Shadowed (Unbound, Book 2)

Chapter Thirty

"A library?"

I stared up at the front of the gray one story building, confused. With traffic, it only took fifteen minutes to reach. It was as far from the town along the outskirts as it could be without crossing over into the boonies. A single set of stairs lead to a double-door. All the shutters were closed and if it had a cross at its peak, I could picture it being a church.

"I repeat," I said, placing the car in park. "Why have you brought me to a library? It looks haunted."

Duvessa laughed but didn't explain. She zipped her black leather jacket up against the wind that had picked up on our way and caused the single tree hugging the left side of the building to sway. It knocked against the siding like a branch against a window. I stared straight ahead, not wanting to leave the car.

"Come on," Duvessa said. She didn't wait before stepping out, pausing only to fix the hem of her jacket so that it layered over her jeans.

"Fine." I got out and met her at the base of the stairs. Turning back at an angle, I locked the doors to my car and then focused back on the building.

"Why lock it?" she asked without looking my way. "Scared a raccoon will break in?"

"Why are we here?"

She smiled. "Come on and I will show you."

Once again, she left me no choice but to follow, though I made sure to keep a step behind. If it was haunted, letting her lead the way meant whatever jumped out would catch her first, leaving me time to run. Since it is her fault we were here, that didn't make me feel at all selfish.

At the top, she waited for me to reach her side, and then opened the door. The fact that it was unlocked left me feeling optimistic, like we weren't walking into a slaughter house to test which of us would make it out alive. But enough trepidation remained that I motioned for her to enter first. The door slammed shut with a bang behind us, instantly dimming the lighting to limit my view.

Shadows were cast everywhere, the silhouette of the larger items blocking the smaller from appreciation. A hundred years ago, when the building had been in its prime, it would have been grand. Now, musty and unused, it was still beautiful, but in the I'm-an-antique-don't-sit-on-me-or-I'll-crumble kind of way. No way was it up to code with flickering lights and electricity that hummed.

On the left, a set of French doors opened to showcase rows upon rows of shelves filled with books, none of which looked new and added to the must. To our right was a single desk, built to become a part of the wall. A woman lifted her head from a stack of papers and smiled.

"Hey, Ericka," Duvessa said and waved. "This is Nora, Devland's daughter."

The woman's green eyes sparked with interest. She jumped to her feet and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Nora."

Meet me? At least it confirmed I hadn't come here before and pointed out something I wasn't aware of. Everywhere I'd been didn't make me feel uncomfortable, though that didn't include the people there. But here... My Spidey sense tingled. Unease soaked into my pores as though my body was absorbing it through osmosis.

"It's, um." I cleared my throat and took her hand. "Likewise."

Ericka pulled her hand back, raising it to tuck a strand of red curl behind her ear. Another escaped from the clip helping to hold her hair in a ponytail, but she let it be. Her gaze darted between us.

"Anyone else here?" Duvessa asked.

"Nope."

"Well, I'm going to show Nora the back. Want to come?"

Ericka pushed the sleeves of her over-sized knitted white sweater up to her elbows as she shook her head. She pointed to the papers and said, "Not today. These were due yesterday."

Duvessa looked at me and Ericka sat back down, trying but failing to appear to be ignoring us. I shuffled my feet and studied the rug, black and spotless. How long should I wait before suggesting we leave didn't come across as being rude?

"Follow me," Duvessa said.

I cast another glance at Ericka and then followed Duvessa's path straight ahead. The blur on the wall I'd assumed to be a patch job on the white wallpaper with red, green, blue and purple swirls grew clearer. When we were two feet away, I realized it was a door. Unmistakable from here, but hidden from anyone who didn't venture past the library.

Duvessa put her hand on the handle, which was crafted as a white swirl to blend in, and she smiled. With a wink, she asked, "Ready?"

"For what?"

Ericka laughed from behind us and Duvessa smiled wider. Slowly, as though maximizing on effect, she turned the handle. The door swung open and I gasped.

"This is seriously unreal!"