Page 25 of Once Upon an Enchanted Castle

“I’ve never seen a library like this before,” she said, finally finding her voice. “When you said you had an extensive library, I never picturedthis.”

He chuckled, a sound low and deep in his broad chest. It pulled her attention from the beauty of the window, and she turned to him. His smile held a hint of pride.

“It’s my life’s pursuit. Do you like it?”

“Like it?” She looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. “It’s the most magnificent library I’ve ever seen.”

And she’d seen a lot of libraries. Certainly, none this spectacular. Nor would she ever see one that compared.

“Good, then perhaps you’ll find the answers you seek for the translation. Come.” He motioned for her to follow as he took off across the room.

She fell in step behind him as he headed for the table between the free-standing shelves. As he approached the table, she noticed the wicks on the candelabra flickered to life, as though sensing his nearness.

His castle was certainly a wondrous place.

“You can work here.” He motioned to one of the chairs.

She eyed the table, her brows knit.

“Is it not to your liking?” he asked.

Her gaze met his as she placed the book on the edge of the table. “Oh, it is, thank you. But I’ll need parchment a pen and ink.”

“Of course.” He waved toward the table.

There was a stack of parchment, a quill, and inkwell. She swore those items were not there a moment ago. She tipped her head to the side, trying to recall if she simply overlooked the items. She was certain she hadn’t, and they appeared. She stared at them as an unusual sensation crept over her.

“Let me show you where to find the best resources for our project,” he said.

That snapped her out of her thoughts. “Our project?”

“Yes.” He flashed a grin as he headed off toward the shelves.

She forced her feet to move and followed him, hurrying to catch up as he disappeared between two of the shelves. He paused in the middle between the two as he looked at the dusty volumes, contemplation on his face.

“You’ll find some of these are quite old. Do take care of them.”

He reached for one particular book with a dark green cover, the edges of the pages yellowed with age. He handed it to her. There was no title on the cover or the spine, but it was a hefty book. As she examined it, he pulled another off the shelf and handed it to her.

“This one will be a good one.”

This one was a dark blue cover with an embossed title so faded it was unreadable. She ran her finger over the indention as if that would yield the name.

“Ah, and this one.”

He slipped another book from the shelf and handed it over. She stacked it on top of the blue one. This one was a dark brown cover with words emblazoned across it—Curses and Cures.

“I don’t think—”

“It may not help you, but there is an off chance it will.” He cut her a glance. When he realized she gaped back at him struggling to carry the large books, he stepped closer to her. “Apologies. I didn’t think.”

He offloaded the books from her arms. When he did, their hands brushed. Though she still wore her lace gloves, a tingling sensation spiked through her. He must have sensed it took for he stood a moment, peering at her with those pale brown eyes that held a twinge of regret.

“This should be a good start for you.”

He breezed past her to head back to the table. She hurried to follow. He placed the books on the table next to the stack of parchment, then turned back to her as she paused behind one of the chairs.

“You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

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