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She took a deep breath, fighting a tired sigh. “You wanted me to talk to Kyle?” She’d almost forgotten their poor driver between talking with Alys and Nita, going through Alexei’s archives, and getting the call from her brother.
Alexei shook his head. “Why don’t we call it a night? Eddie’s arranging somewhere for Kyle to stay and sending a team to pick up his stuff and sweep for clues.”
“I’ll call my brother on the way. I need to go by the penthouse or meet him soon to grab a few things.” She hated sounding mysterious if they meant to work together and decided to risk sharing the truth. “Including the documents I took from the Order.”
“They didn’t find them when they tore apart the house?”
“My brother’s a dragon, remember? Josh knows how to guard a treasure stash so I had him hide the pages. I also scanned a backup on the tiniest thumb drive ever.” She patted her purse. “Plus, he remotely wiped the stolen electronics so they can’t access the original scan. Perks of his girlfriend being a hacktivist gamer who loves tech almost as much as the Order.”
“Remind me not to underestimate your brother.”
“He’s the stronger sibling.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.” He gave her a look that made her want to ask a thousand questions, but she didn’t. She’d already gotten answers from him that she didn’t know how to process. “Come on, I’ll drive us to the house.”
The house, as he called it, was a massive Mediterranean-style mansion with a circular stone-paved drive and attached garage that easily accommodated the armored Hummer he drove. “You live here?” she asked as they walked inside.
“I do.”
“With anyone?” A small army could live in this much space.
“My family stays with me when they’re in country, except for Alys who moved in with Nita. Stay here while I set the wards.”
She wrapped her arms around her, snuggling deeper into his jacket, and stared at the crystal chandelier above the two-story foyer. The place screamed luxury with a sweeping staircase, rose marble floors, and fresh flowers displayed on an antique table. Its formal feel of wealth and power matched its owner.
Alexei strolled through the side door again, taking her hand and leading her along a hall to closed double doors. “I have a surprise for you.” He sounded gruff, as though he’d decided to give her something but wasn’t entirely happy about his choice.
What could he be up to? She eyed him suspiciously. “The good kind of surprise or the bad kind?”
“If I tell you, then it won’t be a surprise.”
“At least you’re not blindfolding me.” She’d gone through that enough times with the Order.
“Don’t give me ideas,” he muttered, pulling open the doors and clicking on the lights.
Her heart pitter-pattered for an entirely different reason. Books filled shelves that stretched high above her head with scrolls stacked on top that brushed the tall ceiling. He had rows and rows of gorgeous, wonderful books, so many that she could spend weeks in here without reading the same thing twice.
“Oh.” The word left her on a gasp. She stared, trying to take everything in but failing.Talk about sensory overload in the best of ways. “What is all this?”
“While the warehouse houses my archives, thisisthe true treasure. Family grimoires, ancient texts, magical histories, and demon hybrid genealogical charts.”
She ran her fingers over the newest-looking leather-bound volumes, not wanting to risk the older cracked covers beside them. “You have so many.”
“The largest private collection in the world.” He sounded almost embarrassed by the boast. “Everything from rare occult philosophy texts to a few scrolls with purported maps of the hell dimensions.”
“Magic.” What she’d been denied access to for so long. “You have amagicallibrary.” She felt airy and light, as if she’d downed the champagne that’d been flowing at the party when she hadn’t touched a glass. “It’s amazing.”
“You like it?”
“I love it.”
He glanced toward the messy stacks on a nearby shelf. “I haven’t had the time to digitally catalog them or move things around except the usual paths that I pace so I don’t bump into stuff, and I don’t trust anyone except family to be in here.”
“Then why are you showingme?”
“As long as you stay here, it’ll be yours as much as mine.”
“To organize?”
