Maya shifted in her chair, then tilted her head, curiosity bubbling back up like it always did.
"So…" she said casually, tapping her fingers against the armrest. "Where do you sleep?"
Darcien looked up at her.
"In my chambers," he replied flatly.
She blinked. "That's it?"
"Yes."
She frowned, clearly unsatisfied. "No dramatic hidden rooms? Secret passage behind a bookshelf? Tower with a great view?"
He stared at her.
"…Why would I have that?"
She shrugged, smiling. "I don't know. Powerful men usually do. At least, from what I've… heard."
He studied her for a moment. "You imagine many strange things."
"I like imagining," she said easily. "It makes life less boring."
That answer didn't seem to satisfy him either.
She leaned back again, gaze drifting to the ceiling. "This place really fits, though. Dark stone. Tall walls. Serious atmosphere. Very… dramatic."
"How do you think of these things?" he asked, genuinely puzzled now.
She turned her head toward him, grinning. "I'm smart."
That earned her a pause.
Then, as if the thought had only just occurred to her, she added, "Do you know about werewolves?"
The air shifted.
Darcien went very still.
"…What?"
"And vampires," she continued, oblivious—or pretending to be. "And Lycans. All those kinds of beings."
For the briefest fraction of a second, his heartbeat stumbled.
"How," he asked slowly, "do you know of such things?"
She looked at him, surprised by the sudden edge in his tone. "Stories," she said quickly. "Books. Old tales. You know—myths."
His gaze sharpened, sweeping the room instinctively, though nothing appeared out of place.
"Lower your voice," he said quietly.
Maya blinked. "Why?"
He held her gaze for a long moment.
Then said nothing.
The silence stretched.
"…Okay," she muttered, sensing she'd stepped somewhere she shouldn't have. She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice without really knowing why. "Just stories," she repeated, softer this time.
Darcien turned back to the table, but his attention was no longer on the papers.
He said nothing more on the subject.
Maya watched him for a second, then decided—wisely—to let it go.
Still… the way his expression had changed told her one thing very clearly.
She hadn't imagined that reaction.