Page 79 of Magic's Rise

He turns his attention back to Elana. “However, she’s also not wrong. We’d like to open the Rothaven grimoire as quickly as possible, to see if it contains the barrier spell, in addition to the moon madness charm.”

His glare stops the Duh tripping down my tongue, and I swallow it.

“While we work through the various lock spells, we should review any other protection spells your coven has.” Aspen dips his head to Elana in respect. “Especially the elemental ones, as barriers are ethereal by nature.”

This seems to mollify Elana, her chin coming down a notch.

Turning to the bookshelf, she pulls out a slender, newer-looking grimoire, and proudly presents it to Aspen. “This contains the joint protection spells from all of our grimoires within our private library. It has been a passion for our coven to gather every spell of this type that we could find.”

“Excellent.” Aspen takes the book and gives her an appreciative nod. “We’ll take this and all of the Rothaven spell books back to the werewolf compound to study.”

Elana sputters as she struggles for words, her hands forming claws, barely containing the urge to snatch the grimoire back from Aspen.

“That won’t be a problem, will it, Elana?” Levi asks, breaking the silence. “If you’re concerned about the Alpha’s security, you’re invited to come with us, so you can keep your eyes on the books at all times. There’s plenty of space for everyone.”

Elana pales, her mouth working as she weighs the options. “I…don’t doubt the Alpha’s ability to ensure our precious tomes’ safety.”

The concession looks like it physically pains her.

“Are you sure?” Levi smiles, showing his canines. “We’re planning a welcome feast tonight for our visitors, and there will be more than enough food and drink.”

“Thank you for the invitation.” Elana stiffens her spine, her gaze sweeping around to touch on her other coven members, who wilt. “Unfortunately, we are quite busy.”

Aris avoids looking at her as she stacks her family grimoires. “I’d like to go. I’ve never been to the compound before.”

At her defiance, Mina raises a hand. “Me, too. I’d like to go.”

Beside her, Kaela nods.

Tris grins with excitement. “Let’s get packing!”

As we help Aris with her grimoires, Mina and Kaela sneak additional books from the bookcase.

A magic heist? Oh, I am so in for this.

Tris sees it, too, and his golden-brown eyes sparkle. “Ready?”

My pulse quickens. “Born ready.”

With the bloodthirsty grimoire hugged to my chest, I spin and race for the front door with my loot.

WELCOME PARTY

Back at the compound, Levi leads us to a quirky, two-story building with a charming turret poking out from the roof. Shutters cover the windows, and a small porch wraps around the sides.

To me, the structure screams ‘secret clubhouse’, and I immediately want one back at home. I’ll call it Fort Rowe. Entry will be paid in the form of milkshakes and bacon.

“This is our meeting hall.” Levi pulls a key from his pocket to unlock the door. “You can use it while you study the grimoires.”

We step inside and find ourselves in a large central room, with a hall branching off to more rooms in the back. A table fills most of the space, with a wooden chandelier centered over it.

“Our house has frequent visitors, and the pups get into everything.” He passes the key to Aspen. “You can keep this building locked up when you’re not using it, so the books stay safe.”

Kaela and Mina walk forward to set their grimoires down.

Mina caresses the uppermost book in her stack. “It’s so great to have these back!”

Aspen frowns. “How did Elana end up in possession of them in the first place?”

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