Two heavy bangs on wood makes me jump. It came from the front door of the shop, but it wasn’t Bastian’s spells going off.
“Hello, Ms. Kennedy?” a rich, feminine voice calls out.
I look at Bastian with concern.
“You don’t have to open it,” he says.
“They know my name. The warlock didn’t,” I say. “Plus, whoever is knocking doesn’t mean us any harm or else they would’ve been blown up or confounded.”
I grab Oscar around the middle and haul him into my arms just in case, and head for the door. The knock sounds again, louder andwith less patience. I reach the front door and stop, assessing the silhouette beyond the stained glass.
She’s tall, with either short hair, or bun. It’s difficult to tell anything beyond that with the frosted glass.
“We’re not open for business yet,” I say.
“Yes, I know. I’m from the Friends of the Library Foundation, Northern Wisconsin sector? We spoke a few days ago about damaged books.”
Oh, good!
I open the door with a bright smile. “Hi, Mrs. Jenkins, right?”
“Just Erica,” she says.
“Cait.” I balance Oscar while I reach out to shake her hand. “Sorry, we’ve had trouble with someone harassing us, so I brought him as backup.”
She chuckles. “Not a problem. I hope it’s all right showing up like this. I was in the area, and had stock for you, so I figured why not pop by to see the location.”
“Yeah, of course,” I say as I step back.
She takes the invitation and walks past me into the shop. Her mouth falls open in a soft gape as she stares around the room. The late afternoon light makes all the gold shimmer, and the glossy floors create a magical haze.
“How long have you been working on it?” she asks, breathless.
“A few weeks now. I have an exceptional team helping me,” I say, keeping it vague.
“No kidding.” She turns about. “Maybe I could hire your team to help spruce up the local library.”
A shadowy form ripples on the upstairs balcony, and I identify Bastian’s piercing gaze glaring down at us.
Right, no interlopers…
“Erica, can I help you move in the books?” I ask.
She shakes her head as if throwing off a daze. “Yes, thank you. I have my van parked just down the street.”
“Great, lead the way,” I say, setting Oscar down toward the hall to the apartment.
I follow her to the door but I’m pulled back by my wrist before I can leave. Bastian’s lips brush the tip of my ear as his other arm folds me back against his chest.
“Be careful,” he whispers, sending a thrill down my spine. “I would loathe to kill her, since she’s bringing more books, but I will if I must.”
“You’re so suspicious,” I murmur, letting myself melt into him.
“And you’re too trusting,” he says. “This could easily be a ruse to get you outside our protections.”
“I offered,” I hiss.
“Cait?” Erica calls from halfway down the sidewalk.
