On Loan: A Reading Under Wraps Short Story

By Marie Michelle Coleman

When a mysterious book turns up on law librarian Mira Shepard’s desk, she’s officially intrigued. There’s no title, no author, and no publisher. She can’t make heads or tails of what she finds within its pages. At least not yet.

Together with friend and information super-sleuth, Maddie, she’s on the hunt for some expert assessment fast. Maddie’s found the expert she swears they need to get some answers but there’s a price to pay for a few minutes of his time. If Mira’s desire to know everything they could about the book hadn’t reached the curiosity-killed-the-cat level, she’d refuse.

But it had.

The road to knowledge isn’t always easy. Mira’s starts in Old Town Alexandria and comes complete with a guide, ghosts, good friend, and her own personal stalker. Between the eerie presence tracking them along the dark streets of Old Town and the strange assembly of fellow travelers, Mira isn’t sure whether to feel amused, spooked, or a little of both.

Maybe stuffing an irreplaceable artifact in her purse so she could walk around in the dark looking for answers wasn’t such a great idea. Rabid readers, determined collectors, and sticky-fingered supernatural sorts could be anywhere tonight.

How far will they go to discover the secrets the book holds for themselves?

Mira Shepard is about to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marie Michelle Coleman
• Release date: Jan 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9780991146659

Marie Michelle Coleman

Marie Michelle Coleman is a paranormal romance and urban fantasy author whose book, Bespoken, is the first in the Nightangel and Daydreamer series. She's been in love with the written word since she was old enough to turn the pages of her first book. She's always had a fascination with vampires and angels. Sitting down at the keyboard and turning on the paranormal blender was a natural next step.Marie lives in the Washington D.C. area. She believes in the power of a good dream, the therapeutic merits of loud music, and the benefits of always being in the middle of reading a good book. Marie has a soft spot for a good romance and likes to laugh. Jane Austen is her favorite author. She'll probably always be a little in love with Mr. Darcy.​She grows roses in her garden but no matter how hard she tries, they don't look anything like the ones in Casey Sloane's daydreams.

Book preview

ON LOAN

A Reading Under Wraps Short Story

(Approximately 10,800 words)

Marie Michelle Coleman

Copyright 2016, Marie Michelle Coleman

http://www.mariemichellecoleman.com

Cover design by Rebecca Frank

http://rebeccafrank.design/

ISBN: 978-0-9911466-5-9

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published by Suburban Island Publishing, Virginia

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the above author of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to your online retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

Other Titles by Marie Michelle Coleman

Bespoken: A Nightangel and Daydreamer Novel

Dedication

This story is dedicated to my kids, whose support and enthusiasm for my writing is a constant encouragement.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Arial, Chris, Josh, and Sam for all their valuable feedback. Many thanks to my amazing editor, Erin, who always gets it right.

Now, where did you come from? Mira Shepard plunked down in her chair and flipped the heavy smoke-grey envelope over to look for any markings or a note. Nothing. She ran a sunset pink fingernail along the flap and it lifted away without a tug or tear. Someone had gone to some trouble to open and close it back up again so it was hard to tell the seal had been broken.

Carter. Mira breathed his name in an accusatory tone. Carter was an expert at dropping counterfeit donations at her desk—her favorite was a DVD of kittens at play with a syrupy-sweet instrumental track that could have been piped in from the interior of a 1960s elevator. He’d featured that one on his blog.

She edged her chair away from the desk and leaned back in her seat until she could peer across the library. Carter was still at his post at the front reference desk and not lurking around the corner waiting for a reaction. Maybe not Carter.

Mira scooted her chair back up to her desk and turned her attention to the envelope. Even without peeking she knew what was inside—a book. She tilted the envelope and let the volume slide into her hands.

It wasn’t a thick book but the pages were heavy. She liked the way if felt—substantial; not brand new but not falling apart. And she liked the way it looked—no title, no author, just a pattern embossed on the cover that hinted there was more to it than the uninitiated might see. No neatly placed spine label identified it as part of this or any other library’s collection. There was no note attached saying