Page 32 of Magic of the Damned

Concern shrouded his face at my agitation as I repeated the scenario over and over. If he’d had a panic button to press to have me escorted out, he definitely would have used it. It wasn’t agitation, it was desolation as panic rose in me. How could he not remember?

“Look at your phone. You have pictures, and I sent you a video.” I strained to keep my voice level but failed. Raw panic was in the driver’s seat. Standing, I leaned into him. Based on him going wide-eyed and rearing back, I must have looked feral. The semblance of calm and control I manufactured as I sat down was hard earned.

“Will you please look?” I asked softly.

“Okay.” His smile pensive and wary, he fumbled to get his phone from the corner of the desk while keeping a cautious eye on me. Once in his hand, he split his attention between me and the screen as he scrolled. After several minutes, it was apparent he was reluctant to tell me what I already knew. There weren’t any pictures. No video. I knew showing him the markings on my finger wouldn’t have proven anything other than I now had a tattoo to match my ring. But I had to try.

“Remember the ring? Look at it now.”

He looked at it and then at me with concerned eyes. “I told you before, I love it. I still can’t believe you found it in the alley. It’s so detailed, eclectic. Definitely handmade.”

The alley. Where Dominic told me he could manipulate memories. Was this Dominic’s handiwork or the vampire’s? Reginald was seeing the ring as it had been and not with the magic drained from it.

I rubbed my hands over my face and forced a smile when I removed them. “Not enough sleep,” I lied.

“I get it. When I don’t get enough sleep, I’m in a fugue state. Reality and dreams mesh together. Sleep’s important for a reason.” His smile was grim and his voice taut and reticent. “I once had an argument with my sister over something that happened in a dream. It felt real. Make sure you get some sleep tonight, okay?”

I nodded, fighting without success to ward off the abysmal feeling. For ten minutes we continued with our BS-fest, my trying to deescalate the situation and Reginald continuing to search for remnants of sane Luna. After we made our way through the tension-heavy conversation, there was a vestige of a smile fanning over his lips. Forced and fake, but considering the circumstances, it was all I was going to get.

My feet felt heavy walking toward the door and I glanced back at Reginald’s worried expression, trying to figure out how to make him remember. I gave him a little wave of reassurance.

“I’m going home to crash. I’ll be better on Thursday. Emoni is singing at the Wine-Down.”

The glint of excitement in his eyes was the lifeline I didn’t realize he needed. It was a brief moment of normality.

Who had wiped his memory? Dominic, the Conventicle, someone else? When Kane snatched me off the street, how long had they been watching me, and had I done something to implicate Reginald? I squashed any thoughts of telling Emoni; I couldn’t get her involved.

I knew I wouldn’t have to look for Anand. The moment I stepped out of the store, he found me. Emerging from nonexistent shadows again. He studied me for a long moment. If I looked as bleak as I felt, it had to be concerning to see. This was a game of survival and it appeared I was alone in it.

“Ready?”

Did it matter if I wasn’t? An unenthusiastic nod was all I could offer.

Traveling with Anand was different than with Dominic, and although it only took a few seconds, I spent that time wondering if I’d spiral into an unknown destination, a place between my world and the Underworld. Anand barely touched me. Once we were standing in front of the darkened estate that housed the Perils, he snatched his hands away from me as if he’d touched a flame. With Dominic, I knew we’d end up in the same place; with Anand, I wasn’t so sure.

In front of the gloomy house, devoid of the vitality of greenery and sunlight, I still found some comfort in knowing exactly where I was.

At our approach the doors opened, but we weren’t greeted with a fanfare of guards. The moment we breached the entrance, Anand headed in another direction. Initially I stood waiting, expecting Dominic to greet me. After several minutes, I realized he wasn’t coming. The large home was elegant and luxe but impersonal, making me feel even more alone since I no longer had Reginald in on it. Each step I made toward the spellbook room made tamping down my irritation harder. I was more determined than ever to repair the damage and sprint back to my nice, normal, magicless life.

No amount of encouragement or hype could prepare me for the feel of the spellbook room. I inhaled the comforting smell of leather, old paper, sandalwood, and hints of lavender that lingered in the air of the main library before stepping into the spellbook room. The feel and smell of it served its purpose as a staunch reminder of the dark and portentous world—and my new role in it.

As I dropped my bag on a chair, I took in the new changes: shorter bookcases, a juniper-scented candle on a warmer, a clock on the wall, and a bowl of fruit, individually packaged nuts, and chips in a bowl. The juniper couldn’t overshadow the scent of potent magic that thickened the air. Or the nudge of reproach it inflicted on me. I was an interloper. Definitely someone who didn’t belong, and the room made sure to remind me of that. The markings on my finger didn’t seem to be enough grounds for entry. Despite that, I removed the ring.

Taking a seat, I pulled out the notepad and looked at the notes I’d scribbled last night once I realized insomnia had won. Seven spells from the markings needed to be disengaged. Dominic hadn’t given me specifics, but I assumed they were spells that stopped shifters shifting, prevented vampires zoning, nullified magic abilities, inhibited preternatural strength, and bound prisoners to the cell. Two spells were missing; I wasn’t sure what they were needed for. Examining the markings on my finger again, I wondered if the other two were overlapping spells. Or I might not know what the hell I was doing, which was likely the most accurate possibility. I was still examining the markings when Dominic walked in.

“I would consider it a work of beauty if I didn’t know its purpose,” he said.

I wouldn’t go that far. It was unique and definitely a conversation starter, but not a work of beauty. Obviously, my views were biased.

Dominic looked at the notepad on the table with curiosity. My scribblings of words were in languages I wasn’t familiar with, and I had spread books out on the table.

“I got started,” I told him, keeping my eyes on my work. If I’d looked at him, it would reignite my anger that he might be the person who tampered with Reginald’s memories. That anger would just distract me. Stay focused and don’t deviate.

“As I expected you would,” he provided in a crisp voice. Feeling the weight of his eyes on me, I flicked a look at him and returned to sorting the spells from the book I was working on. His baleful indomitable presence added a heaviness to the room that poked at my flight response. Working and shooting him furtive glances made productive work impossible. Even when he’d moved to the other side of the table, his presence couldn’t be ignored.

“Luna.” Command rasped in his voice.

I ignored him. He called me again; it demanded compliance. Something I wouldn’t give. The stony silence continued, until I finally succumbed to it. My eyes locked with his.

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