Jace turns to leave, slowly brushing his hand off mine in passing.

The small prickle in my chest spreads with the gentle touch, a warm smile stretching at Jace’s face. He stills, and for just one brief moment, everything stops, only him and me existing. He pulls me from all the noises around us, my attention solely on him as we just take a second to ourselves.

I give him a small smile and watch him make his way over to Ilyric, where they sit down and begin their questions.

Cole and Ilyric would be fair and not jump to assumptions and accusations like the others. They didn’t have the positions of Librarian and Guard for nothing.

I’m dragged from my thoughts by the rising voices near me once again.

Enough. I’m getting a headache from all this. Their petulant arguing and whining is driving me crazy.

“Enough!” I shout, silencing the entire room. “You think this is helping?” I gesture to them all.

“No.” I shake my head. “This is exactly what they would want. I may not know who the traitor is among us…yet. But I will find out.”

I give them each a firm stare. “Until then, everyone is to stay inside the main Library room and answer any questions from Ilyric and Cole.”

“Why those two?” questions the grump from Aileen’s Library, Harold or something.

I sigh, tired of all the questions and bickering.

“Ilyric is a Librarian. Cole is a Guard. I presume you all know what those positions mean?” I snap. “Any other objections?”

Another woman to the back opens her mouth before I quickly cut her off, raising my hand to silence any incoming questions.

“I’ll be looking into this myself.” I turn and make my way to the doors, not willing to waste any more of my time listening to their obnoxious voices.

I reach the door and bump into Mirin.

“Where were you?” I question the tiny witch.

“Bathroom.” Her brows furrow. “Why? What did I miss?” The small witch peers around me, looking at the groups separated in the room.

“Aw. I missed something good, didn’t I? Was it the old Fae hag?” A cheeky smile tilts her lips. “She’s been starting shit all day. I hope to be like that when I’m a million years old too…a hard bitch.” She titters before heading into the room and toward the reception desk, taking out a black nail file and sharpening her tips.

I shake my head, leaving the room. I’ll have to check and secure the spells in the Vault and the Records first but after that…I’ll search every inch of the Library and uncover our rat.

There had to be something, a crumb, a clue left behind from the pest scurrying about.

And I would find it; the evidence I need to clear Jace’s name and who our real traitor is.

When I find him, and I will…

He’ll wish he never came to my Library.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

All this information is giving me a headache.