Page 21 of Shadows of Nightshade
I added another doodle to the margin of my paper and sighed. I wasn’t ready to be brave yet, so maybe I’d get a snack.
“Are you Miss Brosnan?”
I jumped, almost snapping my pencil in two, as I spun in my seat.
An elderly woman stood some feet away from the back of my cubicle. She wore a floral print, calf-length dress, and completed the ensemble with an old-lady sweater, dark tights, and flats. Her white hair was pinned back into a grandmotherly bun, but she’d missed some flyaway curls that framed her face. Even though she was hunched over her walking stick, it was obvious that she was taller than me. Yet despite her frail appearance, her honey-colored eyes were sharp beneath her gold-rimmed glasses.
She was probably here to yell at me for sneaking in a beverage, which was technically not allowed.
“I’m so sorry!” I apologized, grabbing the empty cup as I shot to my feet. “I’ll get rid of it right now.”
“What?” She seemed confused before she looked at my hand. “Oh, I don’t care about that.”
NowIwas confused. Then why would someone be looking for me? Who was she?
“I heard that you’re staying at Aine Hamway’s house while she’s out of town,” she said, surprising me. Her gaze lingered over the desk. “And, unsurprisingly, you’re snooping around. I’d like to discuss a few things with you regarding that.”
“Oh.” I stood there, unsure. What did we have to talk about? Should I offer her a seat? But these weren’t the best chairs. “Um…”
She tilted her head. “Come along,” she said, and leaned on her cane as she turned.
I still didn’t get it. Did she come to the library to find me? But why?
She waved her free hand as she noticed I wasn’t following her. “We’ll talk in my office.”
She had an office? I still didn’t even know who she was.
“Wait,” I called out, and my heart raced as I rushed to gather my books and papers. Why was I so messy?
I was shoving everything in my bag as she spoke again. “Let’s hurry it up.”
Oh no, she was getting angry. “Okay, just—”
“Gloria Protean.” Damen Abernathy’s decadent tones reached my ears, and my muscles seized. “Fancy seeing you here.”
A silent curse shot through my mind. I hadn’t been able to avoid his velvety voice and entrancing looks for as long as I’d wanted.
There was a strange growl, and I peeked around the cubicle. And yes, Damen was indeed there, smiling at the elderly woman in an almost mischievous way. But her features no longer held the same grandmotherly softness as before.
That didn’t seem to bother him. “It’s rare tosee you outside of your bubble,” he said. “What has you lingering in the liberal arts section?”
I wasn’t ready for this meeting. I’d kicked Titus in the balls. I had also maced him.
I needed more time.
Perhaps Damen’s presence was a coincidence. He might not even know I was here. I was still safely hidden behind a cubicle wall.
“Either way, I need to borrow Miss Brosnan for a while,” he said.
Darn it.
“Why?” Her voice was unexpectedly harsh. “I needed to talk to her first.”
“That’s not a good idea right now.” Damen’s face was thepicture of boyish politeness despite his disregard for the elderly. “But actually, now that I’ve gotten your attention, I wanted to let you know that Cécile is in the lunchroom again.”
“You can’t distract me,” she frowned. “Cécile isn’t some wild beast. She knows better than to go too far.”
“We have a deal,” Damen replied, his tone slightly icier. “And you know how I feel about untethered companions. You should handle it before I call her real owner and send her back where she belongs.”
