Chapter 5
chapter
five
Verity
I start my morning as I always do, with an hour of yoga, a cup of yogurt, and a glass of orange juice. I ignore the invasive memories of my dreams. Dreams focused explicitly on Gideon and what he might be hiding in those snug trousers. All was revealed in my dreams, but I have no way of knowing if my imagination is accurate. And I have no plans to find out.
Or so I tell myself.
We had to delay our subsequent meeting at the Supernatural Library for a few days because Gideon had a work emergency that needed handling. I’m not going to lie; I was disappointed when I received his text to reschedule that first morning. Then those two days became two weeks as he had to leave town.
But he hasn’t been far from my thoughts since our lunch. Of course, he texts me regularly to ask me inane questions about my day or life or to send me screenshots of portions of the manuscript. To say the man—monster—is tempting me like a practiced seducer would be a huge understatement.
And that’s only talking about the book I’m dying to get my hands on.
But then there’s Gideon himself, who has proven himself nearly as tempting as an ancient, mythological text. He’s affected my dreams and my ability to concentrate during the day. I think I miss him. Which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense since we don’t know each other well, and we’ve only been in the same space together—physically speaking—two times.
I do know I’m physically attracted to him. I think I’d have to be dead not to be. He’s ridiculously sexy and charming. Not to mention the way he smells. I’m assuming it’s some kind of allure that Gorgons release because his pheromones make me want to rub my body against his. I’m not exactly bold when it comes to matters of the flesh, so I don’t think I would actually do that. But truthfully, I can’t be certain. He smells that good. His draw on me is that strong.
I can’t help but wonder if he feels it, too, or if this is simply my humanness reacting to his species-specific magic or whatever.
The plan is to meet Gideon at his house today, but I’m stalling for several reasons. One of those reasons is that page I thought about the moment my eyes opened. Something about that particular page from his last screenshot caught my attention, but I’m unsure why exactly.
I unlock my phone and swipe to the correct image. I zoom in and look at each corner of the page before moving on to the actual text. But the image quality isn’t good enough to pinpoint what’s scratching at my brain. I’ll have to look closer when I’m at Gideon’s house.
With that thought, I force myself to cease my foolish stalling and get my ass to his house. I plug Gideon’s address into my mapping app and leave my apartment. Once again, I’m struck by the scenery surrounding me as I drive through the downtown area toward the city limits.
Fable Forest is a lovely village-type town nestled amidst lush green hills and verdant valleys. It’s literally the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, and living here feels like such a treat. That it happens to be the single place in the world richest in ancient texts and tomes is a bonus.
Okay, that’s not exactly true. While getting my advanced linguist degrees, I knew I wanted to move somewhere I had access to the types of books I wanted to research and work with. So I would have moved here regardless of what it looks like. It”s a happy accident that it’s so damn pretty.
I follow the robotic-voiced directions to Gideon’s house. Or should I say estate? I thought the Lancasters were wealthy, but evidently, they’re from the more modest part of town. The large wrought-iron gates protecting the drive to Gideon’s house are my first clue that he might be different than my usual clients.
Obviously, the fact that he’s my client and not a child is the main difference. And I’m not teaching him anything. Frankly, this work I’m doing for him is what I envisioned myself doing when I started down this path. Tutoring young monster children was not part of my plans, but I’ve loved every minute.
I lean out my car window and press the call button on the keypad outside the gate. There’s a beep, and then the massive gates start to open. They creak and moan with every sliding move and then come to a stop. I pull through, following the winding drive until it circles in front of a massive castle-like structure.
It”s a sprawling mansion kinda like what AI would make if you asked it to set Beauty and Beast in the mansion from Downton Abbey—a grand home that can’t quite decide if it’s gothic or Greek revival in design.
I’ve barely put my sensible sedan in park when I look up to see Gideon standing on his front step. He’s barefoot and looks sinful in his low-slung jeans and a tight t-shirt that molds to his barrel chest like a greedy lover. Those amber-colored eyes watch my every move as I step from my car, my messenger bag slung over my shoulder.
“Cozy little house you have here,” I say.
