19. Sylvan

19

SYLVAN

W ith nothing left to do except wait for Irving to call or text or stop by sometime soon, preferably tonight before it got too dark out, I took a leisurely walk over to the library to hang out with my cousin for a few hours.

"You know, cousin," I told them, leaning against the counter while they worked, "I honestly think you're a miracle worker."

A short, red demon sitting in the corner snorted. "If the Librarian worked miracles," he said with that cloying voice incubi tended to use, "I wouldn't have been able to find a match and look at me."

I furrowed my brown. "You're alone."

The demon's smile faded. "Well, Teddy's off searching for books at the moment, but just wait, my dear little fae. When he comes out, you'll know immediately that we were meant to be together."

My cousin shook their head. "Don't listen to him," they told me. "No one ever would have guessed that Draven the incubus and Theodore the priest were soulmates."

"Except you. If you can manage that, it only solidifies my belief that you can work miracles." I shot a pointed look toward Draven, who merely smiled condescendingly and trained his gaze back onto the book he was reading – something about the goblin-orc conflict that occurred a few hundred years ago.

My cousin smiled proudly, holding their head up high. "Why, thank you, Sylvan. Now, be a help and hand me the stack of books left over on that table, will you?"

I brought the books to the counter and helped them sort through each one. We divided them into genres, then alphabetically by author, and finally by title so they could be easily placed back on their designated shelves.

"Oh by the way, I heard that your friend Irving's former fiancé is staying in town for a few days."

I stopped sorting, my hand hovering over one of the stacks. "Really? He didn't tell me that."

My cousin eyed me carefully. "Perhaps he didn't know."

"Maybe. We were together this morning, though. Surely he would have found out by then."

They shrugged. "I only discovered that bit of news a few minutes before you came in. Luke Hammond, who works at the local hotel, thought the name sounded familiar and asked me if I knew the man."

"Why would he be back now?" I tried to sound casual, but the stiffness of my voice gave away how much nervous this information made me.

"Maybe he missed living here. It's a lovely town, even if there's not much to do."

"But if he left because of his ex, coming back could only mean one thing," I insisted.

"I think you're reading too much into it. Irving is happy with you, is he not?"

"Of course. But he's still reeling from that breakup and if his ex is as jealous and vindictive as he makes him out to be, who's to say he wouldn't come back and try to break us up?"

My cousin patted my arm gently. "You won't break up. Trust me, I know how these things tend to go. Irving is the perfect match for you, and if you really do love each other, you will find a way to stay together."

My mind drifted back to when Irving and I were still in my cabin together, sweaty and breathless from our escapades. He wouldn't say that he loved me. He couldn't, not even moments after we'd been entangled in each other's arms.

"I suppose you're right," I said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for reassuring me, cousin."

"Anytime."

I wasn't reassured at all. I needed to go to the college and talk to Irving – or, better yet, go straight to his apartment and wait for him outside. Was it excessive? Maybe. But I had a terrible feeling I was about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to me, and if I needed to be a little excessive, I damn well would be.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, could you give me Irving's address?" I asked as we finished putting the stray books back on their shelves.

"His home address?"

"Yes, I need to send him something."

"I don't have it, remember?"

"Of course, of course." I shook my head. "My mind's been all over the place lately. I'll just get it from someone else."

"Oh, I don't think you should do that." My cousin looked at me pleadingly.

"I'll just go straight to the college, then. He probably hasn't left yet."

"Sylvan, no! You'll only make things worse if you start meddling in his past relationships."

"Don't worry about that, cousin. I know what I'm doing."

I didn't, really, but I couldn't help sensing that I was in danger of losing Irving somehow, and I had to do everything in my power to keep him. I didn't like the sound of his ex-fiancé at all, and if I knew Irving – and I knew him quite well at this rate – he was going to need a little help chasing off the man who broke his heart.