6. Paige
Paige
A light knock sounds on the door seconds before it opens and Oliver steps in, a wide smile on his face. He’s handsome, but I don’t react to him the same way I do with Aries. With my dragon, it’s a bone-deep connection. One that reaches all the way to my soul and makes my heart beat only for him.
With Oliver, I feel nothing but distrust given that he’s new and his partner is determined to see me fail.
“Morning, Paige,” he greets.
“Morning.” I push up from my chair. “Are you ready to get started?”
“In a minute.” He takes a step closer. “I want to get to know you, first. That way, we’re on the same page.” He grins, clearly waiting for me to acknowledge the play on my name.
“Do you not have access to our files?” I ask, unwilling to concede a friendship just yet, which I can clearly see he’s aiming for. “Or the memories of your predecessor?”
“Sure. But my predecessor never met you personally, and files don’t tell us much about the actual person.
Your connection with this library is more than a file, Paige.
It’s personal. When you take over as head librarian, you become a piece of this place.
” He crosses over to me and takes my arm.
Then, he runs his thumb over the tattoo that appeared when the library chose me.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs, staring dazedly at the inked design.
I shiver at Oliver’s touch, unease churning in my stomach.
“If we’re going to work together, I’d like to know something about the person behind the title.” His thumb rests over my hammering pulse, and based on his smile, he clearly thinks it’s my reaction to him rather than my own fear about answering his questions.
I pull my hand away as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. No one outside of this library knows I came from a book whose world was destroyed in the process. That I am the thing that this very library is here to keep contained. “What do you want to know?”
“Where did you grow up?”
“A small town,” I lie.
“Siblings?”
“Only child.”
“Both parents?”
“Just a dad. I never knew my mom.” I keep it as truthful as possible, just in case part of his abilities as a council member is discerning a lie.
He eyes me curiously then smiles. “I have three brothers, and let me tell you—you’re not missing out.” He winks. “Okay, so, only child, raised by a single dad. Are you in a relationship?”
“Yes. But I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“That one was a personal question.” He grins. “And now that I know you are, I can save myself the embarrassment of letting you know I find you intriguing.”
“You just told me anyway,” I reply with a smile, disarmed by his easy personality. There’s a kindness about him that Tawny is completely lacking. And I honestly don’t think he’s rooting for me to fail. Not like she is, anyway.
“Fair point.” He looks down at the computer. “Tell you what. In exchange, you can ask me anything you want to know.”
“Okay.” Even though I have no idea how it’s going to help us work together better, I decide to play the game in return. “Where did you grow up?”
“Small town outside Boston.”
“Parents?”
“Both. Though I’m closest with my uncle.” He grins, adding, “And in case you’re wondering, I’m single.”
I clear my throat, but he doesn’t let the uncomfortable moment last long. “So, tell me what you need help with most, and we’ll go from there.”
I give him a rundown of the way I’ve been selecting which books are allowed to be cataloged and which ones I turn away. Then, I show him the cataloging system and run through the books I've already approved.
After that, he gets a quick speech pertaining to Blossom and Mag and their schedules as well as that of Bingo, the gnomes, and Kitty.
By the time I’m done, he’s still listening just as intently as when I first started, and the personal conversation is forgotten.
“Honestly, it seems like you have a pretty solid handle on the basic administrative work.” He smiles ruefully.
“To be honest, I was not looking forward to going through all of the paperwork anyway. So, the fact that we can avoid it is a major plus.”
“A plus? The new arrivals that still need shelving is a stack I’ll never see the bottom of.” I blow out a breath. “I feel like I’m playing captain on a ship with no sails.”
He chuckles. “That’s why we’re here. To help.”
“Tawny doesn’t seem too interested in helping.”
Oliver runs a hand through his hair. “She comes across as a total bitch, but to be honest, she just cares. She liked Hoc. Considered him a friend, so losing him is hard on her.”
“Friend? How were they friends? I never saw you guys here, and the head librarian cannot leave.”
“They spoke through email mainly,” he explains. “From what I understand, it was personal for them both. A forbidden type of attraction if you know what I mean.”
I did. And honestly, I wish I didn’t. Because I can’t help but be a tad disappointed in Hoc and his choices in women. “Great. So, she somehow blames me for him being taken.” I shut the top of the computer and grab my notebook. “And now she’s threatening me.”
