Page 8 of Bound By Fate
"Don't look," Ivy hissed, turning her back to him aggressively. "Don't give him the satisfaction. Is he looking? Is he judging my outfit?"
"He's looking," Rhett confirmed. "And he's definitely judging the safety pins."
"Good," Ivy declared, though her voice shook slightly. "Let him judge. I am a glorious fashion icon."
"We need a plan," I said, bringing the focus back to the Triad. "The Registry starts tomorrow. We can't avoid it without causing a scene."
"So we cause a scene?" Kai suggested, half-hopeful.
"No," Lucien said, pushing off the pillar. "We go. We comply. Maliciously."
"Malicious compliance?" I raised an eyebrow. "My favorite kind."
"He wants to test our stability?" Lucien’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous, violet light. "Fine. We’ll show him exactly how stable we are. We’ll give him so much data he chokes on it."
"And the blood?" Rhett asked, crossing his arms.
"We’ll handle that when we get there," Lucien said. "But we need to know what we're up against. WhoisDean Marrow really? Where did he come from?"
"I can find out," I said. "The Archives."
"The Archives are restricted," Kai reminded me. "Especially the Genealogy Section."
"Not for a History junkie with a 4.0 GPA and a very charming smile," I said. "Besides, I have a feeling the 'Queen of Hearts' answers are hidden in the old founding documents. If Marrow is part of this... his name will be there."
"I'll go with you," Rhett said instantly.
"No," I shook my head. "If the Triad goes into the Archives, it looks suspicious. It looks like we're plotting."
"Weareplotting," Kai pointed out.
"Exactly. So I need to go alone. Look like a diligent student doing extra credit."
Rhett opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off. "I'll be safe. It's the library, Rhett. The most dangerous thing there is a paper cut."
"Or a falling bookshelf," Rhett muttered. "Or a cursed scroll. Or a sexually aggressive ghost."
"That was one time!" Ivy piped up.
"I'll be fine," I promised, squeezing Rhett's hand. "Go back to the penthouse. Fortify the 'War Room'. Order pizza. I'll meet you there in two hours with everything I can find on Dean Marrow."
Rhett hesitated, his wolf battling his logic. Finally, he sighed and kissed my forehead. "Two hours. If you're a minute late, I'm burning the library down."
"Deal."
I watched them walk away—my three powerful, terrifying, wonderful mates—and then turned toward the towering stone spire of the Librarium.
I had a date with some dusty books. And, knowing my luck, probably a ghost or two.
3
The Northcrest Librarium was less of a building and more of a labyrinth carved out of silence and stone.
It smelled of parchment, binding glue, and the distinct, metallic tang of preservation spells. Dust motes floated in the shafts of light that pierced the high, narrow windows, hanging suspended in the air as if time itself moved slower here.
I loved it.
While the rest of the campus was vibrating with the tension of Dean Marrow’s announcement, the Archives were peaceful. The only sound was the softshhh-shhhof my sneakers on the marble floor and the occasional flutter of a self-shelving book finding its home overhead.
