The silence after Elara’s interruption was thick enough to choke on. My back pressed into the bookshelf, still trembling from the heat of Kaelen’s body, the ghost of his mouth on my neck, the way my magic had coiled around us like a living thing. I could still feel the pressure of his hand on my thigh, the low growl in his chest, the way my hips had instinctively arched toward him—traitorous, undeniable.
And now Elara stood there, smirking like she’d caught us mid-sin, her silver eyes glinting with knowing amusement. I wanted to scream. To vanish. To set the entire library on fire and bury the evidence.
Instead, I straightened, smoothing my dress with hands that only shook slightly. I would not let her see me undone. Not her. Not Kaelen.
“Elara,” I said, voice steady. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
She stepped forward, her gown whispering against the stone floor. “Oberon summoned me. There’s been a theft.”
Kaelen’s expression shifted instantly—cold, regal, unreadable. The man who had just had his hand under my dress was gone. In his place stood the Vampire King. “Theft? From where?”
“The Blood Sanctum,” she said. “The Blood Seal—the one shattered in the failed treaty—was being held in the Vault of Oaths. It’s gone.”
My breath caught.
The Blood Seal. The cursed artifact I had tainted. The one that had exploded in the throne room, nearly igniting a war. And now it was missing.
“That’s impossible,” Kaelen said. “The Vault is warded. Only three beings have access: myself, the High King, and the Keeper of Oaths.”
“And yet,” Elara said, “it’s gone. And Oberon believes it was taken by someone within Shadowveil Court. Someone with witch magic.”
All three of us turned to me.
Not that they had to. I could feel the accusation hanging in the air like poison.
“You’re joking,” I said, lifting my chin. “You think *I* stole it? After I nearly got torn apart by a werewolf for *witnessing* it?”
“You had motive,” Elara said gently. “Sabotaging the treaty weakened Kaelen’s alliance. Stealing the Seal could be the next step—using its broken magic to curse the court, or worse, repair it and use it against him.”
“That’s insane,” I snapped. “If I wanted to curse the court, I’d do it openly. I wouldn’t play thief in the shadows.”
Kaelen studied me—his gaze sharp, unreadable. Not angry. Not suspicious. *Assessing.*
“You were confined to my chambers yesterday,” he said. “You couldn’t have accessed the Vault.”
“Unless someone let her out,” Elara said.
“No one did,” I said. “I didn’t leave. Cassien came to me, but he didn’t open the Vault. He didn’t even go near it.”
“Cassien?” Elara’s eyebrow arched. “The werewolf Beta? He visited you?”
“He’s not a threat,” I said, too quickly.
Kaelen’s eyes narrowed. “You’re defending him.”
“I’m stating facts,” I said. “He didn’t steal the Seal. I didn’t steal the Seal. And if Oberon thinks I did, he can come ask me himself.”
“He will,” Elara said. “The Council convenes at dusk. You’re to appear before them. All of you.”
She turned to go, then paused. “Oh, and Rosemary?”
“Yes?”
“You might want to fix your hair. You look… *ruffled*.”
And with that, she vanished in a shimmer of silver mist.
The moment she was gone, I whirled on Kaelen. “You *knew* this would happen. You set me up.”
“I didn’t steal the Seal,” he said, voice calm. “And I didn’t accuse you.”
“But you didn’t defend me, either,” I shot back. “You just stood there, letting her imply I’m a thief. A saboteur. A *liar*.”
“Because I don’t know what you’re capable of,” he said, stepping closer. “You’ve already proven you’ll betray me. You tainted the treaty. You lied to my face. Why wouldn’t you steal the Seal?”
“Because I’m not *stupid*,” I said. “If I wanted it, I’d have taken it when it was shattered. I wouldn’t wait until it was locked away in the most heavily warded vault in the castle.”
He studied me—long, silent. Then, slowly, he reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered, just for a second, against my jaw.
“Then prove it,” he said. “At the Council. Stand tall. Speak truth. Let them see