Page 36 of Flock Around and Find Out

Except I was pretty sure if I broke Ruben’s precious archives, I’d be in trouble.

Bastard.

“So where did he say it was?” Ruben asked, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.

It was freezing in here and he was gettinglessdressed? What the fuck was wrong with him?

Not that I minded the sight one bit. That could warm a girl up quite nicely on its own.

He turned to look at me, prompting me to recall his question.

“Yellow book, top shelf, left side, next to a book made of human skin that I shouldn’t touch.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down much. We have a lot of yellow books and there is a left side to each of these rows and shelves.”

“Okay, but do you know where the book made of human skin is? Because it’s next to that one.” At his look, I groaned. “You really have so many made of human skin that even that doesn’t help? Great. Just fucking wonderful.”

He shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, few of these were made by Justices. We collected them, stored them here, but we didn’t craft them. They were made by humans and Spirits.”

“Humans? But they don’t have any magic…”

“That isn’t wholly true. Think about the tales of old witches.”

“But I figured those were some sort of Spirit, one that didn’t exist anymore.”

He shook his head. “Some people believe that, but most Justices don’t. We know that there are things that exist out there that appear to be human in nature but still retain certain qualities of Spirits, but none of the energy. Besides, if this realm has none of its own power, how do you think the Justices were made?”

That drew me short.

I hadn’t thought much about how Justices were created. I knew what they did, that they kept the peace, that they prevented war, that they were terrifyingly powerful—and shockingly boring. I hadn’t really considered who made them or what power had crafted them.

“So you’re telling me that humans—and Earth—have their own energy?”

“Of course. Think about it—why wouldn’t they? We just don’t often recognize it because it is the majority, because it is present in everything, including Spirits.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant, exactly, or how I felt about it. Did that make me happy? I wasn’t human anymore, of course, but I still had more of an affinity for them than most of the other Spirits. Maybe it was because I’d never really vibed with the Spirits that I clung to those roots.

Instead of forcing me to talk about it, Ruben turned toward the first large shelf. “I think our only choice is to check the top left of first every shelf, then every bay within the shelf, since he wasn’t clear.”

I groaned at the sight of the ladder that just earlier had seemed like so much fun.

First the stairs, now the ladder.

What the fuck was today, cardio day?

Chapter Eight

Three hours later and I was ready to ring Knot’s neck for sending me on this little errand. I sat on the floor, my back to a shelf, taking a break.

At least I had a nice view. I watched Ruben heading up the ladder, giving me a fantastic angle to see his ass.

He might have appeared older than the other men I knew, but he sure didn’t let that stop him. His ass was faultless, and I wondered for a moment if he’d had those pants tailored just to showcase it like the piece of artwork it was.

I pictured him walking in and explaining to the tailor that he wanted his assets highlighted to their full glory, and fuck if that tailor didn’t do the job perfectly.

Chef’s kiss.

“You know, my senses are good enough to feel when I am being stared at,” Ruben called down as he peered at the books on the top shelf.

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