrounded them, the same as every day before, yet something felt different. He couldn’t quite say what.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Cassi waved the question away. "The old man suspected nothing. I blubbered and apologized like a frightened little girl, so he gave me a lecture and moved on with his day. He didn't see you. And something about the dry way he spoke made me certain we weren't the first young lovers found in the tunnels late at night, just as I'd hoped."

"Good thinking."

"I try." She grinned, lighthearted and perfectly herself, though he couldn't help but notice the smile didn't reach her eyes. "So why were you trying to find me?"

"Why were you in the tunnels?"

"We're back to this?"

"Cassi."

"Fine." She sighed, her shoulders caving in. Dejection racked her body and she slumped against the wall. Xander eased onto the table behind him, careful to keep a distance between them. It made thinking so much easier. "I was trying to get into the archives. Is that what you want to hear?"

"No."

"Look, Xander. I know it was stupid and reckless and that I could've gotten into a lot of trouble. But if there was even a chance that I could uncover something that might help us find Lyana, I had to take it. Don't you understand that? I had to."

He closed his eyes, his anger wilting.

"When that owl came saying you had a messenger, I just knew it was bad news from home. I just knew tonight was my last chance to find something, anything, that might help us, and I had to take it. And I was right, wasn't I? We're going back to the House of Whispers, aren't we? Something's happened? You mentioned Luka?"

Interesting that she addressed the dove prince so informally. Xander stored that information away as he tried to steer the conversation back to his questions, her attempt at changing the subject not unnoticed. "Did you touch anything in the vaults, Cassi? Did anyone see you? Did you—"

"No," she cut him off gruffly. "I found a few doors, but they were all locked, and I was so deep into the tunnels I could hardly see a thing. Before I got lost, I made my way back out, which is when I ran into you."

Xander eyed the lumpy bag hanging near her hip. "What's in that?"

"A cloak. I thought I might be able to pass it off as an archivist robe in the darkness of the tunnels if I got caught."

"And that's all?"

With a dramatic sigh, she slipped the strap over her head and held out the bag to him. "You can check it if you don’t believe me. I didn't take anything, Xander. I would tell you if I found something. We've been in this together from the start. Why would I start lying now?"

Why indeed…

She was doing everything right—the tone of her voice, the challenging gesture, as though she was daring him not to trust her. But that was the problem. He did trust her. He'd never had any reason