By the time I managed to breathe normally again, Alaric was already halfway across the room, moving like nothing had just happened. Like he hadn’t just kissed me. Like my lips didn’t still feel warm from it.
I forced myself up and followed him outside. If he could act like nothing had happened, then so could I. Easy. Totally easy.
Sage was already barking orders before we reached the car.
“Grab those books. Careful—no, careful,” she scolded Alaric as he reached for the nearest stack.“These three—careful, the bindings are fragile. And that one—no, not upside down. Spirits don’t like that,” Sage said, fluttering around him like an anxious librarian.
Alaric laughed, giving her a lazy salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
Sage rolled her eyes but didn’t stop him as he lifted nearly half the pile in one g
