The Midnight Library Novels & Stories

What was so odd and magnetic about that black book? She wanted to continue reading, but she pulled out her mobile phone and glanced at the bright screen. It read 1:00 a.m. She figured she shouldn't stay in the library any longer; she had to wake up early and start her grueling chores with the other maids in just a few hours. Getting up from the chair, she carefully walked out of the library, pulling the heavy oak doors shut behind her. Turning on the small flashlight from her phone, she began the tense walk back to her bedroom.

I am thirty minutes late though because Theo is being such a workaholic that after the party, he still worked on some documents, before hitting the bed. I push open the door and enter. It is undoubtedly the most massive library I have ever set foot into. Unlike Pitchford and Durian’s library, the wall, ceiling, and bookshelves are all painted white. From the outside, it seems like there are only four floors, but looking down, I am actually on the tenth floor, with the basement still way, way down. There are stairs all around, tables and chairs, private areas, and a dizzying amount of books. Even if I spend a werewolf lifetime here, I won’t be able to finish all of these book collections. My

*** The library at midnight was a different world. Fluorescent lights hummed. The air smelled of old paper and desperation. Mira arrived at 11:47 because she was incapable of being late. She wore black jeans and a sweater, deliberately casual. She had considered armor (blazer, heels, the full ice queen uniform) and decided against it. This was a negotiation. She needed him to underestimate her. Study room 3B was glass-walled and cold. She sat at the table, pulled out a notebook, and wrote:

The villain will surely go mad seeing her body. [This blind date of hers is quite good-looking, too. No wonder the villain's been jealous for so long.] [Why are there so many people siding with the villain? How disgusting! She deserves her death! I really want to see the hero taking the villain down!] When I woke up once more, it was back to midnight again. The moonlight shone dimly into the lounge as my hand was on the window latch, about to open the window. [Don't open the window! There's no cat outside! It's a serial killer!]

But would I really stop now? Bastorin and Nightshade were full of secrets, layer upon layer. No one showed their true face. Everyone hid something. If I tried to tear down those layers, I didn’t know who would break first. Still, curiosity kept clawing at my chest. Just once, I told myself. One last look. If I found nothing, I’d forget it all. So, I decided to go back to the library at midnight. I waited until Isolde’s quiet snores filled the room, then carefully slipped out of bed. My heart hammered as I opened the door and stepped into the empty corridor. Silence swallowed everything.

In their place was something new, something raw and honest. She was owned by Midnight. And as she looked up at the stars while he drove her back toward the edge, she knew that the dark desire series had only just begun. There was no going back to the light.

As we step out into the library hallway, the moon slides out from behind a cloud, casting long shadows on the floor. And somewhere in the darkness, I swear I can hear a clock starting to tick. Midnight is coming.

Luis says, announcing me, but clearly, they all decide not to think he's talking about me, but look towards the door again. "Welcome, Halo Dusk," Luis announces as he points at me. His face splits into a huge grin as he turns to me. No one reacts. All they do is stare at me and back at the door, and look around. They refuse to believe Luis is talking about me, so I clear my throat. "Hello, everyone. I'm Halo's Dusk, the writer of Midnight Library. It's nice to meet everyone." Silence. Luis's eyes move directly to me with his smile widening. They all follow his gaze again and yet, nobody moves or even breathes. They're too stunned to say anything.

deeply engraved on it, you could pour water in it, and it'll sit comfortably. Early this morning, Danielle had brought to my attention that Shawn required my presence in the library, and after I finished everything I had to do, she'd escorted me to this place, and left me all on my own. I'd done what every normal person would do, or maybe my kind of normal person would do… snoop around. Not much. Not enough to know anything, besides come across a few interesting books. Unfortunately, I had come across the most enticing one at the wrong time.

“The Breeding Grimoire. Wear nothing beneath your coat. The archives grow hungrier with each night.” As I left the Arcane Archives on unsteady legs, the memory of the living ropes tightening with every moan, Elias’s mouth devouring me on the ladder, and the glowing pages feeding on my pleasure replayed in my mind. I had come here seeking rare texts. Instead, the Midnight Librarian was turning me into the living embodiment of every forbidden book in his collection. And with every chapter we enacted, I was falling deeper under the curse.