The book slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.

I didn’t pick it up.

My eyes burned from reading, but I reached for another one anyway, dragging it off the shelf with shaking fingers. Dust scattered as I flipped it open, scanning lines too fast to fully process.

“Severed bonds often result in—”

I slammed it shut.

“Useless,” I muttered, tossing it onto the growing pile at my feet. Another book followed. Then another. Titles blurred together—Fated Pairings, ...