Page 63 of Death of a Mortal

That had to be it. Blueprints were usually in library archives.

“What kind of stuff is kept in the castle archives?” I was trying so hard to sound innocently curious.

He looked over at me for a moment. “Records and censuses of the people in Ashenholt, treaties and recorded laws, border records, castle building plans. Basically, anything about the castle.”

I tried not to react, but I knew it was exactly what I’d suspected.

This was where the blueprints would be.

“Could…could you show me?” I asked lightly.

I hated myself for hiding my intentions from him, but I was sure that nothing short of Varynjoiningthe rebellion would make me think it was safe to tell him why I needed to find the dungeons. My feelings had to stay separate from my mission.

He studied me for a moment, looking my face up and down before he agreed.

We got up off the table and dressed, each of us shooting silent, unsure looks at each other. I knewIwas unsure because I had dangerous plans that were in motion, secrets. But why was he unsure after…that?

“Castle archives this way.” He motioned to the other side of thesecond floor from where we had come up as he buttoned his last button on his shirt.

I became all business. The pleasure, while intense and blissful, was nearly forgotten in my drive to find anything that could get me closer to my mother. Nearly. But definitely not completely.

We passed through another heavy wooden door into a small room, all light from the moon gone here. He lit another lantern, and in the orange glow, I could see more shelving. Some were stacked with books, more haphazardly than those in the library, and some were stacked with scrolls.

This room smelled strongly of parchment and dust, feeling immediately forbidden.

He kept watching me, his stare feeling different from before, assessing. “Is there something you want to see here?” he asked.

I felt like I was on thin ice, like I was a breath away from exposing myself. “I’ve just…always loved architecture. And my time here is the first time I’ve ever seen a castle with my own eyes. I…if I could, I would love to see the blueprints. It’s just fascinating.”

I knew I had messed up immediately. He knew when I was lying. He had been vulnerable with me about his mom, and then we had shared such an intense sexual experience, and here I was, lying to him.

I felt low.

He stared at me for a long moment. Too long. But then he said… “Well then, let’s get the blueprints.”

I beamed at him, trying to show my gratitude and excitement. But it was laced with regret at my deception.

His face was unreadable, that damn mask back firmly in place.

He pulled down a thick scroll I would never have seen at my height and unfurled it across the small desk in the corner, placing the lantern on one corner to help keep it from curling back up.

I moved closer, then he framed me between his arms on the edge of the table, once again very close to me, which set my heart racing. This male’s effect on me was immediate and visceral.

I cleared my throat to speak, but before I could say anything, he started pointing out various points on the intricate architectural diagram.

His words were barely registering as my eyes quickly scanned the yellowed parchment. I saw dining halls, ballrooms, royal quarters, kitchens, servants’ areas and corridors…the garden where I had that beautiful dinner with Varyn.

But no dungeons.

And then I felt incredibly stupid. If the royals didn’t want anyone to know where their dungeons were, they would likely not be documented in the blueprints.

The disappointment was ready to consume me, but I had one last small hope.

“And is this the castle as it is today?” I asked, trying to sound offhand.

He looked at me for way too long. He was impossible to read with the mask on, and that scared me. I had decided to trust him, but I thought for the briefest moment that it had been a mistake.

After everything we’d just done, I didn’t think I could even contemplate the dire consequences if I’d gotten him wrong—both for my plans and for my heart.