Chapter 19

Tayla stretched her neck to the side, reaching behind to massage the knot of tension burning in her shoulder.

Gosh, she’d crouched in the back corner of the library for so long, she started to smell like the dusty books surrounding her.

She'd come here seeking answers. Anything.

Sure, she could have searched the internet, which she had, but the more her fingers typed and searched, the more and more confused she became. So much information in one space made it almost impossible to drill down on a topic. And that was after she'd deciphered which results were kind of legit and not a complete load of rubbish.

Given her search topic, a majority of the results were rubbish.

Not the internet’s fault. Searching phrases like erasing memories, abnormal strength, and sexy hot man with the ability to erase memories was bound to bring out the crazy side of the web.

In the end, the results got silly, secret government experiments and psychological techniques. She didn't have any knowledge of secret government experiments—which government agencies did those anyway? None of the psychologists she'd previously worked with had ever mentioned using techniques to erase memories.

So back to square one, and time to turn to the good old-fashioned library.

The elderly lady at the front counter—who reminded her of her late grandmother, with blue rinsed hair fresh out of tight curlers and small rectangular reading glasses hanging from a silver chain around her neck—directed her to this section.

She started to feel like the girl in that movie, who scoured the internet for clues on a hunky, mysterious guy at school. Already in crazy-land, she mentally compared the fictional guy to the mysterious whatever-their-surname-was brothers she’d just met. Recalling Raven's palm on her shoulder, his warm, slightly rough lips on her neck had caused her blood to sizzle. Nope, Raven's definitely not cold.

But the jury was still out regarding Blaine’s ridiculous strength.

Plus, Raven’s ability to erase memories and of course, the weird sense there was something the two of them hid from her.

No point in pursuing the vampire path anyway, Raven clearly wasn’t a blood-sucker, otherwise, he would have sunk his sharp fangs into her neck during their little session at the dining table. Unless super-self-control was another one of his special abilities.

And so, the plot thickened, at the top of the small metal staircase in the far corner of the library in the Mythology and Folklore section.

Who knew that was even a section?

But there she sat, cross-legged on the faded brown carpet, back pressed against the end of the row, her bum numb with pins and needles, a pile of books on either side of her and one in her lap.

The stack on the left for books she'd leafed through but held no clues. One on the right for books which had potential for answers, and a small pile in her lap she hadn’t yet examined.

The aim for today’s visit was to collect as much information as possible before embarking on an all-nighter of reading, like a last-minute cram session for an exam.

Not like she was getting much sleep anyway.

It'd been days of silence from both the mysterious brothers, and she wanted to be prepared to confront Raven the next time they crossed paths. Which might be never, considering how she’d left things between them. After all, she did say she’d never forgive him.

Stupid move, Tayla.

Back to the research.

In the take home pile, the books covered ancient mythologies—Greek, Roman, gods and heroes—books on werewolves and a bunch of Grimm fairy tales. The hardcover myths on mermaids and vampires were among the dud pile to her left because she'd already figured out Raven wasn’t a vampire and come on…mermaids? Pfft. Doubt it.

Was she going overboard? Raven acted so freaked out when Blaine pushed him for an answer, gloating in front of her that he already knew.

No. She needed to solve this puzzle.

Tayla sighed, adding the Egyptian Book of the Dead to the growing dud pile and let her head fall back against a shelf, staring up at the pitched ceiling.

From the outside, the old red brick library still held the characteristics of the church it had once been; a steep, pointed slate-tiled roof, tall rectangular paneled windows and wide concrete steps leading up to the entrance. Inside, aisles and aisles of towering dark wood bookshelves filled the space, overflowing with majestic book collections. At the rear, a narrow-grated metal staircase wound up to a loft.

Now that was a place she could hide away for hours.

The crackle of the burning fireplace at the opposite end of the loft, echoed down the aisle and the flames flickered light on three armchairs around the hearth. She sighed. Probably should have sat on those instead of the rough, prickly carpet.

Her shoulders sagged when she glanced at the piles of books surrounding her. God, she’d somehow lowered herself to a creepy detective—borderline stalker—motivated on finding answers to questions she didn't even know.

And it drove her crazy.

She snatched the Grimm fairy tale book off the top of the take home pile and thumbed through its pages; vampires, witches, werewolves, all living in plain sight, disguised as ordinary humans. Closing her eyes, she imagined Raven belonging in those worlds. Him as a witch with a creepy black cat purring at his feet, a crooked wand in his hand, chanting over a boiling cauldron. Maybe as a werewolf, his thick warrior body transforming into a majestic fur-covered beast, howling up at a full moon.

Tayla chuckled out loud. Now you're being ridiculous.

“What's so funny?”

Her gaze shot up as her breath hitched.

