Page 52 of Nothing to Fear
I chuckle at his words and then meet his eyes for a split second before I press a soft kiss against his lips. The world fades away, the lights flickering around us, and I know I’m exactly where Ishould be.
That night,Asher and I sneak into the archives like we always do. Even though we have my apartment to do whatever we want in, this place will always be just for us. It’s where we started. For the first time, we walk hand in hand through the library, Asher’s warmth seeping into my skin and reminding me that I’m no longer alone. I watch as he drags his fingers across the spines of books, easily findingSusurrosand pulling it back.
Susurros. Whispers.
“Have you ever looked inside that book?” I ask as the hidden doorway starts to groan open.
“Susurros?No. Why?”
As Asher steps into the single space, I snatch the book from its place, bringing it down into the archives with me. I follow him down the narrow spiral staircase, my head swirling, little pieces of information clicking together in my mind. Once we’ve made it to the end, we make our way through the chilly room to the back, where our table waits.
“Why’d you bring that with you? Can we get back out without it up there?”
Shit.
“Okay, so I didn’t think of that when I grabbed it. I actually don’t know. But don’t panic yet, I just . . . let me think for a minute.”
Asher hums softly but takes his seat across from me.
Flipping open the book, I trace my fingers over the first page.
“Susuras amoris, veritatis umbra,”I read, doing a poor job at Latin.
“The whispers of love, the shadows of truth,” Asher says back to me, quickly doing the translation in that brain of his. “The truth lies hiddenwas etched into the wall behind the book of family lineage.”
“Okay, so if the book is clue one, the shadows of truth have to be what’s concealed down here, right?” I guess out loud.
“Whispers of love?”
“Clandestine affairs? A love that stays hidden?”
“What do we even do with that information? Does any of this even lead the way into the cemetery”
Asher moves to pull the heavy book of the Corvus founding families from the shelf, dropping it down between us. My heart sinks as I wait with bated breath, wondering if we’re ever going to find a clue that actually leads us to the entrance, or to someone who knows how to get in.
“Si?” he says, and I can hear it in the tone of his voice that he just stumbled upon something. “Tomorrow’s Halloween.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Tomorrow’s also my birthday.”
“Okay?” I say, confused about what the two have to do with each other and the information we’re looking for.
“I’ve always felt a deep connection here, Si. Please don’t think I’m crazy, but I swear it’s almost as though the school speaks to me. I feel it to my core, down to the marrow of my bones. I know we’re going to get inside the cemetery.”
I let his words wash over me, the conviction in them, the truth he believes as if it were as clear as the sun rising each day.
“Do you think the school brought you to me?” I ask on a whisper and a prayer. Asher answers without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Chapter 21
Asher
My knuckles rap twice on Professor Thorne’s chamber door, waiting on bated breath for his dark, smooth voice to answer.
“Come in.” His voice is as rich and dark as his persona, and I have to steel my nerves before going in, reminding myself that there’s always a chance I’m completely wrong about this and everything is getting to my head. But still, everything in my bones is telling me this is spot on.
