BRANDON
“Are you sure about this?”Brandon asked, hand hovering over the hidden door that led to his underground sanctuary.
Muriel rolled her eyes, theCodexwarm and purring in her arms. “We've been over this. TheCodexneeds a proper home, and your vault is the safest place for it. Unless…”
“Unless?”
“Unless there’s something in there you don’t want me to see. Do you secretly keep body parts in jars? A porn stash? Pictures of you in your awkward, gangly phase?
Brandon felt her teasing affection and couldn't help but smile. “I ditched my porn stash years ago, and I have never been gangly.”
“Hm. Body parts, then.”
“Maybe,” he teased.
“Open the door.”
He pressed his hand to the wood, and wards shimmered to life, recognizing his blood. The door swung open, revealing stairs descending into darkness. Orbs of mage-light flickered to life as they descended, responding to his presence.
Brandon watched Muriel's face as she took in his sanctuary—the enormous underground chamber, the shelves packed with centuries of collected knowledge, the artifacts that gleamed with old magic. Her eyes lit with wonder.
Not greed. Not the calculating assessment of someone looking to exploit what he had.
Just genuine wonder and appreciation for the beauty of it.
“Brandon,” she breathed. “This is incredible.”
Something in his chest eased. “It's been in my family for generations. Everything Merlin collected and left behind. Everything we've collected since.”
She moved deeper into the space, and Brandon followed, seeing it through her eyes. The leather-bound journals in their place of honor. The spatial magic that made the chamber larger than it should be. The protective wards layered so thick they were almost visible.
“These are Merlin's journals,” Muriel said, stopping in front of the section he'd known she'd notice. Her fingers hovered over the spines but didn't touch. “Written in code. Only someone with his blood can read them.”
“You've been paying attention.”
“Hard not to when your boyfriend is descended from the most famous mage in history.” She turned to look at him, eyes bright. “Have you read them all?”
“Most. Some are still difficult.” Brandon moved to stand beside her, running his fingers along the familiar spines. “He documented everything. His research, his failures, his regrets.”
“About the Lady of the Lake?”
“Among other things.” He pulled one volume, opening it to a passage he'd read a hundred times. “Here. This one's from late in his life.'I fear I have built a cage of my own making. She asked why I hesitated, and I could not tell her the truth—that once sealed, she would be bound to me for eternity. Now I am the one imprisoned, and I wonder: if I had been honest from the first, would she have chosen differently?'”
“Nimue didn’t know what she had,” Muriel murmured softly. “I’m glad I didn’t make the same mistake.”
“But I nearly did.”
“Your heart was in the right place. And you told me the truth—eventually. That’s what matters.”
He felt her certainty, her love, her absolute faith that they'd gotten it right where Merlin had gotten it wrong.
“Come on,” she said, hefting theCodex. “Let's find this old book a proper home.”
Brandon led her to the center of the vault, where a raised pillar of smooth stone sat. Ancient wards radiated from it, designed specifically to preserve and protect.
“Merlin used to keep his most precious items here,” he explained. “The wards are some of the strongest I've ever seen—even stronger than what protects the rest of the collection. If you're comfortable with it, theCodexcould stay here.”
He'd barely finished speaking before theCodexpractically leaped from Muriel's arms onto the pedestal, settling with a satisfiedthump.