With his hand in mine and a dripping wet lut at our sides—she decided to have another quick dip into the pond while we dressed—I take Rainer back through the portal and into the depths of the library.
The smells of the forest are replaced with the smell of books. The magic lights that danced in the air are replaced by the soft glow of old, dim lights. The soft forest floor is now cement beneath linoleum.
Bummer. I already miss the forest.
“Time to see if they’re finished fighting,” I say. He doesn’t pull his hand away as we leave the basement, and I love that. I love his touch. This is the kind of touch I crave all the time. Companionship. Maybe our own kind of magic is spreading between us. That’s a thing, right?
Our peace is broken when we reach the room we’d been staying in. Keary is on his feet and in our faces as soon as we step inside. He shoves me away.
“What the fuck, Drystan! Where have you been? How dare you take him. You can’t steal him away!” Keary fumes.
Rainer frowns, crossing his arms over his chest as he looks at Keary. His eyes meet mine, and I shake my head. It’s not worth fighting about. Keary is determined to be belligerent right now because he let Notto get him off last night and he’s feeling defensive about it.
I don’t respond. Instead, I take a seat on my mat and let the damn sun god who holds my heart in his golden hands rant until he’s out of breath.
RAINER
Mama told me being in the middle of a fight that doesn’t concern you is a good way to become the first casualty. I’ve seen this firsthand.
The tension in the air has increased to something that’s borderline hostile. I track Drystan as he takes a seat on the mat he’d slept on last night. Keary follows him, continuing to rant.
“You don’t get to steal him away!” Keary hisses.
I wonder how long before he’s thrown out of the library by invisible forces again. Maybe that’s why his raging is being done through clenched teeth, hisses, and growls as opposed to shouting.
After Keary makes the same statement for the eighth time, Drystan sighs. “I didn’t steal him. I was bored, and you were being a tragic romance so I asked him if he wanted to go on an adventure.” He gives Keary a pointed look. “Iaskedhim.”
“You can’t have him. Just stop. Both of you need to stop. He’s mine.”
“No,” I interrupt, making all three monsters turn to look at me. “I’m none of yours. You don’t own me. If that’s what you’re hoping for, you can go away. I don’t want or need your help.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Keary says. “You’remine.”
“I heard you, and the answer is still no.”
His frustration turns to me as he huffs and stomps his way over. Kaida ruffles, her hackles rising, but I dig my fingers into her feathery fur to keep her there.
Keary’s hand closes around my neck, and before I can respond, he presses his mouth to mine. Oh.Oh.He kisses me in a way that can only be described as possessive. I feel his kiss throughout my entire body. Not just in an arousing way but also in a way I can’t quite describe. I hear the word repeated though.
Mine.
His mouth comes off mine slowly, though he keeps my bottom lip and sucks on it. The sensation shivers its way through my body. “You’re. Mine,” he murmurs.
His hand flexes around my neck and… Am I angry at this possession? Do I want to argue?
“Oh, come on!” Drystan says, making me flinch. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Notto deadpans. “What kind of bullshit is this? Why him?”
I’m not entirely sure I’m following this argument. Deciding I don’t want to be a part of whatever’s going on between the three of them, I disentangle myself from Keary’s hold.
With Kaida at my side, I wander down an aisle and start perusing books. I can hear Keary’s furious but quiet outrage along with Drystan and Notto’s not quite as quiet responses. I don’t stop to read anything until I’m far enough away that I can’t hear them anymore.
“Are all monsters like this?” I ask Kaida.
She bows her head in what I think might be a yes.
***
