The Librarian: A Remnants of Magic Novel (The Librarian of Alexandria Book 2) by Casey White (reading list txt) 📗

“Shit,” Daniel whispered, his eyes going wide.  His hand hovered in front of the window again.  He could knock harder, but he’d be as likely to smash the glass as wake his sleeping friend up.

So be it.  He...At least he knew it was the right house.

Muttering a curse under his breath, he cast a furtive glance around—and then he slid his fingernails under the crack in the window.

If Leon had locked the window, if he’d been even a little careful, then-

The window slid up with a groan.  Daniel grinned.  His hands were sweating already, turning his grip slippery and damp.  But he had his way in, so long as none of the neighbors were watching.  If they were...well, the cops might get called yet.

Hoisting himself up, he eased forward, slinging himself inside.  “Sorry,” he whispered, wincing as his shoes hit the carpet.  “No time.”

They were on a schedule.  Right.  The thought kept him focused on the target, rather than stopping to consider how fucked-up all of this was or to ogle the room around him.  Leon was right there.  Once he got him, they could get the hell out of here.  Forcing himself forward, he took a step, and-

And tripped headlong, coming crashing back down over a mound of textbooks.  He caught himself at the last, his startled cry vanishing into a muffled gurgle.

“W-What?”

Shit.  Daniel’s head snapped up, just in time to see Leon surge upright.  The covers flew from his shoulders, landing in a pile on his lap.  The man’s eyes searched the room—and fixed on him.

Shit, shit.  Caught in the rush of terror-fueled adrenaline, Daniel could read it all in Leon’s eyes.  Confusion.  Fear.  Panic.  Hell, it was understandable.  He’d been sleeping peacefully, right up until some asshole showed up in his room to knock over a heap of books.

A heartbeat later, Leon thrust himself backward.  “W-What?  Who- What are you-”

He scrabbled for something on his nightstand.  His phone.  “Get the fuck out of my-”

“Wait!” Daniel hissed, lurching forward.  His arm came up, waving desperately.  “Wait, wait.  Please.  It’s-”

It’s what?  What was he going to follow that up with?  All of his carefully-laid plans vanished, catching in his throat to choke him.

But Leon had stopped.  He had the phone in his hand, halfway raised, but he’d just...stopped.  His eyes were glued to Daniel, his brow furrowed.  “What?  I...who are you?”

“It’s me,” Daniel said, refusing to move so much as an inch.  This looked shady enough as-is.  He had to play it cool.  “It’s-”

“Owl,” Leon said.  A light came on in his eyes, even as his head lifted another scant few inches.  “Holy shit.  You’re-”

“Sorry,” Daniel whispered.  “Look.  Can you just-”

“What the fuck are you doing in my bedroom?” Leon said, his brow starting to furrow.  He clutched the sheets a little tighter, pulling them higher over his t-shirt.  “Jesus.  Did you stalk me?”

“Look, I- I’m sorry,” Daniel said, falling back a step.  “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think-”

“A-And then-” Leon’s eyes flicked over to the wall.  “Did you break into my house?”

“I didn’t break in,” Daniel said lamely.  “The- The window was unlocked.”

“Even still.  That’s...This isn’t okay.”

“Leon, we have to go,” Daniel burst out.  “Right now.  I’m sorry, I know this is weird, but-”

“Incredibly weird.”

“But you’re in danger.”  The words fell out of him in a rush.  Leon came to a stop, blinking.  Daniel smiled, not an ounce of joy in the expression.  “I wouldn’t have come otherwise.  And you didn’t answer your phone.”

“My-”  Leon twisted, raising his phone and keying it on.  “...Shit.”

“On silent?” Daniel said.  He knew they needed to hurry, but even still...he couldn’t help but laugh.

Leon screwed his face up, giving his head a quick shake.  “...No,” he mumbled.

So he slept like the dead, then.  Hey, Alexandria probably liked that.  “All right,” Daniel said, trying to collect himself.  He took a step back again, gesturing for Leon to follow.  “Come on.”

“...Through the window?” Leon said, glancing between it and him.  “Are you serious?  I have a door.”

“And they’re probably watching it,” Daniel hissed.

Leon’s face went pale.  “What?  Who?”

Daniel groaned, running a hand across his face.  His hand caught on the stubble there, reminding him just how much he wished he could’ve had time to shave before a meeting like this.  Or shower.  Or dress himself properly.  There were so many things he would’ve changed, if he could.

But he didn’t have the time.  For any of it.  “It’s a long story,” he said, more quietly.  “I’ll explain everything.  Look.  Do you trust me?”

Leon looked back, locking his blue eyes with Daniel’s brown.  For a long moment, they stared at each other, motionless.

Finally, something in his expression seemed to settled, and he nodded.  “Yeah,” he said quietly.  “I do.”

Daniel forced a smile.  “I’ll tell you everything, but we need to…”  He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.  “We need to get James and Maya.  I talked to her already, and she- she should be meeting up with him, but-”  Get to the point.  “We need to go.  Right now.  Like, now.”  He gestured toward a dresser shoved in the corner.  “Pants.  C’mon.”

Leon slid from beneath the blankets, rising, but he stumbled toward a heap of clothes in the corner, not the dresser.  “Fine,” he mumbled.  “Whatever.”  He dug through the mound, ostensibly for something to cover the boxers he wore.

Every so often, though, he cast a glance over his shoulder back toward Daniel.  Just as quickly, he’d snap back to the clothes, but Daniel wasn’t fooled.   He only waited, trying to pretend he didn’t notice.  This meeting was awkward enough as it was.

Only when the jingling of Leon’s zipper-pull came to a stop did Daniel lift his head and turn toward the window.  “Okay.  Come on.  We can-”

Something shuddered in his chest, a tingling that spread like wildfire and burned just as hot. Daniel’s spine stiffened. His breath caught in his throat. It was like something in him was screaming, like an alarm was