Page 184 of Scars Like Wings

A branch reached down before me. It pointed behind me. When I turned around to look where she had pointed, I heard an elevator ding. Books, scrolls, and loose pages flew over to encircle an elevator door that had just appeared.

“Paige, please get the patrons out of here and let the Night MOD know that the Archive is going to be closed tonight.”

“O-okay? Is everything alright?” Paige stuttered nervously.

“I don’t know yet, but I think we should do this just to be safe.”

“I’m on it! Be careful, Byrd. There is something weird happening, and it’s enough to ruffle my feathers.”

You and me both, girl.

As Paige left the desk to start to herd the patrons out, I ran toward the elevator with Simone and Maisie close at my heels. We were almost inside of it when I ran into somethinghard.

I almost fell to the floor with the collision. But then, large rough hands caught me in a dip like something in a romance movie, the hands on my back and sides touching where my jeans and sweater left bare skin were electrifying and hot. My dragon stirred in my head recognizing who the hands belonged to at the same time that I did.

“Quinn?” I breathed, meeting her golden hazel eyes and smirking face.

“What’s up, gorgeous?” She lifted me back onto my feet. When she did, I saw Simone in the arms of Cole, and Cody keeping the elevator door open with his arm.

“What are y’all doing here?” I asked.

“I could ask you the same question.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I work here, starlight.”

“On the weekends?” Her eyebrow quirked up, and she motioned behind her, using her thumb at Simone and Maisie. “With friends?”

“We are researching the dagger your ex so kindly left in my thigh.”

“Well, what a coincidence! We are chasing said ex!” Cole declared. Quinn turned and gave him a look that I could feel the heat from without even seeing it.

“So sorry, you are doingwhat?!” I cried out. “I thought you had her in custody or whatever! How did she escape? What happened?”

“It’s actually a funny story that we can talk about on the way there,” Cody rushed, with his hands signaling us to hurry. “Quinn, she is upstairs. We need to go.Now.”

Quinn nodded before taking my hand. “C’mon, let’s go.”

The six of us entered the elevator cart. It looked just like the other elevator cart that I used to go and see Isidora with the mirrors and glamorous tiling all around. Instead of pressing the button for the thirteenth floor, the Archive unveiled a new button at the top, one that she only revealed to me and the throuple. I chewed my bottom lip and pressed the button to close the doors and hurry the elevator onward.

“So. Who would like to share with the class how the Godzilla bitch escaped?”

“Why are you looking at me?” Cody raised his hands in innocence to Maisie’s pointed glare and question. “Cole was on watch for her!”

“She had help. They knocked my ass out and let her loose. Cody was able to track her here,” Cole explained.

“Knock you out? Like, struck you?” Simone asked, worried.

“No, she used magic. One second, I was awake, and the next second, Quinn was waking me up from the floor.”

“That would take some powerful ass magic. Actually,” Maisie noted. “It would be the same magic that was used to put y’all asleep back at the resort.”

“Wait, the same? So, whoever knocked Cole out and helped that bitch escape is the same one who helped her get into the resort and incapacitate Quinn’s family?” I asked.

Maisie nodded.

The closer we got to the top, the more my dragon paced restlessly within me. My necklace heated, and my anxiety grew with its rising temperature. I could feel my dragon’s energy crackling just within reach. I could also sense… something. I simultaneously wanted to throw up, run, and fight whatever was causing this.

We will fight it. We must. It’s unnatural.My dragon snarled through her rows of fangs.

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