There’s no point in getting excited. Norbert is the type of nice guy who will say anything to be liked. If you tell him you love diarrhea ice cream, he’ll smile and say it’s his favorite.
I glance at my imaginary watch. “Another time?”
“We can check the restricted section together.”
“Why would you have access to that?”
He raises his black leather bracelet. “Necromancer, remember?”
My brow furrows. I thought he’d been lying about his profession, too.
“Right.”
In our community, necromancers are the most skilled magic users. Some of them are as powerful as the Magical Council’s enforcers.
Necromancers can access dark enchantments to cross the veil between life and death. Because these spells are so potent, their guild vets each member for the utmost integrity. That’s why I found it difficult to believe that someone of his profession would catfish women online.
“Come on, Ali,” he says with a broad smile. “We can make it a date.”
My jaw clenches. He had been so persistent when I refused the second date. Accepting his offer might lead to months of pestering.
But it’s not like I have many choices.
“Let’s set a few ground rules.”
He straightens, his black eyes shining with hope. “Alright.”
“We’re going up to the restricted section as acquaintances, alright?”
“Not friends?”
“I barely know you.”
His shoulders sag, but he gives me a sad little nod.
If he wants me to feel guilty, he’s chosen the wrong woman. I’m not about to show him kindness only to earn myself another stalker. Sorry, no.
“This way, then,” he says with a sigh and holds his cuff out to the librarian. “One guest pass for Norbert Briggs.”
After accepting a scrap of parchment, I follow Norbert up the winding pathway to the very top, which ends in a blank patch of wall. Norbert waves his cuff over it, and a door appears, which he opens.
His gaze drops down to my hand and bounces up to meet my eyes. “Do you still have your guest pass?”
“Um… Yes?”
“Good.”
He holds the door open and gestures for me to enter another walkway filled with shelves.
It’s just the same as the rest of the library, but all the tomes are black. I step through to the restricted section with Norbert on my heels, and the door behind us slams shut.
The temperature drops and chills spread across my skin. I glance over my shoulder to find Norbert gazing down at me, his dark eyes blazing.
“It was very rude of you to ghost me,” he says, his voice dark.
I step backward. “All I did was say no to a second date. When you kept calling, asking me to change my mind, and not taking no for an answer, I stopped responding.”
“You broke my heart.”