Page 15 of Chaos
“That’s an excellent idea. Handle the cat, my witch. I just didn’t like how those wolves were speaking to you.”
I could have handled the wolves. They might have been high up in the supernatural hierarchy, but they couldn’t have gotten me fired. It would have taken something very extreme for that to happen. Librarian appointments here were for life, and the process for picking a new librarian was so involved, they wouldn’t start it again because some wolves thought I was rude to them.
Like the library cards, I had to submit my application with my blood. It wasn’t an instant approval either. They took blood for an entire year until they had a group of ten possible applicants. I was given a battery of tests alone, and so was everyone else. If you failed a test, you were cut. After those tests, there was an ultimate test.
We were all locked in a warehouse full of dangerous magic. I thought the goal was to disarm it and whoever made the warehouse the safest at the end got the job, but that was wrong. People wanted the job bad enough that I wasn’t just dealing with dangerous magical booby-traps. People were trying to kill me to get this job, and they fought dirty.
I didn’t get the job because I was the last one standing and did the best. The other applicants killed someone, but I didn’t.
I had the best battle magic teacher at the Academy of the Profane. I knocked them the fuck out and contained them so they couldn’t hurt me.
That was what they wanted in a librarian. With everything stored in this library, they couldn’t hire someone corrupt enough to kill to get the job. I fought back because I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t do it dirty, and I didn’t kill anyone.
I should have been mad about that test. I mean, sticking a bunch of potential librarians in a room to kill each other was fucked up. I wasn’t. I did the right thing, and Iearnedthis fucking job. I wouldn’t fuck it up.
This meant Felix would have to apply for a library card if he was going to stay with me and have access to these books. I trusted him implicitly and would have given him access to everything, but that wasn’t up to me. Sometimes, the magical system here would give someone a card I thought was shady as fuck. Sometimes, I thought they would approve someone, and they were rejected. That was the whole point of the bowl and the blood. It could see things I couldn’t.
Felix picked up the athame, and I was worried. He still had his warlock powers, but now he could shift into a cat when he wanted. There were no dual-natured supernaturals in the entire world. When supernaturals mixed, it was always a mixed bag what powers the child would end up with. There was always something dominant that won out. Some fiction Chaos was so engrossed with had hybrid supernaturals with two unique abilities, but that never happened in actual life.
I could feel butterflies in my stomach as he cut his palm and let his blood drip into the bowl. It didn’t sizzle like Chaos’s blood, and the blue text rose up like usual. It didn’t identify him as being dual-natured.
He was still classified as my familiar and given access to every single area in the library.
What was with that? The library rarelygranted anyone access to all areas. I had a library card before I became the librarian, and I was given all access. They even commented at my interview that it was rare.
I needed to keep an eye on both Chaos and Felix. Not because I didn’t trust them, but because of my tarot reading. Something major was coming, and it had to mean something that all three of us had been entrusted with all areas of the Library of the Profane.
I was still ignoring The Lovers and not even considering Chaos’s proposal, but I did need to figure out why someone wanted Chaos back on Earth and why it involved my library and me.
Chapter 14
Chaos
T
his new century was undoubtedly attractive. In a way, it was nice no one knew I was here except the people who tricked Ripley into raising me. As far as godhood went, people were endlessly blaming me for everything. Sure, I caused my share of trouble when it was needed to balance the universe, but people blamed me for every little thing that went wrong. Like I cared about sending a storm to flood a primitive village that was so isolated, the people were practically inbred.
This was nice. I could spend my time in this beautiful library reading and trying to figure out how to woo a reluctant witch. I was trying to give her space and let her come to me, but eventually, she would need me to deal with what was coming. I couldn’t see the future, per se, but I could see all possibilities for what was to come.
The person who wanted me back on the mortal coil had an axe to grind with someone. Several powerful people, to be exact. I could see all possibilities. When those two parties combined in their last conflict, things would never be the same again. It was an uneven match, and someone thought to tip the scales by adding a god into the mix.
That much was just stupid. My witch was angry she was tricked, and I wouldn’t say I liked the idea someone thought I would be a weapon for them because they called me from the aether. I intended to getverycreative with their deaths when I found them. The nerve of them. In this century, people had the arrogance to match my fellow gods with none of the power to back it up.
I was alone in my bedroom, reading. I tried to give Ripley as much space as she needed, and I was a patient god. I’d been alive for a long time. I’d seen civilizations die. I could wait for a headstrong witch to fall in love with me.
I heard a knock on my door. No one ever knocked. I hoped it was Ripley instead of the cat. I stalked over to the door and flung it open. Ripley was standing there, and I broke into a huge grin when her gaze trailed down my naked chest.
“Yes, my witch?”
“Felix and I are watching a movie. We’ve got a junk food buffet. Why don’t you join us? I got one of the new Oreo flavors. This one is maple.”
“What is a movie, my witch?”
“Television, really. Felix and I enjoy watching Doctor Who. There’s a new episode on tonight. We can start from the beginning, and I can show you the past seasons, but thisis notan invitation to Netflix and Chill.”
I just stood there, frowning. Not a single word of that made sense, but I was happy to be invited. Ripley saw my confusion and gave me a gentle smile.
“Do you like theatre, Chaos? They should have had that the last time you walked the Earth.”
