15. Paige
Paige
T he days pass in a flurry of work, but in the back of my mind, the future looms uncertainly.
Tawny doesn’t return, and I’m not sure if that’s good or bad after her threats of a vote.
Hoc’s absence weighs heavily, so I throw myself into doing what he would have wanted rather than allow myself to be overtaken by his absence.
I spend hours getting caught up on the shelving requests, backlog of incident reports, and applications for outside visitors.
For the first time since Hoc disappeared and the library bestowed the title of head librarian on my shoulders, I feel mildly in control.
It’s been three days since we discovered Hoc.
Three days since Tawny left to meet with Phillip and convince him to vote me out forever.
The grief remains at the edge of my thoughts constantly, and while I know I’ll give in to the emotions behind it eventually, for now, I’m shoving it aside to serve Hoc’s memory the best way I know how.
By keeping this place running, no matter what Tawny says or does to try to stop me.
Wallowing around in my losses won’t bring Hoc back, and it certainly won’t put a stop to Constantine.
Which I plan to do as soon as I get the council members off my back.
My magic is a constant hum beneath my skin, though it doesn’t scare me like it used to.
Since the moment I used it to bring Hoc back through that portal, it’s been a buzz inside me, and I realize now that it’s always been there.
I’d mistaken it for the library’s magic for so long that I failed to realize it came from me.
I’m still not confident enough to try to use it again, but I’m paying close attention to the feelings it gives me.
Because there’s a small voice in my head that keeps telling me, over and over again, that before we reach the end of this fight, I’ll be forced to tap into everything that terrifies me.
Out on the floor, I patrol for any messes or problem areas, keeping in mind anything this Phillip guy might try to use to boot me.
The gnomes step up too, reshelving the stack of books from the basement so I don’t have to go back down there.
They still keep their distance from me, thanks to our fight a few days ago, but I manage to draw reluctant smiles out of them during lunch when I bring them a bag of Sour Patch to share.
After scouring the Alchemy section for any sign of Constantine’s meddling—and finding none—I return to my office to find Oliver waiting for me.
“Hey,” he says, brightening when he sees me. “How are you holding up?”
“Staying busy,” I admit as I push past him through the door.
He follows me saying, “Good strategy.” Then he glances uncertainly at the open door behind me. “Your dragon warrior isn’t around then?”
Something in his tone causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. Power I still don’t understand but have learned to appreciate since it pulled Hoc back to our world flares to life beneath my skin. “Aries is on patrol. Why? Is something wrong?”
“No,” he assures me. “Nothing needing his assistance. But... I had hoped to speak with you alone.”
“Oh.” I take the hint and close the door behind me before rounding my desk and sitting. “What’s on your mind?”
Dread coils inside me as I wonder what Tawny has said now.
“Well, I was wondering if you’ve considered the idea of replacing Tawny as a council member.”
I blink, completely taken off guard. “I didn’t know I could do that.”
“Paige.” His faint smile is more amused than anything. “You’re the head librarian of the most powerful supernatural library in the world. You can do whatever you want.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say. I guess I just assumed the library oversaw the council choices.”
“It does, but if a council member is no longer a good candidate for the position, they will be terminated, and a new one will be chosen.”
I pause, unsure what he means by all of this. “What would make someone no longer a good candidate?”
“That’s between you and the library.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“As head librarian, you have a direct link to the heart of the library.” He cocks his head. “You still haven’t discovered the depth of your connection to this place, have you?”
Athenaeum’s face swims into the forefront of my memory. Though, for some reason, even as I trust Oliver, I can’t bring myself to divulge that piece of knowledge. “I...I guess not,” I lie. “How do I do that?”
He shakes his head. “I wish I could help you with it, but for once, the manual has failed me. The library has never shared that particular secret with anyone but its head librarian, which means you’ll have to discover it for yourself.
” He heads for the door. “I’ll be back tomorrow with Tawny and Phillip. ”
“She’s called a vote then.” Dread coils in my stomach.
“Yes. I hope you figure it out in time, Paige. For what it’s worth, I’m rooting for you. You love this place, and that means something.”
He lets himself out, and I sit back in my chair, realizing, not for the first time, how little I understand about my duties here.
Athenaeum has answers, but she’s made it clear she only ever shows up once per lifetime.
“If ever there was a time for you to break the one-time-only visitation rule, Athenaeum, now would be it.”
* * *
Two hours later, I’m closing up shop. The temptation to work into the night is strong, but I’ve learned over these last weeks—and especially today—family has to come first. And that means going home to Aries and putting all my energy into the man I am going to love forever.
He’s suffered just as much as I have these last weeks, and he’s done it quietly while fully supporting my needs.
That kind of devotion deserves a reward that’s long overdue.
A reward I fully plan to give him tonight—over and over again.
Halfway to the elevator, I hear a noise in the stacks. A muffled thud that makes me freeze, listening.
