Page 135 of Seduce Me in Shadow

“It was close.”

“Stop being a bloody stupid git. You don’t want the pain or the mourning that goes with losing a mate, so you’re going to toss her aside?” He growls and lifts me by my shirt. “Love rarely comes more than once in a lifetime. If you piss her away, be prepared for centuries of emptiness. And without your longer lifespan, you’ll see her grow old and turn to dust so quickly your head will spin. Then you’ll stand alone, a young wizard on the outside, an old, withering man on the inside, wishing for just ten minutes with your one true love. And she will be gone. I’ll be standing there to say I told you so. Because ten minutes with your beloved is better than a lifetime without her.”

Chapter

Sixty

Sydney

Caden’s absence feels like a dagger twisting in my gut. I’m so frustrated that I want to hurl Bram’s priceless knick-knacks against the wall. But after my firsthand close-up of Lucan's devastation and the heartbreaking account of Westin’s death, I can’t really blame Caden.

I want to be furious. Mostly, I’m sad.

Maybe if I could end this war sooner, take down Mathias… But even with the evil wizard gone, Caden and I have a mountain of issues to tackle. They aren’t insurmountable. It will take time, of course. And it won’t be easy. But aren’t they worth climbing if we end up together?

Indeed.

The night stretches on as I pace my room, ideas swirling and colliding. After hours of filtering through everything, two remain. First, I must find that magical book and discern once and for all if the feelings Caden and I share stem purely fromthose pages. If so, I have to undo the spell, consequences be damned.

Second, I have to help magickind in a more meaningful way. Transcasting Mathias’s return is just the beginning. Bram hasn’t let me convey details about the attacks—yet. But if people knew the extent of Mathias’s atrocities, they might unite against him. We need an advantage.

One sits in the dungeon below.

I glance at the clock. Nearly three in the morning. No time like the present.

Down the dark stairs I travel, creeping into Bram’s office. In a secret compartment behind the sofa he showed all the females “just in case,” I find the Doomsday Diary. It seems mad to me that anyone would attack a manor so seemingly secure, but it’s Mathias. I can’t discount any possibility.

Under the dim desktop lamp, I frantically flip through the pages, searching for my previous entries. They’re gone, vanished as if they never existed. Bloody hell, this book makes no sense. Then again, itismagic.

Staring at the blank pages, my heart races. What do I write? How do I unravel this mess I’ve made? And more importantly, how do I protect the magical world I’ve grown to love—and the man I can’t bear to lose?

My hand trembles as I lift the pen. Whatever I write next could change everything. For better or worse, I’m about to find out.

Finally, I craft another message to my “Magical Diary,” wishing that I hate Caden and that he loathes me as well. We’ll give each other coal for Christmas, dead roses on Valentine’s Day, and snarl like pit bulls every day in between. Then I stare at the page, waiting for the diary’s inevitable response to sleep, dream, and anticipate because the fantasy I imagine will soon be my fate.

Instead, the book writes back something entirely different.

To wish for enmity, you are too late. This fantasy you imagine cannot be your fate.

Because true love has claimed your hearts, you are sworn together, never, ever to part.

True love? A smile bursts across my face. Hearing that my fantasies didn’t incite false feelings is a huge relief—and makes me all the more impatient to get on with task number two. The sooner I rally magickind around Bram, the sooner Caden and I can work through our differences. That means talking information out of Zain.

Though he is likely to be a hostile interview subject and it’s the middle of the night, I’m not waiting. Who knows whether Mathias can do more damage to magickind while I wait for a more polite hour? Zain is behind bars, has no wand, and Bram has explained that only his welcomed guests can teleport in and out. The dungeon dampens magical ability, too. Surely, I’ll be safe long enough to ask a few questions.

I just have to persuade him to talk, and snark won’t serve me. Zain’s T-shirts suggest he would merely snip back. I’ll use our previous work connection and play the stupid human card.

I grab my little video camera and make my way through the dark house, down to where Bram has the wanker locked away.

The dungeon is pitch black. No windows, no lights. The room smells like damp stones and despair. I shiver.

“Why are you here, Sydney?” Zain rasps out. He sounds weak.

“How did you?—”

“Your scent.”

I don’t think taking a shower would fix that. “Where’s a light?”

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