Ezekiel stared into the distance. Emry was saying words, but he wasn’t paying attention. He should have. They were words about the last god. He chose this book about the god, so the least he should do is pay attention. How could he though? Those lips she used to speak kissed him last night while he was drunk. They spoke a deal that he agreed to because he was drunk. She used him, unsurprisingly. He expected as much from her. Humans were tricksters and full of deceit. There was nothing he wanted more than to be further apart from her. And now, he shared a house with her. It was a disaster.

He sighed. The candle light in this room was too bright. His temples throbbed. He rubbed his eyes.

“You know, if you’re so bored, we could go back to your house,” Emry said.

Ezekiel turned his attention to her. She was preparing to shut the book. He groaned at the thought of having to spend more time with her at his house. “This is fine,” he said exasperatedly. “I’m listening.”

“Then what did I say about the god?” She challenged me.

He should have known she was going to do that. She’d find out he wasn’t actually paying attention and shut the book. But he couldn’t admit that she was right either. Both options would prove she was right. There was no winning here against her. She was terribly good at doing that. He wished he could read the books himself because then he wouldn’t have to deal with her at all.

“So?” Emry’s fingers tapped against the table in a rhythmic pattern. The sound irked him.

“You’re right. I wasn’t paying attention. I’m too busy getting blinded from the lights and suffering from a hangover and the events of last night,” he snapped. Ezekiel stood. He pushed his chair into the table. “You said something about the god taking away immortality. Why did he take it away?”

Emry clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “First of all, you do not get to speak that way to me simply because you’re angry.” She shut the book gently. “I won’t tell you why he took it away until you apologise to me.”

His nostrils flared. “Why should I apologise when you took advantage of me?” He clenched his fists together.

“So you think I took advantage of you? I was pretty drunk too and you don’t see me complaining.” Emry returned the book to the shelf. Her dress accentuated her curves. He eyed the spot where his hands touched last night. “My eyes are up here, not down there.” She gestured to her eyes.

Ezekiel turned his gaze away from her. He didn’t want to look at the face of the person he kissed last night. She was a detestable human. He would have rather kissed Azuriel or Zahara. He gagged at that thought. I suppose I would have rather not kissed anyone at all.

“So you won’t even look at me?” She huffed. All he could hear was her drawing nearer. Her shoes clicked against the floor. His tail flicked back and forth, anticipation building. He wasn’t sure what he anticipated, but with her around anything could happen. Her finger hooked and his chin, bringing him to face her. “I don’t regret kissing you while drunk. I don’t regret asking to live with you. I definitely do not regret coming to this library with you. I will not allow myself to be dragged into your petty drama. You want the information about the last god, then you will set aside your differences and listen. Do you understand me?” She emphasised the last questions. Her eyes glimmered with rage.

Ezekiel glanced at the lips he kissed last night. A small part of him wondered what they tasted like free from the confines of alcohol. He shoved that thought to the side. “I understand you perfectly.” He pushed past her. “Anything else you’d like to say?”

She growled. “I believe I said you will set aside your differences and listen.” It was a threat. He could hear her dagger unsheath.

“Or what? You stab me with the dagger and lose access to the library?” Ezekiel smirked.

“The book never said the blood had to come from a living Tralech, just from one of their own,” she stated. Emry was right. She didn’t actually need him. She kept him alive because she could.

“And when you run out of blood?”

“Then I’ll just bring Azuriel here.” Emry charged at Ezekiel. He sidestepped to the right and grabbed her wrist that held the dagger. He applied pressure until she dropped the dagger. His tail wrapped around her other hand before she could grab it.

“Try again.” This skirmish was enjoyable. Ezekiel has been waiting for her to snap at him, and she finally did. The victory over her tasted sweet.

It didn’t last long as she kicked his legs from underneath him. Ezekiel hit the ground with a heavy thud. Air rushed out of his lungs, and he gasped for more. Her laughter filled his ears. The cold tip of the dagger pressed against his neck. She hovered inches away from him. It was a familiar scene, only this time there wouldn’t be kissing.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you,” Emry said.

“You won’t have a house to live in if I’m dead,” Ezekiel choked out. He leaned forward into the blade, forcing it to draw blood. He grinded his teeth against each other. The hesitation in her was amusing. She wanted to kill him and take what she wanted. But he was useful, and she needed him as much as he needed her.

Emry pulled the blade back to her side. “Shall we head home then?” She moved off of him.

A smirk crept along his face. His victory was always going to be a sure one when interacting with Emry. This library was too precious for her to open it up to others. She was just like him, cold and calculating. The right human, the right time. Now, Ezekiel just needed to find the secret to immortality and make it come true. If he could just be immortal, he could read all day long without a fear of wasting time. He would have all the time in the world.

