“She’d eat you alive,” Ander told him.
Tay’s quick flash of a mischievous grin suggested Ander was not dissuading him.
“Let’s take a midnight trip.” Ander went to the wardrobes that lined one wall and pulled out two deep amber velvet cloaks, tossing one to each of us.
The cloak felt like a soft blanket as I wrapped it around myself and fastened it at the neck. The memory of Fieran walking backward, his fingers brushing my throat and his eyes shining in the dim light, prickled in my mind.
“You wouldn’t normally humor one of your clan as you have me,” I told him as the three of us began to head down the stairs.
“No,” Ander admitted. “Eventually, you’re going to have to adapt to being one of many incredible Clan Amber shifters.”
Tay was right beside us, his hand trailing over the gilt banister, so I didn’t point out that Ander was humoring me for his own reasons.
“I’d like to see the life dome sometime,” Tay told Ander. “Cara told me about it. I question if she can really find my star or if she’s just going to point at something random.”
“Before you go home,” I said, needing him to leave.
“The stars look a little different to everyone,” Ander said. “That’s why it’s not as hard as one might think to pick out your family from the constellations. The ones we love might not be special, but when we see them, they shine a little brighter.”
I smiled at the thought at first. Then that smile froze on my face as I remembered how Fieran had smiled after I asked why his star was so bright.
The tall, arched doors to the library were closed.
“You never saw this.” Ander ran his hand over the doorknob, muttering a few words of an enchantment, and the door swung inward.
Tay grinned. “I can’t believe you want me to leave.”
Before I could respond, his expression turned wistful. “I know. I don’t belong here.”
I didn’t know how to respond. I wanted to point out that I didn’teither, so he wouldn’t feel alone. But I had to stay, and I needed him to go.
If I asked Fieran, would he force Tay home? Part of me was afraid to ask, afraid the world would start to funnel around us, trapping us both in this dark, glittering world.
The library at night was magical. Moonlight spilled through the high windows in pale ribbons, turning the tables and railings into ghostly silhouettes. Bookcases spread as far as the eye could see, interrupted by cozy seating areas.
“The dragon compendiums are this way,” Ander told me. “Let’s find you a book of Amber dragons.”
I would have asked Ander if he thought Fieran had wanted me to joiin Clan Amber, but Tay was walking alongside us, his eyes wide with wonder. If my brother knew I were in trouble, he would never consent to going home.
The dragon compendiums in the library were leather-bound books, illustrated with pictures of the dragons. I ran my fingertips over the colorful engravings. It was awe-inspiring it contained the same dragons had come to us for a thousand years, since they vanished from our world.
“Technically, that’s not supposed to leave the library,” Ander told me as he picked it up for me anyway.
“Technically, you’re my favorite person right now,” I told him, and Ander’s eyes crinkled at the corners.
“A little light reading for—” Tay broke off suddenly.
I turned toward him. He was still holding one of the compendiums, fingers curled around the spine, but his eyes had gone strangely unfocused, pupils narrowing like he was staring at something far beyond us.
“Tay?”
He didn’t respond.
“Tay.” My voice sharpened. I grabbed his arm.
He blinked slowly, like someone surfacing from a dream. Then again, faster. Confusion flickered across his features.
Then, abruptly, he smiled. “Sorry. I was daydreaming. This is just the most incredibly boring place. Only you would be in the most magical and thrilling palace we’ve ever seen and still seek out a library.”
