Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,81
betray your brother.”
Ves swallowed against the tension in his throat. “Bonnie said Noct could come here, afterwards. I’ll stay away, of course, but…I trust you’ll treat him well. You’re a good man, better than I deserved, and—”
Sebastian crossed the space between them and seized Ves’s arms with both hands. “Stop this,” he ordered.
Then hauled Ves close and kissed him fiercely.
Startled, Ves returned the kiss. It deepened, and within moments they were clinging to one another. Sebastian’s hands fisted in his hair, then slipped to his shoulders, down over his back, and found the slit in his vest and shirt.
“What the devil happened to your clothes?” Sebastian asked, startled. His face was flushed, lips reddened from the frantic kiss. Ves wanted to throw him down on the couch and see the flush on the rest of his pale skin.
Ves cleared his throat. “Bonnie thought I might want to fight without being rendered indecent.”
“How inconsiderate of her. Inconsiderate to me, that is; I’d much rather have you indecent as possible. I’ll have words with her.”
Ves shook his head helplessly. “Sebastian…I don’t know what’s happening here. You haven’t forgiven me, have you?”
Sebastian studied him for a long moment, until the faint flame of hope that had kindled in Ves began to flicker. Then he took Ves’s hands in his. “I realized I could stew in my own unhappiness, cling to my hurt, and miss you. Or I could forgive you and not miss you.” He held up an admonishing finger. “Not to suggest you won’t have to make it up to me. I have a few ideas as to how you might do that.”
“I’ll bet you do,” Ves said dryly, but an uncontrollable smile tugged at his lips. “Thank you.”
Sebastian squeezed his hands and let go. “The librarians are preparing to defend the library against Fagerlie. I’ve come to help you rescue Noct. And don’t tell me it’s too dangerous—I have a plan.”
Ves blinked in surprise. “You do?”
“Yes.” Sebastian took a step back. “Oh, and I figured out where the Book of Breath is hidden in the library. I’ll tell you about it on the way.”
Sebastian and Ves lurked on the rooftop across from the house the School of Night had rented.
He’d explained everything to Ves as they made their way here. Ves’s eyes lit up when Sebastian told him how the library rooms and levels fit together like a puzzle box, and his exclamation of “You’re brilliant!” had sent a warm glow through Sebastian.
It was full dark when they arrived on the street, and lights still showed in the house that was their focus. Shapes moved back and forth, silhouetted against the curtains. “We’ll need to wait for them to leave,” Ves noted. “So we have to find somewhere to hide, where they won’t notice us when they depart.”
Sebastian cast about the dark street. Several of the streetlights had gone out, plunging the space between into shadow. The problem was less finding a place of concealment, and more of finding one where they could be assured to see the house clearly and not be spotted themselves, when Fagerlie and his minions eventually left.
Ves, it seemed, had already come to a decision. He caught Sebastian’s arm, steering him toward the building directly across from Fagerlie’s house. “Do you trust me?” he asked when they reached the moldering brick wall.
“Of course.”
“Then hold on. I won’t let you fall.”
Before Sebastian could ask what Ves meant, the tentacles emerged from the back of his shirt in a slithering rush. He wrapped two about Sebastian, securing him against his back—then began to climb.
Sebastian bit back an exclamation when his feet left the ground. Ves clambered up the side of the building with ease, using tentacles and arms to grab any available hold. In the space of mere seconds, he deposited Sebastian gently onto the slate roof tiles.
“That was…impressive,” Sebastian managed to say, when he had his breath back.
The waxing moon outlined the bare suggestion of Ves’s features, but it was enough to see his brief smile. He caught Sebastian’s hand in his, tugging him into a crouch, then crawling slowly along the roofline until they had a clear view of the house opposite.
The preparations inside appeared to be frenzied, with figures hurrying back and forth. Two men stood on the porch; at a glance, they would look as though they were simply enjoying the night air, but Sebastian had no doubt they were guards.