12. When books attack （the sequel）
WHEN BOOKS ATTACK (THE SEQUEL)
if you want to bribe gus? bring bread.
preferably mother’s.
— gus
As much as I wanted to head to the Moonburrow Library with Riordan, I did find my spine and insist that we needed to scope out the site where Faith was murdered.
I already knew that the other witch had crossed over, like I told Olivia, but I wanted to do a more thorough check just to satisfy myself.
But there were no signs of the wolf killer. No lingering magic where Faith was found, either.
Well, no. That’s not true. There was so much magic that I couldn’t differentiate most of it.
I saw reds and greens, yellows and oranges, blue and even something that shimmered like it’s holographic.
That’s what happens when multiple witches of different specialities come together.
It’s hard to pinpoint who did what when, and I had to admit that it was a wash.
If we had been here a week ago, maybe I could’ve figured it out. As it was, I spent a half an hour doing my best to unravel it, but just like Riordan’s stubborn curse, it was impossible to get done all at once.
But unlike Riordan’s curse, I didn’t decide to come back and attack it again. This spot was, well, useless for our investigation, and I allowed myself a few moments to pick at Riordan’s curse as we trudged back to the cruiser before we headed to the library.
Now it’s the next morning. For the first time in days, I slept through the night and into the morning. The wormwood is continuing to keep Olivia away, and I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to shower, get dressed, and prepare myself to spend the day with Riordan.
And that’s why I’m jolted out of bed when there’s a knock at my closed bedroom door, loud enough to wake the dead.
“Penelope? Are you up? I tried calling your phone, but you didn’t answer. I told him that you probably needed your sleep, but Riordan won’t leave until you come down.” Another knock. “Please come down. If you don’t, I’m calling Max to come get his brother.”
I blink, trying to make sense of what she’s saying while I’m still half asleep. Riordan… he’s here?
What?
I don’t understand. After we left the library last night, he was hungry, and I was peckish, and we stopped to eat burgers and fries.
When he dropped me off with two new cuttings of wormwood (plus one he kept in his cruiser), he didn’t say anything about picking me up today, and I figured that, until we have a lead, he would head to the sheriff station and do some of his work there.
Obviously, I was wrong, and now I’m trying to figure out how I forgot that he was going to meet me this morning like he has for days now.
I glance down at my pajamas and wince. “I’m up,” I call out before she gets her mate involved. “Tell him I’ll be down in five minutes.”
I notice the knot of hair tossed over my shoulder. It’s a tangled mess.
“Make that ten!”
Twelve minutes later, I’m fully dressed, I’ve brushed my hair and my teeth, and I start clomping down the stairs before slowing to a stroll when I reach the kitchen. My stomach instantly grumbles. It smells fantastic down here, and I realize that I’m starving.
Since I don’t see Riordan, Honey, or Gus in the back, I let myself into the storefront of the bakery.
As usual, Gus is nestled on top of the bag of flour he claimed as his long before I ever met him.
Honey is helping a customer at the register while Riordan is sitting at one of the handful of tables alone, scrolling through his phone like he’s happy to wait all day for me.
Huh. Looks like Honey wasn’t exaggerating. He really did hunker down, prepared to be as patient as possible until I came down to see him.
The door is barely swinging shut behind me before his head shoots up, his nostrils flaring.
He told me once that I had a unique scent.
Something sweet, like marshmallow; it’s another reason why he delights in teasing me by calling me his ‘sweet witch’.
There’s also a hint of something herbaceous, which makes sense since I’m a witch, plus the taste of magic.
Riordan says he recognizes it instantly after we’ve spent all this time together, and he proves it by calling my name before he even notices me behind the counter.
In seconds, he’s joined me and Honey (and Gus). The shifter paying at the counter squeals as Riordan used his wolf speed to rush past him. He accepts his bag of goodies from Honey with a high-pitched ‘thanks’, then bolts out the door.
Riordan shakes his head. “Prey shifters. They all think us predators want to bite them. When will they realize that most of us only use our fangs for one thing?”
I can only imagine what that is. “Riordan? What are you doing here?”
“Picking you up, of course.”
“But I thought—”
“That we hit a wall with the Frost case? Yeah. We did. But that doesn’t mean our partnership is on hold. I thought we could do a little research in the library.”
