Jovari the Blue

Chapter 45: A Do Over

Kastali Dun

Jovari slipped into the royal library, keeping out of sight. The main floor was a bustle of activity. Carpenters rushed around to repair shelves, the noise of their hammers ringing throughout the vast space. Books were piled high in stacks, some waiting for repairs, others waiting to be shelved. A servant swept up a pile of broken glass by a display case that had been ransacked, probably by some of the Oshean guards looking for valuable trinkets.

Libraries were places of knowledge, of power. It was no surprise that Kane and his constituents had mistreated this place. The sorcerer had mistreated much of Kastali Dun. At least the library could be revived. What of the people he'd killed?

He caught a flash of pink and his breath stilled. Leah swept across the atrium, arms full of books, then ascended the staircase to begin shelving them. She was wearing a pair of spectacles. It shouldn't have made her look so damned cute, but it did. He silently crept after her. She disappeared down an aisle and he followed, watching as she lifted each book, squinted at the title, then placed it back where it belonged.

His chest swelled. He found his hand lifting unconsciously to rub away the pressure. To relieve it. This was his mate, the woman fates had chosen for him. The woman he was destined to spend his life with.

In those final moments when Kane had used the white dragonstone, when everyone held their breath, hoping beyond hope that Taylynn was correct, he realized how hard-headed he'd been. If things had gone differently, he could be stone right now. And then what? He'd never get to face Leah, to talk about what was between them. All because he'd flown off in a fit of fear.

She was his mate, gods damn it!

The thought frightened him. He'd been hurt before, by a human no less. He knew what it felt like to be rejected. It made him question his worth.

Leah could very well reject him. She was an outsider. She didn't understand the importance of mates the way those of his world did.

She could decide she didn't want to tie herself to the male who had embarrassed her.

The thought stifled the warmth in his chest, replacing it with the burn of acid. He swallowed, pushing the possibility of her rejection far from his mind. Because he knew one thing with certainty. If she rejected him, he would work to convince her to change her mind. There was no reality in which he would go mateless when his mate was standing right here!

"Leah." He stepped from the shadows.

She gasped, clutching what remained of her book stack to her chest. "Oh! Jovari. I...I didn't see you there."

"I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't," she lied, quickly pulling her spectacles off and stuffing them into her pocket, like she had a reason to hide them.

"Don't." He stepped forward and reached for them. "I didn't realize you wore glasses."

"I...I don't usually need them unless I'm reading things up close. I haven't had a reason to wear them since...you know."

"I like them on you."

"Oh." Her cheeks flushed. "You do?"

"They make you look learned and scholarly. But not like the old folk who usually occupy the library here, pouring over ancient texts. More like a young, vibrant—" She was grinning now. "All right, I'm babbling."

"No. Do go on. Don't let me stop you."

He bit back a grin. Silence fell between them and she shifted her weight. "Oh, here. Let me take those."