The Evensong Read Online Free PDF

he was still coming closer. There was no reason to be so nervous around him—I should have just left.
    “Morgan Le Fae, huh?”
    I looked up when he spoke and found he stood next to me, hovering over. His hair was wet and dripped in spikes in front of his eyes.
    “Yeah,” I replied, shutting the book.
    “You as interested in her as you are in the swamps?”
    I shrugged, at a loss of what to do. “I just picked up the book.”
    He nodded, glancing down at the pile I had next to the stool. He used the toe of his worn shoe to push aside the top book, exposing the next.
    “The Elementals,” he said, reading the title. He looked surprised. “Interesting.”
    “Like I said, I just kind of picked it up,” I said, gathering up the books. Putting them back would be a reason to leave.
    “So you like that kind of stuff?” he asked, slowly walking after me into the next aisle.
    “Sort of,” I lied. It was like an automatic response; a tactic to keep my secret safe. He leaned against the shelves while I put the books back, struggling to keep my cup of tea upright.
    “Your name’s Riley, right?” he asked as I put The Elementals back on the shelf.
    “Yeah,” I replied, now forced to look at him. “I’ve heard a lot about you, but never your name.” He just smirked a little, and I put the last book back. “So what is it?”
    “What have you heard?” he asked.
    I sighed quietly, taking a sip of the cold tea. He knew he was avoiding my question. “Different things. You’ve inherited some huge house—you’re twenty-three.”
    “Wow, word travels fast,” he laughed. “That’s it?”
    “Yeah.” Besides the fact that everyone called him strange.
    “It’s not really a huge house,” he commented, shrugging. “Bet it’s the same size as yours.”
    I looked at him quickly, wondering if he was just guessing. Judging by his slightly amused look, I had a feeling he’d seen the house before.
    “When did you see it?” I asked.
    “Sharon was giving me the grand ol’ tour and we passed by your place. She said it’s a boarding house of sorts.”
    “Sort of,” I replied vaguely. Since when was Sharon carting people around town? It was small enough that a new person could find their way around alone.
    “Well if you’re living alone in a house that size, I’d still say it’s pretty big,” I replied.
    He shrugged. “You’ll see. I’ve been meaning to ask you about the swamps anyway.”
    I shifted a little uncomfortably, wondering why he was singling me out. “What about them?”
    “I just wanted to take a walk through them with someone who knows the area. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else who might go there at leisure.” He smiled slightly, reminding me of a cat in the way his eyes tilted. They were a gold color, hidden under the strands of his drying hair. I had to look away when I realized I was just sort of staring.
    “Maybe when it’s not raining,” I replied.
    “Tomorrow? I know it won’t rain tomorrow, not until nighttime at least,” he suggested.
    “How would you know?” I asked, my tone a little sarcastic.
    “Believe me,” he said simply. “So I’ll see you on the trail near your house—I’ve walked there before. Twelve tomorrow.”
    I paused, seeing as I hadn’t exactly agreed to anything, yet he was planning everything out.
    “Sure,” I heard myself say. He smiled and stood up straight, shaking the hair out of his eyes.
    “See you then,” he said, and backed out of the aisle, disappearing to the left.
    So I’d agreed to meet him at the swamp, and to do what? Talk and walk? It already sounded like an awkward situation, and I realized something: I still didn’t know his name.
    I rushed to the aisle and looked down the way he’d gone. The aisle was empty but for a few other people, and I knew I wouldn’t find him in the rest of the store. I silently cursed and walked away, out to search for Alysana.
    I’d barely started looking when Alysana ran up to me, grasping my