Falling in Love with the King of Beasts

KALLE

There was so much material. So many books. So many subjects. And so little time. Kalle stared at Gahrye as they spread the books out on the table and attempted to sort them into some kind of order.

Kalle shook her head at the sheer amount of information that had to be contained in these pages. Her grandmother stood aside, eyes alight and hands over her mouth, clearly yearning to touch the books and look inside, but unwilling to do so without being invited. 

"Are there... rules?" Kalle asked. "I mean... do we have to do something specific, or--"

"I don't know," her grandmother answered, brows pinched into a v over her eyes. "The original copy of the prophecy was lost. We only have it handed down from the oral tradition now. So we don't know if it's complete. I'll be honest, I hope it's in here somewhere."

Kalle scanned the piles of books on the table and blew out a breath. It would take months to read everything. 

She looked at Gahrye, who was staring wide-eyed at the treasure trove. When he looked up, his eyes were alight with both fear and excitement. 

"If the prophecies center on you and Elia," he said quietly, "then we must focus on keeping you both safe. We have to... we have to try to find anything to help her carry the cub, and... and anything that will keep you safe. The traverse, the voices, the Guardian's curse. Those have to be our priorities unless we find something that tells us otherwise," he said firmly. 

Kalle and her grandmother nodded. 

Kalle blew out another breath. Her chest felt tight with fear and hope. "Grandma," she said quietly, "I'm sorry, I want your help, but I think… I think we should be careful here, just in case. There has to be a reason these were hidden, right? A reason they were kept apart from the rest. So… until we know what that is, I think… I think I should try to keep this between me and Elia and Gahrye."

Her grandmother's face fell, but she nodded and forced a smile. "That's wise," she said quietly.

"And don't tell Shaw," Gahrye added sharply.

They both agreed with him. Kalle turned back to the table and shook her head. "The first thing we have to do is sort these out. Try to get some idea of what they are and group them together so we know where to start," she said to Gahrye.

They both began to pick up books which were older and more fragile than most they had access to in the library. But also in better condition. Kalle's research brain lit up like a Christmas tree imagining what must be here. But she forced herself to scan the titles and contents or first pages and create piles. This was not the time to get distracted by a fascinating story or piece of information.

"Keep an eye out for an account of Creation," Kalle told him.

Gahrye tipped his head and placed a small book at the corner of the table. "Why is that important?"

Kalle sighed. "I'm not sure. But I just have a feeling… I keep going to back to them and I don't know why. Maybe if we find one here it will shed some light. I can't explain it better than that, I'm sorry."

Gahrye shook his head. "Don't apologize. You are listening to your instincts—and mine say you are right. So if I find one I will show it to you immediately."

They spent an hour trying to categorize the books. Kalle was certain they were doing a poor job, but she also knew they would refine it as they learned and better understood what they had available.

At some point her grandmother had slipped away. Kalle felt bad and almost went after her. But she couldn't shake the conviction that it was necessary to keep these accounts as private as possible. And if Gahrye said her instincts were right… well, she trusted his judgment better than her own.

Eventually they ended up on the same side of the table, most of the books already sorted into eight or nine piles that incorporated everything from historical accounts of the leaders and societies of the Anima, all the way through to two small journals on the health and wellbeing of the Anima that Gahrye was itching to dive into in case it would help Elia.

They stood so close to each other, their arms and hips brushed when they leaned over the table to place books.

Kalle's stomach began to spiral with desire when Gahrye put a hand to her back as he leaned in front of her and she cursed herself.

Now, of all times, was not the moment to be distracted by her desire for him!

Gahrye straightened and looked at her, a sly smile creeping up on one side of his mouth.

"What?" she asked, her cheeks pinking. She suddenly needed to trace the etched cover this book in her hands and examine the extremely old leather-bound, gold-edged pages.

"My mate has desire for me," Gahrye murmured, grinning.

"Your sense of smell is very inconvenient," she said as airily as she could. "But that doesn't matter anyway, because we need to figure out what we're taking back to the house tonight, and what is staying here. I wish we could take everything, but there's no way we could move all of this. And I think it's safer here, anyway."

Gahrye frowned at the trunk and the books on the table. "If you think we could keep it under guard at the house, I think we should take it back."

"How? That thing is huge and filled to the brim with books. We'd need five men to carry it."

Gahrye snorted. "No we won't. I'll admit, I'll need to rest, but I can carry it."

"You can—" Kalle cut off, wide-eyed. She looked down at the huge stack of books, and the metal trunk, then back at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "I believe so. Yes." There was a pause, then his smile widened. "That makes you desire me more?" he chuckled.

Kalle groaned and leaned into his chest, putting her arms around his waist. "Everything makes me desire you, Gahrye," she breathed.

"Well, thank the Creator for that," he murmured back, then took her mouth softly.