The Alien in the Archive: A Bookish Alien Romance (Galactic Librarians Book 1) by Chloe Parker

Author:Chloe Parker [Parker, Chloe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

27

THORNE

The scratching of my pen against the aged paper is the only sound in the alcove. Ashlan is curled in the corner, his antennae glowing a light, cool blue, as I continue to piece together the fractured memories of my past.

The Borean Chronicle feels less like a historical record and more like an exercise in self-flagellation. Every word, every line of script drags up ghosts I’d much rather leave buried.

But Page asked for this, and against all better judgment, I find myself wanting to give her what she wants.

My hand hesitates over the next line. I blame the lingering haze from last night—the warmth of her skin, her gasps, the way her blood tasted, sweeter than I deserve. I tried very hard to convince myself I was against those base longings, but now it’s clear.

I’m hopelessly tangled in her, mind and body.

Gods…the way she makes me feel alive again. Like the centuries of dust and decay have been swept away, leaving something raw and unrecognizable beneath.

Something that, apparently, writes bad love poetry in the margins of its history books.

Perhaps the human love books are having an effect on me.

I glance down at the notebook, scowling at the stray sentence I’ve scrawled in the corner: Hopelessly tangled in her.

I strike it out. Absolutely not.

Before I can get back to work, I sense an unfamiliar presence coming through the archive gate—a mind I haven’t encountered before. The Obscuary should be empty. Page would’ve reached out if she were coming. I set the pen down and rise from my chair, sliding soundlessly into the shadows.

Ashlan chirps in warning, his glowing antennae twitching as we approach the intruder. I extend my awareness, brushing against their mind—and stop short.

Human. Male. And familiar in a way that grates on my nerves and sends a swell of familial affection through me, affection that is entirely alien.

Riley.

I step further into the shadows as the footsteps draw nearer. He rounds the corner with the casual confidence of someone who has no idea he’s walking into a predator’s den. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair tousled in a way that suggests he wants you to think he doesn’t care about it. His leather jacket creaks as he pauses, his sharp gaze scanning the space with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

When his eyes land on me, he stops and gapes.

“You’re Thorne,” he says, as if stating a fact.

“And you’re not supposed to be here,” I reply.

“Yeah…about that,” he runs a hand through his hair, “Page told me about you, but then she said she’d try to introduce us…and never followed up. So, given she’s been spending an awful lot of time with you, I took things into my own hands.”

I raise an eyebrow, then I gesture over my shoulder.

“I suppose it would be rude not to invite you to my home, then,” I say. “Follow me.”

The sound of Riley’s boots echoes in the cavernous silence of the Obscuary, far too loud for my liking. Ashlan trots ahead of us, antennae

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