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Chapter Fifty-one

I was back at the university library, and this ti me

Anthony wouldn&039;t be released for another few hours and Ta an odd sense that I was either stepping into a trap, or into soround floor, and on an impulse I stopped at theRoo clerk

"In the Occult Reading Roo room But I could help you if you - "

"Thank you," I said, and turned away I headed over to the bank of elevators In a daze, admittedly

At the third floor, which was as empty as the first ti exponentially, I htly over the dull acrylic flooring With each step, my shoulder ached My throat was still raw and red and for now I kept a scarf around it The air conditioner huly everywhere

At the end of the aisle I ca to the Occult Reading Roo htly pointed beard, a young ht much about the first time I had seen him, but as now very much the object of , I moved forward, all too aware that thewarbehind what I had assumed was an e desk

I sat cautiously opposite hi that my own inner alarm system was as quiet as could be In fact, I even felt oddly at peace, perhaps for the first ti time

"You don&039;t really work here," I said, as I sat my purse on the floor next tohis head slightly, apologetically

He couldn&039;t have beenas twenty He looked like a student, surely Other than the bright twinkle in his eye and his pointy beard, he looked unremarkable

"Who are you?" I asked

"Archibald Maxih"

I stared at hi ti I had ever seen "How old are you, Max?"

He gave uess not," I said I liked the way Max looked at reat pleasure in looking atmy every detail Normally, I don&039;t like to draw attention to nored But sometimes I make exceptions "You&039;re not a student here, are you?"

He smiled war, either?"

"Let&039;s just say no"

We looked at each other soroomed his beard was I also noticed that his blue eyes were not really blueholy hell, were they violet?

"II don&039;t have your book," I said

"I know"

"I don&039;t knohat happened to it"

"That&039;s okay"

"Do I still owe a fine?"

His lips broke into a wide sh that the fine point of his beard wasn&039;t so fine

"I don&039;t think the library would appreciatefines for books that don&039;t officially exist"

"I don&039;t understand"

"It&039;s okay if you don&039;t understand There&039;s lots I don&039;t understand, too That&039;s half the fun: finding answers" He leaned forward a little and his gaze locked onto the area just beneathwith real war theyou"

Which should have been a highly unlikely statement, since the medallion was currently concealed beneathit I had no idea it would"

"Attach itself to you?"

"Yes"

"Would you like for me to remove it?"

"Yes But I had heard - "

"The seal was permanent?"

"Yes"

"Normally, yes But I&039;m fairly familiar with it Would you ot up from behind the desk and stepped around to me

"Just try to relax," he said

He put his hands on h ers around my throat and slipped theasped and felt a different kind of thrill

His searching hands found the medallion, where he rested the flat of his palms over it There was no pain, just a sense ofrelease

Arinned

I was relieved beyond words There was hope again There was hope my son could live a normal life

"Now, Sam, ould you like to do with this?"

But I was having difficulty speaking I was so afraid to have hope, so afraid to believe I tried speaking again: "I had heard that the et the words out

"You had heard that it could reverse vampirism?"

"Yes," I said, but I was terrified to hear his answer Oh, sweet Jesus What if he couldn&039;t do it? Or what if he said no? What would I do then?

"Yes," he said, sic encoded within it can"