Page 61 of Gifted Destiny

The vampire’s silver gaze finds me without fail. It’s the perfect opportunity to joke about how I’m definitelynot all there, but my curiosity overwhelms my comedic ability.

“Is it another ghost?” Would I feel a kinship with another spirit just because they’re like me? I didn’t expect to meet another, considering how rare we are supposed to be.

“Not exactly.” Avery pauses as he considers his words. A day or two ago, I might have been surprised by his perception and wisdom, but no longer. He might act unassuming, but he’s as powerful as Garrett and Bren in his own way.

“The energy shares a similarity with a soul, but it’s very weak and possibly tainted by decay.”

I don’t know whether the shiver belongs to me or if it’s a ripple from the others’ emotions. Since bonding with Zosia, I have lost track of whether I’m solid or not. I feel the urge to pat myself down like a forgetful person. Wallet? Keys? Body?

“A trapped soul?” Zosia’s eyes widen and her ears flatten again. Her revulsion and fear mimic mine, and her question echoes my thoughts. “Is the book imitating a tether?”

Her chin dips, and her wings ruffle with agitation as she sinks back on her haunches. “Where are the goblins? Why does the library feel farther away than usual?” Her concerns gush as she shares her thoughts aloud. “At first, I thought the goblins might be angry after the detective tried to grab the contract book. Now, I’m worried something more than this book might be wrong. This … thing … doesn’t really feel like a book.” She lifts her paw toward the nearest shelf before staring at it in confusion. For a moment, she’s forgotten she doesn’t have fingers. “All of theseother books are in my head, but that one is not.” She jerks her chin at the malevolent tome.

The others may also find her cutefaux pasamusing, but I’m probably the only one who creates the horrible joke. They are smarter than I am and probably know thatpasdoesn’t meancat foot.

“I know the copyright information for this book and the date it arrived in the library.” Zosia nudges a random book on the shelf beside her with the knuckles of her front foot. “I can recite any passage and tell you that it’s been removed from the premises twice. Butthatone ….” She glares at the book that shocked the metaphorical – or metaphysical – shit out of me. “That is not the fifteenth volume of Military Tactics and Strategies for Supernaturals. It doesn’t possess any arrival or circulation history. Any information I have in my head is for the real fifteenth volume.”

Her ears droop. I want to comfort her, but I’m not solid. Garrett is the closest. He crouches and gently rubs the nape of her neck, and she leans into him.

“I just wish the goblins or the library could tell us what to do,” she finishes sadly. Although we wait several minutes, the goblins don’t arrive.

Their absence makes the entire situation feel worse. I want to hold her and tell her everything will be all right, but I’m useless. I can’t even lie to comfort her.

Chapter 28

Zosia

Kodi might have found the cause of my unease, but I don’t know what to do with it. My worry grows with every second that Sage remains unresponsive and the goblins remain absent. I feel lost … and helpless. It seems that no matter how much I learn or how much we struggle, that feeling insists on returning.

I may not be alone now, but my mates appear similarly bewildered. “Any ideas?” Although I don’t single him out, I look at Bren. He’s the mage and the most difficult to read.

“I think …,” Bren pauses with a grimace. “No, Iknowthat the spell would have killed Kodi if he wasn’t dead already.”

My feathers ruffle, and every strand of fur on my body reacts and rises on end. It’s a shocking sensation, but it’s no worse than the words I just heard. It takes me a minute to find my voice. “What if Kodi hadn’t been the one to find it …?”

Bren meets my gaze with one that is apologetic but unyielding. “Any of us would have died. I think it was meant to kill one of us. Removing a guardian places a heavy strain on the librarian and makes the library more vulnerable.”

I have difficulty filling my lungs at the blatant threat. Avery rushes to my other side and strokes my back while I lean harderinto Garrett. He’s built like a tree, and his support might be the only thing keeping me on my feet. Yesterday, I would have felt uncomfortable leaning my head against his hip. Today is different.

Bren’s words understate the severity. I couldn’t handle losing any one of them or their death on my conscience after Kodi. They might be guardians and protectors, but I am also responsible for their lives while they’re in the library.

“Someone has turned abookinto a weapon.” The irony and horror that accompanies this realization force a bitter laugh from me. The library is meant to be a sanctuary and books are my safe escapes. This single act feels like a desecration of something sacred.

“I want to know how it got here or whether it has been here all alone and recently activated. If so, who activated it? Has the spell been triggered? Is it safe to touch the thing now? How do we destroy it? If there is a soul in there, who does it belong to? If we destroy the book, will it destroy the soul?” The questions tumble from my lips as my brain begins to churn. The area is too narrow to pace, so my tail thumps the floor after every question.

“Hold your horses, princess.”

“I don’t have any horses.” My response is automatic; we’ve had similar exchanges numerous times over the years. When my brain begins to short-circuit, he interrupts it with a single phrase. Most of the time, we’d devolve into a conversation regarding archaic clichés that have stuck around for no apparent reason other than absent repetition. I don’t have the time or energy to be distracted by a linguistic discussion right now, but his command forces me to pause and breathe.

“This is what I sensed but finding it hasn’t solved the problem. Sage’s absence is proof of that.” I’m accustomed to thinking aloud, but not with a rapt audience. The men’sattention is disconcerting. “There’s still something coming. I’ve felt this ominous foreshadowing since we opened.”

“Something coming, you say?” Kodi’s sly tone is immediately halted by Garrett’s glare.

“Focus, ghost. You can’t die again, but we can.”

The reminder sobers Kodi. His expression falls, and his spirit seems to follow. His boots descend toward the floor as if Garrett’s words are bricks placed directly on his shoulders. Thankfully, he’s no longer hovering directly over the malevolent volume of military tactics.

The shifter’s emotions twinge with regret, but I leave them to sort their own feelings. I need to focus on the life-and-death situation before us.

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