CASSIE’S POV
By evening, the palace had grown quieter.
I found myself at the library doors again without entirely meaning to.
It had been a few hours since Bastian had handed me a book with his fingers over mine and nearly kissed me in the mythology section.
But somehow, I found myself drifting back toward the library without fully deciding to go there.
Maybe I wanted the books. Maybe I wanted the quiet.
Maybe I wanted to stop thinking about Bastian’s almost-kiss.
Amara laughed inside me “Liar”
I ignored her and pushed open the heavy library doors.
The room was a bit darker now than it had been during the day. Only the lamps on the long centre table were lit, which turned the room golden.
And he was there.
Castien sat near the fire in one of the high-backed chairs. He had a book
