Page 3 of A Snowed in Valentine's

“Well,” the redhead said, “it’s a really old book.”

She was trying to make conversation. Daphne groaned inwardly. Now wasn’t the time for small talk. Still, she decided to humor the woman.

“It belonged to one of my ancestors… er, my great-grandmother. She was one of its authors.”

It’s the main author, to be exact.

The woman’s eyes widened a little. “Interesting. Something tells me she was as great as her title.”

That was one way to put it. Daphne couldn’t help grinning. “I guess you could say I’m living vicariously through her.”

Or is it the other way around?She dismissed the thought.

The woman chuckled, brushing her red hair out of her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you anyway. I’m Julia.”

“Daphne.”

“Nice to meet you, Daphne,” Julia said.

Her gaze flickered just then. Daphne followed it, unable to suppress her curiosity. Two of the passengers in the next aisle, a man and a woman, were arguing about something. From what she could gather, the man wouldn’t stop kicking the woman’s seat despite her complaints.

“Guys like that are jerks,” Daphne blurted. “He’s not going to stop kicking her seat.”

Julia’s head snapped toward her. “How can you be so sure about that?”

“It’s just who he is.” Daphne shut the grimoire, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Leopards don’t change their spots.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “Not even snow leopards.”

Julia’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Cripes!”

“I need to use the toilet,” Daphne said, getting up. Shooting her companion a wink, she headed for the back of the cabin where the lavatory was.

She suspected Julia’s eyes were still on her. The woman was clearly beyond stunned, wondering how in the world Daphne had figured out what she was. But Daphne had greater things to worry about right now. Her stomach fluttered with both trepidation and anticipation as she slipped into the small cubicle and locked the door.

She knew a lot of things. But she didn’t know just how terrible things would get. If she did, she would have returned to her seat.

Chapter One

ElevatorToilet Going Down!

“Nothing beats performing dark magic inside a public toilet,” Daphne muttered, wrinkling her nose.

At least I have privacy,she told herself.

Her reflection gazed back at her, unblinking. Blonde hair peeked out from under the beanie, a fringe covering most of her forehead. Her eyes were a gentle grey with a somewhat bluish tinge.

Daphne couldn’t resist a grin. She certainly did look a sight, wearing so much winter clothing while pretty much everyone else on the flight was dressed for warm weather, but she was beautiful regardless. Underneath all the layers, she was a slender, thirty-year-old-looking woman with full breasts and smooth curves.

Only shewasn’tthirty; she was forty-three even though she looked over a decade younger, young enough to get consistent unwanted attention from men of varying ages. Being a powerful witch certainly had its perks. If you knew the right spells, you could slow down your aging. And when you were young, blonde, and pretty, you tended to get lots of attention, which often meant lots of free favors and opportunities.

She set the Book of Nyx on the sink and pried it open, flipping through the large grimoire until she reached the page she’d been reading before. Her fingers trembled, her vision blurring slightly as she silently read the words.

Svassissimo nepo diovina.

Open the void.

A more modern version of the grimoire would have made this somewhat easier, but Daphne didn’t mind reciting spells in a different language. Being an adjunct linguistics professor at UNLV, she found the challenge interesting. Besides, thelanguage the Book of Nyx was written in had traveled through the Emerson bloodline. She’d grown up studying it.

She sucked in a deep breath. “You can do this, Daphne. You’ve performed powerful magic lots of times in the past.”

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