Page 123 of Vicious Kingdom

I took off.

I raced through the stacks straight to the thriller section, where glossy covers of dark alleyways and shadowy figuresbeckoned. My fingers danced along the spines, pulling books with practiced efficiency.

“James Patterson—need the new one. Oh! Lisa Gardner, haven’t read this yet.” I yanked volumes from the shelves, barely glancing at the covers before tossing them over my shoulder. Leo scrambled to catch them in the baskets, his reflexes impressive as he juggled the growing collection.

“Four minutes left,” he called, amusement coloring his voice.

“Karin Slaughter and Freida McFadden—absolute must.” I grabbed several hardcovers to complete my collection, then spotted a limited edition of a Thomas Harris classic. “Ooh, special binding on Red Dragon!”

The basket was filling rapidly as I moved like a hurricane through the section, plucking books with the precision of a surgeon. The next destination was the romance section, tucked away in the back corner of the second floor. I darted through the narrow aisles, my fingers skimming along the shelves as I navigated the familiar path.

“Three minutes gone!” Leo called, trailing behind me with the baskets.

“Don’t distract me!” I shouted back, skidding to a halt before the massive paperback display. I attacked the shelves with practiced efficiency, pulling books almost faster than Leo could register.

I paused long enough to arrange the piles for maximum capacity before running up the stairs to the third floor. Fantasy. There were too many classics to miss! I loaded up on Robert E. Howard, a new favorite. I grabbed the complete series of Robert Jordan’s work, before going after some Indie authors like Chandelle LaVaun, Leigh Kelsey, LJ Andrews, and Stacia Stark.

“One minute.” Leo seemed triumphant.

I tore down three flights of stairs, bumping and bumbling past other customers. Sailing to the glass cases of special editions, Itapped on the glass. “I’m buying all of these if you open them up in the next ten seconds.”

The wide-eyed clerk blinked at me.

“Hurry, my good man, it’s life or death!” I sang out with a laugh, not caring how ridiculous I sounded.

He hurried.

With tender care, I loaded book after book into the last basket. Leo began to count down from twenty. My fingers slipped on a precious first edition Maas.

“Time.”

I did it. I owned one of the first printings ofThrone of Glass.

As the clerk rang up the books, Leo traced his fingers over the spines. “How thehelldid you manage to grab over sixty books?”

I shrugged. “I’m just that good.”

He looked at me, somethingmorethan hunger blazed there. Possession maybe? Admiration? Or…adoration?

Either way, I felt light and happy.

Until I looked at the boxes. “How the hell are we getting those home?!”

“Oh, I’ll have them delivered.” Leo waved a hand.

I sighed contentedly. “So many pretties for my shelves. Say….” I shifted.

“Yes?” Leo arched a questioning brow.

“I need to box up my books at my parents’ house. They’re redecorating my bedroom. But um, we don’t have room at the apartment.”

“Anna.” Leo placed his hands around my waist. “Your books will always have a place with us. I would never separate you from your library.”

“Honey, never let him go,” the clerk gushed, staring dreamily at us.

I smiled. “I don’t plan to.”

***