Chapter 5

Ivy

Ice hits the tall stained glass windows of the Northvale Library, but the warmth of the fireplace keeps the chill from coming inside. Now that finals week is over, it means silence. The thousands of students who were once buried under books are gone, and the library is empty.

I sit behind the main desk, keeping my eyes on the main floor. A fortress of books that need to be put away surrounds me. I scan them one at a time, carefully placing them onto the cart to be put away. My phone died hours ago, but I keep my earbuds in anyway. They make me look busy.

I don't hear them approach, but I feel them. The air shifts around me, and three different scents thread through the stacks of books. My hand stills, hovering over the cover of the next book.

I look up.

Cole is first, his thick jacket zipped halfway, snow still melting in his hair. Jaxon leans against the desk, wearing a black hoodie and leather gloves, still damp from his bike ride. Elias stands slightly behind them, his hands in the pockets of his charcoal wool coat. His gaze is cool and unreadable.

All three of them stare at me.

"Can I help you?" I ask, my voice small but steady.

Cole smiles faintly. "We are here for you."

Jaxon whistles low. "So, this is where you hide."

Elias doesn't smile at all. "You're late on your chem report."

My pulse thuds uncomfortably. "Why are you here?"

Cole sets a coffee on the desk. "I figured you'd need fuel."

I sniff the cup. It is my exact order. "I didn't… How did you know how I take my coffee?"

"Observation," Elias replies flatly.

I look between them. "Observation."

Jaxon slides around the desk, pulling a chair up beside me. "Guess we're all good at it. You've been running into all of us. It is starting to look like fate."

I scowl at his close proximity. "I don't believe in fate."

"That doesn't mean it's not real," Cole says softly.

They are too close now, surrounding my desk like a pack circling its center. My eyes glance around the library, looking for someone, anyone to step in and stop them, but it is empty. Hear crawls up my neck, and I shrink down in my chair.

"You can't just come in here," I begin. "I am working."

Jaxon looks around the library. "There's no one here."

My fingers curl around the scanner, and I glare in his direction. "I have to reshelve all of these books. I am working."

They share a glance between them that I don't understand, then Cole speaks up. "I'll wait here until your shift is over and then take you home."

Nervous laughter bubbles in my chest. "You will not."

Elias pushes off the shelf. "This is an option, Ivy."

"Look," I snap. "I don't know how I managed to gain the attention of one of you, much less all three, but I can assure you, I am not interested… in any of you."

Jaxon scowls, kicking his feet up on the desk, earning another glare from me. "I told you, sweetheart. It's fate."

I knock his boot off the desk, balling my fists up at my sides. "I already told you, I don't believe in fate."

Cole smirks. "Too bad. We do."

A groan rumbles in my chest as I push the cart of books that need to be reshelved through the stacks. I had foolishly hoped they would leave me alone, but I can feel them following me. All of them. And these books belong in the back of the library where the lights don't work.

I glance over my shoulder and see them walking side by side, making any escape impossible. The cart slams into a table and falls on its side. "Shit."

Cole jumps to help me, while Elias begins returning the books to the shelves. Jaxon sits on the table, doing anything but helping. His green eyes follow my every movement, and it makes me feel uncomfortable. Heat rushes up my neck, settling into my cheeks.

"You are cute when you blush."

I yelp at the compliment. "No one has ever called me cute before."

Jaxon leans closer to me, engulfing me with his shadow. "They have, just never to your face."

With my arms full of books, I jump to my feet and disappear between the stacks. I was hoping for a moment to breathe without them staring at me, but I smack right into Elias. The books tumble from my arms, and I almost go down with them. Strong arms wrap around my waist, keeping me on my feet.

My chest crashes against his, and I am positive my cheeks are on fire. My hands brace against his body, and I push myself away. He lets me go with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I hope you put those away properly." I try to sound annoyed, but I trip over my words.

He tucks a hair from my face. "I can read numbers."

"You don't have to help me," I whisper. "I need something to fill the time."

Cole peeks around the shelves. "We like to help."

"Not me," Jaxon calls from somewhere else in the library.

Elias, Cole, and I work silently to finish my work. I mutter my thanks several times and beg them to leave. When we are finished, I find Jaxon sitting at the desk with a book in his hands.

"Werewolf and Human Anatomy," I whisper the title.

He slams the book onto the desk, and an image of a naked woman is on the pages. "This isn't accurate."

I pull the book away from him. "I can assure you it is."

Playfully, he tilts his head to the side. "We could compare notes if you want."

"I don't take anatomy," I mutter stupidly.

"He means he wants to study your body," Cole smirks against my ear.

"Oh," I whisper. "OH!"

Elias pulls Jaxon from behind the desk. "Come on, Lover Boy. You can take the next shift."

"Next shift?" I murmur as they slip through the front doors.

"That's right," Cole laughs. "You are stuck with us."