A shiver runs down my spine, a flicker of excitement as we step inside, but it does nothing to subdue the warmth that still permanently lives in my chest.
“I don’t even know where to begin this time,” I mumble, eyeing the librarian behind the desk. It’s the same girl as last time, who wasn’t much help, so it feels pointless to ask again.
“I was thinking I could try to use my magic,” Ocean states, and I turn to her, confusion drawing my eyebrows together.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I admit, aware of how dumb I always sound when it comes to her abilities, but if she thinks the same, she doesn’t show it as she offers me a broad but nervous smile.
“Come with me,” she whispers, dragging me toward the right. I go willingly, but the second we move behind a few rows of books, my heart stutters as I recall the exact spot Rion found me last time, and what we got up to among the books.
My thighs clench at the thought, but I force myself to shake the desire off and focus on the present.
Ocean comes to a stop at the closest table, out of view from everyone else. She places her hands on her hips and takes a deepbreath before she speaks. “I was thinking I could channel my magic and try to seek out the books we want instead of trawling through them one by one. That’s what I planned on doing last time, but by the time I got back with the coffees, you were gone,” she explains, and I nod along, even though I don’t really understand what she plans to do. She must sense my uncertainty because she chuckles as she waves me off. “You stand there and look fabulous like always, and I’ll just… get on with it,” she murmurs, shaking her shoulders out as she stands tall and closes her eyes.
I rub my lips together nervously as she gets comfortable. Her lips move, but I can’t hear a single word she says. Seconds drift into minutes, and I’m on the brink of telling her not to worry about it when she suddenly turns on the spot. I opt to keep my mouth shut as she starts slowly walking through the rows of books with her eyes still closed, following closely behind her.
We bypass a few other students, but they don’t seem to acknowledge our existence as they go about their day while I blindly follow my magic-using friend around the library. Younger me would have laughed in my face.
I’m not prepared when she comes to an abrupt stop, almost colliding with her as she presses her hand against the wall and opens her eyes. Her eyebrows pinch immediately as she casts her gaze over the bare wall.
“Huh,” she mutters, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing, I just… my magic sensed something here, but maybe it just means in this area,” she explains, waving her hand around the two rows of books that stand on either side of the wall.
“Actually, I don’t even think I’ve looked over here, so this is a good start,” I offer, wrapping my arm around her shoulders in ahalf-hug. “Thank you,” I whisper, excitement threatening to get the better of me once again.
Something dances in her eyes, making them glisten, but I can’t place it, and I’m too eager to start looking to ask about it, so I do just that, taking off down the first row of books, scanning up and down each shelf as I pass.
“We need caffeine for this,” she declares, igniting the sudden desperation for coffee on my tongue, and I nod eagerly.
“I can go,” I offer, aware that she has been the coffee and pastry runner more than enough times, but she shakes her head.
“No, I’m calling in reinforcements,” she insists, making my eyebrows rise, but she doesn’t say another word as she pulls her cell phone out. A second later, her gaze finds mine again and she smiles. “All sorted. Now, where shall we begin while we wait for our order?”
“I’ll carry on on this side if you don’t mind taking the other,” I offer, and she nods before doing just that.
We fall into a comfortable silence as we trail up and down the bookcase. I take the same path three times, collecting a total of four books, but nothing immediately stands out as having high potential.
“Anything over there?” I ask, and she grimaces.
“Maybe these two. It’s a place to start, at least,” she replies, and I hum in agreement.
Offering one final glance over the books, I turn toward the closest table at the same time that Thorne appears around the corner carrying a tray of coffee cups and what looks like a bag of pastries.
What the hell is going on right now?
My heart skips a beat as I gulp, blinking at him as a half smile spreads across his face.
“I believe someone ordered coffee,” he states, slightly lifting the goodies. I’m unable to stop myself from taking in every inch of him.
Someone so good shouldn’t hate me so much.
Maybe hate is a strong word, but if what he says is true, if scythes truly killed his family that he loved so dearly, then he should. That doesn’t stop the way I’m drawn to his dark eyes, almost shielded by his deep, loose curls that fall over his eyebrows. It doesn’t stop the way my chest tightens and the burning intensifies, while I know that if I just take a step closer to him, everything will be okay.
I’m so screwed.
My lips part, but instead of responding to the unlawfully handsome shadow fae, I turn my attention to Ocean while not lifting my gaze from the man in question.
