Keary sighs. I feel his presence shift. Kaida turns her head to look at Keary, which allows me to turn mine until I can see him with one eye. He sits beside us with his legs folded under him.
“I’m sorry,” he says, and I think I believe it.
I don’t answer though.
He looks around then leans back on his hands. “Are you familiar with the Library of Alexandria?”
“I don’t know where Alexandria is,” I tell him. It’s not a city I’m familiar with. Maybe it’s on the west coast of the continent.
“Alexandria is in Egypt.”
I’m familiar with Egypt from books as a kid—mostly the pyramids and the thousands-year-old mummies of pharaohs.
“Alexandria was named for Alexander the Great, one of the most successful forces in history. He changed the world on a much greater scale than nearly anyone else ever has. Alexandria was best known for several things but primarily the Great Library and the Lighthouse, which was said to have some kind of death beam that could set ships on fire. It was used as a defense against invading forces.”
“Wow. Have you been there?”
Keary shakes his head. “Thousands of years ago, the lighthouse fell into the ocean due to an earthquake. The library was set on fire during a Roman Empire civil war. Some say it was an accidental fire, but somehow, I doubt that. History has shown over and over again that idiots in power like to burn histories of other people and beliefs to try to erase them. It’s happened several times in history and as recently as a hundred years ago when the humans had an orange tyrant in power here in what was once the U.S. territory. He’s one of the leaders who didn’t believe that monsters existed, even when presented with the truth right in front of his eyes. This dumbass actually issued an executive order that any state or government group supporting the ‘mentally ill’ who claimed that they were monsters would face the full extent of the law.”
Orange tyrant. I’m picturing a little orange gremlin. My eyes flick to the books. Maybe I should look up who the last leader of the U.S. was.
“Anyway... That fun period in time is neither here nor there. Was his failure to act the reason there are fewer humans left alive in this part of the world? Fuck yes. But I digress. Back to the point. The Library of Alexandria was one of the greatest libraries in the world, built more than two thousand years ago. It was said to have held a copy of almost every written work—scrolls at that time—during its height.” He looks up at the ceiling. It’s maybe the first time I’ve seen this expression on his face. Wonder?
“Back before Silence destroyed everything, I used to spend all my time reading, getting lost in stories, histories, biographies. I read anything I could get my hands on. I dreamed that I could rebuild the Great Library and begin collecting a copy of every book, manuscript, and notes ever written from every place on Earth and every place within the monster world.”
“You gave up that dream?”
Kaida shifts off me, rolling to the floor and lying on her back. I chuckle.
Keary lies beside me, propped on his side and pressed right against me. I can feel his body heat through our clothes. His eyes stare into mine. Silence fills the room, and I realize that the rain has let up.
His fingers trace my jaw, moving along the side of my face before burying themselves in my hair. “It feels frivolous now,” he says. “I feel like I can’t enjoy a library when the world is in the state it’s in, you know?”
His body rolls partially on top of mine, and his hard cock presses against my hip. His hand moves from my hair down my neck, my chest, my abdomen. I feel his fingers on my skin beneath my shirt. My cock strains, reaching for his hand.
“Can I get you off, precious?” he asks.
A groan escapes in answer. “Is this what you’re supposed to be doing in a library?”
His smile makes my stomach flutter. “There are new rules in the world. As long as we clean up after ourselves and don’t ruin the books.”
I reach for his head, gripping a handful of hair, and yank his face to mine. He kisses me hungrily, but his hand doesn’t move from my stomach.
“I thought you were going to get me off,” I say.
“You didn’t agree.”
“Get me off, Keary.”
His mouth seals over mine again, and his hand plunges beneath my pants. My entire body jerks as it curls around my cock. He squeezes me tightly. I can feel myself leak. That warm, wet spot on my stomach says as much.
Keary’s hand is extra hot. It feels like the heat from his touch dives deep inside me, curling around my core and my balls, setting my arousal on fire. I jerk up into his hand, needing to feel some friction.
He lets me go long enough to shove my pants down so my bare ass is on the library floor. He kicks off his pants, then straddles me, pressing our dicks together. Our mouths break apart, and he sits up to look down at me, his hand wrapped around our cocks.
I’m not sure when the sun broke through the clouds, but a beam of light lands right across our dicks, circling them. It’s like a hot ribbon, tying them together tightly.
Keary leans forward, his hands on either side of my shoulders. Even though his hands are no longer on me, I feel the tight grip around our dicks, holding them together. The heat. The feel of him. How hard he is. Everything inside of me burns hotly.
