The Librarian

Since I had met Nico, I had fainted a total of three times, none of which had been a particularly pleasant experience. But I found my awakening the final time was much more pleasant. I felt no pain, no hurt at all. In fact, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time- I felt clean.

I dragged open my eyelids to see a world of black. I don't mean that as in dark, the whole room - including furniture - was completely made of black obsidian. I slipped my legs out from between sleek silk sheets and stood on the cold, stone floor.

"Where am I?" I muttered, my head spinning slightly with headrush as I swung a curious gaze over the room.

It was obviously an already-occupied room, with a small photo on the bedside table and clothes hanging in the wardrobe, but it was completely tidy, as if the owner lived with a white glove on. I looked closer at the small photo that sat beside the large, beckoning bed. It was of a young girl not older than thirteen with her arm protectively around a boy who could only have been her brother, they shared the same dark hair, pake skin and long eyelashes. The strangest thing about the photo was that it was obviously taken a long time ago, worn with age. I peered even closer at the young boy, he must have been Nico. But what was a photo of him doing in the room?

I spun around and stared at the clothes in the closet; jeans and black T-shirts hung straight from coathangers.

I WAS IN HIS ROOM!

I took a deep breath and sat hard down on the end of the bed wondering how on earth I had ended up here. The last thing I remembered was passing out when Nico accidentally twisted my broken arm....

I held my arm up in front of me, it was completely healed and didn't hurt at all. Almost like magic... Of course you would have thought that my disappeared injury would've been more noticeable but it's honestly amazing how quickly you can forget that you're injured.

I jumped, pulled from my thoughts by the beat of footsteps outside the door. A black shadow opened the door with the creak of stone hinges, padding lightly on the floor in an obvious attempt to be quiet that ended when he saw me looking at him from my perch at the end of the bed.

"You're awake?" Nico asked carefully, walking slowly towards me.

I nodded. "Yes. Well... as far as I'm aware."

He chuckled softly but his expression quickly reverted to stony in the dim light. "I'm so sorry I hurt you." He whispered, taking a seat beside me on the mass of black silk.

I shrugged. "It's okay, you didn't know that I was hurt-"

"It's not okay." He cut me off. "I should have been more careful and- gods I was stupid! I was so angry at you for putting yourself in danger that I lost it. I should have been angrier at myself!"

"It wasn't your-"

"Yes, yes it was! You heard us talking and you got mad, and that's my fault. I- I treated you like you were useless and... I'm sorry." His eyes shone bright with unshed tears as he dipped his head in shame.

I tucked a hand under his chin and lifted it up so I could see him properly. "I love you, Nico." I told him, knowing nothing else would shut him up better than the truth. "And I forgive you."

He smiled wryly, studying me carefully. "Are you sure you're mortal?"

"I think so." I smiled back, leaning up to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"Good." He replied. "Because I wouldn't have it any other way."

I leaned into his body, tucking my arms under his. Being a short girl finally had its benefits.

"Where are we?" I asked him after the longest time.

"Still in my dad's realm, his palace to be exact." He said softly, his breath tickling against my neck. "I brought you here to heal for a while."

"How long has it been?"

"Only a day."

I groaned. "I need to stop passing out."

He laughed, his chest throbbing as he did so in a wonderful way that squeezed my heart tight. "But then I wouldn't be able to save you."

"Yes but isn't having a conscious girlfriend so much nicer?"

"Girlfriend?" He asked, still holding me tight to his warmth. "I don't remember discussing this."

I yawned before answering. "If I'm not your girlfriend then what am I?"

"You're Kimmi Ye." He answered half-jokingly. "And you're way too out of my league for any kind of relationship."

"Flirt." I muttered through another yawn before falling asleep in his arms.

Notes