Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,69

been young enough to still be stupid.

“All day?” She shook her head in disgust. “Maybe someday. But what about your brother? What’s he supposed to do? Just stay here while you prance about with idiots and sleepers? Or are you going to hide him under your coat so he can go to school with you?”

The fear alone would probably have been enough to dissuade him in the end. But her reminder that Noct couldn’t even try was enough to convince him never to ask again. Because it wouldn’t be fair.

And now here he was, enjoying breakfast almost as though he were a normal person, while Noct was with a man who might mean to betray them both.

“Are you all right?” Sebastian asked in a low voice.

Ves blinked back to the here-and-now. Sebastian watched him with concern, but no one else seemed to have noticed his momentary lapse. “Yes. I’m fine. Just thinking I shouldn’t linger, if I’m to stop by my apartment and get changed before going to the police station and asking about the gunman.” As he spoke the words aloud, a new concern occurred to him. “Do you think they’ll actually let me in to talk to him? I’m just some random person, as far as the police are concerned.”

Sebastian nodded. “Tell the officer on duty that you work in the Ladysmith’s library. Then offer a bribe. Two dollars should do it. Do you have it? If not, I can make up the shortfall.”

“No, no, I have it.” It was a bit depressing to think the police were so easily bribed, but that at least was probably no different here than anywhere else. “But why would he care about the fact I work in the library?”

“We’ve had an alliance in the past,” Sebastian said, as though that made any sense whatsoever.

“All right,” Ves said, instead of asking a question he suspected had no quick answer. He rose to his feet and nodded at the rest of the table. “I’ll see you at the museum, Sebastian.”

Sebastian felt as though a weight fell over him when he stepped through the doors of the library. For most of his life, this had been a place of refuge: of quiet and order.

Mortimer Waite had tried to murder Ves, right here in the precincts of the library. Thank God Ves wasn’t entirely human. Otherwise, he would have died in agony on the bindery floor.

Of all the things he’d imagined to face in his life, betrayal by another librarian had never been one of them. A part of him almost resented the entire situation, for no better reason than he should have been floating on a cloud of happiness this morning. He not only had a new lover, but someone he cared about, whom his family had met and liked as well. He ought to be planning a romantic picnic on the cliffs overlooking the sea, or daydreaming about being face-down in the pillows while Ves took him. Instead, he had to worry about an evil book and the traitor in their midst.

“Sebastian!” Arthur called.

Sebastian stopped and turned, surprised. He’d reached the hallway outside of his office, and Arthur hurried up from behind him.

“Goodness, you are in your own head this morning,” Arthur said with a fond smile. “I called after you twice.”

“Sorry. It was a long night.”

Arthur arched a brow. “Oh? Do go on?”

“A gentleman never kisses and tells,” Sebastian replied primly.

“And since when are you a gentleman?” Arthur asked. “I noticed you’ve been spending time with our new binder…?”

Sebastian grinned. His old friend sometimes knew him a bit too well. “I can neither confirm nor deny your observation.”

“So I thought. Where is dear Vesper this morning? He’s usually here with the sun.”

“Is he?” Sebastian supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that Ves was a hard worker. “He had some things to attend to of his own, but I’m sure he’ll be along soon. We’re working together on a project, actually.”

“Is there anything I can help with until he arrives?” Arthur gestured at the locked door of Sebastian’s office. “If you need an assistant—”

“No, but thank you.” Hopefully Ves would return soon with answers. “I have all the help I need.”

Chapter 23

Back at the apartment, Ves changed into clothes that hadn’t been torn apart and set aside his shirt and vest from yesterday in hopes of mending them.

As a child, he’d mostly wandered the hills shirtless, skin darkened by the sun. There had been no thought to hiding then; the remoteness of the