But instead of a keeper’s voice, the silence that follows rings in my ears.
“Hello?” I call uncertainly.
No answer.
“Bingo? Ted? Ned?” I call, taking a step toward the sound I heard. “Who’s out there?”
The magic inside me surges strongly, sending a ripple of urgency through me that I can’t ignore.
When no one responds, I hurry into the stacks toward the sound I heard. Two aisles over, a body lies prone across the floor, and the horror of seeing it a second time in one week has me pulling up short and sucking in a shocked breath.
“No,” I whisper.
But no amount of protest will change the sight of Tawny lying face up on the carpet, her eyes open and unseeing. Her mouth is frozen open in a perpetual scream, and the hilt of a blade protrudes from her heart, blood soaking her dress and coating the floor around her.
For a moment, all I can feel is the crushing sorrow of another life lost. My magic crackles inside me, wanting to free itself against whoever did this.
Someone has to pay. Not just for Tawny but for Hoc too.
For all of it. But then, the horrific consequences of reporting this to the other council members hit me, and I hurry forward, dropping to my knees and checking for a pulse.
There is none.
Before I can figure out what to do next, Kitty snarls from the top of the stack above me. I look up to find the gnomes staring down with wide eyes and open mouths.
“Go get Aries and Blossom,” I tell them.
They hesitate for another second, clearly in shock.
“Go,” I hiss, and they disappear.
A second later, Ted appears beside me.
“I told you to go get the others,” I say.
“They’re going,” he assures me and then sits down next to me and takes my hand in his small one.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
My heart squeezes, and I smile down at him. These damned gnomes. Even as frustrating as they are, they’re the closest things I have to brothers. “Thank you. And I’m sorry about our fight and about how I treated you.”
“We’re over it,” he says, speaking for all four of them. Maybe five. Who knows if Kitty was mad too?
“Thank you,” I tell him, tears threatening to take me down.
“You’re our family, Paige,” he says simply. “We’ll always forgive you.”
His words tip me over the edge, and the tears fall in tracks down my cheeks. I sniffle and smile back at the gnome, uncaring that we’re having a sentimental moment beside the body of a dead woman who hated me with an undying passion.
Aries arrives first. His eyes widen at the sight of a dead Tawny, but then his expression sets into a grim line that is somehow both murderous and concerned. When he meets my eyes, I see no lack of sympathy in his gaze, and I can’t help but wonder...
“What happened?” he asks just as the gnomes run up beside him. They join Ted, sitting close to me in silent support.
“I found her like this,” I say as Blossom appears along with Mag, who limps well enough with Blossom’s support.
“Did you see anyone else?” Blossom asks.
“No.” I look at Ted. “What about you guys?”
“Nope,” he says, and the others shake their heads sadly.
“No alarm either,” Mag points out.
“Good riddance,” Blossom mutters.
I glare at her. “This is bad,” I tell her. “The council is going to find out, and then what?”
I bite off the rest of my words as I remember Oliver’s comment about having Tawny replaced. But no. He meant getting her fired. Not killed... right?
I dismiss the thoughts, knowing how crazy the theory would sound aloud. Besides, they already distrust him, and this would only make it worse. Right now, having him on our side could mean…well…the difference between me remaining where I am and having my memories wiped before being exiled.
Aries is notably silent, though, and I can’t help that he’s not at all disturbed by the sight of Tawny with a knife in her chest.
“Aries,” I say quietly. “Tell me you didn’t.”
His gaze snaps to mine, and I see hurt flicker. “Of course not.” Then he lifts his chin and adds, “But if she’d tried to hurt you or remove you from your home, I can’t promise I wouldn’t have taken action.”
I sigh, feeling bad for accusing him.
“Before you can ask, I didn’t do it either,” Blossom says wryly. “But karma’s a bitch.”
I ignore that, focusing on the problem it presents.
In the silence that follows, Zed speaks up. “Are they going to make us leave?” he asks in a voice that wrenches my heart. “Because we really like this place.”
“Yeah, it has really good snacks,” Fred adds.
The fear in their voices makes my decision an easy one.
“We clean this up and get her out of here,” I say, looking at the others. “Whatever happens, the council can’t find out about this.”
“What about when they show up tomorrow, asking where she is? Surely, she already contacted the third member,” Blossom adds. “And if she’s told him about you, you’ll be number one on the suspect list.”
I swallow hard because I know she’s right. “We tell them we haven’t seen her,” I say. “Anything could have happened to her out there in the world. We know nothing. Got it?”
Everyone nods.
I look at the gnomes, taking their tiny hands and placing them in my own. “We’re not going anywhere,” I tell them firmly. “This is your home. Now and always. I promise.”
“Good,” Zed calls out, and the others smile.
Fred still looks worried as he says, “Do we still get all the snacks?”