Raven. Standing at the top of the staircase with a dark, broody expression on his face.

Her chest tightened so hard it made it impossible to reply.

He took a step toward her.

She quickly hid the stupid book, turning it upside down.

Raven took another slow step. His intense gaze bored into hers right down to her very soul.

How did he do that? Not daring to look away—not wanting to—she leaned on one hand and rose off the carpet.

She cleared her throat. “Hi.”

Another step forward. “Hey.” He nodded to the pile of books at her feet. “Searching for something in particular?”

Her cheeks heated. Busted!

She half shrugged. “Just some research.” No need to mention she researched him.

“Tayla…” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his black jeans. “I wanted to apologize about the other night.”

The roughness of his voice vibrated deep in her belly. Was she still angry with him? Was she ever angry with him? How could she be angry at someone who had the unfair advantage of making her heart skip at the mere mention of her name?

But he’d hurt her. More to the point, he'd refused to tell her the truth. Did she want to be around someone who could lie so easily?

Raven trudged forward until he stood an arm’s length from her. His earthy, masculine scent filled her nostrils, and her body responded wildly like an addict who'd just gotten a hit after an excruciating period of abstinence.

“I'm sorry about the way things ended.” He reached his hand to touch her, only to stop midway and shove it back in his pocket.

She found her voice. “I need answers.”

He nodded, a pained expression flashed across his face. “Let me show you.”

Show me? Her heart speed, thumping wildly against her rib cage. What could he show her to explain his lies?

“You have nothing to worry about,” he assured her, like he knew her thoughts.

Maybe he did. Let's not rule anything out.

Tayla inhaled deeply. Now or never. And she did want answers.

“Okay.” She crouched down to gather the books she'd placed in her take home pile.

Raven bent down beside her, and sparks of electricity shot through her body as he gently touched her forearm. Her skin scorched at the connection point. Will it always be like this?

“You won't need those,” he said with a mischievous glint in his deep blue eyes.

Okaaaay then.

Raven took the books from her arms and placed them on the return trolley. He turned and held out his hand to her.

And she took it.

Never releasing her hand, Raven led her out of the library. He said farewell to the librarian behind the ancient box-like computer on their way, who smiled dreamily back like Raven was some kind of rock star.

Cold autumn air burned down her throat as they exited the warm cocoon of the library and the damp, fresh scent of rain tickled her nostrils. Raven released her hand to curl his arm across the back of her shoulders and nudge her closer. She nestled into the crook of his arm, the heat radiating from his body a constant source of warmth. Arriving at his Jeep, he opened the door and helped her inside.

Where was he taking her? And why were the front seats so far apart?

Concentration was nonexistent during the drive to their unknown destination, not until the Jeep veered off the main highway onto a dirt path leading farther up the mountain.

An underused goat track.

Overgrown grass stretched from the sides and brushed the Jeep as Raven skillfully dodged tree branches scattered randomly across their path. The car constantly bounced in and out of ditches, so much she probably should've worn a sports bra for better support.

Without warning, the track ended in a small turnaround space that would require a seven-hundred-point turn to drive out the way they came, unless he planned to reverse the whole way.

She smiled as Raven opened her door, helping her down. Mr. Darcy might exist after all.

Hand in hand, Raven navigated them through the dense scrub, silently lost in thought. Which was fine with her. She was too nervous to form a sentence anyway.

Never slowing his pace, Raven guided her around the base of a wide tree, gently gripping her hips to effortlessly lift her over fallen trunks, raising low branches for her to duck under. She tried unsuccessfully to focus on the damp vegetation around her rather than the tingling sensations on her skin every time he touched her body. But it was no use. Even the wet pine needles blanketing the ground reminded her of Raven, his rugged intoxicating scent somehow belonging out here in the wilderness.

Focus, Tayla!

In the nick of time—much longer and she would’ve pulled him in and smashed their lips together—Raven brushed aside a tangled vine, holding it for her to duck under as she stepped into a clearing.

Oh, my goodness.

Tayla halted at the breathtaking view before her. A clearing about half the size of a tennis court, tucked away on the side of the mountain where no one could find it.

Except them.

Enclosing the space on one side were large grey and silver boulders of all different shapes and sizes, like they’d dropped from heaven with the sole purpose of closing in the clearing. A thick growth of trees and scrub edged the remaining sides in a semicircle.

Tayla crossed the patchy wet grass to the ridged edge where the earth sharply plummeted, creating an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Snowy Mountains before her. Braving a quick peek over the edge—and instantly regretting it—she caught glimpse of the massive descent and the sharp jagged rocks of the steep cliff face.

Her knees wobbled, and she backed away as the contents of her stomach threatened to rise.

She didn't do heights.

Nope. Not. At. All.