I shrugged. “He's not as emotionally invested as I am. Not yet. But we've only been courting for about five days. Today makes six, I think.” I blinked. “Wow, I can't believe it's been less than a week since all this started.”
“Time is irrelevant where love is concerned.” Avanla stared at me pensively. “I don't know either of you well yet, but you can't get much more committed than giving up a piece of your soul.”
“Yes, but that was done out of duty.”
“Was it now?” She grinned teasingly.
“Wasn't it?”
“Oh, I'm sure it was. It's supposed to be a human's valor that inspires a warlord to share his soul with them; that's the whole point. It's why you're called avalor-ian.” She grinned broadly. “But after seeing the Falcon Lord interact with you and going by what I've heard of the bond between a warlord and his valorian, I'd wager that the reasons he chose you are not the same reasons that he continues to choose you. I think you are correct to add the 'yet' to your statement. If the Falcon Lord is lacking in his emotional response currently, he will not be for long.”
I chuckled. “So, you're a matchmaker and a scholar?”
Avanla grinned. “Ah, love. Who can resist it?”
Taeven, apparently. But, I knew I was being unreasonable in my petulance, which is why I'd keep my issues to myself. It had only been two days since I'd made my confession; I couldn't expect him to fall in love with me that quickly, even if I had done so with him. And even if he acted as if we were in love. And even if my unrequited love for him was giving me an ulcer—figuratively speaking, of course. I just had to take a breath and relax. Tae wasn't going anywhere. He was mine; he'd said so unequivocally. Just because he'd said it during sex, didn't make it a lie. Ugh! This is why I don't date outside of my hotness zone. Loving someone and not being loved in return can make you crazy, and it makes every minute feel like an eternity.
“But that is not why you're here,” Avanla declared, yanking me out of my crazy thoughts. “Come with me, Shane. I have a few books selected and waiting for us at a table I've reserved in the library.”
“Great!” I said brightly, eager to distract myself from the insanity of loving Taeven Rumerra.
Avanla led me down a corridor to an elevator but instead of going up as I'd expected, we went down.
“The library is underground?” I asked in surprise.
“That is the best place for libraries.” She winked at me. “Sunlight can damage books.”
“Oh, I hadn't thought of that.”
“The problem with underground libraries is the damp,” she went on. “But here, our underground is technically still above ground.” She giggled. “It's carved out of the mountain, not the earth, so we don't have an issue with moisture. At least, not as much as if soil surrounded the books.”
“Are there many basements like this in Wynvar homes?” I asked.
“I don't know if basement is the correct term for them, but yes, many homes have rooms beneath the first floor. They make good vaults.”
“Like treasure vaults?” My eyes widened.
“Precisely so.” She flicked a finger in the air as if assigning me a point. “All sorts of treasure is locked away in Wynvar. But, if you ask me, the true treasure is here.” She waved her hand as the elevator panel opened, almost as if she had planned her speech accordingly. “Welcome to the Great Library of Wynvar.”
Avanla stepped out of the elevator and into a cavernous space—literally cavernous, what with the rock walls and domed, stone ceiling. A reception desk waited just before the elevator, with a man idly reading at it. Beyond him, several rows of heavy, wooden bookshelves stood in rows like an army at attention. I couldn't see the end of the shelves, a glance down one of the aisles ended in a reading area backed by another shelf, but the ceiling arched forward hundreds of feet. From that ceiling hung fae lights in serviceable globes, giving the space a brightness I didn't associate with libraries.
“Master Mallor, this is the Falcon Valorian, Shane Rumerra,” Avanla introduced us as she stepped up to the desk.
The man looked up, looked me over, then looked again. Yep, a lot of looking was done. More of an inspection, really.
“Yes, he's pretty, isn't he?” She grinned.
The man cleared his throat and stood up to extend a hand to me. “Master Mallor, Head Librarian.”
“Captain Shane, uh, Rumerra,” I stumbled over Tae's name, making Avanla chuckle.
Mallor was handsome in a distracted sort of way. He had his blond hair pulled back in a tail but strands had come loose and he didn't seem to care or even notice. His robe was askew, showing an ink-stained tunic beneath, and a pen was tucked behind one ear. Since there was another pen set near his book, I had a feeling that he'd forgotten about the one behind his ear. Despite Avanla's teasing, he didn't seem embarrassed, or even certain of what she had teased him about.
“It's an honor to meet you, Valorian Captain,” he said as if that were a thing. To Avanla, he added, “Your table has been reserved, as requested, Mistress Avanla.”
“Thank you, Master Mallor.” She nodded primly, then escorted me past him and into the stacks. Once we were a safe distance away, she whispered, “Now, he really is stuffy.”
“Like five centuries stuffy?” I teased.