He chuckles. The rich sound does wicked things to my body, hardening my nipples and dampening my panties.
“Verity.” He says my name as if merely the word itself brings him pleasure. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”
“No. My map app took me straight here.” I rock back on my heels.
He reaches over, grabs my bag, and leads me into his house. “You don’t have a Lurch to answer your doors?”
Again, he chuckles. That sound is rapidly becoming one of my favorites. “No Uncle Fester, either.”
“Addams Family fan?”
He lifts a large shoulder in a shrug. “I actually preferred The Munsters, but Wednesday was cute. Just not as cute as Cousin Marilyn.”
“Cute and perky blondes, is that your type?” Shut your mouth, Verity! Why would you even ask that?
“Actually,” his eyes track down my body. “I prefer curvy brunettes.”
I can’t even pretend to be cool with that. Instead, I choke on nothing. My cheeks heat, letting me know that I’m blushing. “We should probably get started.”
“Of course. This way.”
I follow him through the large house, up a half staircase, and then he’s pushing open a door. Okay, you know that moment in Beauty and the Beast when the Beast brings her to the library? Yeah, this moment is eerily similar, except there’s no rolling ladder leaning against the shelves. Instead, there is a spiral staircase with what looks to be a catwalk that takes you to the various upper shelves.
Comfortable-looking chairs fill spaces around the room, and heavy-looking wooden tables in a few places. Perfect for laying out several volumes and studying them.
“Wow, this is impressive, Gideon.”
He nods. “I wish I could take credit, but I mostly inherited this library. I will admit that this is my favorite room in the entire house.”
I release a nervous laugh. “I bet. I could live in this room.”
“You can move in any time you want,” he says, a massive grin on his face.
I exhale slowly, looking up at all the other shelves surrounding us. “You could have the lost library of Alexandria in here.”
He tosses a thumb over his shoulder. “Back in that corner, mostly on the ground floor. Don’t want them exposed to the sunlight.”
I shriek. “Are you kidding me right now?”
He takes a step closer to me. “Not even a little bit. We don’t have the entire collection, as best as I’ve been able to determine. But we have probably seventy percent.”
“My mind is seriously blown right now.”
“You can look at anything you want.” Another step closer to me. “Anytime you want. What’s mine is yours.”
My excitement about seeing the Elysian Chronicles again is warring with the physical attraction surging through my veins. I don’t know how to navigate this sort of thing. I’m a scholar, not a—whatever you call it. I mean, I’m a sexual being. I acknowledge that. But it’s never held that much interest for me. It occurs to me that maybe it’s because I haven’t found the right man … er … monster.
This near to him, I can see the green flecks in his gold eyes. His snakes make noises while they move around. They’re not exactly hissing, but I can’t tell if they are enjoying being this close to me.
He tugs me forward. “I have the book set up over here.”
I force myself to focus on the task at hand. I’ve been looking forward to this since we met at Rosalia’s.
I abruptly take a seat and pull my gloves on before gently picking up the large book.
Gideon leans closer, bracing a hand on the back of my chair. “You don’t have to wear gloves.” His voice is so close to my ear that I shiver at his words.
“I don’t want to leave any oils on the pages.”
He nods. “Okay. Do you need anything? A drink or snack of some sort?”
I shake my head. “I can’t eat or drink around the books.”
I turn my face, and he’s right there. One of his snakes flicks forward, and I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for it to bite me. Instead, all I feel is a feather-soft flick of a tongue against my forehead.
“Behave,” Gideon barks, clearly giving instructions to his snakes. “Don’t be afraid of me, Verity. I would never harm you.”
“What about them? Are you in complete control of them?”
“Yes. They misbehave on occasion, but it’s easy for me to redirect them. They’re curious about you because they can feel my desire for you.”
I nearly choke on my gasp. “What?”
He leans even closer to me. “Surely you can tell how much I want you. I’m hoping you feel the same. This kind of instant connection doesn’t happen every day.” His eyes search my face, then drop to my lips.
Is he going to kiss me? Do I want him to?
Yes, I totally do.
But then my mouth forms the words, “I need things to move slowly.”
His smile is genuine. “I can do that. Anything you want.”