Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,45
reassuringly so. His scent teased Sebastian’s nostrils: bay rum cologne, underlain by something else. Something like black pepper, mingled with a verdant forest.
Sebastian touched one of Ves’s hands. “Whatever secrets she had, they died with her.”
“Assuming she even knew about the books.” Ves gave a final squeeze and sat back, though not all the way. “I assume the fact this spirit is obsessed with the library’s bookbinder means it has something to do with these Books of the Bound.”
“That seems obvious,” Sebastian agreed. “We’ll consult with Irene first thing tomorrow. She knows the most about magic and otherworldly beings. Perhaps she’s even heard of these books and can point us in the right direction.”
That uneasy look touched Ves’s face again. Perhaps his upbringing had given him an aversion to sorcerers. “Where do you think the one might be hidden in the library?”
Sebastian chewed at his lip. “If I were going to hide a book in a library full of other volumes, I’d put it inside a false binding and assign it a fake card. I’d give it a title so tedious no one would ever want to open it. My Brilliant Thoughts on All Subjects Beneath the Sun, by Mr. J. Smith.”
Ves laughed. It was the first time he’d done so in Sebastian’s presence, and the sound lifted his heart unexpectedly. “Some benighted fool would probably request it anyway.”
“I’d say Dr. Norris from the American History Department, but he’d never admit anyone’s thoughts were more brilliant than his own.”
Ves chuckled again and tossed back the rest of his scotch, before holding out the glass for a refill. “If I had to work the desk, I’d go stark raving mad.”
“I have, and nearly did.” Sebastian sobered. “That will be the second thing to do, I suppose. Once I inform Mr. Quinn of what we’ve found, he’ll have every librarian scouring the shelves for this Book of Breath, or whatever it proves to be.”
Ves watched him over the rim of his glass. “And what will the head librarian do with it?”
“Find somewhere secure to hide it, probably.” Sebastian shrugged. That was Mr. Quinn’s problem, not his. “And of course we still don’t know what became of Kelly.”
It seemed more and more likely that the worst had happened, and Kelly was dead. God, why had Sebastian waited so long to look for the man? He should have insisted on a search right away, even if no one else believed anything was wrong.
Yet another person he’d managed to let down.
“The men following you…it’s possible they killed him,” Ves said. “Please, Sebastian, be careful.”
“I have been. I’m keeping an eye out, and making sure not to walk down any roads without plenty of other people in sight.” Sebastian offered him a smile. “Perhaps they had second thoughts when they discovered I have so fierce a protector.”
Ves’s olive complexion had reddened from the drink, and the color of his cheeks deepened at Sebastian’s remark. “You said O’Neil sent a letter of resignation. Was it forged?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so.” Sebastian called it to mind. “I didn’t examine the signature, though. And the rest of the letter was typed. I only glimpsed it, when Mr. Quinn sought to reassure me Kelly hadn’t simply vanished. Perhaps I should take a closer look. I have some experience comparing signatures, considering people do try to pass off fakes to the museum library.”
“I’m cursing myself for throwing away the note left for me,” Ves said. “We could compare it to the typewritten resignation letter and see if they came from the same machine.”
“You didn’t know.” God, surely someone in the library hadn’t been responsible for Kelly’s death.
Ves sighed. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. For all of this.”
“That’s very kind of you, but none of it is your fault.” He hesitated, but the scotch was warm in his blood, and the night air cool on his skin. “At least this mess allowed me to meet you.”
Ves turned toward him, brows arched in surprise. And before he could think on it any further, Sebastian leaned forward and kissed him.
Ves kissed him back. His mouth tasted of the scotch they’d drunk, and the kiss itself was untutored, but it fired Sebastian’s blood. He traced the seam of Ves’s lips with his tongue, then slid it in. Ves moaned in response, and with that encouragement, Sebastian made to shift into his lap.
The touch of Sebastian’s thighs against his seemed to shock Ves back to reality. He pulled away, every muscle going rigid. His eyes were wide, chest