Page 41 of The Alien in the Archive (Galactic Librarians #1)

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E veryone is staring at me.

In any situation, this wouldn’t be my favorite feeling. As someone who spends most of her life hiding in books, I’m not a fan of attention.

And right now…? Well, this sucks.

As I get more uncomfortable, the books lower to the floor—slowly, rather than all at once. Riley is standing closest to me, ready to bail me out if necessary. Thalara stands near him, eyes wide. Lyn, stiff and bristling, has moved toward the couch with her arms crossed, and Orin is now examining the books which, I hope, are harmless again.

“You need to explain,” Lyn says. “Now.”

I glance at Riley, hoping he’ll help me out. He opens his mouth like he’s going to swoop in with some clever one-liner, but then he just closes it again, giving me a helpless shrug.

I swallow hard. “I was going to tell you?—”

“When?” Lyn snaps. “After we got dragged into something we didn’t sign up for? I mean…I spent all that time telling yo u about my great-grandmother the other night, and you’re Borean?”

“It’s not like that,” I say quickly. “I was trying to?—”

“Boreans are the only one who were ever able to do anything like this!” Lyn interrupts. “And…Riley, did you know about this?”

Riley winces. “Yeah…but she’s my sister, Lyn. I’ve always had her back. And none of you were in danger.”

“If she’s Borean…” Lyn continues.

“Let her talk, Lyn,” Thalara says. “She’s not Borean. I believe that. But…gods, I don’t know how, but you found one of them, didn’t you? And whoever they are…you’ve had questions. They’ve been teaching you?”

I stare at her, letting out a shocked breath. I didn’t give her enough credit; Thalara might just be a genius. “You figured that out from what I was asking you in the Turitella?”

“I didn’t know why you had this sudden interest, and the powers…you kept finding sources I didn’t know existed?—”

“Wait a fucking second,” Orin interrupts, raising his hands. “Can we rewind for a second? Books are flying, Lyn is yelling, and Riley looks like he’s about to pass out. Am I the only one who has no idea what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, Orin, it sounds like Page has been harboring a dangerous alien somewhere in the Archive,” Lyn says. “Is that right, Thalara?”

“I really don’t know.” Thalara eyes grow wide. “It seems preposterous, but…”

Lyn sucks in a breath, looking back at me.

“Page,” she says, her voice a low hiss. “Your mystery guy…the guy you work with, secretive, in the archive–the guy you thought may have knocked you up?—”

“Yeah, we’re gonna have to talk about that,” Riley mutters.

“—he’s Borean?” Lyn finishes .

“Let me start from the beginning,” I ask. “Please, it makes…so much more sense that way.”

I think Lyn is about to leave and go tell someone. I’m fucking terrified she will.

But to my surprise, she sits down on the couch.

“We’re listening,” she says.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “Okay…I started showing signs of this…this weird power, a little over a year ago. At first, it was light mind reading: I would catch little snippets of private thoughts, and it scared the hell out of me, but I didn’t have any way of figuring out what was going on. So I came here to research ancient humans’ connection to Elixir, and the Skoll Lost Expeditions. I thought maybe it was because I was exposed to a lot of Elixir when I was a kid, and I wondered if ancient humans had the same powers.”

“I’m really not seeing how this is all connected,” Orin says, raising an eyebrow.

I chew on my lip. “So I get here, and then the powers start getting stronger. And I’m in the Obscuary, doing research, and…there’s something there. A feeling. A person .”

“Him,” Thalara says, clearly riveted. “Your mystery guy.”

I nod. “Thorne.”

Saying his name out loud is fucking terrifying, but it also feels right to tell my friends about this.

I pray to God they listen.

Lyn’s jaw tightens, and she leans forward. “So you’ve been hanging out with a war criminal in the Obscuary. You know how bad that sounds, right?”

“He’s not a war criminal,” I shoot back, defensive. “He didn’t participate in the Convergence. He went into hiding.”

“Oh, well, as long as he’s a nice Borean,” Lyn snaps. “Because that worked out so well for my family.”

“Mine too,” Orin chimes in, surprising me. He looked intrigued before, but now he’s stone-faced, arms crossed. “Those monsters?—”

“We promised we would hear her out.” Thalara steps closer to me like she’ll put herself between me and Lyn. “Please, let her finish.”

Lyn exhales sharply but stays quiet. Thalara takes over for her.