I struggle to bring a smile to my face. Oh.
He really feels this need to be close, huh?
Well. At least it’s not so terrible that he finds an excuse to be by my side at night—though, the more time I spend with Riordan Lobo, the more my libido is wondering if that would be so bad if he did—but now he wants to go to the library again?
The same library that is only about twenty percent re-shelved at this point?
“Are you leaving?” Honey asks brightly, her eyes all but begging me to take the big, bad wolf out of her bakery. When so many of her patrons are prey shifters… yeah. I get that. “I’ve got croissants in the oven, and fresh-baked sourdough if you want to bring some with you.”
There’s a rack of freshly baked bread on one of the bakery’s walls. She grabs a loaf, holding it out.
Riordan steps in front of me and grabs it.
“I’ll take that, Honey.” He breaks off a piece of bread, tossing it to Gus. “Deputy. I’m sorry that we left you behind yesterday. We’ll be doing research today.” Riordan makes it sound like ‘research’ is a four-letter-word. “If you’d like to come with—”
Gus shoves the piece of bread into his mouth before turning around and resuming his curled-up position on top of the bag of flour.
Riordan’s eyes gleam as he looks my way. “Guess it’s just us again, Pen. Here.” He holds out the rest of the loaf. “For you.”
Honey giggles. “Careful, Riordan. Anyone would think that you’re trying to feed Penelope.”
He slings an arm around my shoulder. Ah, Hecate.
Riordan is so deliciously warm. He smells even better than the fresh-baked bread.
His arm is heavy across my shoulders, and while every instinct I have should be warning me that there is a very large, very dominant wolf shifter touching me, the only thing my traitorous body seems interested in is how easily I fit against his side.
And then he says simply, “Someone has to.”
Honey’s answering smile is enormous.
Okay. Enough of that. I duck out from beneath Riordan’s arm before I embarrass myself, clutching my loaf of sourdough against my chest.
“Research,” I squeak. “Right. We should go do that. Now. Let’s go now.”
Riordan’s almost-smile tells me that he’s enjoying this way too much. “Whatever you say, Pen.”
It isn’t until we pull up in front of Moonburrow Library that I realize Riordan never actually told me what we’re going to be researching.
I assumed it would have something to do with the murders.
Maybe he wants to look into the town’s history, since the relationship between the coven and the Moonshadow Pack is shakier than I first realized.
Or maybe he thinks there might be some old reference to wolfsbane being used to disguise a shifter’s scent. Could be anything really.
So, as we enter the library through the side door Ash gave me a key to after my unfortunate magical incident, I ask, “Where do you want to start?”
Riordan closes the door behind us. “Over there.”
I follow his gaze.
There are still books everywhere. It’s definitely better than it was. Ash and I have made progress, but it turns out that putting thousands of books back where they belong is a lot more time-consuming than magically ripping them off their shelves in the first place.
Especially when I promised Ash I wouldn’t use magic to clean up the mess mine made…
I look at Riordan. I look at the books. Then at Riordan again.
“Over there where?”
He waves around him. “Anywhere. Pick a pile, we’ll start there.”
Okay… “What are we looking for?”
His eyes brighten. “Shelves.”
Shelves?
It takes me a second to understand. “We’re not here to research, are we?”
“We might be. If we find a book that looks like it might help with the case, we can set it aside and check it out later. But, mostly, we’re here because I saw how much work there was to do.
Had another chat with Ash, and he said that you won’t stop feeling guilty until all of the books are back.
” He flexes his fingers. “I’ve got an extra pair of paws I’m willing to offer. ”
For a second, I can’t speak.
People help me all of the time. Serena taught me. My mother loved me. Honey gives me a place to live and feeds me often enough that I might eventually turn into one of her cupcakes. Roxy has basically decided we’re friends whether I understand how that happened or not.
But this feels different. I can’t explain why, but it does. And yet… I can’t bring myself to refuse.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s do this.”
Riordan rolls up the sleeve of the icy-blue silk shirt he has on. “I’m ready when you are.”
And that’s how I end up spending two hours inside of the Moonburrow Library alone with Riordan Lobo, shelving books and, actually, having a pretty good time doing it.