“Why not?” I question.
“Because you came, Story,” he answers. “On Friday, when you’re back, I thought you’d like to go on a date with me. Just me and you, alone.”
A date? Flashes of dates with the prince burst through my mind. They were never dates because I didn’t want to willingly go, and no one else would dare have asked me. Live, Kyrell made me promise. Living means trying new things, making fresh memories to wipe away the ones which will forever haunt me. “I’d love to. See you soon.”
I have a date with a handsome fae, and a job in a library…some might say these are my dreams come true.
Chapter Nine
Page Nine.
I confided in my friend that I have two entwined mates calling to me. She said it was impossible and I should ignore the calling of the others. That Dawn was my fate and the only mate for me.
But I don’t want to forget the moon. He is my everything, but he only sees me as his friend.
Ispend hours in the library with Catherine, who I think is absolutely amazing. For the first few hours, she shows me the layout of the library floors and hands me a paper map she drew for me to study. After she gifted me an old cart just like hers, we wander through the library, categorising books and finding new ones for people that have asked for them. The library is busy, and it doesn’t take long to get lost in the work, and I enjoy every second of it. As the hours pass, I find myself completely and utterly lost in the shelves, and I know it will take hours before I will be able to make my way around here alone without getting lost in the shelves. I barely even notice it’s getting dark outside until the lights change in the library, switching from orange flames to a softer, blue light as the librarians change the oils. Catherine parks her cart next to mine. “Do you want me to walk you back to the rooms?”
I glance at the exit, seeing two men standing in one of the tunnels, speaking in hushed tones. Ziven is waiting there for me, and he’s not alone. Mazzis is talking to him, and seeing how close they stand—I would bet they are even friends. “I’m spending three nights with…in the Moon Dynasty because King Ziven wanted that.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe you should ask Mazzis to make a similar request and shorten the time you have to spend there.” She shivers, lowering her voice. “They aren’t good people, and he is the worst of them.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I softly respond, my eyes fixed on Ziven and Mazzis as they talk. Ziven towers over most of the fae I’ve seen here, and Mazzis is no exception to this. He looks small next to Ziven, and I must look like a bug anytime I’m near him. Ziven is in all black again, thick leather trousers and a thin shirt that is stretched across his body, leaving nothing to the imagination. He has a dark, styled coat with a high collar on, and it falls to his knees. Small silver moons are knitted into the hem, and they almost seem to glow as I watch. He smiles at whatever Mazzis has said, and despite the fact he is a giant prick, I notice how he has a really good smile. It lifts his high cheekbones, reveals his dimpled cheeks, and makes his eyes brighter. The smile is gone in a second and the scowl is back—his natural state. “Mazzis doesn’t seem like he likes arguments, and he’s been so kind to me, letting me come here to work. I don’t want to ask anything or stir trouble up for him. Not for this. Ziven has promised I won’t be seriously hurt or killed. What’s the worst he could do to me with those rules in place?”
She lifts her eyes to mine. “I never thought rules applied much to them.” She frowns. “Don’t die. I haven’t had a friend before. I mean, I have my family, but they have to be friends with me because we are related, and you don’t. Most people ignore me, and you don’t…so don’t die.”
I grin at her. “Okay, I don’t intend on dying, and I like having a friend, too.”
“See you in here tomorrow?” she asks, nervously picking at her nails.
“Tomorrow.” The promise hangs between us, and I like that she clearly cares about me. She might be the first female friend I’ve ever had. I’ve always found easier friendships with men, but that wasn’t by choice, just who I was surrounded by. As a child, the fae female children stayed away from me because of my mother being an outcast.
Ziven and Mazzis stop talking immediately when I get near, and Ziven straightens up, instantly on guard around me. Mazzis steps up to me, offering me two books, both bound in thick, shiny leather, and one is red, the other orange. “I thought I could choose the books for you as payment.” He touches the red book. “This one is a brief history of the dynasties. It’s not a long or overly detailed account of our history. It was written for children, but it’s good for beginners. I thought you might enjoy it before we dive into more complicated books.” He taps the orange one. “This one is a personal favourite of mine. It’s about one of the very first dragon riders that roamed over a thousand years ago. It was a famous king, and the book is written by his long-time lover.”
“Wow.” I clutch the books. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to reading them.” I grin at him, the smile dropping off my lips when I catch a glimpse of Ziven glaring at me.
Mazzis carries on, unaware or uncaring about the glaring king at his side. “Well, see what you can get read tonight, and I’ll give you two more tomorrow, regardless. You can return all the books at the end of the week or keep them longer. It depends how quick a reader you are.”
“I’m a fast reader,” I proudly answer. “I’ll get through both of these tonight.” I risk looking directly at Ziven. “Unless I’ve got other plans?”
“No,” Ziven all but snips before walking out.
