Page 84 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“This is the library?”

She nods and smiles. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

She pushes one of the doors open, and my breath catches. I tilt back to look up and find myself staring at hundreds of shelves filled with books. They stretch high up, stopping at the edge of the domed glass roof.They love their glass ceilings around here.I’ve never seen anything quite as beautiful. I step further inside, my mind reeling at all the possible finds I may make here. Books were always a luxury back at the bloodhouse. That’s why so many purebloods took to rereading the same books. I’ve never been much of a reader, but just being here makes me want to consume everything. I wish that Willow could see this. She would love it.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” I whisper. Piper moves next to me, leaning her own head back to take in the space.

“It never gets old either. There’s always something new to discover.”

“I can imagine.”

“Do you read much?” she asks, her words soft in the large space filled with tables that stretch far and wide, dozens of chairs around them.

I shake my head. “Not really. My sister is the one wh—”

I stop as soon as I catch myself.Shit.I got so lost in my surroundings that I forgot who I was talking to.Damn vampires.

“You have a sister—”

“No.” My word is coated in more venom than I intended, and the sadness that fills her eyes sends a sliver of guilt through me, but I push it away. “I’m fine from here. I can find what I’m looking for.”

There’s a short pause.

“Of course. I’ll leave you to it.”

She turns and leaves before I can even think about apologizing. I blow out a breath and move away from the door, trying to keep my mind on the task at hand. I notice an older man sitting behind a desk, and I hurry over to where he is.

“Hi,” he says, a smile filling his face. His eyes carry a warmth that feels familiar. That feels human.

“I was hoping you could help me find some books?”

He nods his head and waits for me to continue.

I lower my voice. “On mating bonds.”

His brows furrow in surprise, but the gesture is gone before I can think too much about it.

“There are not many on that particular topic, I’m afraid. The last recorded bond dates back to at least a century.”

“That’s fine. I will read whatever you have.”

He considers me for a moment.

“I’m afraid you’re not the only one who has shown interest in this lately. Perhaps you should follow me.” I hesitate, unsure if he’s tricking me, but since my life is bound to the prince, I doubt he would let me wander the palace if danger awaited me.

I follow the man. He leads me between two tall bookcases that seem to stretch on for an eternity. We stop only when he spots a small table tucked into the back of the library, filled with stacks of books, and a few open ones littered across the table. Sitting alone is the girl from the throne room with the bright white hair. The one the prince called Iza.

“Perhaps you can speak to Isadora. She has every available book on bonds with her now. Maybe if you ask nicely, she might share.” He offers a warm smile and taps his nose a couple of times.

I take in his warm hazel eyes and the short wisps of white hair on his head and find myself surprised by how comfortable he appears here. He doesn’t seem to carry the heavy burden that I see on the faces of the laborers who work by the bloodhouse or the fear of the purebloods who live there. There’s an odd sense of calm that envelopes him. I almost catch myself asking how long he’s worked here, but think better of it. Instead, I thank him before hurrying over to the table.

Iza startles as soon as I reach her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. The librarian brought me here.” She looks behind me, but he is long gone.

“Oh.” Her eyes shift around awkwardly as though I’m disturbing her moment of peace, but I cannot leave without reading at least one of these books that she has.