Page 62 of The Librarian’s Familiar

He couldn’t make a plan until he understood the danger.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Charlie locked the library door and leaned against it, allowing himself to feel the panic he’d been holding down with a smile and a half-baked plan. It fluttered in his chest like all the missing birds had found a place to hide. Their wings hit his ribs, making it hard to breathe, and their feet kicked his heart, so it beat too fast.

It would be all too easy to dismiss the young witch; after all, she had no idea what she was doing and might be making up a story to get attention. But he had no reason to disbelieve her, especially as he was now noticing the lack of birds. Maybe they were all disappearing for winter?

Phone calls. He needed to call the Coven and see what they thought. See if they’d noticed anything…

No, he’d call August first and ask him if the birds were missing, because that wouldn’t make him sound insane at all.

He closed his eyes and tried to will himself to be calm. He could not act like a flighty bird because in Claw Lake, he was the Coven. He was not qualified for this. Who the hell had thought it would be a good idea for him to take this job?

Somebody had rubber-stamped it, and somehow, he’d passed the required training. This was such a bad idea. He had no fucking idea what he was doing or how to deal with an emergency that may or may not be magic-related.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and peeled himself off the door. He didn’t know enough to panic. Maybe only the birds from the backyards had moved on, and August had seen birds while out on four feet.

He grabbed his phone off the desk and pulled up August’s number.

Hey weird question, but have you seen any birds around today? Can you ask your parents or brothers?

He stared at the screen, waiting for August to drop everything and answer. Maybe he’d gone for a quick shift. Or perhaps he was helping his parents around the house.

Who else could he ask?

While he knew plenty of people in town to talk to, it was only in passing, and he only had a handful of phone numbers—most of which were not the kind of people he could call in this situation.

That only left Sinclair, and while he was great in a coffee emergency, Charlie wasn’t sure if he could be relied on. But he didn’t have much other choice.

Weird question, but have you seen any birds around today?

That is not what I expected you to be asking…LOL

Just answer the damn question.

But now you mention it no. They’re usually at the front of the cafe hopping around the tables looking for crumbs.

Fuck. He wanted Sinclair to laugh at him and tell him to step outside, where there were plenty of birds.

Thank you.

Why?

Can’t say.

He did not want to share a theory that had not yet been confirmed. More solidly confirmed.

A notification from August popped onto his screen.

I haven’t seen any today, so I checked with my parents, and they haven’t seen any either. What’s going on?

Shit. He paced around the library, teeth pressing into his lower lip as the panic in his chest threatened to break free.

I think we’re about to have a problem, but I need more info. Keep your phone handy.

Right now, all he had was missing birds. He needed Shelly to get back to him with what her dog thought the problem was. That was not a sentence that should make any kind of sense, and yet there he was, waiting on intel from a dog and a witch just discovering her magic.

Another message from August popped up on his screen.