Page 13 of These Deadly Dreams

“Careful, Sterling,” Cade mutters drowsily. “Your jealousy is showing.”

Sterling growls low in his chest and his eyes flash as his wolf tries to break free.

“No, he’s right,” Ellis says. She pushes out of my lap, dislodging Cade and causing him to grumble. “We can’t stop looking. I need to know what I am.” She picks up her cut up leggings and glares at me. “Next time, can we keep my clothing intact? I don’t have enough as it is.”

I grin at her. “I’ll buy you more, don’t worry.”

She rolls her eyes and grabs a shirt from the back of the couch—Cade’s by the smell—and pulls it over her head. “What did you find Sterling?” She sits back on the couch between Cade and me and pulls a blanket over her lap.

Sterling takes the chair across from us and leans his elbows on his knees. “I text an old friend of mine from the pack.”

I straighten. “Is that safe? Can you trust them?”

“He was adopted, and he’s not a wolf, so he feels no allegiance to the alpha. He’s the one who sends me updates on my mom.” Shadows flash in his eyes before he forces them back. “Anyway, there is an old wolf in the pack, she’s been alive longer than anyone knows. She’s kind of like a healer, I guess. A wisewoman of sorts. She always seems to have knowledge of things no one else does. I had my friend ask her if she knew anything of harpies.”

“And?” Ellis breathes. She leans forward, eagerly waiting for his response.

“She said there’s a book that contains information about every magical being of the world. It’s probably our best bet to find the information we need. It’s in the Altair Library, but it’s protected. They keep it in the vault, and you have to have special permission to get access to it.”

“What kind of permission?” Cade asks.

“A letter from the leader of one of the races.”

“Like my dad?” I ask.

“Yeah, but I doubt he’ll be willing to give it to you, all things considered.”

“Who said I was going to ask him for it?” I grin. “I’ve perfected his signature over the years. All those report cards from school I didn’t want him to see.”

Cade snorts and Ellis looks at me with raised brows.

“What?” I ask with mock innocence. “I hated school. I was lucky to graduate at all.”

“Too busy getting high and fucking anything willing,” Cade mutters under his breath.

I reach across Ellis and punch Cade in the arm. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but smiles at me with such adoration I actually find it hard to breathe. Fuuck, she’s perfect.

“Okay, when can you get it?” Sterling asks, bringing us all back to the task at hand.

“Today, when he’s sleeping. I’ll sneak into his office. He’ll never know.”

“Then we should try to get some rest,” Cade says. “None of us are used to being awake during the daylight hours anymore.”

I don’t think any of us actually slept, and as Ellis climbs out of the Land Rover covering a yawn with the back of her hand, I know she didn’t. Her emotions have been assaulting my mental barrier ever since Sterling mentioned this book. Nerves. Excitement. Fear. Dread. They kept her awake, tossing and turning in my bed until she eventually gave up trying to sleep and perched in the window seat instead, peering out at the estate grounds. It was hard, but we left her with her thoughts. She needed to be alone for a bit, and we let her have that time.

I sigh and mentally prepare myself for the sun, sliding on a pair of gloves and my sunglasses. I hate the sun. As we approach the library, we keep Ellis in the middle of us while we scan our surroundings. The Altair Library is a three-story building of tan brick and soaring columns. There are only a few cars in the parking lot this early in the morning, which is lucky for us. We want to go as unnoticed as possible.

Cade pulls open the large wooden door and ushers us inside. The tension in my body immediately dissipates as I step into the darkened entrance out of the direct sunlight. I wait for my companions to sneak off into the stacks, before I pull the folded letter from my pocket and approach the main desk and lone librarian sitting behind it. I’d snagged a piece of official vampire court letterhead and scrawled some nonsense about needing the book for research purposes, and signed my dad’s signature. I even added a wax seal of his signet ring. Something he rarely uses anymore. I wasn’t about to risk being turned away or caught in the act of forging his signature.

“Can I help you?” the librarian asks in the quiet. Her eyes widen briefly when she realizes who she’s talking to, but she recovers quickly.

“Yes, I need access to the vault. There is a book in there my dad needs some information from.” I give her a small smile, making sure to keep my fangs hidden.

I slide the letter across the desk, and she quickly scans the contents before sliding it back. She produces a large ledger and places it in front of me.

“I just need you to fill this out, then I’ll take you there.”

I quickly write my name, date, and reason for needing the vault. I hate that I’m leaving a trail behind, but there is no way I can use a fake name. The librarian clearly knows who I am, and it would raise too many red flags. She signs next to my name and grabs a key from a drawer.

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