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Archie freezes and glances at me, eyebrows raised.
“Don't go near Pride and Prejudice. Not until we're sure it won't teleport you somewhere.”
“So that’s the culprit?” Archie chuckles.
“You laugh now, but what if it dumps you in the middle of the field in broad daylight?”
“Point taken.” He changes direction.
I show him the non-fiction section and take him through the other fiction aisles, then end our tour at the board games.
“That’s unusual,” Archie says, taking them in.
“I thought it might bring in patrons.” I sigh, staring at the brand new, unused boxes.
“I haven’t heard of most of these,” Archie says, perusing the titles and stopping in front of the chess set. “Do you play?”
I shake my head. “I’ve always wanted to learn.”
“I play chess with Freddie once a week,” he says.
“Freddie?” I can feel my eyebrows rising.
“My knight.”
“Not your friend?” I ask.
“Well, I guess so,” he says, shifting uncomfortably. “As king, I didn’t really have any friends.”
“As king?” I ask, my voice rising.
He nods but doesn’t elaborate. Is he a king? Or was he a king? My thoughts whirl, but I try to push it out of my mind. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.
He settles on the couch, as far from the window as possible. It's meant for patrons who come to the library to read, but I'm the only one who's ever sat there in the two years since I got hired.
I thought Archie would look out of place in the library, especially in his suit, but he seems at home. He leans back, his arms resting on the back and side of the small sofa.
“Do you need to sleep the sleep of the dead?” I ask, half-joking.
“No,” he says. “I’m old enough that I don’t sleep much. Five, maybe six hours, but a bit of extra blood fixes that.”
“Blood…” I whisper, a rock settling in the pit of my stomach. “Do you… need to feed?”
Archie chuckles. “I’m not going to bite you, Janet. Not unless you ask me to.”
Something about the way he says it makes my heart race, and I suddenly can’t stop picturing his lips on my neck, his fangs buried inside me.
“You’re safe with me,” Archie says. “I give you my word.”
I nod. “You don’t need to bite someone? So you don’t starve?”
He shakes his head. “There are blood banks now. I have a stash back home, and I just ate. It should tide me over for a day or two.”
“Okay, then.” I settle next to him, my heart pounding. Now that I’m no longer thinking about being bitten, I wonder if he'll kiss me again, and my gaze drifts down to his lips.
They move. “What kind of books do you like to read, Janet?”
“Mostly romance and classics.” Which is probably the only kissing I'll be seeing. I doubt he’ll kiss me again. He only did it that first time because I’d been about to cry.
