Chapter 7
Keri
I tap my pen restlessly on my clipboard as I watch Ro drift in the tank, my gaze drifting occasionally to the monitoring system. I smother a yawn behind my hand. This is what I get for being up late studying the grimoires I pulled out from the restricted section. They are nothing compared to what is hidden in Vault buried within the depths of the library, but the volumes are difficult enough to make for some heavy reading so late at night. I should have known better, however, especially given the way my responsibilities have now doubled since Ro got his way with his request.
I’m still not sure how he pulled that off, but it’s obvious that the Society, and the governing council for our region especially, are willing to bend over backward to learn more about the elusive species. Obviously, it is not important enough to temporarily just shift my duties from the library altogether, which would be a relief, knowing that there isn’t something more going on behind the scenes, if it weren’t for the fact that I’m exhausted. No one is going to care about a lone librarian burning the candle at both ends it seems.
The simple solution would be for me to abandon my own magical studies until my research with Ro’karek is complete. But I don’t really want to do that. Double duties or not, neglecting my magic feels like it would be a betrayal of everything I’ve decided for myself. Besides which, there is still the matter of the supplement that Adiele mentioned. It’s obviously something that is necessary for Ro and others like him to have any sort of relationship with land species and further our mutual knowledge, as well as opening trade and other possibilities that Mr. Clarence went on and on about when he personally called me to appoint me to this position. He just isn’t providing any extra leeway in time to get it all done.
I mentally roll my eyes at the whole situation. There’s nothing I can do about it, though, so there is no use making a fuss about it. Things will just be a little hectic for a while. I will adjust. It doesn’t help that the unpleasant phone call with my parents last night had just been the icing on the overburdened-Keri-cake that is weighing me down today. My decision to abandon divination and pursue my own magical interests had not been well received and had resulted in well over an hour of being lectured by my parents about finding my place within the coven.
I didn’t want to tell them that the coven is the least of my concerns right now. Outside of discovering where my own magic lies, I’m obligated to prioritize my work with Ro during the limited amount of time we have at the Society’s orders. That means Ro comes before my duties to the coven for the time being, and that is completely out of my control. It’s certainly not like I asked for it, though try explaining that to my parents who simply couldn’t understand why I can’t take a few days off to come see them to discuss my future within the coven “rationally.” I sigh heavily. I seriously have enough on my plate just dealing with Ro.
Every day in the lab feels like a brutal test of my self-control. Ro is not only sexy, but he’s also appealing in small ways that have nothing to do with his appearance or any sort of “song.” That said, today we are recording samples of his singing below and above the surface of the water, and I feel an itch of anticipation that doesn’t bode well for my resolve to not succumb to the flirty male. Especially when I’m in a position where I’m about to touch him, which happens to be the case whenever I take his vitals, as I’m instructed to every day.
Like many non-humans, he won’t give his blood, but as his scaled flesh seems to be thicker and tougher despite being so supple to the touch, it’s probably a good thing. The last thing I need to do is break needles off in his skin. Just thinking of it makes me wince in sympathy. I think Mr. Clarence has stopped huffing over it now once I showed him the data regarding Aquanas skin and scales from the sample that Ro permitted me to take.
Or rather, the sample that he gave me, cut off by his own claws since nothing I have in the lab is hard or sharp enough to successfully scrape it off his inner arm.
This is a lot more technical work than I expected, more than truthfully ought to be conducted by a librarian, even one overseeing an occult library. I figured that most of my duties would be more like lengthy interviews. There is that component too, which occupies a lot of our time together, but the first hour is very much hands-on. And I’m still not able to control my blush every time I must touch him.
Ro watches me with the same curious gaze as always while I observe his motor patterns as he swims. The way his fins open and close to varying degrees as he moves through the water is interesting. Sadly, the tank is too small to observe him swimming more naturally. I wonder if I can get permission to observe him in one of the large dolphin pools? It would require special permission from the local aquarium and sea-life rehabilitation center, but Mr. Clarence has enough pull within the community to get it done, I think. Especially in the name of research.
I make a small note on the margin of the sheet clipped to the board I’m holding and follow it with a large question mark. A small splash draws my attention back to Ro. Tipping my head back, I peer up at him where he’s now regarding me over the edge of the tank. He gives me a sweet smile and I just narrow my eyes suspiciously back at him. What is he up to?
“Lovely Keri, you have been watching me quite closely. If there is anything specific you would like to see, you only have to ask,” he calls down to me. “I will happily provide anything and everything that you desire.”
I snort quietly to myself and roll my eyes. He must take me for all kinds of gullible. “I’m good,” I assure him. “The Society has spelled out quite clearly what they want me to observe for today. I will be sure to let you know if that changes.”
His eyebrows raise at me, and his grin turns playful. “Where is your sense of adventure?”
“In my other pants,” I quip without thinking, my eyes studying the casual expansion of his tailfins in resting position while he has his weight supported.
The sound of his chuckle runs over my skin erotically. “Is that an invitation to explore what these pants contain?” he purrs.
I blink down at my clipboard. Well, I walked right into that. He’s certainly good. The flirtatious offer sounds so sincere that if I didn’t know anything at all about aquatic species and wasn’t pretty well versed on the nature of the magic rooted in aquatic energies, I might have been fooled.
“No,” I reply tersely as I make another note. I look up and give him a saccharine smile. “Why don’t you do me a favor and demonstrate your movements when swimming in a directly downward position.”
His head tilts, his smile widening. “But then I would not be able to talk to you.”
“Exactly,” I retort.
His laughter fills the room, but he complies and dives downward in the tank. Grabbing ahold of the bars anchored there, he continues to move his tail as if sustaining a steep downward dive. Despite that, I know he is watching me the entire time. It’s hard to miss the way his gaze shifts to me repeatedly, but I suspect that even when not directly looking at me he is still observing and watching, perhaps even more intently than I’m studying him. Just who is the test subject here... or is it perhaps due to something else?
Lifting my clipboard, I hide my own smile behind it. I won’t flatter myself to believe he has any real interest in me, but the blatant way he is watching me with a teasing smile on his lips is admittedly adorable. It doesn’t change anything at all between us in terms of our relationship, but I can’t help but be a little charmed by it.