Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
COLTON
“Colt?”
I hummed, looking up from the book I’d been trying to decipher for the last hour and a half. Laila placed a cup of tea on the table next to me. She held the tray she brought it on tightly, which meant she was wrestling with something.
“Can I…um…ask a question?”
Chuckling, I flipped my book over onto my leg, keeping my place as I gave her my full attention. “I’m not going to like this question, am I?”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just…” Her grip tightened, and she looked down. “Why not just…give up?”
My eyes widened as I watched her fidget and shift her weight from one foot to the other. It just took me guard. Though I don’t think she realized the weight of what she was asking.
“I just…that came out wrong.” Her brows knit for a moment. “It’s just…you’ve been at this for weeks. Mike is already working on trying to find him. I know there is a lot of…weird stuff…in the Archives and in these books, but you’ve been stressing yourself over this.”
Her eyes caught mine, a worried look on her face as she continued.
“You’re so close to having your girl. Is forcing yourself to do this?
To stay up late and not eat, all to just look for a way to find Marcus.
Is this really the answer? You’re running yourself into the ground and… and…” Laila’s voice broke.
My shock fell, and a soft smile replaced it.
This wasn’t coming from a place of malice or telling me necessarily that I wouldn’t find anything.
Though, with how many books in this library there were, the task seemed daunting.
Laila was worried. Especially after yesterday, I know I scared her, having another episode of my PCDHS.
Looking out the window at mountains that were always covered in snow, I leaned my shoulder against the glass.
The library was always a comfortable temperature.
Except I wasn’t comfortable anywhere anymore.
I was at thirty-three weeks and having an Alpha dragon was starting to show the differences from wolf pups.
The coolness from the glass sometimes eased my discomfort, so I gravitated to the window seats rather than the luxurious seats or tables for studying. That and I could make adjustments for my tail rather than the oversized chairs that didn’t have the room. Another chuckle escaped.
“What?”
“The truth sounds stupid. I want to sound like a good mate. That I want to find Marcus and be the hero of our story. To steal him away from the villains.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “He is a princess. In a thorny tower somewhere or in a dungeon. Is that not the reason, though? You don’t want to save him?”
“I do. Of course I do. Marcus was so quick to become someone I relied on. Someone that I need in my life.” I ran my fingers down the spine of the Ancient Draconic book I was reading.
“I didn’t have much growing up. At least in relationships, and I never thought I would be capable of having a relationship with someone.
If someone found out, especially an Alpha, they would either use me themselves or immediately sell me at the Auctions.
They would pass me around and use me for the rest of my life.
That was my reality from when I found out I was an Omega.
” I let out a soft snort. “Marcus was the first Alpha to ever give me hope of a genuine family. That, even with me hiding my designation, we could do it. I love him, Lai. I love him with every fiber of my being and every piece of my soul.”
“So then…why…?”
Slipping my legs down, I placed them on the marble floor. Slowly, I reached for the tea and took a sip.
“You’re getting better. This is fantastic.”
“Thank you! I’ve been practicing since you like tea and not coffee.”
I looked down at the tea. “If I stop moving, Lai, I will die. I promised Mike I wouldn’t.
That doesn’t make it easy. Every day, waking up without him…
every time I have an episode, I want to give up.
To just say I did my best. Because I don’t want to keep fighting.
I love this little girl already, but I am dying inside.
” My hand rubbed my bump. “I’m losing my mind.
If I don’t…obsess over something. I won’t make it. ”
Laila stepped forward and rubbed my ears with her free hand. I closed my eyes, letting her touch me. At this point, I let anyone touch me. It was a need, slightly pacifying my wolf enough to silence the constant whimpering.
“So, you’re looking into location magic?”
I nodded, looking down at the book in my hand. “There has to be some way to locate a person. So far, there have only been spells outlined within dark magic. Most of them either take a blood sacrifice, or the actual person’s blood to make them into a slave.”
Laila chuckled. “I mean, that doesn’t sound bad.”
Laughing with her, I nodded. “You might be right. However, Marcus would have to be branded already, and then we could find him. Even with the bond being blocked.”
I sucked in a breath and pressed my hand to my side as the not-so-little girl inside me kicked. We were getting so close at this point. It was hard to think what it would be like giving birth alone. The problem was that there wasn’t even a hint of him. Nothing.
Mike still gave me an update on what he was doing while giving me the current week’s pregnancy facts. It was going to take a while. Pooling resources and having ears, eyes, and feet everywhere. He was following every single building, territory, land, and stone that Red Forest and Dark Night owned.
Ebony had popped back up in Dark Night, without Marcus, before I had woken up. She was going to clubs, going out with friends, and even working at the school still. Though Marcus’ resignation had been signed, sealed, and delivered.
She was acting as though nothing were wrong. Tyson wanted to kidnap her and take her away, but I stopped him. We could torture her and see if she knew something. However, if I knew Dylan, he wouldn’t have told her where he was keeping Marcus.
It made sense he stepped in when they couldn’t control him. Mike kept Ebony in our sights at all times. Making sure that if there was a slip-up, we could track her. All while searching and combing everything else.
Laila crouched down in front of me, placing a hand on my belly. “Don’t be mean to your dad.”
