Page 46 of Forsaken Secrets

18

Kaiya

We talked most of the way into town, and Eli explained what he'd learned about the secret library so far. The cheery companionship felt … nice.

By the time we reached the Harlsteds, though, I was starving and ready to get to the ruins. Unfortunately, the doors were locked. "Eli, I thought you said they'd be here?"

He shrugged and dropped to one knee. "They probably ran out for a bit. Sundays are when they visit Ellesmere and help with the sick. We can still go in."

I stared at him, wide-eyed. "Go in? Do you have a key?" He didn't reply, just stared at the lock as though it were some kind of puzzle. "Wait. Are you going to break in?"

He looked up at me, mock-surprise staining his handsome features. "Break in? Whatever would give you an idea like that? Do you think I'm some kind of criminal, my lady?" He slipped a small set of picks out of his pocket, then winked and bent down to the lock. After wiggling them around a bit, the door clicked open. "See? It was open already."

"You can't do that!" I choked out, checking our surroundings to make sure no one had seen him. Sure, the Harlsteds were his family, but most people would report Eli before even thinking to ask. There was no way I wanted to get caught inside without their permission. "We should wait for them to come back! Like you said, they never stay out for long …"

He'd already slipped through the now-open door, though, and was motioning for me to follow.

I stood there, frozen with indecision, when he shook his head and stepped out, gently pressing his palm into the small of my back to lead me through the door. My heart galloped and time stood still as heat spread from his hand across my back.

"You know, Kaiya, sometimes you just have to act without thinking through the consequences …" then the door closed behind me and we were engulfed in darkness.

My heart stuttered, and heat suffused me.

Desperate to escape my confused body, I strode towards a lyphos lamp and tapped it. Orange light flooded the room at the same time as Eli pulled open the curtains in the front window.

I turned to see him staring at me with an odd look in his eye. Did I have mud on my cheek again? I wiped at it, but he'd lost interest and was now humming to himself while he grabbed items from the display case.

"What will the Harlsteds say when they get back and see so many supplies gone? Surely we should just wait and ask? I don't want them to think that they were robbed."

He cocked a brow. "You really don't trust me, do you?" He pulled a small bag from his pack. "This should be more than enough to cover it all, along with a note explaining the plan."

"I see." Of course he wouldn't leave them wondering.

My stomach took that opportunity to let out a loud and very angry growl. Face hot, I turned to a bookshelf full of old books and blindly ran my finger down the spines, praying he hadn't noticed.

"How about if you choose the supplies and pull out the money to cover it as you go? I'll see about pulling together some food." I looked over to see him wink, then pat his stomach. "We need to keep these growling monsters happy, after all."

I smiled weakly. "I suppose that's logical," and motioned towards the cabinets. "You'd better not go too far, though. If your aunt and uncle come in, I do NOT want to be stuck here trying to explain it all to them."

He chuckled and slipped through a door behind the counter.

Irritating lordling.

* * *

It took a while, but eventually I had a pile set up for each of us. "Eli! It's ready for you."

A door slammed in the back and a few moments later Eli popped out, chewing something. "You spend all my money yet?" He carried a small wooden basket and looked very pleased with himself, those green eyes sparkling happily.

I held up the mostly full purse and shrugged. "We don't actually need that much. Extra supplies might make things easier, but they usually aren't worth the weight."

He strode to my side and looked at each pile, then back at the display cabinets and finally at me. "If you had unlimited funds, what would you grab?"

My eyes slid to the shelf full of high-end equipment, but I shook my head and motioned to the piles in front of us. "These are plenty. Besides, more gear means more weight, and I don't know about you, but carrying around a heavy pack makes everything harder."

He nodded, but walked to the display case and removed four more items. "Look. I want to do this right, and I have the funds to make that possible. We don't have to go crazy, but surely we need first aid equipment? And what if a gremlyn appears and chases after us, so we have to climb a tree to save ourselves? We need supplies for that, too."

I narrowed my eyes at his ridiculous scenario. "So funny. Fine. A few more supplies, but not much."

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