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The old building was obviously still open, unlike the train station.
The librarian stood up as we walked in, almost falling over her feet to greet us. Clearly not enough people visited.
“Hello, you’re all new faces. Can I help you find anything?” she asked. She was a sweet, old woman. She was dressed in a hot-pink pant suit and had her curly, gray hair in a pile on her head.
“This is going to sound a little crazy,” I said, figuring we might as well go all in. She seemed the type to have an open mind. “I lost my mate a year and a half ago. He set up this—”
She let out a gasp, both her hands covering her mouth.
“Wait. Was this the alpha with dark hair? It was long, he was beefy, had a sweet smile, bright-turquoise eyes. Yes, I see those eyes,” she said, pointing at Lake with a gnarled finger.
“You’re the only ones here. Give me one second,” she nabbed a sign on her desk that said ‘out to lunch’ and hung it on the front door, closing and locking the doors behind her.
“The library is yours. I’ve been waiting a long time to see how this pans out. Don’t mind me if I just grab my lunch and watch the show.”
She grabbed her bag and hurried off. I blinked at her retreating back in surprise.
“That’s not how I saw this going,” Lake mused, “but I guess that gives us space to work without disturbing anyone.”
When I tapped on the app, the video was already ready to play. I’d silenced my phone before coming in here, so we hadn’t heard the notification this time. I was trying to be respectful, but now we didn’t have to worry about being quiet.
Having a library to myself was always a dream. I shouldn’t be as giddy as I was at that moment, but I was more than willing to spend our afternoon here, even if we did find the clue quickly.
Everett’s face filled the screen, but his voice was hushed this time. He was tucked away in the corner of the library, sitting in a comfortable chair, with books visible behind him.
“I think it’s pretty obvious why we’d come here,” he said. “Shaye would spend every minute she could here. Hell, I think she was the only reason that Lake and I passed any of our book assignments in school. That’s one of the things I love about you, Shaye. You’re brilliant and you’re always willing to learn and explore new worlds. You had your books, and I had my video games.”
“I never thought of it like that,” Lake mused as he huddled closer to me, his scent of saltwater and summer breeze filling my senses.
“That’s why the library level is one of the biggest levels in the game—there are several floors of mayhem and mystery.”
“This game is going to be epic,” I said to the guys, though I didn’t tear my eyes away from the screen, unwilling to miss even a second.
“The library you’re standing in was one of the places we escaped to on the hottest days of summer. I didn’t enjoy reading like you did, Shaye, but you’d read to me regardless. Man, I loved the sound of your voice. I don’t even think you realized you were reading after a while. You were lost from page one. It was just a habit for you at that point, but I clung to every single word.”
He was wrong. I knew he was listening while I read and I loved the attention. Being in his arms, warm and cozy as I made my way through the fantasy books, was my happy place, too.
“This time, your code is hidden in a certain book. I’m not going to tell you which one. I know you’ll find it. Don’t just snatch it and run. Take a minute and enjoy the library. Look around, find something new to read, and then read a chapter out loud, even if it’s just for me.”
He paused and I snuck a look at the guys. I was curious if they would want to listen or not. Especially with Drew and his behavior.
I expected the video to end but Everett kept going.
“Lake, there’s another bonus code, something just for you. I know that I’ve made this a lot about Shaye, and I’m hoping that you can give her the support that she needs. But I want you to find the one thing we can agree on every time. That’s where the second code is.”
“What?” Lake asked, clearly not connecting the dots.
“Heal together, guys. Keep pushing,” Everett concluded as he gave one last smile before the screen went dark.
That was the quickest video we had yet. Maybe he knew I’d be dancing in anticipation, ready to dive into this challenge.
When I turned my attention to the others, Riven was watching me as intensely as he always did. Lake was glancing around, probably trying to mull over what book it could possibly be.
Micah was glancing around, curious but content.
But it was Drew that had my full attention now. He acted a little cagey when I asked him to read the text aloud, and it had me putting some pieces together.
I didn’t think it was something as simple as not liking to read. It was more significant than that. He could give me more details when he was ready, but for now I wondered if he’d let me read to him.
