Page 9 of Nothing to Fear
A large stone archway leads to a massive open room, bookshelves lining every wall, the old wood planks weathered and bowed in places, strong and solid in others. Tomes older than I can begin to imagine sit untouched, covered in dust from age.
The archives hold the more obscure knowledge—extremely old and rare editions of books on various topics like occult history, alchemy, magic and rituals, divination, and herbalism. It contains manuscripts, journals, and maps, some bound in human skin, while others are chained across the binding with large, rusted locks holding them closed. While basic information on these topics can be found in the library upstairs, the Noctis Archive is the keeper of all the deep, dark secrets.
Each of my steps echoes as I walk further through the chamber, going deeper into the underbelly of the library, until finally, sitting in the very back at a small desk, is Asher Ambrose. Although there’s no doubt he heard me walking in, he doesn’t stir, completely lost to the book he has opened in front of him. The edition looks extremely old, as with everything else down here. His fingers delicately flip a page as his dark, obsidian eyes flicker in the light of the lamp next to him. Dark hair, the color of midnight, falls into his face as he hovers over the pages.
He’s beautiful.
Instead of saying anything, I walk closer, taking a seat directly across from him. Asher’s eyes quickly flick up to meet my face, alarm and surprise etched into his features. He didn’t think I’d come. I guess we’re both full of surprises.
“What are you reading?” I ask, breaking the silence.
Asher closes the book carefully, setting his arms on top of itso I can’t read the cover, his head cocking to the side as he studies me. The movement has me remembering my masked stranger, the sinister way in which he played out my ultimate fantasy.
I raise an eyebrow in curiosity. “You know what they say about secrets . . .”
“That you can’t keep them?” he quips back, making my lips twitch with a slight smile. If he only knew the secrets I’ve held on to. I decide to let it go. For now.
“I went on your wild hunt. I’m here. Are you going to help me?”
“You’re clearly more resourceful than I thought you’d be. How bad is it? Just give it to me straight.”
I huff out my frustration. Being vulnerable makes me want to crawl out of my fucking skin. My knee-jerk reaction is to tell him to fuck off, that it’s none of his business, do anything to protect myself from his possible reaction. But he’s right, I need his help if I’m going to stay on the team, or more importantly, graduate on time.
“It’s bad. Can we leave it at that?” My voice is soft, but the typical edge in my tone is still there, as if I’ve forgotten how to not be a dick.
“I can’t help you if you aren’t open with me, Silas. I barely have time in the day to give you. So, if this is going to happen, I need to know where to start.”
My eyes flutter closed as I take a deep breath, willing myself to calm down.
“I’m failing.”
“Okay,” he says calmly and without a hint of judgment. “Which course?”
“All of them.”
To Asher’s credit, he doesn’t react. Just nods his head as ifhe can read my discomfort and chooses to let it slide. An out I don’t deserve.
“What’s your major?”
“Forensics, with a focus on anatomy.”
Asher nods his head. “We’ll start with Gothic literature.”
My body relaxes in my chair, comforted by Asher’s willingness to help me. I don’t deserve his cooperation or acceptance of me, of all people. But that’s just Asher Ambrose. Easy-going, agreeable, good-natured, and empathetic. All the traits I wish I had—or at least didn’t keep hidden.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Asher looks at me and cocks his head slightly to the side before giving me a silent nod. He pulls out a book from his backpack and flips to a page in the middle, as if he has the contents memorized from cover to cover. When his head dips down, focusing on the page between us, I can’t help but lean in with him, breathing in his scent—all leather, paper, and ink. My resulting sigh is both silent and the loudest thing I’ve heard all day.
If only things could have been different.
Chapter 4
Asher
Tutoring Silas throws a wrench in my plans, but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I had completely forgotten about tutoring him until, much to my disappointment, he showed up. When I told him to meet me at the archives—the location known only by a few members of the student body—I was positive he would have let it go. Gone off to do fuck knows what with his rugby twats. The fact that he showed up proved that, at least for the moment, he was serious about getting his academic shit together.
Studying with him wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. After the initial tension between us, our guards started to come down, even if only momentarily, to pass the time and work together. I found myself being pulled into his orbit while we sat in the hidden archives. He’s intriguing, and I was slightly fascinated by the way his voice softened when he dropped the dickhead attitude.