“So…Thorne, was it?” Thalara says. “He’s been tutoring you on how to use your powers? And…giving you historical information?”

I nod. “He’s been honest with me about the past, and he’s helped me so, so much to try and get things under control. I promise, he’s not hiding anything.”

“Except himself,” Orin points out. “He’s been hiding in the Obscuary for…how long?”

“Centuries,” I admit, feeling a pang of guilt for exposing Thorne. I don’t think I have a choice though, and I’m desperate for allies in this. “He’s been in hiding since before the Convergence. He’s not trying to hurt anyone.”

“This sounds fucking insane,” Orin mutters.

“It’s not,” Thalara says thoughtfully. “It actually makes a lot of sense. The Obscuary is massive, and it intersects with the tunnels that wind through the whole library in certain places. It’s a perfect hiding spot?—”

“Great,” Lyn cuts in. “So now we’re justifying why he’s been hiding in plain sight, while the rest of us have to deal with the fallout of what his people did.”

“That’s not fair,” I say, my voice rising. “Thorne didn’t choose what happened. He’s been trying to atone for it.”

“Atone?” Lyn laughs bitterly, standing up. “Page, do you even know what Boreans did to people like us? Like Orin? They didn’t just conquer—they experimented. They twisted entire species to suit their needs.”

“Lyn’s right,” Orin says, his tone hardening. “My family was transformed into lycans because of them. My ancestors were used as soldiers, enslaved, and then abandoned when they weren’t useful anymore. And now you’re telling me you’ve been cozying up to one of the people who did that?”

I flinch at the anger in his voice, but I hold my ground. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family, Orin. Really, I am. But Thorne isn’t like that. He’s spent his entire life trying to make up for the mistakes of his people.”

“Yeah? And what’s he actually done to make up for it?” Lyn asks.

“He’s been preserving knowledge,” I say. “Everything that was lost during the fall of Borealis, he’s trying to rewrite it. He’s trying to make sure we don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

“Cute,” Lyn mutters. “Seriously…do you know how you sound right now?”

“Lyn, stop,” Riley cuts in. “You’re not being fair. Page didn’t ask for this, and neither did Thorne. And like, I met the guy?—”

“You met him ?” Lyn’s voice reaches a fever pitch. “What the fuck, Riley?”

“Page is my sister,” Riley says. “Of course I knew. She’s been trying to figure this out on her own, and Thorne helped her. He’s not a danger, he’s just a weird guy with a cute pet?—”

“That’s insane ,” Lyn spits, flinging her hand out like she wants to slap Riley in the face. “You’re both insane. You don’t understand what we’re dealing with here because you didn’t get hit by the Convergence the way me and Orin did?—”

“Our parents died in the Pemberton Disaster!” Riley shouts, squaring up to her. Orin is getting closer to the two of them, his eyes flashing, teeth lengthening—turning, I think. This is bad. If he transforms into a wolf… “You think that doesn’t count?”

“Guys, please,” I say, getting closer to them. “I get it, Lyn, I do. But Thorne isn’t like the people who did that. He’s trying to preserve what’s left and tell the truth his own people erased. He’s not out here trying to hurt anyone.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to believe the girl who’s dick drunk on a war criminal,” Lyn snaps.

“He is not a war criminal!” I shout, slicing my hand through the air for emphasis.

And I guess my emotions get the better of me, because the coffee table goes flying across the room, slamming against the kitchen counter with a horrific crack.

I’ve never done anything like it…and holy shit, it’s scary. But I realize in that second that I would do anything to protect Thorne.

For a long moment, no one moves. It’s like no one even breathes .

“I’m getting out of here,” Lyn finally says. “This is insane. All of it. And if you think I’m going to sit around and watch you make excuses for a Borean, you’re wrong. Someone has to stop this.”

She turns and stalks toward the door, swinging the door open and slamming it shut. I start to go after her, but Orin catches my arm. I snap my head toward him, ready for a fight, but he’s partially changed—eyes bright red, sharp teeth bared.

“Don’t,” he says.

I go still.

Orin lets me go, but he keeps glaring as he goes to the door, following Lyn.

Then it’s just me, Riley, and Thalara.

I look at Thalara, biting my lip. “Are you…” I start. “Are you going to leave too?”

Thalara shakes her head. “No, but…I do think we need to talk.”

“I’ll tell you everything,” I promise. “But first, I have to go. Lyn is going to tell…and that means Thorne is in danger.”