He moved toward the library entrance, and it took me a moment to catch up since my legs were firing on half their normal cylinders. It was only the thought of Angel and Midnight that had me pulling myself together as fast as I could.

Interlude or not, it was time to focus on finding my friends and pulling our pack together. We’d need every member to have a chance at defeating Dannie in this final battle.

29

My legs remained wobbly and weak even after we entered the library. Seeing it all whole and unbroken was a great boost, though, restoring my equilibrium. Full shelves and the small army of goblins were a few of my favorite things, and I had to take a moment to appreciate it all.

“Mera?” Shadow called back, noticing my pause. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah—” My voice broke, and he narrowed his eyes, concern filling his face. I waved him off. “Seriously, I’m fine. Just really happy.”

The furrow in his brow smoothed. “Ah, I understand. I promise to look after your libraries,” he said, knowing now what had me a hot mess. “No matter what happens, they’ll be protected as long as I live.”

I threw myself at him, finally able to trust that he’d catch me. “Thank you,” I murmured, pulling away. “I’ll let you in on a secret, though. They’re in my top ten favorite things, but they’re not number one.”

He kissed me, like he couldn’t help himself, and I was kind of falling in love with these random bursts of affection. “It’s no secret,” he murmured.

Is that right? “What or who do you think is number one?”

I mean, no one was going to say themselves, right?

“Me.”

Okay, sure, no one other than an arrogant Shadow Bastard. And while he wasn’t wrong, he could at least fake some humility.

“You’re definitely in the top ten,” I said, forcing my voice to remain even. “Along with Simone, Angel, Midnight, Inky, the library, and the lair. All the shadow creatures as well, along with the five morons you call best friends. And Gaster. And Sam—”

He cut me off with a sardonic burst of laughter. “Math isn’t your strong suit, is it?”

I smiled sweetly. “Some of you occupy the same spot in the top ten, so my math is actually quite correct.”

He shook his head at me. “I’m not sure my math and your math are the same sort of math.”

I thought on this. “You’re probably right, but that doesn’t mean my math is wrong.”

I was fairly certain he muttered actually, that’s exactly what it means, but there was no time to confirm and chastise him because he had started to lead me through the library, stopping only when we reached Angel’s door.