“I can take it like a girl.”
“I’ve been around my share of lust demons. I know how they work, and the way Prescott reacted around the Lady? It’s the same way he reacted when you set foot into my boat. The man turned downright lustful.”
Now, my shields go way up. “Hey, now. I wasn’t acting seductively.”
“You don’t need to,” says Lincoln. “You’re part lust demon.”
I open my mouth, ready to argue. Unfortunately, Lincoln has a point. I’ve always known I was supposed to have powers over lust and wrath. The wrath stuff came easily, yet lust? That ability only kicked in after I met Lincoln. “Do you think it could have affected him?”
“I can say from personal experience that it absolutely did.” Lincoln chuckles. “I was drawn to you from the first moment I saw you.”
“That was different.” For the record, Lincoln saw me while I was chasing demons around at night. That’s what I consider a highly seductive situation. Not like, say, sitting in a boat, minding my own business.
“Yes,” says Lincoln slowly. “It was.”
Our gazes lock for a long second, and I’m so very, very happy I found Lincoln.
Jeeves clears his throat. “Well, whatever power you have, Prescott acted the same way around you as the Lady. Word is, the man was once a scholar. But ever since he came here, everything has been about that woman.”
His words echo through my mind in strange ways. It’s all about his Lady. Harper said something like that as well.
Suddenly, some of the thoughts I’d been struggling with fall right into place. I grip Lincoln’s arm. “I know where the codex is.”
“Where?”
“It’s in his library.”
“I thought you said you checked that.”
“I checked his old library.” I’m so excited I bounce on the balls of my feet. “But that was the old Prescott. The new Prescott wouldn’t see his library as being filled with scholarly books. It would be his collection of her letters.”
“The messages from the Lady?”
“Yes, he had them all in his desk. The moment I saw the drawer, I thought the codex could have fit inside it. After I started reading the letters, I got so put off that I gave up.” I pound my leg with my fist. “How did I miss that?”
“After reading one of those letters myself, I can’t say I blame you.” Lincoln wipes his hand off on his jacket, as if simply holding one of those letters made his skin filthy.
I turn to Jeeves. “You’ve been super-helpful, thanks. We have to run now.”
“Whenever you need me, just touch the water again.”
“I will.” I start to turn away, but then remember something. “Is your real name Jeeves?”
“No, Great Scala. It’s Jarl. Prescott wanted something that would be more in keeping with the school.”
“I like Jarl, actually.”
Lincoln clears his throat. “How about we get back to business?”
Oh yeah. That. I focus on Lincoln. “We better hightail it back to Prescott’s office.”
“I even know a shortcut.”
“You’re awesome.”
We race off into the forest, hand in hand. Both of us are smiling our faces off because we’re about to find this stupid codex. After that, we can get our asses back to Antrum, lock up Aldred, and have an awesome wedding. Not that I know what the moms have planned for us.
As I run along, I’m almost tempted to skip, I’m so happy. That’s when a little voice inside my head reminds me that even if we do find the codex, Lucifer’s coin is still out there somewhere. It won’t be much of a wedding if there’s no one left in the after-realms but demons.
I set that thought aside. First things first.
And right now, that first thing is sneaking back into Prescott’s office.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lincoln leads me on another wackadoo set of paths through the forest. Note to universe: even though I’m number one, a girl, and number two, running past trees, I have yet to trip on a fucking thing. So nyah. In short order we’re right back by Prescott’s fancy pants HQ. I pause, my eyes widening with surprise.
The clearing outside the place is mobbed.
Students, faculty, and guards are all making a mad dash past the headmaster’s office and toward Jamboree Hall. It’s a super-strange sight. Normally, everyone shuffles around in small groups, looking terrified. Right now, they’re as excited as if someone was handing out demon bars nearby…Or whatever it is that humans value.
“What’s going on?” I ask Lincoln. “Is this a faculty event thingy?”
“Not that I know of. Perhaps the other students are staging an insurrection.” A blissed-out girl rushes past us. “They certainly look happy enough.”
“Are you kidding? Folks here can hardly organize themselves to make eye contact, let alone revolt against Prescott.” I pause and tap my chin. “Although, I haven’t been super-chatty with any of the other students yet. Maybe they’re secretly badass.”