Half Claimed novel · Chapter 13 of 24
Chapter 13: The Leash
The old copyist reached the door before anyone else had moved.
She was the white-haired woman who had stood up for me against Torrance, and she shot the bolt.
"Nothing leaves this room," she said, to the other eleven. "Not a word, not at supper, not to your mothers."
"The Archive is sanctuary, and what is read in it is kept in it."
Chairs scraped as the copyists sat back down, and pens began to move over nothing at all.
Lorne looked at me and at Idris on the floor.
"I'll go and stand where Torrance's scribe can see me," he said quietly. "Redwater being busy with something dull is useful."
"Go," I said. "Thank you."
He went out through the side door, and the old woman bolted it behind him.
Idris was still sitting against the oak stand with his hand flat on his chest.
I knelt in front of him with the wax-sealed page in my lap and my heart going in time with his.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of Half Claimed are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
← Chapter 12 · All chapters · Chapter 14 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend