8. Paige
Paige
T here is not enough coffee in the world for a day like today.
Eyes heavy from a night plagued with nightmares, I make my way into the break room and pour a mug. I don’t bother adding any cream or sugar, just tip it up and let the hot, stout liquid slip down my throat.
I’ve no sooner taken a second drink than Tawny strolls in, looking particularly agitated. She’s wearing an eggplant pants suit and jacket today, her silver hair pinned back away from her face.
“Good morning,” I greet stiffly.
“We’re having a staff meeting. Now.”
“A staff meeting?” Alarm shoots through me. “Why?”
“Why do you think?” she snaps. “Last night’s incident coupled with the new security officer Hoc brought in means that there is more going on here than I originally thought.”
Aries. Oliver told her about him already. Fear ices my veins. “I have the paperwork from Hoc. From when he hired Aries.”
“I know,” she sneers. “I found it this morning after Oliver informed me that he’d been hired. If I’m going to do my due diligence to oversee this library, I need to meet with all the staff.”
I swallow hard. “I’ll make sure everyone is notified. Where would you like to have the meeting?”
“How about right where that werewolf was freed from its book?” She pops the last word then turns on her heels and storms out.
I sink down into the chair, cradling my face in both hands. “Hoc, what am I supposed to do?” Tears threaten to spill, but I take a deep breath and shove the emotion down. It will do me no good right now, not when I have to keep my head.
Aries strolls into the break room, and I look up at him. “What are you—”
“I heard what she said. Seems I’m needed.” He flashes me a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“You were gone when I woke up this morning.”
He leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I came down to check in with Mag about today’s adventure,” he replies smoothly. “Though it sounds like we’ll be delayed.”
“Certainly seems that way.” I sigh and get to my feet. “Let’s grab everyone else and get this over with.”
Ten minutes later, we’re gathered in the stacks of the library.
Bingo growls low at Kitty, who snarls back at him, each of them clearly annoyed with the other’s presence.
The gnomes glare at me as I walk beside Aries, coming to stand directly by Blossom.
Mag is on her other side, and I note the dark circles ringing his eyes—proof none of us is sleeping well these days.
So far, Tawny is nowhere to be seen, but Oliver takes long strides toward me, stopping just in front of where we stand.
“You told her,” I say quietly. “You said you wouldn’t.”
“I only told her that you had another temporary keeper here,” he corrects. “Nothing else was relevant. But she was going to see him sooner or later, better to get it out of the way, don’t you think?” He winks, and Aries growls, low and deep.
Oliver smiles at him. “Don’t worry, dragon man. Hands off.” In demonstration, he raises both palms and backs up, leaning against the far stack just as Tawny comes into view.
Cat-eye glasses are perched on her nose, making her look even more menacing when she glares at us.
I shove my own glasses higher on my face.
“It seems there is more going on here than meets the eye, I want everything out in the open after this meeting. No secrets leave this circle. After today, we will be caught up on everything happening in this place. Do I make myself clear?”
I glance at the gnomes, who continue glaring at me.
They could out Aries. Our relationship. His place in this world.
They could out me and my magic.
“Crystal,” I reply, turning my attention back to her. If the gnomes out me, then so be it. I have Aries on my side. Blossom. Mag. None of them will let this woman wipe my memories and throw me out. At least, not without a fight.
“First of all, I want to know why you’re here.” She points at Aries.
“Hoc hired me,” he replies coolly.
“And why did he hire you?”
“Because—”
“No,” she quiets me with a single, clipped word. “I will hear it from the employee that was brought on.”
Aries growls, and as much as I want to reach back and touch him to ease his anger, I know doing so would be a mistake. So, I keep my hands to myself. “You would do well to show our head librarian more respect than that,” he says.
“And you’d do well to answer my question. Based on your employment contract, you’re a dragon shifter. Seems risky, bringing a fire-breathing creature into a place full of paper.”
“Hoc believed the benefits outweighed the risks,” he replies.
“What exactly is the benefit? What do you do around here?”
“I was hired to help with security. Hoc was concerned about some things that had been happening around the library.”
“And what things were those?”
“Falling chandeliers,” he replies, reminding me of the first time he’d saved my life. “Books getting loose.”
“What of his other two keepers.” She doesn’t even bother looking over at Blossom or Mag as she adds, “Were they not equipped enough to handle these issues?”
“Hold your fu—”
“Stop,” I tell Blossom.
She bites her tongue and settles back with a huff, crossing both arms.
“They are perfectly capable,” Aries replies. “But as you can see, it’s a large library.”
“Yes. Well. That was never an issue before.”
“No, but then Constantine showed up,” I say.
“Constantine.” Tawny glares at me. “That’s the second time you’ve spoken that name. Who is he?”
“He’s the man who took Hoc,” I tell her.
“So you say. What proof do you have of his guilt?”
“Other than all of us witnessing his crime?” I pause, but she doesn’t respond other than to raise her brows, clearly indicating she wants more information.
I huff. “He discovered an old tunnel that led to a secret cavern beneath the library and had been hiding there as he stole books and released creatures without our knowledge.”
“How did he manage to do all of that without anyone knowing?” Tawny demands.
I tense because this is the part I have no explanation for—other than Constantine’s claims that he used my magic to get around the library’s detection. A magic I refuse to tell her about, mostly because it makes me look guilty as hell.
“He was hiding outside the realm of the alarm,” Blossom snaps. “Releasing creatures in a cavern beneath the library where there were no safeguards.”
“And how exactly did Constantine get into the library in the first place?” Tawny fires back.
No one answers, which only makes her narrow her eyes on me.
“He came through a book,” I say finally.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Tawny nearly shrieks.
“He posed as a legitimate guest,” I tell her through clenched teeth. “We didn’t realize until it was too late.” But even as I speak the words, I see she doesn’t care about the reasoning. Only the event.
Tawny mutters something under her breath. She turns to Oliver. “This is a mess,” she says then turns back to me. “You believe that this man still has Hoc?”
“I know he does,” I reply. “Which is why we’ve been searching the books that were around him when they disappeared.”
“You’re looking for him.”
On her face, I see something dangerously close to hope. But it disappears almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving her with the irritation I’ve come to expect.
“We’re going to bring him home,” I reply.
I brace myself for her to protest our efforts, but instead, the second flicker of true emotion flashes across her expression. Fear. “Do you know how dangerous that is?”
“We do,” Mag says, speaking up for the first time. “But we’re willing to risk it to bring him home.”
“You might be, but that doesn’t mean it’s what is right for the library. You are here to protect this place and all the worlds in it. Not go chasing after a glimmer of hope that could lead to the utter destruction of all life. Hoc is gone. It’s best to let that lie.”
I shake my head and take a step forward, refusing to let this one go. “We both know you don’t mean that.”
Her glare turns murderous. “If you so much as injure one of the creatures inside those books, you will remain trapped there as well. Or did Hoc not cover that in your training? You will be completely and utterly stranded, forced to confront the consequences of your actions.”
“Which is why we’re not doing that,” Mag snaps back. “We’re careful. Remaining undetected for the most part.”
“Except when it comes to sirens,” Blossom mutters.
“Sirens?” Tawny demands.
Mag’s face reddens.
“I think we’re getting off topic.” Oliver pushes off the shelf he’d been leaning on and comes to stand by Tawny.
“They believe Hoc is alive. Which means that rescuing him must be a priority. If we can restore the head librarian to his post, then he can take over training Paige until the moment she is truly meant to lead.”
“And if he’s not found?” Tawny snaps. “If they risk all of this and cause irreparable damage for nothing? If they all become stranded and now we have a library that has not just lost its head librarian—but its keepers as well?”
“We handle it,” Oliver replies. “But attacking Paige and the others for doing what they believe is best is not our main focus. Or, it shouldn’t be. We’re here to ensure the head librarian is prepared for her job. This meeting is not accomplishing that.”
Tawny’s cheeks turn crimson. She whirls on me.
“I want Hoc back, too, you know. He is the only one who can keep this place running smoothly. But he wouldn’t want his rescue to come at the sacrifice of innocent lives.
And for all intents and purposes, those living in the books are innocent ,” she adds, letting me know that she does not think we are in the least.
I think back to Aries. To the fact that I accidentally ripped him from his world and had been worried he’d be executed over my mistake.
An innocent man caught in the crossfire.
With him here in the library, they would have put him down just like Blossom did that werewolf, not thinking twice about it.