Page 30 of Must Love Libraries and Libations
I should have been focused.
Instead, my thoughts drifted again and again to her. Her laugh. Her determination. The gentle way she handled Louisa May and Hawthorne. Her beautiful magic. And the press of her mouth against mine. The way she smelled, like freesia, clean linens, like sunlight…with just a hint of something sweet. She was so warm and soft against me. I had wanted to melt into her.
I had no time for this.
Agitated, I turned a page absently.
Before I realized what I had done, a spell slipped off the page. A whisper of golden glyphs unhooked from the parchment, curling upward in a slow spiral.
“Oh no,” I gasped, moving to cast a spell to capture it. “No, no, no, no… Wait!”
I reached for the witch’s spell, my book magic flaring to catch and contain, but the enchantment zigzagged from my grasp, darting through the open door and into the stacks with a mischievous laugh.
I jumped up from my stool so quickly that my seat toppled over as I rushed after the loose enchantment. I hurried to the main workroom. There, the bookwyrms were lingering about, reading or sleeping.
“A spell is loose!” I called out to them. “Everyone, look! Quickly!”
At that, they began to trumpet, and the whole pack set out on a hunt, joining me as we looked for the rogue spell. But no matter where we looked, even the library shuddering and shifting to hunt for the spell, we couldn’t find it anywhere.
“Oh no! The townspeople. Library, cast an enchantment. Don’t let it escape your walls,” I called in panic.
The entire building felt like it quaked a moment, then a wave of golden light washed over the building, enveloping it in an enchantment.
“Is it here?” I called. “Have you caught it?”
There was a pause, then a pulse of affirming green light.
I exhaled deeply.
In the very least, the spell was contained within the walls of the library. But what was the spell? Was it dangerous? I would need to warn the librarians.
The bookwyrms and I made an exhaustive hunt of the whole library, but the spell was hidden so well, even the library itself could not quite pinpoint where it was hiding.
Agitated with myself, I went back into my study and slammed the codex shut, the sound echoing through the room, and locked it with an enchantment.
This was what came from distractions.
From cupcakes, music, and…her.
I sat back in my chair, jaw clenched, listening to the silence.
Twisting my hands, I tried to think of where we had forgotten to look, but it was no use. The witch’s spell was like a trap lying in wait.
Groaning, I set my head in my hands. This was precisely why I was here: to prevent something like this from happening. There was no telling what manner of spell was loose or how it might manifest. Witch Eyreaway was as gray as they came, and that spell that had slipped away had looked like a tricky prankster.
A terrible feeling rocked my stomach.
No good would come of this.
I closed my eyes, my mind shifting to Miss Windsong’s smile once more. Warmth filled me at the mere thought of her, and once more, I remembered the feel of her body pressed against mine.
“Enough,” I said, gesturing for the lamps to extinguish for the night. “I’m going to bed, old friend,” I told Melville, who merely snored in reply. “And I’m not thinking about that maddening half-elf anymore,” I added, rising and making my way to my bedroom, which sat just off the study.
But as I sat down on my bed and made ready to sleep, I heard the ancient bookwyrm chuckle knowingly.
CHAPTER 11
PRIMROSE
