Abbott Memorial Library Dexter Maine Novels & Stories

The next morning, Ruby went to the small kitchenette in the suite. To thank the Alpha for his kindness, she prepared a pot of warm tea. She made her way toward Dexter’s private study. The door was slightly ajar. Dexter was standing by the massive window with his back to her, his powerful frame looking rigid and tense. He stood there for a long time, staring out at the vast Moon Shadow forest with a deep, vacant gaze. Ruby stepped inside as quietly as possible, carrying the tray. She set it on the desk, but just as she turned to leave, Dexter moved abruptly.

She looks like she stepped out of a 60s magazine. “Flora, I’m so glad you came!” she says, giving me a hug as I approach. “I didn’t want to do this alone.” I offer her a smile, especially appreciative of her use of my pseudonym in public, and we head inside. The Abbot Gallery is larger than Marsiel, but instead of a sleek, contemporary space with white walls and tile floors, it’s far older and more historic. The stone walls are ornately carved with various depictions of wolves and historical figures, and the marble floors make my heels echo through the entire space as we make our way inside.

The afternoon passed quietly. Abel gave me a brief tour of the east wing I'd missed the night before. A library, actual floor-to-ceiling shelves, rolling ladder, the smell of old paper and leather. A gym. A home cinema. A room that Abel said was originally a ballroom and was now mostly used to store things Damien refused to throw away but would never admit to keeping. "Like what?" I asked. "Old photographs. Our parents' things. A bicycle he rode when he was eight that he says takes up too much space but has never actually moved."

Dexter wiped away the strand of sweat, "It's damn hard, how many books does she read?" Zoey shook her head negatively, "Wait. Back in the Hart's manor, there's always a separate rack of books that has the Harts record imprinted on it." She face-palmed herself. "Let's look for the damn rack." It took them five complete minutes before they found the rack, hurriedly, the swiped through the books. Hart's mansion record. Hart's net-worth record. Nope, Nope, Nope. Zoey panted heavily, her hands moving slowly towards the book, she turned to Dexter in worry, "There's supposed to a book here."

I wasn't much of a reader, plus too many books kinda freaked me out a bit. The library sat in the east of the yard. I hurried over to the east building, my heart pounding in my chest. Since Daisy left, Dexter started to spend the majority of his free time in the library, so if she returned, he would surely find a way to keep her there. Thinking about having to search each room for her made my head ache though. The library was huge. It felt like the universe had my back when I realized I didn't have to do any of that since the basement door was a bit open.