Chapter 6

As Taqi looked for the books we needed, it dawned on me that this was an old educational library that has tons of educational books… This place should have books on demons right? I've looked at other libraries for some but, they only had story books to scare children, nothing with concrete facts.

I went to the book looker upper and typed in demons. As I scrolled through the list, I noticed that a lot of mangas and comics came up. Page after page, nothing I needed was coming up. I went to the last page only to be disappointed. Of course there weren't any here. Demons were Taboo after all. Hmmm… Then I typed in Hybrid Shifters. I got the same result as my last search… wait a minute… there's a book! It's called, "Hybrids. Fact or Fiction?" It's says it's in the Knowledge of Shifters section... in section 27 row A. I look around for Taqi only to see him from afar still looking for some books.

I quietly sneak away to find my section, but it looks like the first floor only had up to section 21. I make way to the second floor and see that a thin layer of dust covered everything up here, more so then down there. "Section 33, 32…31…", I quietly count to myself until I got section 27. Row A should be the first row right? Where are the letters…

A glint of something shiny caught my eye. It was on the book shelf covered by dust and some weird powdery substance. I wiped it clean with my hand only to find that it read T2. T2? I see another placard on the row above it and wipe that one as well. "S2…" Huh? I hurriedly went to the one under T2 and it read, "U2". Wait a minute… does that mean… That A… is all the way… up there? I crane my neck all the way back to try and see the top shelf, it's so far up… I could use my wings… but what if Taqi sees? I can't let that happen… not yet anyway…

I climb my way up a tall wooden ladder. On my way up, the ladder wiggles a bit. If this thing gives out, I'm going to fall. I can't use my wings, they hurt… and they're ugly… and I can't let Taqi see them… As the ladder settles, I take a deep breath and resume my way up.

I finally make it to the top and see the silver metal, reading A. I'm on 27 A! I begin to do my little happy dance but, I'm reminded of the awful state of this ladder as it begins to shake a little harder this time. After a minute or two, the ladder settles. At this, I let out a sigh of relief. Where is this book? "Hybrid, hybrid, hyb—" Aha! I found it! I carefully bring my bag to my front and open it, putting the Hybrid book in it when something catches my eye.

There was a dark brown leather bound book that had black and dark red gems on its spine. It was a a little thick and I felt like it was calling out to me… At first, it just started out as whispers. Then it grew louder, it was so loud that I swear I heard screeching in my head… I reached out towards it and as my hand grasped the book, the screaming stoped. The book had ancient wording on the front that read out, "Book of the Demon". There was also a skull with horns on the cover. They protruded through the cover and it was as if he was bleeding back into the cover.

Why wasn't this book listed in the searcher machine? I quickly put it in my book bag and started my decent. About a quarter of the way down, I begin to feel dizzy. The ladder began to creak and then shake violently. I looked down but saw nothing. Just then the rung under me snapped, and I lost my grip falling towards the floor below. I close my eyes waiting for impact. Damn… this is gonna hurt…

Right when I should have hit the ground, the smell of burning wood filled my nose as something soft engulfed me. I opened my eyes to see the face of another gorgeous man. He looked down at me, a little worried and that's when I noticed them. He had piercing green eyes with sharp slits for pupils. Around his eyes, it looks like there were faded red scales and a sharp set of canines could be seen protruding from his perfect plump lips. "Are you okay?" He questioned. "What were you doing all the way up there?" He had a scar on the side of his chin that made him look even more attractive.

I broke the trance I was in as I realized that he was staring at my face. I wiggled in his arms trying to break free from his super comfortable grasp. Any more of this touching and I might faint. "Ummm… Thanks… But put me down…" I mumble, "Please…" He sighed, out of frustration I think. "Not a good idea." He said with a hint of annoyance. "Why not…", my voice trails off as I take in my surroundings.

Are we up in the air still… Huh? Is he… flying? I grasp onto him tighter trying to get a peak at his back. This must of caught him by surprise as he slightly fumbled. "Whoah! Oh now you wanna grab all over me, huh?" I just shot him a glare and continued to pull myself over his shoulder. And there they were in all their glory. A huge set of scaly red wings protruded from his back. They were huge! Wait… Is he a dragon shifter? "A-are you a dragon!", I asked him excitedly. I have never met another dragon shifter before! This guy just chuckled and wrapped his arms securely around me before flying back down to the floor.