4. Janet

Archie and I head back to the library, and he turns straight toward the classics. My heart leaps into my throat.

"Stop!" I shout.

Archie freezes and glances at me, eyebrows raised.

"Don"t go near Pride and Prejudice. Not until we"re sure it won"t teleport you somewhere."

"So that's the culprit?" Archie chuckles.

"You laugh now, but what if it dumps you in the middle of the field in broad daylight?"

"Point taken." He changes direction.

I show him the non-fiction section and take him through the other fiction aisles, then end our tour at the board games.

"That's unusual," Archie says, taking them in.

"I thought it might bring in patrons." I sigh, staring at the brand new, unused boxes.

"I haven't heard of most of these," Archie says, perusing the titles and stopping in front of the chess set. "Do you play?"

I shake my head. "I've always wanted to learn."

"I play chess with Freddie once a week," he says.

"Freddie?" I can feel my eyebrows rising.

"My knight."

"Not your friend?" I ask.

"Well, I guess so," he says, shifting uncomfortably. "As king, I didn't really have any friends."

"As king?" I ask, my voice rising.

He nods but doesn't elaborate. Is he a king? Or was he a king? My thoughts whirl, but I try to push it out of my mind. He'll tell me when he's ready.

He settles on the couch, as far from the window as possible. It"s meant for patrons who come to the library to read, but I"m the only one who"s ever sat there in the two years since I got hired.

I thought Archie would look out of place in the library, especially in his suit, but he seems at home. He leans back, his arms resting on the back and side of the small sofa.

"Do you need to sleep the sleep of the dead?" I ask, half-joking.

"No," he says. "I'm old enough that I don't sleep much. Five, maybe six hours, but a bit of extra blood fixes that."

"Blood…" I whisper, a rock settling in the pit of my stomach. "Do you… need to feed?"

Archie chuckles. "I'm not going to bite you, Janet. Not unless you ask me to."

Something about the way he says it makes my heart race, and I suddenly can't stop picturing his lips on my neck, his fangs buried inside me.

"You're safe with me," Archie says. "I give you my word."

I nod. "You don't need to bite someone? So you don't starve?"

He shakes his head. "There are blood banks now. I have a stash back home, and I just ate. It should tide me over for a day or two."

"Okay, then." I settle next to him, my heart pounding. Now that I'm no longer thinking about being bitten, I wonder if he"ll kiss me again, and my gaze drifts down to his lips.

They move. "What kind of books do you like to read, Janet?"

"Mostly romance and classics." Which is probably the only kissing I"ll be seeing. I doubt he'll kiss me again. He only did it that first time because I'd been about to cry.

"Who are your favorite authors?"

I list off a few classics, and then a few romance authors, and Archie nods like he knows what I"m talking about.

"Do you read romance?" I ask skeptically.

He nods, and his cheeks take on a red tint. "Vampires have a lot of time on our hands."

I"m still not convinced. "What"s your favorite romance book?"

Archie gets to his feet and heads towards the romance section. He starts to reach for a book, spots the classics farther back, and detours.

"Wait," I cry after him.

"I promise I won"t touch Pride and Prejudice, or any glowing books," Archie assures me.

I swallow, nod, and follow him. There isn't much I'll be able to do if a book sends us on a trip, but I can't stomach the thought of Archie teleporting out of my life for good. Plus, there's always a chance that this time, we'll end up in Paris.

Archie almost makes it to the romance section before he changes his mind and turns to the classics. He stops and surveys the shelf. "Pride and Prejudice isn't here."

"It isn't?" I step up next to him. He's right. All the other beautifully bound editions are there, but not Pride and Prejudice. "I don't suppose someone came in while I was out?"

He shrugs. "Maybe it disappeared when you teleported? One magical use only?"

I nibble on my lip.

"I'm glad you've kept my donations," he continues.

"Your donations?" My eyes widen. "Wait, you're the one who's been buying these for the library?"

He traces his fingers along the spines. "Making them, actually."

My jaw drops. "You're making them? How?"

"I was a bookbinder before I was turned." He rubs the back of his neck. "I've missed it, so I set up my own printing press at home."

"Those take way more than a printing press. They're masterpieces."

"It's kind of you to say so."

"I'm serious. Books like that…" I wave my hand vaguely, at a loss for words.

"Thank you," he says softly. "I've really missed the craft. The hand-sewn binding, page trimming, lettering, the designs." He sighs. "Modern paperbacks just don't have the same feel."

"Is that why you've been making classics?"

He shakes his head. "I only create titles that are out of copyright. I considered getting permission from some of my favorite authors, but that would involve asking them to send me their original manuscript."

"So who are your favorite authors?" I press. I know Archie mentioned reading romance, but I still expect him to pick up mystery or horror. He grabs a paranormal romance instead. "If I could have my pick of titles, I'd hand-bind this one. Brown leather, gold leaf wolf on the cover."

"Not a vampire book?" I chuckle.

"No. Books about vampires get so many facts wrong that I can"t read them," he says, leading me back to the couch.

I can't help but agree. Now that I"ve met an actual vampire, I"m not sure if I"ll be able to read them, either. "Do authors get werewolves right?"

Archie grins. "Can"t really mess up howling at the moon, can you?"

I smile back.

"But, no. They get all the werewolf stuff wrong, too. I just find it amusing. Let me show you my favorite part," he says, taking a seat and flipping through the book.

I don"t know what comes over me, but as I settle next to him, I say, "Why don"t you read it to me?"

The idea of the steamy romance read aloud in Archie's voice does funny things to my insides, and I want to scoot over closer to him. I'm a librarian, and no one takes on this admittedly poorly paying career if they don't love books. I love reading them, listening to them, and seeing them acted out.

As he flips through the paperback, my heart races. And as he starts to read from the beginning of chapter nine, butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I can't help scooting closer on the couch. His voice is deep and rich, and perfect for the story. He would make an amazing audiobook narrator.

Somehow, I"m even more attracted to the man than I was before. I can barely pay attention to what he is saying. My gaze keeps drifting to his lips and his hands grazing the pages.

I"ve already read the book, so I know exactly where the scene is going. Archie does too, and his cheeks flush. The scene doesn"t even get heated before he suddenly stops, his fingers resting lightly on the page.

Our eyes meet, and it"s like we can"t pull away. I don"t know who leans in first, but suddenly the poor library book drops to the carpeted floor and we"re reaching for each other.

When Archie"s lips touch mine, it"s like an explosion of fireworks. The kiss is a thousand times better than our first, which shouldn"t even be possible, but somehow it is. His lips are soft and gentle on mine, but I can feel his fangs, a reminder that I'm kissing a vampire. Somehow, that only turns me on more.

Archie's arms slide around me, and I moan and grab the front of his suit jacket and hold on for dear life. I want the kiss to last forever, but as suddenly as we are together, Archie is pulling back.

He slides back on the couch, putting distance between us, and I can't help but feel hurt. Am I a terrible kisser? Did I misread his signals?