Chapter 377: Seduced Into Helping
Evaline:
Before I could turn around, a large hand reached past my shoulder - warm, confident, familiar - and pressed a sleek black card against the scanner.
A low beep followed, and the ground beneath the trapdoor hissed softly. The lock released with a quiet click, and the heavy door slowly lifted upward.
I froze. My heart stopping as the familiar scent and presence finally hit me.
That calm, woodsy scent that carried a hint of smoke and steel.
I turned my head sharply.
Oscar.
He was standing behind me, dressed in his usual black shirt and slacks, his jacket unbuttoned, his expression unreadable. The faintest glint of amusement flickered in his eyes as he pocketed the access card.
"Miss me?" he asked smoothly.
I blinked at him, too stunned to answer. "What... how-what are you doing here?"
He stepped closer, his shadow overlapping mine. "Following you. What else?"
My mouth opened, but no words came out. "You... followed me?"
"Of course." He tilted his head slightly. "You really thought I wouldn’t notice when you left the house wearing sneakers and carrying a bag big enough to hide half a library?"
I groaned, pressing a hand to my forehead. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend how and when he saw me sneaking out of the house despite how careful I was. "Oscar, this isn’t what it looks like."
"Oh?" he murmured, one corner of his lips lifting. "Then please explain why my mate was about to break into a restricted building that even River doesn’t step into without informing the council."
I glared up at him. "I wasn’t breaking in. I was just... looking around."
"Uh-huh." His tone dripped with disbelief. "Because looking around usually involves guessing passwords and nearly tripping security alarms."
He folded his arms, his deep green eyes glinting under the daylight. "You are lucky I came when I did. The internal system would have alerted the guards stationed five miles from here."
"Wait-guards? There are guards here?"
Oscar gave a short nod. "Of course there are. Did you really think the Council would leave their archives completely unprotected?"
I swallowed hard. My stomach twisted in a mix of dread and frustration.
He sighed, stepping closer until he was right in front of me. "You should have told me, Eva."
"I couldn’t," I said, my voice low. "None of you would have let me come."
"That’s because it’s dangerous."
"Everything is dangerous lately!" I snapped. "And I’m tired of being told to sit quietly and wait while everyone else takes control."
His jaw tightened, but his eyes softened. "I know. But there’s a difference between brave and reckless."
"I wasn’t being reckless-"
"Coming here alone is exactly that," he interrupted, his tone firm but calm. "If anything had happened to you..." He stopped mid-sentence, exhaling slowly.
For a moment, the mask of control slipped, and I saw it... the worry he was trying to hide.
That hurt more than any scolding could.
"I’m sorry," I said quietly. "But I had to try."
He studied me for a long time, then finally shook his head. "You are impossible."
"I have been told," I said softly.
That drew the faintest smile from him.
Then, without another word, he reached for the open trapdoor and motioned toward it. "Since you are already here... let’s at least make sure you don’t get yourself killed."
My eyes widened. "You are letting me go in?"
He smirked faintly. "I’m not letting you. I’m joining you."
I blinked, speechless.
He stepped ahead of me, his figure half disappearing into the dim stairway leading underground. He paused, glancing back with that infuriatingly confident grin.
"Coming, sweetheart?"
I stared after him, heart pounding for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
"Yeah," I murmured, finally following him down. "I’m coming."
And as the door closed behind us, sealing the light away, I couldn’t help the shiver that ran through me - not from the cold, but from the sinking realization that whatever waited in the depths of this place... might finally show us a way.
The underground air felt stale and still, like time itself had stopped breathing down there. The scent of dust and faint ozone drifted around me as I followed Oscar through the narrow passage.
He moved with quiet confidence - his steps steady, his body close enough that I could feel the heat of him against me whenever he slowed down. The dim light from his phone illuminated the rough walls until the narrow tunnel opened into a wide, concrete hall.
Instead of heading upstairs, he led us further down, until we were on B2 level. Down the hallway, we came across another security coded door which Oscar opened using the access card. The door opened and we stepped inside.
Rows of shelves stretched into the darkness, stacked with metal drawers and thick binders. Everything looked too organized, too preserved, for a place that was supposed to have been abandoned for decades. I blinked, taking it all in.
"This doesn’t look like an old ruin," I muttered, lowering my voice even though it was just the two of us.
Oscar’s lips curved faintly. "That’s because it isn’t. They might have ordered the closure, but the council still sends people to maintain it every few months. The records here are too valuable to risk losing."
I turned to him, studying his face under the faint beam of light. His sharp jawline softened a little when he looked at me. "You knew about this place," I accused softly. "You knew I would come."
"I had a feeling," he admitted, unashamed. "You weren’t exactly subtle when you stormed out yesterday. And you have never been the type to let go of something once it catches your curiosity."
I huffed, pretending to be annoyed, but inside, warmth bloomed in my chest. That was the thing about Oscar - he understood me better than most. Where River ruled through logic, and Kieran through emotion, Oscar ruled through quiet observation. He noticed everything, even when I wished he wouldn’t.
He handed me a pair of thin gloves. "Don’t touch anything bare-handed. Some of these files are ancient. The last thing we need is to leave behind our traces. And if River finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it."
I raised an eyebrow. "You mean we’ll never hear the end of it."
He chuckled under his breath. "No, you won’t. I’ll be too busy pretending you seduced me into this."