Page 40 of Librarian

This is my strange little family, and the Library is our home. I’ll die before I let Mathias take either from me.

Twelve

Kyrith

“How on earth does he keep track of all this?” I ask under my breath, standing in the middle of Leo’s paper-strewn room. “It’s a mess.”

Piles of work cover the desk. Books have been discarded across the floor, and there are even a few crumpled up balls of paper on his bed.

I thought, when I saw him at dinner, eating and looking less drawn than before, that perhaps his obsession had ended with the breaking of his own ‘curse’. Benny’s suggestion yesterday, about nullifying the remaining Ó Rinn ensorcellments, seemed as good an idea as any to occupy my newfound time. I came in here searching for the runeforms. I hoped he’d have taken a break from them now that he was safe.

Apparently not.

Leo hasn’t become any less obsessed, which makes my gut twist.

He went to Mathias for himself. Would he do so again if the lich promised to save any or all of his remaining family?

A door opens to my left, and the bright light from the bathroom overpowers the warm glow of the desk lamp. I whirl to face him, only to realise my mistake.

The last few months have taken their toll on Leo. The weight he’s lost throws the muscles of his upper body into steam-slicked high definition. I don’t even realise I’m searching for the ensorcellment runeform that used to dominate his chest until my gaze lands on the striped towel slung across his hips.

I force my traitorous eyes away.

Absolutely not.

I may still be attracted to him, but under no circumstances am I going to act on that or let him know about it.

Distraction. I need a distraction.

“The books!” I protest, reaching for my grimoire as my eyes land on the unprotected pages just lying there.

Leo closes the bathroom door behind him, shutting the steam on the other side, away from the delicate pages. Honestly, one shower probably won’t harm them, but I blurted the first thing I could think of. Some of these tomesareold, and mould and mildew could do serious damage.

The buckles on the holster at my waist are tricky, and before I can finish, his warm fingers are on mine, stopping me.

“I already protected them before I took them out of the McKinley collection,” Leo promises, releasing me and taking a respectful step back. “Kyrie, I?—”

“I’m here for the runeforms,” I interrupt. “If you give me some, I’ll work on them while you tackle the others. I assume you’re prioritising those with active ensorcellments?”

I told Dakari I would face him alone, but I regret the decision already. The ice in his irises cracks in time with the barely healed fissures in my heart, and I can’t help tracing the vivid purple bruise across his cheekbone with my eyes.

The soft light cast by the lamp hides the worst of it, but it has the unintended consequence of making this moment feel more intimate than it has any right to be.

So, I square my shoulders and relax into the professional, disinterested stare I use on my least agreeable patrons. He’s an heir, a future parriarch. Working together is a necessity. That’s all that there is to it.

“I don’t have all day.”

“Active runeforms, and youngest first,” he finally agrees, crossing the room to lift a pile from his desk. “The first and third layers are almost identical in all cases. It’s just the mutated second layer that’s the issue. Look, Kyrie, I?—”

“Good. I’ll take half.” I reach out, but he doesn’t hand them to me. “I promised to help.”

“You don’t need to. I took advantage of you before, and?—”

“Give me half.” The steel in my words flashes forth before I can stop it, slicing through the apathetic wall I’ve raised around my heart. “Hurry up. You’re dripping on your work.”

And I donotwant to watch those little droplets weep from his wet curls and down the lines of his back.

I hate that he’s beautiful. It’s beyond frustrating that the spark of attraction between us still exists after everything he’s done. He should, by rights, be as hideous on the outside as he must be on the inside.