I smiled; her touch was soft as she rubbed the spot I had been holding.
I thought I was an enormous whale until I hit thirty-two weeks.
Apparently, I didn’t know the meaning of being large.
Per Eva’s exercise routine, I was forcing myself to walk.
My life consisted of living in sweatshirts that would be large on Marcus, a belly band, and jeans that were only comfortable because I didn’t bother trying to zip them up.
Getting up, I grabbed three books and took them with me.
Laila followed me like a shadow as I walked through the rows of books, before setting down on a stool at a table.
Tyson had been showing me how he moved everything in the building, how the title of Keeper gave him the power over the entire Archive itself.
It really was like a living, breathing, magical entity.
It was truly incredible, and I could see myself being here for the rest of my life.
Easily slipping into the scrolls of history and never coming up for air.
Laila sat next to me, leaning over with her hand on her chin. “Didn’t Eva…?”
“Lai, you tell me one more time I need to keep my feet up and I’m kicking you out.”
She chuckled. “Fine, but don’t come crying to me when she snaps at you for standing too long. She’s already been on your ass about your weight since you’ve lost more lately.”
I rubbed my belly. She was being extra active, and it was making me feel nauseous. Eating didn’t always go as I wanted to, and it just made everything less appetizing.
“Do I look like I need to gain more weight?” I leaned back, pulling my sweatshirt tight against my belly. “Do I really?”
“Yes. You do. Because despite you having a very large Alpha dragon shifter in your belly, you are skin and bones.”
Sticking my tongue out at her, I went back to my book.
Sometimes I needed to stand and adjust the weight a bit.
Eventually, she sat down next to me, bored because she refused to learn Ancient Draconic.
The doors slammed open, and I looked up from a particular chapter on curse magic that twisted people’s minds to turn them into monsters.
“Colt!”
Tyson yelled, slightly out of breath. Laila got up and waved down the line of books to tell him where we were. I flipped my book over when he raced into the space I was sitting. My teeth sunk into my bottom lip as I tried not to laugh. He hadn’t even bothered to put any clothes on.
“Sorry I’m late. I didn’t realize the time.”
“Ty, it’s fine. I lose track of the time here, anyway.”
He huffed, his fingers snapping before clothes showed up in his hands. Pulling them on, a few more scrolls made their way to the desk I was sitting at. Next was my notebook and pen. Normally, I kept them in the room I stayed when I spent the night here.
Shuffling things around that were placed in the Archives was child’s play for Tyson.
He had shown me the underground, a vast warehouse full of furniture and other items that the different Keepers had collected over the years to make the Archive more to their tastes.
It was incredible to see the pieces of history that went back hundreds of years.
I wasn’t allowed to walk down since it was a mess and I could get hurt, but Tyson explained that most of the time he was just moving things around from different parts of the Archives.
Tyson said it seemed fancier than it was, but I thought it was incredible.
We talked at length about how the magic gets transferred and that it wouldn’t matter what type of shifter the Keeper was.
Within an ancient circle, the Keeper performed a ritual, which shared the magic with that person and almost made them part of the Archive itself.
I actually asked him about being an apprentice, since I’d read the three-volume series about what it meant to be a Keeper and take care of the Archives.
Keepers could take on apprentices and teach them how to care for and use magic within the Archives.
Tyson was technically a Grand Keeper, which meant that while he was in charge of this Archive, he also had a duty to all the Archives around the world.
It was fascinating, and I found myself enamored by the possibility of being taken in as an apprentice.
Of course, his reply was that we needed to wait until my little hatchling was born.
I had enough on my plate. I didn’t need more at the moment.
Nobody was thrilled that I was still trying to do all my winter classes.
Or that I was here more often than not. If there was one thing I could be, it was stubborn.
“Alright. Let’s get started on these scrolls. It was a request from another flight. They are looking for some details about the lair they have near them.”
I nodded, flipping my notebook open. “Do they want to whole scrolls or just the information?”
“I think they just want the information, but let’s see how it’s laid out.”
Laila cleared her throat, and we both looked over at her. She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot on the ground. Tyson cocked his head to the side and then looked at me. I shrugged, not sure why she looked like she was going to bite my head off.
“Colt. Sit down and put your feet up. I’m serious. You’re going to end up forced into bed at this rate. Eva will not be kind.”
Letting out a long sigh, I slipped off the stool. “Fine. If it will stop you from looking like you want to slap me.”
“Thank you.”
I grumbled as I sat down on the bigger leather chair, a foot rest appearing thanks to Tyson. “You guys are worse than Marcus was.”
Laila snorted. “Yeah right. If I know Marcus, you would be wrapped up in a blanket, unable to leave the bed while he shoveled food down your throat. He would be insufferable.”
“I hate that you are right.”
Tyson laughed. “We are just looking out for you, son. I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t going to make your due date. Even I know that. It could happen at any time. You should stay put and not go anywhere. Or, at the very least, listening to Eva when she tells you that you need to rest.”
Groaning, I shook my head. “Can we just do work and not think about me giving birth, please?”
They both burst out laughing, but I frowned. Focusing on the task at hand, I started translating the Ancient Draconic scroll. She kicked again, and I pressed into my side. I definitely didn’t need to be reminded that I had less time to find Marcus before she was born.