Page 15 of Fallen Demon

Thea smiled. “I bet she is.”

“And you’re pretty.” Aurora looked at the other witches. “You all are.”

“Aw, thank you,” Maggie said. “You’re pretty too.”

“You can see magic,” Abbie said. It wasn’t a question.

“Sometimes, if it wants to be seen,” Aurora said. “Sometimes, the magic hides. Like hers.” She pointed to me. “I know your magic is inside you, but it’s hiding from my view.”

My brows curled down. “Why?”

Aurora shrugged. “Maybe it’s shy?”

I looked at Abbie. “Maybe it’s more …”

Abbie nodded at me, probably thinking what I was thinking: We needed to investigate this.

“You’re a bright witch,” Abbie told Aurora.

“Thank you.” The little girl smiled wide. “Mommy, can we go?”

“Of course, sweetie.” Thea waved at us. “We’ll see you later for dinner.”

The two of them headed to the maze, but Lord Drake lagged behind.

“Aurora’s words and magic are unique and we don’t fully comprehend its extent yet,” he said. “Most of the time, she can see and find things no one else knows. But sometimes, her magic fails.”

“We should take heed of her words anyway and investigate,” I said. Better safe than sorry.

He nodded. “I agree. You should. Just make sure you know this new clue can lead you down a road with no exit. I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“I understand. Thanks for your concern.”

He rested his hand on my shoulder before following his mate and their daughter into the maze. Apparently, they would spend some quality family time before the parents got stuck in a long meeting for hours.

As soon as Drake was gone, I turned to Abbie. “You can see magic too, right?”

“Not like that, no,” Abbie said. “I can see things like fated mates’ bond or other magical connections much clearer.”

“But it seems the little witch was on to something,” Lacey added. “We should probably look into it.”

Maggie nodded. “I agree.”

Shame it was already getting late, and the evening’s event would start. Otherwise, I would take them back to the library right now.

What I did know was that this castle would be full of powerful witches soon, and I could talk to a few of them about what Aurora had said.

After finishing the outside tour, I took the girls back inside the castle, where I showed them a few more places—the ballroom, the old throne room, which had been converted into a reception hall, Thea’s workshop, and then my bedroom.

We spent another hour there, getting ready for the evening. I took another shower and changed into a beautiful black gown with a tight bodice. It wasn’t as fancy as the gowns the others would be using, I was sure, but that was how I liked it.

Lacey pulled my silver-blond hair back and into an intricate braid, the long tail coming over my shoulder.

When I looked in the mirror after applying a little makeup, a pang cut through my chest. I actually looked pretty and Levi wasn’t here to see it.

Since they hadn’t come with any bags, Abbie opened a portal to the Great Eternity Hall. The girls stepped through and came out half an hour later in their gowns, makeup, and hairdo.

Supposedly, it was almost impossible to open portals inside the castle, but maybe Abbie and the hall were special and their magic different.

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