My eyes snapped to his face, hope rising like a wave in my chest. “It’s not?”
Casimir snorted softly. “No, obviously. What sort of Daemon do you think I am?” Shaking his head, he took a seat on the sofa, surveying me from beneath his dark lashes. “Would you like some coffee? There’s food in the kitchen as well.”
“I—yes, thanks,” I breathed, and headed to the kitchen to pour myself a steaming cup from the French press. My temples were beginning to ache from caffeine withdrawal. I sighed as I took my first sip, the throbbing in my skull fading almost at once.
“So, just to clarify,” I began tentatively, “you’re not angry that I swapped the books right under your nose?”
“Oh,” Casimir said, a shadow casting over his expression, “I was furious when I discovered your little bit of skullduggery.” His lips tugging into a crooked smile. “But not nearly as angry as I was at myself for giving in to my weakness for nicotine. I assume that’s when you switched out the real Book for the fake?”
I nodded, chagrined.
“I must confess I’m impressed with your capacity for subterfuge, Farrow. I honestly didn’t know you had it in you.”
I didn’t know whether I should feel insulted or gratified by his comment. “Next time, perhaps you won’t underestimate me,” I retorted, unable to conceal a note of smugness.
“Perhaps not.”
I curled up on the sofa at a safe distance from Casimir and sipped my coffee, my face turned toward the sunlight streaming in through the window. The weather was so lovely I could almost forget the horrors that awaited us that evening. Mustering up my courage, I dared a glance at Casimir, his golden skin warm in the morning light streaming in from the high windows.
Casimir caught me looking at him and held my gaze over the rim of his cup. I couldn’t stop the blush that crept up my neck.
“So,” he said. “Tonight.”
A flutter of nerves rippled through me. “Tonight,” I echoed.
I tried not to grimace, but something in my expression must’ve betrayed my panic because Casimir added in a reassuring tone, “Whatever happens tonight, we will get through it.”
I sighed, placing my cup on the coffee table and sinking back into the couch pillows. “I wish we could just stay here all day.”
Casimir’s smile turned impish. “We can, if you like.”
My face heated. “I didn’t mean—for that reason.”
He laughed quietly, watching me from his repose on the opposite end of the sofa. “You don’t have to go to the ball tonight. In fact, it would be far safer for you to avoid it?—”
“What, stay here and let you go into the lion’s den alone?” I rolled my eyes at him. “I don’t think so.”
“But unlike you, I’m equipped to go into the lion’s den,” he murmured while tracing the length of my arm with his knuckles. “After all, I’m a lion, too.”
I snorted. “If you’re a lion, what does that make me?”
“That’s a good question,” he said, his grin broadening. “I don’t know, maybe… a sheep?”
My jaw fell open in outrage. “A sheep? Fuck you!” I reached over to swat at his arm, an action that only elicited more laughter. “I amnota sheep! Can sheep detect glamours and lies? I don’t think so.”
“Okay, okay,” he laughed, wincing at my slaps. “How about… a honey badger?”
My mouth twisted in suppressed amusement. I suspected he was still teasing me, so I gave him a sharp poke in the ribs. “Possibly… what sort of abilities do they have?”
“Honey badgers are fearless in the face of much larger predators.” He leaned in to cage me in between his arms and pressing his lips to the hollow of my throat, making my breath hitch. I was sure he could feel my heart pounding against his chest. “They can even kill venomous snakes. And they have sharp claws beneath all that fur, which you might not expect, considering how fluffy and cuddly they look?—”
I wriggled against his arms, twisting enough to glare up at him. “I resent being called cuddly or fluffy,” I growled.
He chuckled into my hair. “Do you accept the title of honey badger? Or will you be a sheep?”
I tried to jab him in the ribs again, but he caught my hand and dragged it to his mouth, his teeth sinking around one finger. Heat spread across my stomach and coiled low in my belly at the contact.
“Never,” I breathed.