My new residence was unexpected to say the least, but I didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I’d worried I might, in any sense. I nestled down and blinked heavily up at the vast darkness that was neither ceiling nor sky, but somehow felt like both, oddly optimistic for the first time in years.
Chapter 9
Tap
Seir and I were discussing my shopping order when Phin wandered out into the hall, her clothing fresh and eyes bright.
“Good morning,” I greeted her. “Did you sleep well?”
She dipped her head. “I did. The bed is very comfortable.”
“I left breakfast on the table for you if you’re hungry.”
Her cheeks pinked. “I found it, thank you.”
“Good.”
Seir’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at her, then looked at me. “Tap?” We’d gotten straight to business, and I hadn’t had a chance to discuss the finer details regarding Phin’s employment yet.
“That hair color suits her far better than the black, don’t you think?” I teased him, keeping my voice level as I played ignorant to his clear concern.
“Sure, it’s nice.” He gestured to me that we should step off to the side while flashing her an awkwardly big smile, one where all his sharp teeth showed.
As much as I enjoyed watching him silently panic, I didn’t want to make Phin any more uncomfortable than she already seemed to be.
“Phin, it appears that my brother has recognized your true nature. I promise he’ll keep it to himself. Seir,” I drew my brother’s wide-eyed attention back from my new librarian, “nobody can know that Phin is here.”
“Oh. Yes, of course.” He swallowed thickly. “Though I did mention to Hailon that you had found a new assistant when I got home last night.”
“That’s fine.”
“And Merry happened to be dropping off some things, so she may have also heard, and she perhaps went home and told Coltor, I have no way to know for sure.”
I fought a twitch at the corner of my mouth. Word may have spread quickly in the glade where they all lived, but knowledge of Phin was safe between my brother, his mate, and our friends. There were no other residents there to find out. Though … that likely would mean the rest of our family would know soon as well. I sighed, realizing that I’d failed already.
“Understandable. The important part is that nobody outside of our circle knows she’s a Nephilim, alright? This is important. There are some angels trying to find her, and we don’t want that to happen.”
He straightened, panic ebbing away as I acknowledged the key piece of concern for him. “Of course. She’ll be safe with us, you know that.” He smirked. “Only you would find an angel to set order to your library full of demons’ deals, brother.” He chuckled, but the sounds stopped the moment Phin’s gasp echoed around us. “Sorry, sorry. Ignore me,” he stepped back, slowly making his way toward the portal that would carry him to Revalia, my shopping list in his hand. “Let me see what I can do about all this, yeah? Sorry, Phin. I have a bad habit of speaking without thinking things through. It’s nice to see you again.” At that, he disappeared into the portal and was gone.
I sighed, forcing my shoulders to relax. “You get used to him.”
“Deals?” she inquired, cheeks pink and violet eyes wide. “That whole library is deals?”
My heart sank, worried I might have lost her before she’d even had a chance to get started. “Yes. Will that be a problem?”
Her lips parted slightly, confusion wrinkling the space between her eyebrows. “No. I just… wasn’t expecting that, I guess. You took me in there yesterday, I saw what was on the shelves. I just didn’t think…” She trailed off, glancing around. “Are there other books here as well?”
Feeling returned to my fingertips as I relaxed the grip I had on them behind my back. “Yes, I also have a small leisure library. Perhaps you could help there as well, if you’re so inclined. It, like most things here, suffers from a lack of attention. You’d be welcome to read from my collection, of course.” Relief flooded my veins as she nodded and gestured vaguely toward the double doors that led to the libraries.
“Would you please show me where to start?”
“Of course.”
I allowed her to lead us through to the library and just stood aside while she gazed around in wonder. I envied her in that regard. The only thing I felt when I came into the room was a paralyzing sense of failure.
“I didn’t realize there was so much paperwork involved in making a deal,” she muttered, picking up several documents one at a time from the table before letting them fall again. “I thought it was some negotiation, a bit of blood, a handshake, that’s that.”
I chuckled. “Sometimes, yes. But most of them are meticulously written out so that every detail, every loophole is covered. No self-respecting demon would want to be caught out by an unexamined detail.” I thought of my brother Rylan, who had been the most dedicated to making deals out of us all.His contracts were truly artful, though he’d long since given up making them.