“Eh, she’ll get over it. It’s likely just because she misses him and doesn’t want to see anyone else running the place. But we’ll get you caught up, and then she won’t have a leg to stand on.” He smiles again and opens my door. “Now, how about I shelve some books with you.”
“Seriously?” I stare at him, hoping he means it.
“Absolutely. Come on. Let’s take a walk and go get you some sails, Captain.” He grins, and I move out into the hall as he falls into step beside me.
“Any particular section you’d like to start in?”
“You decide. Although, I’d love it if you had a couple of minutes to show me around first. I’ve never actually been here before.”
“How are you a council member and yet you’ve never actually seen the library?”
He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Honestly, being chosen for this job isn’t nearly as exciting as you’d think. We pretty much just live normal lives until we’re needed. This is the first time that the council has actually stepped foot into the library since the day Hoc took over.”
“Really?” I ask, surprised.
“Yeah. I wasn’t even born yet when that happened. But I’ve heard stories about an Extrication. Apparently, it happened right before Hoc took over.”
“Really?”
“So says the council rumor mill.” He grins. “Tawny and the others were called in to help sort through the aftermath of the lives lost that day. It was that event where Tawny and Hoc apparently hit it off and emailed back and forth for years afterward.”
I shove aside my own feelings about the day I arrived here and try to imagine a younger Hoc and the woman Oliver claims was charmed by him. “That’s so strange. I couldn’t even find a way to contact you guys. I scoured Hoc’s emails, and there was nothing.”
Oliver shrugs. “Maybe they used a separate account to communicate. I just know that, when she found out Hoc had been replaced, she lost her mind. Called me and Phillip—the other council member,” he adds. “She demanded we meet at once to find out what was going on.”
“You’re making me feel bad for her.”
He laughs. “Not my intention at all. Just wanted you to know that there’s more to her than meets the eye. We really are here to help, Paige. Your success is our success. The library called us here because it sensed that you needed help.”
“And if the library chose wrong?” I vocalize the fear, even knowing I probably shouldn’t. “If it picked me out of desperation and I don’t actually have what it takes?”
Oliver takes my hand and pats it gently. “The library never chooses wrong. You’re here for a reason, and sooner or later, that reason will become apparent.”
“Well, let’s hope that the reason is for me to hold the fort down until we find Hoc.”
Something dark flashes over Oliver’s expression, but before I can ask what it is, Aries steps up right behind him. My gaze widens.
What is he doing? Didn’t I tell him to remain hidden until Oliver left?
Oliver turns and sees Aries behind him, but he doesn’t look the least bit threatened. Instead, he releases my hand and offers his to Aries. “Oliver Stark. And you are?”
“Aries,” he replies, tone sharp.
His brow furrows. “Aries. I didn’t know we had a keeper by that name.”
“I’m serving temporarily.”
“Hoc brought Aries in to help with the security breaches,” I say quickly, the lie rolling from my tongue like truth.
“I’m also here to protect Paige,” Aries adds pointedly. I shoot him a glare that he promptly ignores.
Oliver looks back and forth between us. “Ahhh. So, you’re the boyfriend.”
Aries straightens, and heat floods my cheeks. “Yes,” he says. “I am.”
I bite back a groan.
Oliver glances back at me. “Know all about forbidden relationships, huh?” He chuckles.
“Listen, if I were you, I’d keep the relationship a secret.
Tawny is not going to handle it well. She’s a stickler for the ‘no workplace romance’ rule.
As it stands, the fact that she didn’t know Hoc brought on an extra hand is going to grate on her nerves. ”
“You’re going to keep a secret from her for us?” I ask, honestly surprised.
“Yeah. The way I see it, unless it affects the ability for either of you to do your jobs, I don’t see why she needs to know.”
Aries doesn’t say a word, but I am beyond grateful.
“She does need to know that Hoc brought him on, though,” Oliver adds. “And sooner rather than later. Otherwise, she’s likely to lose her damned mind if she discovers it on her own. Do you have the documentation?”
“Documentation?” I ask.
“As in—an employment contract stating his role here?”
His words jolt my memory and it flashes with an image of the contract Mag and Blossom both received when they became keepers. Oliver must be referring to that. Shit. “I’ll have to find where Hoc filed it,” I lie again.
Oliver nods. “Just make sure the paperwork is in order, and I’d say you’re good to go.” He looks Aries up and down. “You’re not human.”