Page 101 of Somnium

The roar of conversation poured out of The Crow’s Nest as Cadi pulled open the heavy front door. It was unusually busy for a Wednesday evening, forcing her to navigate a dense crowd just to get close enough to flag Sera down.

She found a spot along the bar and leaned over the polished surface in the hopes of snagging her friend’s attention. Sera was all the way at the other end, talking with a green-haired faerie. A teasing smile curved over her face as she laughed at something the faerie had said, but Cadi didn’t have time to speculate about her friend’s flirtation at the moment. They needed to talk.

Cadi stuck out her arm, waving it obnoxiously enough to draw several irritated looks from patrons and employees alike. She imagined she looked like the most impatient customer in all of Fiddler’s Green, but she didn’t care.

“Did you need something, Cadi?”

Cadi’s arm froze mid-wave as her head snapped to the side to find Saoirse staring at her from behind the bar. Cadi let out a soft laugh, her cheeks going red. “I just need to talk to Sera.”

A half grin slid over Saoirse’s lips as she nodded and stepped toward the opposite end of the bar. “I’ll grab her, just don’t smack anyone while I’m gone.”

Cadi smiled. “Thanks, I’ll do my best.”

She watched as Saoirse wove through the cramped space, tapped Sera on the shoulder, and pointed to where Cadi stood waiting. Her friend’s brows pinched when she saw her before she quickly dug into her back pocket to pull out her phone. Clearly she hadn’t seen Cadi’s text. Her eyes went wide when she saw the reason for Cadi’s visit, and she tossed her head in the direction of the kitchen.

Cadi worked her way back through the crowd, slipping behind the bar to follow Sera through the swinging door. As soon as she was through, Sera spun around, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her down the hallway toward Elias’s office. She practically threw Cadi into the room in her eagerness, then quickly pushed the door shut behind them.

“So? What did you find?” she asked, eyes gleaming.

Cadi pulled out her phone and opened the photos she had taken from inside the office.

“I found a bunch of invoices and some sigils. I don’t know if they are what you’re looking for but⁠—”

Sera snatched the phone from Cadi’s hand and scrolled through the pictures. With a loud bang, the door to the office flew open, making both women jump as Elias stepped inside, his eyes flicking between them.

“Well?” he asked.

Sera’s gaze shifted to Cadi, her mouth stretching into a wide smile. “This is … everything. Or at least damn near close to it.”

Cadi’s chest swelled at her friend’s assessment. It was good to know that she hadn’t risked a heart attack for nothing.

“These invoices tell us everything we need to know about what we will be up against,” Sera continued, “and these sigils here are a containment spell with a binding. That’s definitely what he’s using to hold our power.”

She pointed to the smaller piece of paper that Cadi had found wedged between the pages of the paperback, zooming in on the screen to identify the different parts of the spell. Cadi still didn’t understand it, but Sera was so happy about her discovery that she pretended like it made sense.

“What about the other page?”

Sera squinted as she studied the screen before lifting her shoulders in a shrug.

“It’s another binding, but it’s way too complex for his needs. I imagine it’s probably what he uses during the Rite of Dedication, but it’s still good information to have. Just in case.”

She handed Cadi back her phone with a playful wink.

Elias stepped forward, taking Cadi’s face in his hands and kissing her hard. “You’re amazing,” he whispered against her lips.

She let out a soft laugh. “Told you you needed me.”

He chuckled, his hands moving to her waist as he pressed his lips to hers again with a familiar urgency. For a moment, Cadi forgot where she was, her mind completely consumed by thoughts of him.

Until Sera cleared her throat.

“I’m very familiar with where this leads, and I’ve seen enough of that for one eternity. Just remember, this is an establishment that serves food.”

Elias chuckled, and Cadi buried her face against his chest to hide her embarrassment as Sera slipped out of the office, throwing them a sly smirk before she eased the door shut. Cadi tipped her face to look up at him, his eyes darkening as he took a step that forced her backward until the edge of his desk pressed into her thighs. She squealed when he gripped her beneath her ass and lifted her up to sit on the smooth wooden surface.

“All your hard work deserves some gratitude, wouldn’t you agree?” he murmured, his hand slipping between them to begin unbuttoning her jeans.

She breathed a laugh, taking hold of his wrist and gently stopping his efforts. As much as she loved where his mind was going, the idea of the entire kitchen staff hearing just how grateful he was carried much less appeal.