Page 52 of Daughter of Garnet

"I need to go. Thank you for showing me this side of you."

Before my eyes, his form starts to rattle and shake, and the air around him ripples. In seconds, a very naked Ray stands in front of me. It's a battle to keep my attention above his waist.

"I… Zoe." He runs his hand through his hair, his chest heaving with rapid breaths. His eyes are wide and vulnerable as he stares at me. "I was wrong."

"Glad you finally admitted it."

There's a pause, where the air between us hangs heavy, and then I give him my back and go back the way I came, my dragon giving up the fight for control and whining pitifully in the back of my mind.

CHAPTER 26

Zoe

Cliff hasn't said a word about the tension between Warren and me, but his actions make it clear that he's taken my side. It's something I never would've asked of him, but I am grateful for it all the same. I know they aren't close close, but I assumed he'd be at most neutral. Neutral isn't how I would describe the amount of time Cliff and I are spending together now.

There is a beautiful normalcy to the way we gravitate to one another each morning before heading to breakfast, and find ourselves sitting together at dinner. Without meaning to, our schedules have shifted so we are together when we are not in class.

Not that I'm complaining about that. Spending time with Cliff feels natural, like we were always meant to be around one another. He feels like a memory I can't recall the details of, but I know all the same.

He bumps me with his shoulder as we enter the library. "Can't believe you're back again. You spend as much time here as I do. At least I'm getting paid, even if it's a pittance."

"Wanna know a secret? I was a terrible student at university. I've got a lot to catch up on if I don't want to be stuck with shitty job prospects because my grades are awful."

Some jobs can only be done by specific designations. The main goal of the Institute is to identify where we fit best to help each province run smoothly.

I'm living under no assumption that I will be able to keep my designation hidden forever, but a large part of me hopes that if I'm a good student and prove that I can give back to society in a Beta role, they won't force me to be an Omega paperweight.

Cliff hums low as he stuffs his bag under the information desk and grabs a return cart. "I'm happy to help you with any subject I can. I know you do a study group for Menagerie, but I could set some time aside each week so we can get you caught up on the other subjects."

I follow him like a lost puppy through the stacks as he puts books away. "I'd like that, yeah. I'm sure I'm not utilizing the library to its full extent. I keep getting distracted while I'm here, researching stuff that has nothing to do with my classes."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

I pick a random book off the shelf and read the back before sliding it back into place. "Ilota, mainly."

He looks over his shoulder at me. "Why?"

Now's my chance to find out what Cliff knows about the Goddess and if there are any books tucked away that I may not be able to find. "Because don't you think it's weird that there is so little information about her? It pretty much stops and ends with Fate of the Fire."

"There are some other books that mention her." Cliff holds the book he was about to shelve loosely in his hand and gestures to his left. "The archives have a bit of history on her, but it's old, so we don't let students in there."

"I thought there were no records of her Blessing anyone?"

"There aren't, not directly. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything to learn. Just because the book isn't about her doesn't mean there's not something important inside. I learned that a long time ago." He places the book where it's supposed to go and continues on, speaking lower than even a library requires. "I can get you in, if you want."

My heart leaps in excitement. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

That comforting, warm wine feeling courses through me when Cliff places his hand on my arm. "Zoe, there isn't much I wouldn't do for you."

With his words, something inside me cracks open. It's not unpleasant, but it does feel incomplete, like a part of me is missing and I have to find it to fill it.

"Cliff." My voice is low, with a purr to the word that I've never heard before.

His breath hitches, and he crowds me until my back is up against a shelf full of books, until our bodies are just shy of touching. "Zoe."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that since I met you, everything feels too good to be true. A dream that I don't want to wake up from. I don't want to ruin our friendship, but I need you in my life, and I'd do anything to make sure that happens."