Mark of Love (Love Mark #3) - Linda Kage Page 0,55

look at it with awe and wonder, then transfer that look to me and feel a connection between us through the words I’d written.

Except Quilla wasn’t exactly a typical true love. She was a Graykey, and she wouldn’t like what she found inside the pages.

Besides, knowing her, she was more likely to laugh and chuck it in the fire or dunk it in water, ruining the whole thing, and then degrade me for being a writer of any kind than she was to find any genuine interest in my research.

My stomach muscles knotted and tensed as I hoped and prayed that she didn’t hurt my baby.

While she rotated it slowly, examining the cover and frowning at the leather bindings, no doubt trying to figure out how to remove them from around the cover so she could open it and look inside, she said nothing and revealed even less with her expression.

But the fresh and open curiosity seeping from her emotions charmed me.

Melaina gurgled out a degrading laugh. “How do I even know what a book is?” she guessed my question when I couldn’t seem to finish it. “Oh, darling. If you only knew. I’ve been to places where they have an infinite supply of books. They sell outdated volumes that no one wants any more in these shops called used bookstores. They stack books from floor to ceiling on so many shelves you can barely walk between the crowded aisles.”

My lips parted as I watched her talk.

I couldn’t believe a word she said, because no place like that existed in the Outer Realms—since books didn’t even exist in the Outer Realms—but she spoke with such familiarity and authority, and the things she said matched stories I’d heard from another who knew about all that, so I found myself wondering if maybe she had been to a bookstore before.

But how?

“And what place was that?” I asked, my gaze straying to Quilla as she kept my journal clutched in her hand and returned to the fire, still examining it as she sat and picked up the spit of bread to continue cooking.

Wait, why was she keeping my book? And why was she watching me while I talked to her aunt? It was distracting as hell; I could barely concentrate on what Melaina was saying, and this was a conversation I was very invested in having. But Quilla was looking at me, and I could feel her interest blaring through the mark, which made me just want to crawl over to her and rub against her like a tomcat in heat.

Jesus, I think I preferred it when she completely ignored me—as she did ninety percent of the time. Because whenever she looked my way, my brain suddenly felt like a rubber ball ping-ponging around inside my head with all the aches and wants consuming me.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Melaina was answering.

I dragged my gaze away from her niece and exhaled slowly, trying to control the arousal that flooded my veins by bobbing my knee.

Just to see how she’d respond, I said, “So you’re talking about Earth, then?”

She looked up, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Across the fire, Quilla gasped.

My attention returned to her just as Melaina demanded, “What do you know of Earth?”

“What do you know about it?” I countered, still unable to tear my stare from Quilla. A strange mixture of confusion and excitement wafted off her. And she was watching me intently. She’d heard of Earth too.

Which was…

Interesting.

The only other people I’d met who knew what Earth was were people from Earth or descendants of people from Earth. How did these two know?

“Honey, we’ve been to Earth,” Melaina finally announced. “That’s how we know.”

I zipped my incredulous gaze to her, only to turn back to Quilla. She hadn’t changed a feature on her face, yet I knew from her frozen expression that her aunt wasn’t lying. My mouth dropped open.

“Wait. You’ve been to Earth? Earth, Earth? Holy shit.” I clutched my head in my hands and took a step in her direction. “I have so many questions.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed a stern finger at me. “Stop right there. Don’t you dare come over here.” She might look like she was ready to cut a bastard and not think twice about it with the hostile glare she sent me, but I sensed fear and sudden anxiety spike from her emotions over the possibility that I would approach her.

I backed away considerately, then plopped my ass down on