Chapter Fifteen
The Hidden Archives
The Restricted Archives lay beneath the Council Citadel.
Far beneath.
Lower than the kitchens.
Lower than the infirmary.
Even lower than the oldest wine cellars.
The air grew cooler with every descending staircase.
Ancient stone replaced polished marble.
Modern lighting gave way to enchanted crystal sconces that glowed with a pale silver light.
Aveline had never imagined a library could feel...
Alive.
Rowan walked ahead, one hand resting lightly on the leather satchel slung across his shoulder.
Theo remained beside Aveline, careful not to walk too close.
Not because he didn't want to.
Because he remembered the terror in her eyes the first day they met.
He refused to become another man who crowded her.
"You don't have to come."
Theo's vo