They ascended the stairs outside of the hidden room in the library’s basement. Emry stomped up each stair, dodging the one with the arrow trap on it. Surely if she stepped on it enough, it would run out of arrows. Or maybe one would hit her and that would be even better. But he needed her so he would have to help her if she got shot by one which would be arguably worse. Ezekiel did not want blood on his hands. But then what did that make the animals he could have saved from the sap? A tear rolled down his cheek.

He growled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Spending time with this human was making him different. He didn’t need to be different, beyond becoming immortal. But he didn’t need these emotions taking control of him and making him do these mortal things, like crying and getting angry. Those were actions of mortals that knew no other life, didn’t understand the possibility of immortality.

The library looked different at night. Ezekiel didn’t realise they spent that much time down there. He’s only seen this scene a few times before on days where he lost complete track of time and fell into the motions of exploring the books. The full moon lit the overgrown marble up. The pools of water on the ground reflected their surroundings perfectly. Ezekiel looked at Emry, wondering what her reaction to this beauty would be. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes sparkled like the stars above. Her curls looked different under the moonlight, more ethereal. No, all of her looked different. She was made for the beauty of the full moon. Her skin glowed. She had a perfect smile. The danger he faced earlier from her melted away.

Ezekiel shook his head, opening the scabbed wound on his neck. He wiped the blood with his hand and examined it. The real sign he was mortal, the proof he might grow old like grandfather and be forgotten. It was also a sign of Emry and who she really was. She was as vicious as she was beautiful like a well crafted sword.

“Oh, how beautiful,” Emry said. Her voice was soft and quiet. “What if we stayed here for the night?” The question shocked Ezekiel as it was the last thing he expected from her. She took a place in his home the night before, and now she wanted to sleep outdoors. She looked at Ezekiel.

He rolled his eyes. He couldn’t deny her anyways. His need for her kept her from doing anything by herself. “Very well. There’s some study rooms on the second floor that haven’t been quite taken over by nature. We can sleep there.” A part of him knew he would regret doing this. He always regretted doing what she asked, like agreeing to her sharing his house. And then sealing the deal with a kiss? Who was he kidding, himself? He rubbed the bite mark on his lip. Two places in less than a day where she drew blood from him. If it was under different circumstances, would he enjoy it? If she were a Tralech, would he have pursued her?

“What are you busy thinking about?” Emry asked, snapping him from his daze. Her arms were crossed.

“Nothing. Let’s go.” Ezekiel walked towards the broken staircase. He pulled himself up the rubble that blocked it. It’s been awhile since he’s been up there. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he was up here. The books up here were in worse condition than the ones on the ground floor. They were in a different language too, one Ezekiel hadn’t bothered to learn. He didn’t care much for languages. Though, it would have been helpful to learn this one when it harboured information he needed. The words in the book have long since faded over the past few years, so it didn’t matter that he hadn’t learned the language. What language is there to read when the words on the pages are gone?

The steps after the pile of the rubble were a mix of being there and gone. Parts of it Ezekiel and Emry had to jump over to get higher up. Once at the top, it was time to find a place to sleep for the night. Ezekiel knew where a few were, but he guessed that she would want to explore the place a little.

“I can find a place to rest for the night if you’d like to explore,” he offered.

“Sleeping in the same room as you? How scandalous of us,” Emry said with a giggle. “I would like to explore more of this floor, but that can wait for the day time. It’ll be easier to see then.” She looked around her. He could see the gears moving in her head as she took in every detail of the area.

“Very well.” Ezekiel walked past her and down the falling hallway. The marble beneath his feet was weathering away. The light of the moon pierced through the shattered wall. The section was well illuminated.

“How can you be surrounded by all this beauty and not take a moment to appreciate it?” Emry asked. She followed him close behind.

“Easily.” He stopped in front of a large array of doors on the wall. “This one will be the cleanest.” He opened the door, revealing the room. A small table covered in faded paper sat in the centre. Broken chairs were on the ground beside it. A fully intact stained glass window depicting a morning glory displayed its colours on the ground like a kaleidoscope.

“Isn’t this just beautiful!” Emry said. She entered the room, immediately walking over to the barren bookshelves. Her fingertips grazed the wood as she walked around the room. “Tell me this isn’t the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen before.”

“Are you drunk?” Ezekiel remarked. He entered the room and shut the door behind him. The last thing he wanted was some rodent waking him up in the middle of the night.

“No! Why would you ask that?” She looked offended, but her eyes had a playful glint to them.

Humans, he thought. He sat himself on the floor as close as he could get to the door without blocking it.

“So you’re just going to sleep?” She sounded disappointed.

“Yes.” Ezekiel moved his cloak to the front of his body so it was more like a blanket. He closed his eyes.

Emry let out an indignant huff. “Good night.”