Page 32 of The Alien in the Archive

I let him in, not even trying to block him out. I want him to know he can trust me completely.

“This…can’t be right,” she mutters, reaching for another sheet. Her eyes are scanning the material faster now, her motions a little less steady. She’s excited—and alarmed? “These references to the Lost Expeditions…they’re far more detailed than anything we’ve recovered so far. This information on the Skoll warships, their melding with Borean technology, the interpersonal negotiations between Skoll, Borean, and humanity?—”

She stops abruptly, her gaze snapping up to meet mine. “Where did you find this?”

I hesitate, hoping like hell that my cover story makes sense and doesn’t arouse suspicion. “I’ve spent some time going deeper into the Obscuary, past where the archivistshave everything catalogued. There were some unlabeled crates I thought might be worth checking.”

“Unlabeled crates,” she repeats, her tone flat. She doesn’t believe me; turns out, spending my life searching for the truth hasn’t made me a very good liar. “Page, this information wasn’t just mislabeled. It wasn’t in the archive, not officially. I would know if it were.”

“Well, you’re looking at it right now,” I shrug, forcing myself to hold her gaze. “It must have been overlooked.”

Davina leans back in her chair, her fingers steepled under her chin as she studies me. Her expression is unreadable, which only makes my stomach twist tighter. “Page,” she says finally, “do you have any idea what you’ve uncovered?”

I nod. “It will completely change our understanding of humanity’s connection to the Pact.”

“Indeed.” She picks up another sheet, her eyes scanning rapidly. “Ifit’s authentic.”

“It is,” I say quickly. “I double-checked the source material. It matches up with other records.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Other records thatalsodon’t exist in the Obscuary?”

I open my mouth, then close it again. Right. That will be a problem.

“Page,” she says, setting the papers down. “Your scholarship is fantastic, I’ll give you that. And you have a knack for finding things most researchers overlook. But this…” She gestures to the bundle. “This doesn’t add up. Are you sure there’s nothing you’re leaving out?”

I hesitate for a fraction of a second too long, and her eyes narrow. “There are dangerous items in the Obscuary,” she goes on. “You can trust me. If you’ve found something…unusual, something outside the scope of your research, it could become a matter of safety for the whole library.”

The words are right there on the tip of my tongue:I foundit with Thorne. He showed me the Labyrinth, hidden archives, books he’s stolen away, things no one’s supposed to see.

But I can’t say it.

Not yet.

Not when I’m still trying to piece it all together myself…and when I promised I would keep his secrets.

“It’s just research,” I say instead. “I’m thorough. I hope that won’t impede our work.”

Davina doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t press any further. “Very well,” she says, her tone cool. “Leave these with me. I’ll review them and see what we can validate.”

I nod, even though now I’m regretting bringing her the material at all. If she reviews it…will she be able to figure out I’m getting my information from a living, breathing source? I stare at the papers for another second before I get up, grabbing my bag. “Thank you for meeting with me today, I hope you?—”

“Page, wait,” she interrupts me. “If you find anything else…anything that seems out of place. You need to bring it to me immediately. Do you understand?”

“Of course,” I say. “I’ll be around. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the research.”

Outside, the hallway feels both too long and too short. I want nothing more than to run to Thorne for some stupid reason, but I know I need to leave him be for a while. If Davina is remotely suspicious, we have to be careful.

But I also know I’m not stopping.

He’s too tempting for me to stay away.

13

THORNE

The quiet scratch of Page’s pen fills the reading nook as I pace behind her like a taskmaster.

Before, it might have irritated me. I used to sit in silence for hours at a time and enjoy it—day after day, year after year.

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