Page 32 of Reap the Night
That’s a myth. They can lie, just not directly.
Shit, I hadn’t thought of that.
Did you directly ask him if he had something to do with those missing people?
Had I? I couldn’t recall.I don’t remember.
Then maybe that’s something you should do.
I don’t think he’s involved. My gut says he’s a good guy.
Then maybe someone in the park is responsible. He might not even know what’s going on. It’s worth speaking to him again.
You’re right. I’ll do that. We have an invite to his club for this weekend.
You’ll be with your team.
Yes.
Good. Just…be safe.
Always.
He tucked me against him.Now we can sleep.
I snuggled close, allowing my body to relax. I could get used to this, and for the first time in a long time, that was okay.
Chapter 12
EDWIN
I’ll never admit it to Haiden, but Odi makes the best cuppa. I’m not sure what tea bags he uses, but whatever brand, they’re top notch for flavor.
The Night librarian shoves a cupcake into his mouth, dusting the counter with crumbs, which he then swipes at with the palm of his hand. They vanish, almost as if they’ve been soaked up by his skin. And who knows, maybe they have.
Odi is an enigma. A being not of this world even though he wears a human skin. I sense his otherness. Not the supernatural kind of otherness, but the kind that tells me that this world is a mere speck to him. A tiny consequence in a vast universe of consequences.
“Ah, Edwin my friend,” he says. “I do enjoy our visits, but no books have arrived today either, I’m afraid.”
“That’s all right. I came for the tea.” I wink and take a sip. I have my own stool now on this side of the counter. It appeared after my third visit, and by the fourth, I was bringing cake and Odi was providing tea.
I like it here. It’s quiet and peaceful, and there’s Odi with stories to tell.
But he seems a little distracted today. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh…yes, yes, just some murmurs in the ether. Enough to discombobulate. Nothing I can’t handle. Nothing that will last. So tell me, how is your associate Padma faring?”
Odi is the only other person outside of our team and Dr. Jaq that knows about Padma’s infection. Finding the right books required explaining what it was we were looking for, but so far there’s been no luck for Padma.
“Padma is holding on. She’s putting a brave face on it, but I can see the toll it’s taking on her. The fear and uncertainty of what will happen if the transfusions fail…”
His eyes gleam from left to right as if someone is shining a penlight across his irises. This happens when he mulls things over. He blinks and shoves another cake into his mouth, sprays more crumbs, cleans up, then speaks. “Edwin, my friend, I have not been completely forthcoming with you.”
“Oh?” My scalp pricks because I can sense there’s an important revelation incoming.
“There are books…forbidden, dangerous books held in a vault. They cannot be checked out. But a request can be made to visit the vault.”
My heart leaps. “Then I want to do that.”
