Page 72 of Obsessed in Blood
She narrowed her gaze and frowned, her tone testy. “If you don’t want me to go, just say so.”
“I would. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”
Her mood instantly improved. “Tell me.”
“I could get you into the library and possibly increase my chances to meet with the curator if you were introduced as my Blood Ward.”
She stared at him, and he braced himself for an explosion.
“Your Blood Ward?”
He nodded slowly.
Her grin returned. “Is that all? That’s no big deal.”
“Are you sure?”
“What would they know?” Her head tilted, and he braced himself again. He relaxed when she gave him a mischievous grin. “I think after the library, we should come back and continue the role-playing.” She winked. “We’ll just have to make sure the Do Not Disturb sign is out.”
Ginger strodeacross the parking lot in black leggings, a blood-red silk shirt, a black lace scarf, and ankle boots. A small purse hung from her shoulder. She wasn’t a tall woman, but she walked beside him with purpose—her head held high, her oversized sunglasses only removed when they reached the front desk. Her gaze swept the room without landing on anything until it reached Lucas, and then she smiled at him.
Not once in all the time he’d known her had he seen her so stately. She’d obviously watched the other vampires because she had their moves down so well that the receptionist gave one appreciative glance her way and then ignored her.
After receiving the lengthy introduction the receptionist always delivered upon entering the library, Lucas thanked her and took Ginger’s elbow, directing her into the building.
“How am I doing?” she whispered.
“You’re perfect.”
She beamed as he continued to guide her through the first floor. A quarter of the floor held shelves with the most widely requested books, which were updated every couple of months. The rest of the floor included a small tea room, two meeting rooms, a banquet room, and general offices.
They took the stairs down to the third floor where the rarest of books and journals were stored. He decided to leave the second floor, which was the largest selection of books, for Ginger to peruse while he spoke with the curator.
They worked their way around the stacks until Ginger stopped halfway down an aisle.
“Maybe we should see if they have the book listed in their database or files or whatever system they use to keep track of the books.”
Lucas couldn’t hide his confused expression. “Why? Cressa and Simone already confirmed it had been in the Los Angeles library.”
“All they confirmed was that the book was out for restoration. Who knows when that happened? And wasn’t it once in this library? It would be interesting to see if it’s still considered part of the inventory.”
Lucas ran a hand through his hair and stared at the floor. He couldn’t see how a Renard would make that kind of mistake. But they weren’t far from the card catalogs. “Let’s take a look.”
Ginger forgot about her role as she bounced on her toes while he thumbed through the handwritten cards in the Da through De drawer.
“I don’t believe it.” He pulled out the card labeledDe første dage. Ginger’s warm breath sent shivers through him, and he slid an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “You’re amazing.”
“I know.” She squeezed him back. “Where does it say it is?”
He glanced around at the labels displayed in bold lettering on the ends of each row. He nodded toward a stack to their left. “Somewhere down that aisle.”
She grabbed his hand and led him toward the bookcase. “So they’re listed by title rather than author?”
“Yes. Many of the books have authors, but just as many don’t, their creators lost through time. Most vampires are more interested in the subject, not who wrote it. We’re close.” He slowed and ran a finger down one shelf, then checked the one below it. “Here.” He knew his voice was filled with more excitement than it should be. As soon as he pulled the book down, he could tell there was something wrong with it. The spine reflected the name and was weathered like an old book. But it was nothing more than a sleeve—no—it was a box.
He opened it and stumbled back until he hit the next row of bookcases. Ginger reached out for him. It was a note similar to the one in the Los Angeles library. “Out for restoration.”
“Just like in SoCal.”