Mazzis looks between Ziven’s back and my worried face, clearing his throat. “Have a good evening, Story.” I quickly mumble goodbye to Mazzis before running after Ziven, who’s completely left the library at this point. I vaguely know the way back to his apartments anyway, but I don’t feel like trying to get in without him there next to me. They’ll probably kill me for a miscommunication. I end up jogging to his side, and I struggle to keep up with his massive strides as he walks like a man set on one path. He doesn’t slow down or wait for anyone—I bet he has never had to. I don’t know what to say to him anyway—small talk with Ziven isn’t going to work. I’d end up just calling him an asshole again, and I feel like I’m one more word away from being burnt in the moonlight by him. It feels awkward between us and I’m definitely not trying to come up with conversation either.
We turn around the corner towards his apartments once we get on his floor, and he stops in front of the doors. They were guarded by the strange twins last time, but it’s quiet, empty here now. He touches the door with his palm, and silver light flashes bright. He pushes the door open, and he holds it for me. “Wow, so you do know how to be a gentleman?”
“If enemies touch the door, it burns them into nothing but dust,” he deadpans, letting the door swing towards me for a second before pushing it back. He smirks at the shock on my face. “I made a vow, and I bet the others would accuse me of killing you, even if the door did it.”
Asshole. I swear he doesn’t know how to be anything else. I square my shoulders as I slide through the open door, careful not to touch it. He steps through next, shutting it behind him. I’m about to ask Ziven what his grand plan is now he has me here, just as a little girl slams straight into me. We both fall backwards onto the floor, my books falling from my hands, but I catch her before she lands harshly on her head. Her elbow goes straight to my stomach, and I wince. The blonde girl blinks at me through gold eyes, her long shiny hair falling like snow around us. There’s a moon marking on her cheek, and she grins at me, making the moon move up her skin. She looks like Daegan and Ziven, but I’m not sure how that is possible. I thought all the children were kept away while the Decidere is on, so how and why is she here? Maybe what Catherine said about the Moon Dynasty not following the rules is true.
That fact makes my stomach sink.
“What are you doing, Henrietta!” Ziven shouts, picking her up off me with one swoop of his arm. Her little black dress drains the light from her tanned skin and the colour of her hair. “I told you that you’re not allowed out of your apartment rooms for a few days unless you’re with Ruelle.” He sets her down in front of him.
Henrietta glares at him like he is her problem. “Well, it was boring, and I didn’t want to.” She looks at me as I climb to my feet and grab my books. “You informed us all that she was coming, and I wanted to meet her. We never meet anyone new! You keep me locked in here all day, and it’s boring!”
“I do not keep you locked—” Ziven pauses when he sees the same thing I do, an old lady with a walking stick walking to us with impressive speed. She doesn’t let up or slow at all.
“Henrietta Rumeysa Moonsilver, how dare you run off like that!” she shouts, her voice echoing to us. Henrietta wasn’t remotely worried about Ziven, and she apparently doesn’t care about this scary old lady either. I need whatever she is drinking to make her that brave. Ziven sighs. “Hettie, now you’re in trouble.”
The woman’s stick, silver and crooked at the top to make a handle for her, clacks on the tiles until she gets to us. She sighs. “By the dragons and deities, you will give me a heart attack long before I am due to die, child.” She pats Henrietta’s shoulder. “Why did you leave like that? We were halfway through our lessons on mathematics.”
“You weren’t quick enough to chase me, and I knew it.” She blows out a breath with her words, and somehow, she looks cute even as she insults this woman. “And Marcus was kissing his girlfriend. He didn’t see me leave.”
“I’ll deal with your guard later,” Ziven promises with a growl. “But you need to apologise to Ruelle for being rude and running off.”
She huffs, staring down Ziven and this woman. “No.”
The woman laughs. “Leave her, Ziven.” She cups Henrietta’s cheek. “You are a cheeky one. Of all the children I’ve brought up, I definitely think you’re by far the cheekiest with the words that come out of your mouth. They do not come from me.”
Henrietta looks at Ziven with a grin, and he smirks for a second, but when he sees me looking, he drops it into a classic frown. “They definitely come from you, Ruelle.” She whacks Ziven in the leg with her walking stick, and he winces.
Ruelle turns her silver eyes on me, the same shade as her short bob of fine hair. A black cloak covers her from her neck to her hidden feet, tied with a belt around her waist to pull all the material in, and the belt has a silver dragon clip in the centre. She stares at me for long enough that I look between Ziven and Henrietta for help, but neither of them says a word. “You must be the new one.” She looks me up and down. “What did they say your name was again?”
“Story Dehana. It’s lovely to meet you.”
“No, it’s not.” Her stick taps on the floor as she comes closer to me. “Let me guess, you don’t wish to be here. I’m sure Ziven has been delightful to you, as he is with all of the people he doesn’t trust. The list is long, so do not concern yourself with being added to it.”
